Really Frustrated with post partum weight loss

I'm a nursing mom who is 6 months post partum. I'm moderately active and eating around 1800 calories per day and... THE SCALE ISN'T BUDGING! I went onto my plate.gov today and they recommended someone at my current weight who was breastfeeding eat around 2600 calories per day to lose weight. I am so frustrated with this situation.  Any one else going through this? I feel completely alone. It doesn't help that I have a friend who can't seem to keep from losing weight just from nursing. I feel like I'm still hungry most of the time and am really, really struggling with this. I've been overweight most of my life and feel like I'm never going to be successful.  I want to eat nutritiously for my baby. I don't regret gaining the weight I did with her. I just also want to not feel like I'm always the 'fat friend'.

Hey! I'm 8 months post pardom and I am in a similar boat (on and off) very frustrating I know! They say if you don't get enough calories when you BF your body can hold onto the extra fat/calories so that you produce enough (like it thinks your starving sort of thing) so don't skip on too many calories. I tried to get most of my calories from fruits and veggies (raw) alway keep cut fruits/veggies handy to snack on! And I was frustrated with finding time to work out... So I try now to work out in 5-10 min intervals. I set a timer and work one part of my body really hard for that time, while singing songs to my daughter... Then I do it again a few times a day different body parts. And I try to take her for lots of walks at a steady pace. It's a slow journey... But I hope you find what works for you in your lifestyle! Good luck! :)

Your weight is stuck and you are hungry most of the time.. it's clear to me that Your body is sending you a very strong message that you are not eating enough.. heck, even the numbers are telling you that too!

You said the recommendation for your intake was 2600 calories and you are eating significantly less than that (1800). 

I know you want to lose weight but your #1 priority while you are still breast feeding is getting enough calories to provide nutrition for your baby. 

A breastfeeding mother will use an extra 3-500 calories per day just from lactating. So you can minus at least 300 cals off your 1800 intake to account for that... now you are down to the minimum intake for most adult women (1500) and this number doesn't even take into account your daily activity or exercise.

IMO you are under-eating and your body is reacting to this by storing away any immediately unrequired calories instead of burning them off. 

I think you'll find the scale is unlikely to budge until you increase your intake and I suggest at least 2000 calories while you are still Lactating and add more than this if you are exercising too.. whatever calories you burn through actual exercise, add half of those back onto your daily intake that day. eg if you burn 350 calories in the gym, then you add an extra 175 calories to your basic 2000 intake that day

If you do this, you will probably get three positive results in a short time...

1. you will not be so hungry and you will have more energy

2.  your weight will start to go down

3. your milk production will improve and be better quality

When you are ready to wean your baby you can then reduce your intake back to 1800 calories per day. But for now, your deficit needs to be smaller and your focus should be on good nutrition to provide the best possible milk for your baby.

Hey don't beat yourself up. You carried a little person inside you for 9 months and now you have a beautiful baby girl!! Don't count calories it's all bull ****. If you are still breast feeding you need to focus on putting the right nutrients in your body. Plus you need the strength from proper food to help look after your baby! This is what I did and I lost my baby weight in 6 wks: ? try to incorporate protein in every meal (egg white omelette, poached chicken) ? unlimited veggies ? eat carbs and fruit (some fruit has carbs) early in the morning so you have rest of day to burn off ? drink 3 liters water to flush toxins ? engage in 30 min exercise even if it's walking down the street and back

And if you want a piece of cake eat it. Don't deprive yourself. Everything in moderation is fine. I tend to eat every couple if hours don't ever starve yourself!! It's just about making healthier choices and having a better lifestyle

I'm having the exact same problem I am 3 months post partum and nursing. I also have baby weight from my last child who is now 21 months old. I am so upset over this! I love my children and want to be a healthy and happy mom. I just feel like my body is working against me. I've been considering a treadmill so j can get cardio done during nap and after they all go to bed at night. Hang in there.... You are NOT alone, or crazy!

#1 rule - don't starve yourself 1200 - 1400 calories per day may seem low, but if you split your meals up into smaller meals throughout the day you'll feel fuller longer. #2 - eliminate simple carbs, sugar, and saturated fats Your carb intake should consist of complex carbs found in vegetables and whole grains. Avoid sugar found in syrups, salad dressing, and especially soda. Fats are good when they come from avocados, almonds, etc. try to avoid saturated fats #3 - water, water, water #4 - activity!!! Walking is great exercise. Take that baby out for a stroll. Speed walking has been known to burn more calories than jogging or running. Lifting light weights helps turn fat into muscle and is great to add into your workouts if possible. There's tons of weight lifting exercises you can do with your baby and your own body weight. Losing weight is difficult and takes a lot of discipline. Good luck to you

I was just like you. I have never lost a pound while nursing any of my three children. I did find that once I quit nursing, the weight did start to come off. My little girl turned 15 months yesterday and I only started to lose weight 4 months ago..... Since then I have lost over 20 lbs. Believe me the weight will come off, it just takes longer for some. It is recommended that you do not diet while nursing because your body needs lots of calories to produce milk. On reflection I think I may not have been eating enough.

wow,

this has been a heartening forum to read. My baby is six months old and i have been exercising like crazy for four months , eating very carefully and have lost almost nothing. After having three other children i know it is always easier for me to lose weight when i finish feeding them at one year of age, but i really wanted to shed the kgs earlier this time. Perhaps it just isnt meant to be for me either.

Still there must be a way to get to a desriebale weight while i am feeding surely. is this really true, you may not be eating enough to lose weight? i would be terribly nervous to add more food to my diet to see.

If anyone has any miracoulous suggestions i would be very keen to her. them. i currently run 4km every day in 20 minutes and pretty much am on my feet for the rest of it with two boy toddlers aged 3 and 2. I should be a skinny as a rake, alas i am not,

 

I know that you could do this. I can relate to you since my body isn't as slim as others and also my sister is also trying to lose weight after getting pregnant. It is really a hard struggle for her but thanks to the people around her, that always supports her, she get through it all. 

you are not alone. My baby is six months too and i have been so careful with my eating and have vamped up the exercise to two sessions a day. Under normal circumstances iwould have lost heaps of weght, but in the last two weeks i have managed 2.5 kilos (not sur ehow many pounds that is). But i am going to stay motivated - as if i can just drop little by little when I finish feeding my babe the rest should just drop off. ? right?

You certinaly are not alone i think about it nearly all day cant work out why i seem to be the only one that doesnt shrink to the soixe of nothing while feeding. But as this is my forth child i do know that once you wheen the baby it does come off. Hang in there.

I joined this site to try to lose the last of my baby weight too ----with all my other children I was down to pre baby weight by about three months PP...my baby is 7 months old and I'm still holding on to last 15 lbs. I just heard a report on tv that talked about sleep deprivation and weight loss---that it's harder for your body to lose weight if you aren't sleeping enough. So maybe that's causing some delay for you too. Hope we all get to our comfortable in our own skin number soon:)