Just had a baby, breastfeeding and want to loose weight! Need some advice!

[JennyPenny22]

Hi ya. My baby is 2 weeks old, I am going on holiday in september and I am so worried about my weight. When my first daughter (this is my 2nd) was tiny, I put on far more during breastfeeding than I did during my pregnancy, and already I am heading the same way this time.

At the moment, I want to eat ALL the time! We had chicken and vegetables for dinner, I had a big portion which I usually wouldn't have even been able to finish, but I ate the lot, then half a pack of cookies, then a muller rice and I am still wanting to eat! I am not hungry, more peckish and really craving sweet foods. My teeth have suddenly all started hurting too - think where I have eaten so many sweets!

Anyway, I want to do something now, before it is too late. Everything seems to say 6 weeks though? There are a couple of excerise classes in my area that allow you to bring babies and toddlers with you (I also have a 16 month old), but I am pretty sure they say 6 weeks too. I also wanted to join slimming world but again - I think they say 6 weeks too!! How important do you think it is to wait 6 weeks to get going with diet and excercise?

Would be grateful of any advice or if anybody is in a similar situation?

And a bit off topic but does anybody know if you cans subscribe to SW magazine online? Just the mag, not the postal membership?

I don't think it is recommended to try to lose weight whilst you are BF and certainly not yet while you are still recovering from the birth..i have tried it and it affected the quality of my milk leading to a very unhappy baby .I don't know what your hurry is
Your ligaments are still very stretchy after your pregnancy and you ned to wait for them to tighten up again before you start doing exercise classes ,otherwise you will hurt yourself
The thing i did was make sure i ate the recommended number of calories in healthy food and go for a long,long,long walk every day with the pram
you say you had chicken and veg for dinner and then you craving sweet food.I think that might be because you didn't have any carbs with your meal.

Sorry have just read the bit about your holiday in september.You are the mum of 2 very young children ,you are putting too much pressure on yourself.If you are ot back to your old figure ,does it really matter ?

I would wait till the reccommended 6 weeks. I joined a slimming class and lost 4st pretty easily. Had a good incentive tho,was getting married. Nothing wrong with eating healthily to look/feel better for a holiday but dont "diet" and deny yourself everything you fancy. Fill up on salads/veg and when you are able to get out walking with the buggy every day!!

I would say chicken and veg should have been served with a jacket spud for carbs. I chopped tons of salad veg to stop me snacking on rubbish during the day. Could you eat porridge for brekkie? Really helped me not feel hungry till lunchtime.

As long as you eat sensibly it shouldn't affect your supply. I fed dd2 till she was 2 so didn't affect mine.

HTH

Thanks GCHN - I would usually have carbs with a meal, it just happened to be that we had loads of chicken and a whole pack of veg to use up so didn't really think anything of it. It is a good point though, I will make sure I include some carbs from now on as I think you could be right about that being why I was still hungry.

I do try and get out with the buggy, but TBH it rarely works. DD is 16 months and doesn't like the buggy now that she can walk. But if I let her walk it takes us half an hour to get to the end of the road! Which is no helpful from an excerise point of view! I am hoping to start going for a regular walk with a friend though round our local Lido as we could walk round, and then let her play in the park and on the sand so she gets benefit too. Won't be able to do this daily though, more like weekly.

There is a local buggy fit class and also a mum and baby/toddler keep fit that I can bring the kids a long too. Do you think it would be ok to join these after my 6 week check?

I am reasonably active anyway - just in the way that I am always on the go, playing with my 16 month old and general running round after 2 babies!

I was out and about before my 6 week check tbh. Do whatever feels comfortable for you.

Remember tho that you have 2 very small children,just do what feels right for you. Eating healthily on it's own will help. Do you have a Wii? I like doing that in between other stuff. Or an excercise DVD?

Let me know how it goes. I am back to my diet class and following my healthy eating plan and feeling soooo much better already.

Thanks. I do have a Wii, and hoping to get back on it as soon as possible - just finding it a bit hard to find the time at the moment as its not something I can invlove the DC in at this age, where as the excersice classes I can as they are desingned to bring them along. Once I have got sorted in a new routine though, I can hopefully get in the habit of using it again. I used it while I was pregnant and I am convinced that helped me go into labour and cope with it well because I was active.

I am going to use up all the food in my freezer so I can stock up on some decent food when DH gets paid.

Oh god yes you can't do it right now lol. I went to my 1st weigh in tonight and i have lost 7lbs in my 1st week.

Having been out on Friday drinking doubles all night and out on Saturday eating Indian (healthier options) god only knows how it happened

Anyhoo enjoy your dd's and hope you enjoy your holiday in September x

Congratulations on your new baby.

Keep bf-ing, get out and about as you're doing and don't eat biscuits/chocolate/crisps, combined with your obviously healthy meal-time diet. To save time and reduce the temptation to get ready meals/takeaways, cook large batches of good meals and freeze them so you always have something decent available if you run low.

Should be easier to stay off the comforting junk with the warmer weather as you can make tasty (and hearty) salads and eat lovely summer fruit.

Agree with everyone else, don't do anything too radical this soon and see how it goes.