I don't understand my weight!!

[dontcomeatme]

I have put a lot of weight on in the last few years, around 4stone, had 2 DC back to back with gestational diabetes, forceps delivery 1st and then a c section for the 2nd.
I have breastfed both, I am still breastfeeding. I have 99centile kids, my 2YO is 35lb and my 13 week old is 20lb, so that's 55lb in the double buggy already, not including the frame, their bags, snacks, bottles etc. I don't drive so we bus and walk EVERYWHERE and I am ebf on demand. I haven't lost a single lb. Not between pregnancies and not since my baby was born. I'm also dairy free for suspected diary allergy and still nothing. Surely I should have lost something? I tracked my calories for a few days and they were all well below 2000s. I know I'm strong, my cousin couldn't actually get my pram up a bank the other day and I'm always the one doing the heavy lifting in the house. But why is my body holding onto fat like its feeding 10 infants 😭

Average day

Breakfast - toast and Peanut butter or cereal and fruit and yogurt

I only ever drink black coffee or water.

Dinner - homemade pasta or chicken and salad wrap or rice dish etc

Tea - 5 bean chilli, pizza, curry and rice, kievs, Sunday roasts, soup, baby potatoes and salad, spaghetti bol etc.

Snacks - oranges, apples, strawberrys, breakfast bars, popcorn.

Keep in mind I'm dairy free so all of this is vegan stuff. I used to enjoy the odd biscuit but don't like the vegan version.
Why am I not losing?? I don't understand.

That sounds like a lot of food to me, but you don't mention portion size so hard to tell. You are basically having two main meals a day and then for breakfast having two courses. If I ate that I'd be huge.

Also muscle is heavier than fat so some of it may be that.

You need to properly track and weigh everything to get an absolutely accurate idea of how many calories you’re consuming. What you’ve described as typical is likely way over 2000 calories and it is very carb heavy. I use my fitness pal.
Check your base metabolic rate online then adjust for activity.

In comparison to you my typical day is:

Protein shake with superfood powder in

Greek Yoghurt and berries (all weighed)

Egg or Tuna or Prawn or chicken salad (all weighed)

snack: fruit or carrot sticks or a mini baby bel

Dinner: lean meat with veg (all weighed) rarely any additional carbs.

This is around 1200 a day. Up your protein and lower carbs. Track everything so you’re sure you’re in calorie deficit.

Sorry 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was just giving different meal examples for each day. I don't eat all of that!!!

I might have

Toast on a morning, with a chicken salad wrap for dinner and then spag bol for tea. With fruit scattered through out. For example.

I will amend post

@REDB99i just have to be careful not to eat too few calories because I'm breastfeeding.

Have you worked out what your calorie allowance for weight loss is? 2,000 is just an average figure for what women need a day, for many people it will be below that, depending on height, activity, etc. Use a TDEE calculator.

Are you weighing your food to know how many calories you are consuming?

No because the calculator I looked at didn't take into account breastfeeding and its dangerous to eat below a certain number so I need to be sure. I was aiming for 1,800 just to be safe

With the GD, have you been tested for ongoing insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes? GD is a serious risk factor for developing Type 2, which may cause you additional difficulties in losing weight which won't be solved by a "calories in/calories out" model alone (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7594208/). I'd suggest you visit your GP and discuss an assessment for Type 2. If you do have T2, there are many options both medical and lifestyle which can reduce your weight and resolve insulin resistance

I only eat 1200 as I’m only 5 ft 2 and don’t need to eat a lot as my base metabolic rate is very low, you’ll likely need to eat more than that. I have to lower carbs to loose weight otherwise I just can’t. It can take a while to adjust to lower carbs and I always feel hungry when I do but you get used to it. Protein shakes are a good way to up protein but you’ll need to get a vegan friendly one.

@roundaboutthehillsareshiningI'm due to go for my 3 month blood test any day now to check. I did use the the finger prick a few weeks ago and my blood sugars were high so I suspect it may be an ongoing issue.

I've just remembered I take steroids for a health issue as well, which causes weight gain and high blood sugars 🤦🏻‍♀️ never mind. I'm hoping to get off these soon!

