How to lose weight whilst breastfeeding

[Namechanger355]

I know this is controversial but I had my baby 8 weeks ago and I’m now in a position to lost some weight. I need to lose about 1.5 stone to get to a healthy BMI - and increase my confidence. I would like to lose this within the next six months.

i am really struggling with how to do this - what is the best way. I am combi feeding and don’t want to reduce my breast milk supply. Is there an app or programme I can use that tells me the calories I need to consume?

I know there is a rule about 1800 calories whilst breastfeeding but how do I know if I can actually lose weight on that.

thanks!

I didn’t actively try to lose weight whilst BF (I did express BF and formula when I was too tired) but I found that eating my normal portions and drinking plenty of water prevented me from gaining extra weight. I also resumed my daily work outs 2 weeks after I gave birth (did some PP work outs then returned to my bike) but you might need to be cleared by your doctor (it will take longer for C sections and other complications obv). Contrary to popular belief, it is not that easy to lose weight whilst BF and I’d avoid calorie restriction at this time. When BF, the body releases oxytocin which helps with weight loss but you also store more fat as a survival mechanism. Once I stopped BF completely, I noticed my body fat reduced significantly and I looked leaner overall. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself

I'd echo the previous poster in that my body clings on to weight whilst feeding. Some people find that, some find it drops off. Basically don't be discouraged!

Standard weight loss tips apply - fewer calories in than out and eat lots of nutritious food. It's mostly about building habits you can keep up long term.

I'm glad you posted this as I've been trying to lose weight while combi-feeding. Normally weight falls off me when I go on a calorie controlled diet but this time I've stagnated.
Seeing pp replies gives me some insight as to why I'm stuck.

Thanks

@fairgame84 yeah it’s so hard isn’t it. I know we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves but I’m naturally fairly slim and just don’t feel like myself at all right now. It’s knocking my confidence a lot - and I am also not healthy

*not healthy because my bmi is too high

It started to fall off once my body was in recovery and supply had settled...so by about 16 weeks. I did nothing and lost two stone by 8 months pp and ate loads to maintain supply. I was then half a stone lighter going into my second pregnancy and continued to bf my first.

In my experience, continuing to breastfeed is, in itself, the best way to lose weight. I was ravenous, ate like a horse and still lost weight. Having a baby is hard work.

So much is hormonal. Weight just dropped off me when I was breastfeeding, despite a very high cake intake during lockdowns, whereas my friend just couldn't shift anything whilst feeding despite her best efforts, and then was fine once she stopped.

In general, the recommendation is to add 500 calories on for breastfeeding but i don't know how that varies if you're combi feeding maybe.

I'd suggest just eat sensibly and try to get out and move a bit, even if it's just going for walks rather than any intense exercise. And remember that even if those hormones do make you hold on to the weight for now, you're still getting healthier and setting up good habits for the future :)