Breastfeeding and weight gain

[nickname7890]

Hey

So I managed to stay on top of my figure this pregnancy and am breastfeeding now
But I can feel the weight creeping up NOW!
I'm shattered, sedentary, and starving all the time. When up in the night I struggle not to eat I'm not talking packs of biscuits but even dark chocolate and an apple or an energy bar and I've racked up an extra 500 calls just in the night.

My fear is that

1. Does breastfeeding make your body retain fat? Is it the hormones?
2. How do I curb the intense sugar cravings and the constant need to pick and eat and snack?

Getting married in 6 months to add to the pressure

Don't have any answers but just wanted you to know the same thing happened to me. Couldn't curb my hunger when breast feeding it was ridiculous, I'd wake up in the night feeling sick I was so hungry! It did pass though. Maybe try a protein shake or a protein bar instead of processed foods to keep you fuller for longer?

I lost weight breastfeeding
I tried to keep sugar to a minimi and drink lots of water
I also started going to the gym

Are you drinking enough water?

Sorry-sent too soon!

I’ve BF four babies (just trying to wean #4 now...) and each time I’ve lost the weight to a certain level then nothing more until I totally stop. I keep a little pot belly and a ‘coat’ of extra fat no matter how much I exercise or eat healthy, then within a week of stopping feeding I lose it all. And I eat very healthy and workout hard every day so there’s no reason for the extra amount other than hormones.

I’m not saying stop feeding at all, since it’s such a wonderful healthy thing to do (all of mine were BF to at least a year) but just to encourage you to give it time and to realise it may be at least partly hormonal.

I put on minimal weight during my pregnancies. I probably put on another stone while breastfeeding. I was just so so exhausted (terrible sleepers) that I needed energy from somewhere. Plus my body seemed to hold on to fat.
I lost it all really quickly when I stopped breastfeeding.

Thanks everyone!!
I do need to drink more water for sure !

I agree about the coat of fat! I loved my shape when he was first born now I feel love handles stocking up ! Urgh I wouldn't let it stop my bf Ing but I do hate it!

Protein bar is a good food shout only thing is I'm dairy free due to allergies and a load of them are super high sugar!! Will put my mind to finding a healthy one! If I make them I tend to eat them all

With DC1 I lost the weight immediately and was actually thinner than before getting pregnant.

With DC2 the weight clung to me for MONTHS, I was getting depressed about it despite exercising and eating well. Then around 8/9 months post partum it started coming off with no lifestyle change. So I think it is hormonal.

Dark chocolate and/or apples don't leave me feeling full... I second the protein advice. As long as I feel full/satisfied, I don't crave sugar.

My current favourites are porridge or oaty cereal, scrambled eggs on toast, nuts, seeds, flapjack, etc.

That is so true !! It's not as though I would reach for an egg at the 3 am feed ...maybe I just stop myself buying dark choc ! And almond butter ...! And jelly tots!

Thank you woo woo !!

Yes I held onto weight when bf too, it was really annoying. I wasn’t even eating much more or feeling any more hungry than usual! I bf both of my children for a year each and once I stopped I found it much easier to lose weight. Sorry, this info doesn’t help you much re losing weight for the wedding! I DO have an under active thyroid gland so my metabolism is always a bit rubbish.

DD nearly nine months and the amount I've eaten is ridiculous. I've put on a bit of weight, but frankly amazed it's not more. I have friends who were at their slimmest ever when feeding and I think if I'd been restrained with the chocolate I'd be the same. However, I also had a rubbish sleeper and sometimes you just need the sugar.

I'm hoping that going back to work will help with routine.

Basically - it's bloody tough, don't be too hard on yourself.

It's been years but someone told me you body need to have the good fats like avocado, olives , nuts etc. I also recommend a post natal multi vitamin supplement.

Thanks everyone
It seems if I ate vegetables all day I may lose weight. Problem Is I don't want vegetables! This time of year as well I don't want cold foods especially in the middle of the night and cooking is difficult with two!
Someone brought me a giant box of very luxurious cupcakes yesterday when visiting and I was ( hormonally!) pretty annoyed / stressed by then being in the house as I know in the dead of night I'll struggle not eating them but feel guilty throwing away as they're so expensive! But no one here would eat them except me! Difference is that my OH has willpower!

I found the opposite I couldn’t keep weight on while breastfeeding, although I didn’t eat at night. Limit yourself to only a few sweet treats, I had to make my own protein bars due to dairy allergy.

Will the cupcakes freeze?
I’m 13 months postpartum and stubbornly clinging to an extra half stone - but my boobs are 5 cup sizes bigger than they used to be, so that and my paunch is clearly where the excess weight is. The rest of my is pretty much the same.
I’ve not attempted to exercise the weight away and I know it’s because I’m eating rubbish. Thinking a January sugar detox might help

I found having suitable snacks by my bed helped - bananas, go ahead fruit slices, breadsticks etc. I also drank a hot milk or hot choc before bed which I found helped. I had a very hungry baby and consequently I was always starving! I found sugar was what I wanted all the time too !

I never lost weight when breastfeeding despite having a better diet than before being pregnant. I wasn't particularly hungry either, didn't crave food etc. The weight only came off after stopping breastfeeding. In my case yes my body did seem to want to lay fat.

You don’t say how old your baby is. I found that in the early feeding weeks I was so so hungry and craved all the unhealthy stuff. I regularly polished off packs of biscuits over a couple of night feeds!

This only lasted about 6-8 weeks though then as his feeding gradually settled, so did my appetite and my weight started to settle. So if you’re still in the early days, maybe just go with it for now and trust it’s what your body needs, especially if you can manage to stick to protein, good fats etc.?

I gained weight in the first month or two bfing each time and was horrified, then ended up lower than pre pregnancy weight by 7 months with little effort, your hormones and routines settle.

The danger point for me has been around 9 months, when they have more food and less milk but I've kept eating extra and have to remind myself that when not bfing full-time I don't get to have a daily cake!

I've got to the point where I'm looking forward to stopping feeding (DD is 19m and I'm just waiting until I've got the energy for the battle!).

I'm now lighter than before I got pregnant and back in 10/12 clothes but I look wider and am flobby. I am hoping the wobble will go when we finally drop the feeding altogether.

Re snacks, in the earlier weeks/months I had a second breakfast of a boiled egg and toast which really did the trick and stopped me snacking on crap.

I had a box of oatcakes and rich tea biscuits by the bed. One of those was enough to satisfy the craving for something to eat without breaking the calorie bank.

Same here! 3 or 4 months after dd1 was born I realised I'd put on a stone. I just had to stop eating. With dd2 I gave myself a couple of weeks of eating everything then stopped. There was a good week or so where the hunger was there constantly then I felt fine. Its like bfing makes me starving but my body absolutely doesnt need all the calories!

Same here, I gained weight after giving birth. My midwife said it was the hormones. I