Make a GP appointment and have a proper chat about it. There are definite risk factors, and if the GD has caused metabolic issues, it's easier to make the changes sooner, before increasing resistance occurs.

Your diet looks extremely carb heavy for someone with gestational diabetes. As you have problems with blood sugar control carbs will promote weight gain. Try switching your breakfast for higher protein options, eggs, greek yoghurt with nuts, seeds, berries etc which will hopefully eliminate the need for a mid morning snack. I would get a cgm and check what is spiking you.

You need to use one of the online calculators that bases your calories on age, height, weight, how active you are. You can add some on for breastfeeding depending on how often you’re feeding. Walking with a pushchair won’t do much for burning calories, you need to get your heart rate up and even then, it’s mainly diet that gets the pounds off, unless you’re exercising loads.

Agree with this. You really need to lower the carbs. I know it’s hard. But for your health it is likely to be important

I would gain a lot of weight if I ate your diet I am afraid.

Thing is, you say for example you may have spag Bol, but how much? There is a huge change in calories depending how much you are eating.

Same goes for say chicken Kiev, high In calories for how filling they are, and very high in fat!

I agree with pp you are eating way too many carbs. Drop the carbs and have protein

You could try changing proportions, so instead of lots of pasta with some bolognaise on top, much more bolognaise and much less pasta. Focus on protein, it helps to make you feel fuller as well. Carbs are lovely but too many of them isn’t great, so just try shifting around slightly to favour the protein side of things. I could eat pasta till the cows come home, and it’s also really hard to estimate amounts, so I always weigh it.

How tall are you? You need to work out what your calorie intake needs to be to enable you to have a steady weight loss. I think you probably need to be strict about tracking calories - exercise doesn't really have as much impact on weight loss as calorie intake.

I found it really hard to lose weight while I was breastfeeding - everyone else told me the weight was dropping of them! Not me!

It sounds very carby. And if you’ve had diabetes you might have insulin resistance issues.

Yes, it sounds like insulin resistance and steroids. It’s really bloody hard to eat well while looking after two small children. You are doing a great job. I don’t think the usual advice is going to cut it with someone with your medical history and the fact you are still breast feeding. I’d leave the scales alone for a bit and just focus on eating as well as possible.

I think you are right not to be obsessively restricting while you are still breastfeeding. It's hard to judge your diet without portion sizes but perhaps try cutting out the obvious things that are high in calories and processed such as the peanut butter, breakfast bars, pizza and the popcorn if it is sugary or has artificial flavouring. If you have large portions for dinner/tea, try reducing portion size a little for pasta and potatoes, and adding more veg to your plate.

I would wait until your children are weaned before entering on strict calorie counting or any other form of restrictive diet.

I like to batch cook home made meals, hence the chilli and spag bol and soup etc. They're easy for us all to eat as a family. We have normal size potions with salad or veggie sides.
Definitely think I'm too carb heavy but when I tried restricting carbs plus diary I ended up starving and had a supply drop of milk.
I'm going to ring GP tomorrow to make an appointment about all of this, the steroids and potential type 2 diabetes.

I am definitely sweating and heart raised pushing that double buggy. Me and my cousin go for huge walks with the kids and we live in a hilly area! I am beetroot red and look horrendous by the end of the walk 😅

I've been prediabetic for years, I don't have children but I went up to bmi 32.4 13st 1lbs, I'm now bmi 25.5 10st 4lbs having lost 2st 11lbs in almost 9 months. I've had to cut my calories down to 1200 max a day to lose but I often eat 850-1100 a day and I'm eating high protein and low carb incl protein shakes for breakfast. I obviously wouldn't recommend someone who is more active and breastfeeding to go this low but I am 43 5ft 3" and have an office job. If I hadn't gone low carb I would no way have lost what I have. More protein also fills me up and stops the junk and carb cravings that I had with prediabetes. Drinking more water really helps with losses too

You have a 13 week old baby, give yourself a break - breast feeding made me ravenous too. Keep up the walking and take it slowly.

I have to go to 1200 cals a day to lose. So does my 6ft son. 2000+ is likely too high.

I don't think I can go to 1,200 calories. I need more calories per day for the baby. I will definitely try more protein and less carbs!