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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Losing weight while breastfeeding

43 replies

inky1991 · 13/04/2023 18:45

Hi all

Just wondering what everyone's experience has been with breastfeeding, and if you lost weight easily or not?

Many people say to me the weight drops off, as you are burning so many calories. However I've never had a great metabolism and always find it fairly difficult to lose weight so just assume it won't be like that for me. I suppose I just want some positive stories!

I would love to have some luck on my side and for my metabolism to go into over drive. For those that put on weight while BF, why do you think that is?

OP posts:

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Tr1845 · 13/04/2023 20:11

DC2 is 7 months, I’m doing WW and have found it much easier than normal to lose. As well as the extra points for breastfeeding and exercise I’m going over my allowance by about a days worth of food each week and still losing 2lbs a week. I’ve been dreading weaning as that extra is daily cake but so far it hasn’t made a difference.

itsabigtree · 13/04/2023 20:19

I become as thin as a rake when I'm breastfeeding. And have always struggled to loose weight in the past.

abbs1 · 13/04/2023 20:41

inky1991 · 13/04/2023 19:28

For those that did lose weight easily while BF, did you have fairly fast metabolisms and lost weight easily before getting pregnant? Im just wondering if there's a link

No before pregnancy I couldn't lose weight for nothing. Tried all types of diets exercise etc nothing worked.

sjxoxo · 13/04/2023 20:47

I definitely did not lose weight whilst breastfeeding. I felt mega bloated/swollen and just generally like a walking bag of fat and fluid. My upper arms were huge!! They’ve still not gone back to before nearly a year after stopping. I was both sad and v happy to stop breastfeeding!!! It was when I started to get my life back tbh. I also think I was so so hormonal. Not sure I’d do it for as long if I had a second go! x

Caspianberg · 14/04/2023 05:42

@inky1991 - yes I have never gained weight easily. Always been around 50kg, then gained the 20kg (3 stone) when pregnant.

I think it’s more other factors tbh like someone else said. No alcohol, and loads and loads of walking with a non sleeping baby. I never had the chance to watch Netflix all day on sofa when breastfeeding and baby nap like others say, mine would just scream. So it was more feed, walk and hour, feed, walk an hour, feed, carry baby in sling doing chore, feed, walk etc… I was so chronically sleep deprived it put me off eating also. Plus I wouldn’t stomach eating then having baby feed straight after as he was so heavy resting on my stomach, so if I was going to eat, but he wanted feeding again I just skipped eating sometimes. I think he fed 12-16 times a day at one point

RedRobin100 · 14/04/2023 06:12

I lost quite a bit and quickly with my first.

not with my second although I didn’t BF him as much or as exclusively. I

also think my body had just maybe changed more after my second (plus older) 😩

ShandaLear · 14/04/2023 06:33

I lost it after I stopped. I was so tired and hungry and thirsty all the time while I wa breastfeeding.

TakeMe2Insanity · 14/04/2023 06:39

I didn’t have a fast metabolism but I still lost a lot of weight while breast feeding. I was overweight before I was pregnant. A friend came to see after the baby was born and said 5 years on she still had the extra weight and to basically avoid cakes at baby meet ups. Sounds very logical. Well I did, and I consciously look and realised that whenever I met up with new mum friends everyone would immediately be eating cake sometimes multiple times a day. I wouldn’t eat cake with mum friends, walked loads with the baby and mum friends and I was the only one who lost weight.

It is do-able but you need to be eating healthy more of the time.

Ricco12 · 14/04/2023 06:40

Breastfed both children for 12 months and I never lost a pound. I struggled with weight loss after both babies.

Madamecastafiore · 14/04/2023 06:48

It did with DC 1 but with the others, I Didn't eat more than usual and literally didn't lose a lb breastfeeding for nearly a year, week I stopped I dropped 8lb. I wanted to punch those smug women prancing about saying the weight fell off them when breastfeeding!

