Breastfeeding

Hi guys

I wonder if anyone has any experience or knows anything about this?

I'm 13 stone and I hate it. 


I want to go back to 10 stone but I'm breastfeeding.

Can I lose weight while breastfeeding? If so is it best to do it by calorie restriction or exercise or both?

Or do I have to wait till my son is weaned?

Thank you

xx

I do know that when you breastfeed it helps you to lose some of that baby weight!!!

sorry, forgot to mention I'm 5 foot 11 and into martial arts

thanks alayney, I heard conflicting things about that tho! Some people it seems to use up their calories and help them lose weight but some people it seems that it makes them keep a fat store (to draw from) and they find it harder.

I'm obviously hoping for the former! lol

Well, I've only heard the former. In fact, I took a nutrition course in college last spring and that's what we learned! I believe it. :)

I am also breast feeding.  And I do not think that breastfeeding should prohibit you from loosing weight.  In fact breastfeeding should even help you to loose the baby weight quicker.  Keep in mind however that while burning all of those extra calories by bf, you also need to intake enough calories to keep you and your baby healthy.  My doctor recommened that I consume 500 extra calories to ensure the proper nutrients to me and my son.  But please do not become discouraged. It is even very hard  for me to believe that I will someday return to my pre-pregnancy size, however the key word here is sometime, not never. Just believe in yourself, and yes brestfeeding will help.  And you can exercise but make sure that you take to your doctor before starting a strenous excersice plan so that your milk supply is not affected.  good luck and best wishes to you!

hmm... maybe you're right then! You have a nutrition course... I have what my driving instructor said... lol

It does make sense, I read that the body 'wants' to lay down a fat store to take the energy from but of course that must come from food and so what you say does seem logical.

Ok, I just got my notes out from that class:

"Nutrition for Breastfeeding"
Energy -- Need an additional 500 calories  per day over your pre-pregnancy intake. (Infant's calorie intake is 650.)

Water -- Need at least 2 quarts fluids each time infant nurses daily.

Protein -- RDA 75 grams (pregnant and lactating)

thanks ohic too. I'm trying to walk for 2 hours a day. I put my son into his pram and just walk around the city for a couple of hours.

It's all so much harder with a baby though! It takes so long to get organised with a baby in tow!

Alayney that is great, really detailed information. I did hear that it was 500 cals too. My son is 10 weeks old. I don't know how much a quart is but it's unreal just how dehydrated I feel since I've been feeding him.

I'll have to check out how much a quart is and try to up my fluid intake. I'm definately suffering with dehydration. My skin looks dull, my energy is low, I'm constantly thirsty and feeling weak.

Useful stuff! ty! :)

Suedo, congrats on the baby....And congrats on your decision to breastfeed...I lost wgt breastfeeding both of my kids but moreso with the second because I began exercising at a gym when she was 4 weeks old...

But even if it does slow down any wgt loss (which I totally doubt) you have years and years to diet but have a limited opportunity to provide your child with such wonderful nutrients and to form a warm bond.

LOL and it's so much easier to just wip out a boob at 3am than to bother heating up and cleaning up a bottle!  Also less to cart around on outings.

I'm sure it will all work out for you!

Yeah for Breastmilk!

My son came out and sucked me skinny.  100% pure breastfed big chunka baby!  He was 18 lbs at his 8 week checkup!  (Kaiser gives you those well baby sheets, I have proof!!) He was such a chunker LOL  But on the other hand by my 6 week check up I went from 194 (pregnant) to 155.  He was a 10 lb baby to be fair :)  I continued to drop to about 145.  I also had my daughter who was 16 months old when he was born, the whole time frame is a blur.  I couldnt eat enough to keep the weight up though.  It definitly didnt hurt him!  He is now a normal sized 6 year old :)  But I miss his chubbyness, he was too cute!  I have THE BEST pictures from his girlfriends!!!!!!! 

