Losing weight whilst breastfeeding

[Aggy35]

I have gained significant amount of weight whilst being pregnant and ideally would like it to go as soon as possible after birth.I am aware that cutting calories too much will affect milk quality/quantity. Did you succeed at loosing weight whilst breastfeeding and what was your approach?

Watching with interest as I am 38 weeks and moon face

I did, both times. I put on around 3 stone each pregnancy. I just ate beige food non stop to stave off sickness. I lost it within six months of each birth by following Slimming World. There is a special plan for breastfeeding mums where you are allowed more calcium. Oh and I kept it off too!

I wasn't obsessed with body image post birth but it was nice to feel like me again and enjoy wearing clothes etc as I got slimmer

I didn't lose weight either time, probably because I was so bloody starving due to breastfeeding!

I put on a ridiculous amount of weight in all my pregnancies and dieted while breastfeeding. It didn’t cause any supply issues. I ate healthily but did low carb and lowish calories. It’s a really difficult time to diet because you’re tired and sleep deprived. I always found my body hung on to the last bit of weight and didn’t let go of it till I stopped breastfeeding though.

I didn't gain anything significant in any of my pregnancies (mainly due to nausea and sickness) but gained around 3 stone when feeding every time. After the first time I joined WW and followed their diet which allowed a bit extra for feeding mothers, still gained though!
I assume I have some odd hormone sensitivity or something as I gained weight very fast with certain pills too

I lost about 3.5 stone after having DS2 whilst breastfeeding him. It wasn't really weight from that pregnancy, it was from DS1 and before as well. I'd had gestational diabetes with DS2 so I kind of stuck to a similar diet after having him of lowish carb, plenty of protein and some healthy fats. What I did find a bit annoying was that lots of people made comments about "weight just falling off" when you are breastfeeding, and I was like "actually, it's all the many many times I say no to cake/biscuits/pasta/toast."

I gained 2 stone when pregnant. I'm now 4 months pp and same weight I was pre pregnancy. I put it all down to breastfeeding as I'm still eating tons of biscuits and chocolate!

I lost all my baby weight while breastfeeding without any effort 2 out of 3 times it takes a lot of calories to produce breast milk! The third time I'd had complications from my c section so couldn't get out and about easily for quite a long time, bit even then wasn't too bad.

In the first few weeks, you'll probably lose water weight and bloat anyway, don't try to diet at all though, as you and your body deserve gentleness and care while you recover physically and while you adjust to having a new baby. Lots of nice comfort food (whether that's lentil stews or chocolate biscuits) and water will help!

Then once you can get out, just try to get walking with the buggy instead of driving or staying at home all the time with pringles, like I did 3rd time around! Even in the cold you can get out - parents in Denmark will leave the baby to sleep outside while it snows, so don't worry if it's cold, so long as they're properly well wrapped up and you can see them and check that they're ok.

Breastfeeding was (for me) the easiest diet ever.
I tried to stick to 1600 calories, so by no means starving at all, walked everywhere and had a huge hungry baby.
Lost 2lb a week and balanced out after about 2.5 stone.

I lost the baby weight very quickly once DH was back at work because I didn’t have enough time to eat.

I’m the opposite. I didn’t put on any weight during pregnancy (I was the same weight the day after labour as I was when I conceived), but I put on a stone over 6 months while breastfeeding. I found I was hungry all the time, and the exhaustion made making sensible food choices really hard. I’ve managed to start losing now, but DD is 9-months so we’re breastfeeding less and I think that’s helped my hunger levels. So no, I wouldn’t say breastfeeding is the golden ticket for everyone.

After first baby I got back to pre-pregnancy weight really quickly. I think I was quite stressed and didn't really allow myself time to think about myself therefore didn't eat much.

Now I have baby no. 2 and I'm the biggest I've ever been 😢 I'm really struggling to break bad eating habits from lockdowns etc so I've just piled on the weight.

Breastfed exclusively both times.

DD is 6.5 months old. I lost the first stone / stone and half quite “easily” but the remaining stone just won’t shift. The mum tum is real and my boobs are HUGE from the milk. C to F
I didn’t notice a drop in my milk supply from “dieting” - always stuck to at least 1800 calories but usually more like 2000. But as I said, not back to pre baby weight yet. I’m telling myself that the boobs account for at least half a stone

This is totally anecdotal and not scientific but I found friends with hungry big boy babies lost weight quicker than those with picky girls (ha, I was the latter, DD was an average newborn and a bottle refuser and I breastfed until 21 months but didn’t seem to put on a lot of weight, maybe my milk wasn’t that good) but also I would say it’s a bit of ‘nine months on, nine months off’, so definitely don’t be too hard on yourself in the early days!

Breastfeeding definitely helps! I put on 20lbs when pregnant and lost it all in 4 weeks by sticking to slimming world meals plus feeding on demand. My body didn’t spring back though, that took around 12 weeks to look normal but I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans after 4 weeks.

Also walking! Get out everyday with baby in pram or sling and do a steady 10km once you’ve done a full feed, it’s great for the weight loss and also your head space x

@AperolWhore

Breastfeeding definitely helps! I put on 20lbs when pregnant and lost it all in 4 weeks by sticking to slimming world meals plus feeding on demand. My body didn’t spring back though, that took around 12 weeks to look normal but I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans after 4 weeks.

Also walking! Get out everyday with baby in pram or sling and do a steady 10km once you’ve done a full feed, it’s great for the weight loss and also your head space x

No, breastfeeding helped you. Posts like yours are at best smug, and at worst, hurtful. I breastfed on demand, and walked miles with my DD in a sling, but the weight did not shift, and it made me very depressed. Posts like yours (with inappropriate exclamation points, because it’s oh so easy, and statements about being back in pre-pregnancy jeans so quickly) do not help. Thankfully I have now lost all the weight, but only once I night weaned my now 10-month old, who is on 3 solid meals a day, therefore dramatically reducing the amount of milk she’s having from me. By all means be proud of what you achieved, but don’t make others feel shit by doing so

I EBF and bought DS a sling. I ate normal diet but walked every day with DS in a sling, starting gradually and building up.

As ds got older and heavier, I was fitter and able to carry him comfortably for longer. He was happy, I lost my baby lbs without having to fuss about diets and I regained a bit of general fitness. Plus being outside helped my mood quite a lot.