How to stop body 'clinging to fat' while breastfeeding?

[Newbie1011]

I probably know the answer to this deep down (!) but is there a way of aiding/ speeding up postpartum weight loss if you have the type of body that clings to fat while you're still breastfeeding, even if you exercise loads and eat less?
This is my third baby and it happened to me the first two times too - I really struggled to lose any weight at all while I was still breastfeeding.
But this time, it's really getting me down - I'm two stone heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight and although I'm exercising several times a week and eating healthily it just won't budge.
I go to a postnatal fitness class and all the other mums seem to have been able to lose weight and tone up - they all look amazing and I stick out like a sore thumb! Some of them say that they've found the weight really drops off while they are breastfeeding. But I'm feeling my enormous baby constantly and no dice!
I know it's not forever but it's just frustrating as my baby has a cows milk intolerance so I anticipate feeding him for a good year and the thought of continuing to be so overweight for all that time and over the summer is getting to me a bit. I'm usually a size 8-10 but currently a 14 so nothing fits. My poor body image is putting me off intimacy and I'm finding myself unenthused about going to social events as I just feel so unattractive.
Did anyone else have this issue and find something that worked??

Oh no tips really but lots of sympathy. I had the same thing. Nothing really worked for me but I kept the exercise up because it made me feel happier. And now I look back and think it wasn’t very long in the scheme of things (about 15 months both times). But that didn’t help at the time.

you’re doing a great job.

Thanks @Phunny - admittedly it makes me feel better too, but it’s just so frustrating! I wondered if there was some sort of hormonal hack I was missing! When I lost weight after my second baby it was intermittent fasting that really worked for me. But obviously wouldn’t do this while breastfeeding as I feel like it would damage my supply. Plus it would be impossible as I’m so hungry !! Argh I guess I just have to wait. Thanks for the reply though, I’m glad I’m not the only one at least!

Nope, my body clung to weight too but the magical weightloss once I stopped was amazing both times, didn't need to do anything. Sadly 11 years on and I've slid into Perimenopause and now my body is clinging to every calorie for dear life and I now weight more than when I was pregnant, utterly depressing.

Breastfeeding never helped me lose weight either the hv told me to not even bother trying 😒

Same here so I give up trying. 3 DCs and the same with each one, didn’t get back to pre-pregnancy weight until I’d stopped BFing. Some I’m leaning into it and currently sat here eating a big bag of haribo while I feed the baby 😂 I’ve figured out that I can pretty much eat anything (by that I mean either loads or very little) and I’ll stay the same weight, so I may as well eat loads 😂

No advice but I’m in the same boat! Clinging to a stone and can’t shift it. Have just been on holiday and felt like a fat frumpy mom! Fun was not had 😂

Same boat here! I honestly found that eating more helped more than eating less did - I think my body wasn’t getting enough calories so it was prioritising milk production, but when I ate more it knew it didn’t need to prioritise so it allowed me to burn calories, if that makes sense?

It wasn’t perfect and I was still bigger than I wanted, but I definitely started losing it a bit when I ate more!

When we started weaning and she was less reliant on me (I feed her 3 times a day now), the weight dropped off

Same same same!!!
DC3 will be 2 in September. I'm about a stone heavier than I would like...
I was slightly different in that the first two babies the weight did just drop off (over time)..
This third kid.. well I'm weirdly weighty in strange places (like my back and arms)..

I have started my fitnesspal tracking today. I'm a bit worried about messing with my supply as haven't had to do anything during other breastfeeding times. But I'm not happy and feel frumpy!

So refreshing to read this. I didn't lose weight with my second while breastfeeding and it gradually came off eventually ( not all) and I'm pregnant with third. I remember actually asking GP during a check up as felt something must be wrong as all my friends were having it drop off! He was lovely and said there's a small percentage of women that just don't. But I never met anyone that didn't! This was 8 years ago now- so this will make me feel better when it happens again!

Nothing worked for me. I actually stopped breastfeeding because I was sick of being fat. As soon as I stopped I lost two stone.

Yes I have the back and arm fat too! What’s that all about!?

I have the same issue, I have a tendency to gain weight easily anyway so I'm not surprised. It's so frustrating though. My DC3 is 9 months and won't take a bottle or any other milk so I'm planning to get to a year and will stop. My last 2 DC were back to back and I breastfed dc2 until I was 20 weeks pregnant so I am ready to have more control over my body and lose the extra weight!

Argh, it's so annoying isn't it. I also have the arm and back fat @FTMaz @newandconfused5 ... why oh why?! At least it's not just me so thanks for all the replies - but it seems so unfair doesn't it?! Honestly I was ready to cry in my exercise class yesterday... I was so much bigger than ALL the other mums (made worse by the fact I was late due to baby doing a huge nappy, so had to take the mat at the very front, and stare at my big self in the mirror the whole class!) After the class you sit and have a bit of a chat, and all these other thin mums were all tucking into snacks and lattes while I was there with my water wondering what on earth I was doing wrong!! Anyway hopefully one of those skinny cows will be along in a minute to tell us the secret of their witchcraft, ha!!!
That's exactly it @Justbecause19 - I hate the feeling of having no control over it! When I was doing intermittent fasting I was so happy because for the first time I felt like I could actually control my body/ weight and really get the results I wanted (while still eating plenty of healthy food and not feeling deprived etc). I can understand how you got to that point @Miriad of just being so fed up of it. As much as I want to breastfeed it's hard not feeling like yourself. I'm wearing like three linen shirts on rotation with black leggings and feel like a total frump, am dreading trying to attempt a holiday wardrobe @FTMaz - I know I'll be feeling exactly the same as you which is so annoying as we have a lovely holiday planned 😥

Coming to this late but I just wanted to say it's been the same for me! I am nursing DS (he's just turned 2 so it's been a while) and after an initial drop of weight after the birth which I guess was all the extra fluids I have steadily gained about 2 stone. I am just starting to try and lose it now and hoping I'll be able to manage without weaning him (but unsure whether that will be the case). Hope it all goes well for you and you feel back to yourself soon!

Thanks @HappySquid and sorry to hear you're having the same struggle. You've done so amazingly to breastfeed for that long, I'm not surprised you've gained as it's so exhausting and the hunger is constant as well! I have actually lost a couple of pounds since I posted, I have stuck with my postnatal fitness class and have upped my protein and avoided carbs which I think has helped but honestly it's just so depressing how slow this process is vs what it would normally be... my body is determined to hold onto all this chub! I'm still a stone and 9lbs heavier than usual and it's just so annoying! Aaah! If anyone's got any tips I'm all ears!