Best of luck!!!  I breastfed him till he was 2 1/2 and would have longer but he decided he was a big boy overnight *OUCH* :)

--Sumi

"I couldnt eat enough to keep the weight up"

that's like when I was kickboxing!

I was constantly hungry and no matter how much I ate I just couldn't maintain my weight! It was a struggle to eat enough because I couldn't stop losing weight...

I guess for anyone without a baby that would be perfect. Train in kickboxing 5 or 6 nights a week.

Now though...

"years and years to diet but have a limited opportunity to provide your child with such wonderful nutrients and to form a warm bond.
"

so true. Just being practical but you don't get that time twice. enjoy it while it's here! :)

how old is your baby? if you have a fairly new baby, don't be surprised to see the weight start coming off naturally after a couple months, and you will also loose it is spurts when ever he hits a growth spurt and nurses more and your body kicks in to produce more milk, also around the 12 month mark when your mil changes some again you will hit another spurt. And as long as you stay just under what your calorie intake is supposed to be and you don't exercise too much (don't for get breast-feeding is like working out on a stair-master for an hour a day). Also if you notice a decrease in your milk supply you might want o up your calorie intake, and always make sure you are getting all the water you can.

I have had three babies and because I breast-fed with all three I never dieted once and lost every pound that I gained during pregnancy and even got lower than my original weight before any of them (mind you I gained 60 lbs with my first!!!). It wasn't till after I stopped with my third that all the weight came back on.

good luck!

you can safely loose weught while breast feeding, but you want to be carefyl not to drop more than 2 lb. a week... any faster and you will putting too many toxins into your system that can end up in your milk...keep your fluid intake up and watch your general nutrion...a multi vitamin is always a good idea when nursing.

hi, i am breastfeeding my 5th child.I gained 60lbs while breastfeeding my 4th for 11 mths.My daughter is 5 mths old and I have gained 10 lbs since her birth.I lost weight during my pregnancy due to a very stressful job and constant nausea not to mention not taking care of myself due to chasing around 4 other children.I am hoping just to avoid any major weight gain over the next seven + months of nursing but I would be more than happy to lose a few lbs.I can't afford to cut back my calories by much because I need to be extra careful about my nutritional intake.I am taking a martial arts class three times a week.I am also 38yrs old and overwight by about 50 lbs.Any suggestions on exercises that I could easily add into my day.I have quit my job for obvious reasons and haven't quite gotten into the stay at home moomy routine.  thanks!!!!

If you figure out an exercises to squeeze into the SAHM daily routine then send it this way!!

I am having the same problem finding an way to exercise in my busy daily schedule. I have three kids under 5 of my own and watch one other, so unless I want to wake up at 5:30 there is just no time.

On making sure you get your daily nutritional value, I would one, take a daily vitamin and two just make sure that you are a little under the calories you burn daily. So figure up what your normal calories burn and then add on the breast-feeding calories you burn.

Good luck!!

If you figure out an exercises to squeeze into the SAHM daily routine then send it this way!! ----

Oh I wish! I don't have the time or energy for making a fancy plan to sort out an exercise routine, I just put my son (he's 12 weeks) into his pram and walk around the town, looking in the shop windows and stuff. I keep checking my watch and when 2 hours have passed I head for home.

It might be easier for me though as I only have the one baby. In a way I think the psychological boost is good though, I think, I'm not going to eat that huge pizza tonight... Not after I spent 2 bloody hours marching around the city centre in the pouring rain!

Also it's kind of fun to walk aimlessly with nowhere to go, nothing to do, proudly pushing my son around in his new pram. Feels sort of luxurious compared to the constant nappy-changing, feeding, housework etc...

:)

edit:

Forgot to mention, I have to give him a feed and change him right before going (for obvious reasons!) and it seems to be easier to do the exercise when I'm wandering around the town taking in the sights rather than staring at the wall in the gym... Not that I can afford the gym membership anymore anyway!

*sigh... lol