Askingforadvice78 · 14/04/2023 06:57

I was back to my usual weight at 9 months, when I stopped breastfeeding BUT I lost 90% of my pregnancy weight within about 2-3 weeks if giving birth. I was back into my usual clothes that soon. When I felt frustrated about those final pounds and I mentioned it to the health visitor she replied that your body keeps a bit of fat in case of famine, so as soon as you stop breastfeeding that will drop off too. For me it was just a roll of fat around my midriff; my arms and legs were just as usual, but then I only put on weight on my breasts and tummy during pregnancy.

You do get very hungry. I loved it. There's no hunger like it, but eat well. Don't not eat chocolate but I would say that eating foods like that too much are going to stop you losing weight during breastfeeding.

This happened the second time I was pregnant too. And my mum said it wouldn't - pregnancy and breastfeeding would make me fat, like her. It never did.

Pastaf0rbreakfast · 14/04/2023 07:05

Within 3 months I had lost most pregnancy weight and was only 5 pounds heavier than before pregnancy. I did nothing to lose that weight other than try and eat nutritious food to help with bf and drink lots of water. I ate when I was hungry and drank when I was thirsty. I started craving chocolate (particularly in the evenings!) and I followed those cravings so I was essentially eating whatever I fancied.

19 months in now and I have changed nothing and still eat what I fancy and have not changed weight - still 5 pounds heavier than pre-pregnancy.

I think I’m saying just listen to your body, mine seems to ask for the calories it needs and that works for me.

Porridgeislife · 14/04/2023 07:22

inky1991 · 13/04/2023 19:28

For those that did lose weight easily while BF, did you have fairly fast metabolisms and lost weight easily before getting pregnant? Im just wondering if there's a link

I’ve always been slender, BMI of 19-20 and well below that when I was a teen/young adult. Never any issue maintaining and found it very easy to lose if I wanted to (eg my wedding).

However, my body has doggedly held on to fat breastfeeding. My baby is now 9 months and I’m having to put in a serious effort to lose any weight. BMI is about 23-24 at the moment.

Porridgeislife · 14/04/2023 07:24

However, my baby is a horrendous sleeper with reflux and generally very clingy. I think that your own sleep quality has a lot to do with weight loss as well.

MrsHsGirl · 14/04/2023 07:27

I have always struggled with my weight, put weight on easily etc. I found it dropped off me when I was breastfeeding and I could easily eat plenty of treats without gaining. It was a nasty shock when I finished bf and realised I'd have to give up my daily cake fix 😂

Dyra · 14/04/2023 09:07

With my first, the weight just dropped off me. Gained it all back again before I got pregnant with my second though. With my second, the weight is stubbornly sticking around.

HVPRN · 15/04/2023 14:10

Porridgeislife · 14/04/2023 07:24

However, my baby is a horrendous sleeper with reflux and generally very clingy. I think that your own sleep quality has a lot to do with weight loss as well.

In what way?

Geo0905 · 05/02/2024 11:10

Thanks so much for everyone’s replies so far - seems like a completely mixed bag! With my first , I ate constantly - like loads of cake chocolate crisps on top of my big meals - and I got super thin , it was really strange as I’d never had a good metabolism before but after my first baby I got much much slimmer than I’d ever been whilst eating constantly! This time, it’s the opposite- I’m conscious of what I eat - intermittent fasting and still gaining. I wonder if the fasting is making my body hold onto weight ? My toddler is 17 months now but still feeding loads day and night. I’m super active (lol… don’t know a mum who has chance to ‘sit and watch Netflix ‘ ) constantly cleaning , walking up and down huge hills with a double buggy as I don’t drive - the fat just won’t burn off. With my first I was active too ( no purposeful exercise, just mum life) but I really don’t feel like it was the reason I lost weight. Different hormones I guess? Neither of my kids sleep well at all, so I’m sleep deprived but have been since becoming a mum

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