When I put my mind to it I loose a pond every 1 or 2 days? Why is this classed as unhealthy

[Sophie1029734]

Hi everyone, I'm currently 1 year 2 weeks postpartum and still breastfeeding. I added a tone of weight the year before I got pregnant and during pregnancy.
I've always found it easy to loose a pond every day, maybe two. But reading up this its apparently unhealthy, why?
For example yesterday I ate between 1.2k - 1.3k calories, healthy foods. I went for a 1 hour walk, ecersised in the morning. The next day I loose a pond. I'm not starving myself. Sometimes I get in to a bad rut of eating bad and not moving but when I pit my mind to it it shreds like nothing. Am I esting too little?

As for milk supply :

I’m exclusively breastfeeding a 3 ( nearly 4) month old and losing weight . I’ve been averaging a kilo a week for the past 2 months . No issues with my milk supply . I’m eating about 2000 ( healthy) calories a day , running , doing virtual workout videos and lots of walking . I am slightly overweight with extra fat reserves . I find one kilo a week easy with my current routine and I don’t feel hungry or exhausted.

I am 5 foot 7 at your weight I was eating 1750 calories a day whilst exercising and lost about 1-2 pounds a week. That’s without breast feeding which they say burns around 500 per day. I would look at a minimum of 2000 calories of healthy food a day to make sure you are getting everything you need. It will be slower weight loss but more sustainable in the long run. When you start eating more the scales show an extra pound or two up but it’s temporary and your body adjusting so don’t panic.

If breastfeeding and reasonably active you shouldn't be going much under 2000 calories a day really. Your example of daily food could be boosted with more nuts and healthy fats - some vitamins and micronutrients can only actually enter your system if disolved in fat so restricting fat too much can leave you with deficiencies even if you are notionally eating enough of the various nutrients you need. Make sure you drink plenty of non-caffienated liquids too.

Michael Moseley advocates it.

@cheezy

I like my pond and would be upset if it disappeared overnight

What? 😄

@Sophie1029734

In total I've lost 2st 3lb. At first I was loosing a pound every day for a 1 week then it slowed to about 2-3 pound a week. Then I got myself in a rut for a while and I'm not proud but im back trying. I'm currently 12st 9, my goal is 9st 7lb. I'm 21 and becoming chunky has made me feel down. I was worried I was doing things unhealthy but maybe it is because I'm chunkier or that it's not real weight. For my own sake I will try weigh myself once a week so I dont over analyse and obsess.

So breastfeeding has probably helped as well, as I was told by the dietitian after I fell pregnant that breast feeding would be great for weight loss, of course only if I wasn't stuffing my face. I think you've done really well, as long as you aren't starving yourself and eating good foods within that calorie range, then I don't see why it would be a problem.

@KihoBebiluPute

It is easier to lose weight quickly the heavier you are, and so your current weight is relevant in answering. Someone obese can lose weight at that kind of rate without it being a massive problem but if you are closer to a healthy weight then it could be.

Losing weight does put stress on your metabolism. Your body is brilliantly adapted to survive in all kinds of circumstances as our species evolved on a planet that had lots of challenges to survival. You can certainly lose weight very rapidly if there's a big enough deficit between the calories you eat and the calories you use, but when this difference is very sharp, your body may adapt to "famine" conditions which could include loss of muscle and bone mass, loss of cognitive acuity, and your metabolism adapting to squeeze every last calorie out of what you do eat, meaning that you are more likely to regain weight very quickly when the time comes that you are focusing on things other than weight loss. If you need to lose at least a third of your current weight before you are in the "healthy" (bmi 20-25) zone (ie you are more than 150% of your ideal weight) then 3lb a week isn't too bad. If you are between 120% and 150% of your ideal weight at the moment then 2lb a week would be a more sensible target. If you are less than 120% of your ideal weight then 1lb or 1.5lb a week is sensible.

The female body is especially well adapted to survive famine conditions, which means the metabolism will prioritise various methods for reducing energy usage, and maximising fat storage, rather than squandering the precious energy reserves it has built up.

Yes I agree, it's like the low carb diets, they force your body to use fat for fuel, but then on some you are usually allowed to eat more meat/fats that are filling and make you feel like you've had something.

@Sophie1029734

This is what I ate yesterday, does it sound like I'm getting enough and could I need more? 7am Porridge with oat milk. linseeds chiaseeds and sesame seeds mixed in Grapes 10.40am 1 sandwich with quorn ham 3pm bag of spinach with olive oil and lots of lemon juice, plant based steak, 2 corn on the cobs, carrot and swede mash 4pm some slices of cheese 5.30pm apple, grapes

Am I eating enough? That day was a little healthier than I'd go for just because we need a shop

Wow so your dinner is like at 3pm by the looks of it, so you haven't eaten after 5pm?! I wake up with a migraine if I don't eat something in the evenings.

Do you live in a very hot country?

@User1511

Michael Moseley advocates it.

For breastfeeding women?

What you're eating doesn't look like very much, OP. According to the NHS, breastfeeding (exclusively) uses around 300 calories a day, that's on top of the energy you must need to look after a new baby.

I really would recommend getting medical advice about losing weight at this stage in your life, rather than relying on the internet, because anyone here can only guess at your overall health and what the safest dietary approach for you, as a breastfeeding mum, would be.

If you are EBF, yes this is unhealthy imo, sorry. You need additional calories while bfing . I found weight fell off me even though I ate loads while EBF a hungry baby.

Aside from the BF issue, rapid weight loss reduces muscle mass. In time, this is bad for your metabolism as your lean muscle mass will not recover quickly. You can actually cause so much muscle wastage that, in extreme cases, you cause damage to the muscle tissue in your heart. This is very unhealthy.

If you are losing weight to look skinny and damn the consequences, then crack on. But if you are concerned about health, then calm down, lose weight at a slightly slower pace and eat a bit more, would be my advice.

I’m breastfeeding and have pcos and hypothyroidism but still manage to lose 2-3 pounds a week by eating 1,800 cals and walking 6-10k steps in one go. I haven’t lost my milk supply either (ds is 14 months old). So I do think you’re losing too fast and I imagine you’re probably losing milk too as it’s part of the water weight you would lose by cutting your calories so much.

I lost 3.5 stone whilst breastfeeding. Diet was limited due to gallstones. My baby was fine (EBF, prior to weaning). The OPs baby is older and eating solids. Y’all need to chill out. Your body has this amazing way of making you feel hungry if you need more calories. She (and her baby) are not going to starve.

Can you show me where Mosely advocates (I assumed you meant) vlcd for breastfeeding women?

When I was breastfeeding I found it very easy to lose weight. Now menopausal or possibly post menopause and every pound takes blood sweat and tears. I don't think a pound a day is super unhealthy but I think most people naturally find their weight loss slows after the initial speedy loss.

Nobody advocates anything for bf women. I’m just saying he advocates fast weight loss. I am just unclear why you’re all losing the plot about the fact she’s bf a 12 month old and losing weight. If the baby was 12 days or 12 months i’d understand.

I am not losing my mind. The only one flipping here is you 🤷🏻
I simply asked because you brought his name into a thread of woman who says herself she is breastfeeding and make it sound like a claim he advocates it even for brestfeeding women. Which in fact isn't right because even his website states breastfeeding women should not do vlcd. Same info is on NHS.
You just come somewhere, say something wrong and then accuse people of losing their mind.

You are literally advising something that goes against advice of medical experts (while making it look lile they are ok with it...)

I suppose because everybody knows at 12 months old the child isn’t relying on you solely for nutrition, I replied on the basis of weight loss on its own rather than getting hung up on the fact her child has milk from her body once a day