I gave birth to my 3rd baby in December and haven't lost a single pound besides the weight after giving birth in the hospital. I am about 25 pounds overweight. I want to try different diets but I am unable to due to breastfeeding my baby. I have read other posts here about not to diet while breastfeeding, which I agree, but isn't there a way to such as eating healthier and counting calories/carbs/fat??? I am not familiar with all of that and have just been eating whatever I make for my husband and other children which is not always the best if you are trying to get back into shape. The weight that I am carrying is taking a toll on my confidence. I feel very insecure and don't want to show my legs anymore. My thighs have gotten soooo big! Is there any suggestions for this? Any help would be greatly appreciated ladies. Thanks :)
Hello, I did Weight Watchers and lost a ton of weight. You eat sensible meals with single sized servings and if you eat several times a day with excercise you will lost the weight.
Good luck.
K. K.
While I am not a nutritionist, I have learned that the bulk of your shopping should be the perimeter of the store...and this is something also benefits your hubby and kids...that is where you find produce, dairy, and meat. Of course, you have to do the bakery section in moderation.
I am planning on using the recipes from the show Losing it with Jillian, especially the Italian Chicken Skillet recipe.
Good luck.
Hi R.,
I totally undestand, I felt the same way when I had my son. I was 40 pounds over weight when he was 6 months old.
I try Weight Watchers and I love, they have an special points to count for nursing mom, I was nursing too and they effect my milk supply at all. I nurse my son until he was 18 months old and lost 38 pounds by the time he was 1 years old!
I was eating all day and loosing the weight!
Good luck!
The absolute best book I've found on nutrition is "Healing with Whole Foods - Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition". This will outline good food choices and combinations according to what your body is telling you.
Not all fats are bad (this book outlines the differences), but simple carbs are. If you simply stay away from packaged foods, eat brown rice instead of white, whole grain bread instead of those made from white flour, the pounds should melt off without too much worry regarding calories. This should not just be about diet and weight loss, but making lifestyle changes for more vibrant health.
Best of luck to you and your family :)
I hear you! I've gotten to the point where I HATE having my picture taken. :(
After my one son, I did Weight Watchers at Home. I was nursing as well so you just eat a certain number of extra points if you are nursing and the baby isn't eating solids yet. I lost about 30 lbs and got down to lower than my FIRST prepregnancy weight but then depression and other things caused my weight to go back up. By the time I got pregnant with my 4th (I'm due in August), I weighed at start what I did when I HAD #3. :( So even though I only gained 19 lbs with #3 and 12 lbs so far with #4, I know once he is born I am going to have a good 60 lbs to lose if not slightly more.
My husband recently started a meal program and has been having great success with it as far as weight loss, other symptoms like sweating at night, and his blood pressure has come down to almost normal in less than 2 weeks. He was quite high in the "hypertension" range. :( I looked at their program knowing that since I will be nursing this baby, I will be limited as to what I can do and I was VERY excited to see that they have a nursing mother's program!!! I can't wait to go on it!!
If you want to check it out, message me and I'll send you the link. There is a PDF file there that explains the nursing mother's program which is only 2 company meals and the rest is a menu/schedule like you'd get from a nutritionist! BTW, this program IS approved by the FDA!!!!! :D
When I went to Weight Watchers ages ago, there were several breast-feeding moms in the group who were very successful. I remember that those moms had an increased number of points to work with so that they'd be taking in enough calories, and there was some extra focus for them on making sure they took in enough water and certain nutrients so that neither they nor their babies would lack.
Just another idea, I have been using "Lose It" app for iphone or ipod, best of all: it's free!...you put in what food you eat, it calculates all nutritional information for you, including calories. Sometimes we really don't know what we are eating! For nursing count 500 calories being burned each day....
With "Lose It", you put in current weight, target weight and then it tells you how many calories you can eat per day. You'll have to modify your details while nursing. (you can add a new exercise and how many calories it burns, so for you, it'll be nursing.)
I just started using it a couple of weeks ago, and it really works. Love it!
I also ditto the other comments here, good nutrition, as well as exercise.
This app just really helps to keep track of how many calories are actually in foods without sitting down at the computer to look everything up. Good luck!
~sahmatwork
I have a blog about safely losing baby weight while breastfeeding. I'm taking a break right now because my husband is deploying this week but if you'd like to check it out here's the address: goodbyebabyblubber.blogspot.com
Although your diet can help, exercise is extremely important as well. Try walking (carry the baby and put the others in a stroller or have them walk) a few times a week.
For your actual diet, try eating as much unprocessed food as possible. Snack on fruits and veggies, they are low in calories, have great vitamins, and important to your diet as a whole. I'm sure you don't have much time, but you can still put together at least snacks that are going to be healthier. If you slowly try to improve your diet and exercise, it shouldn't be as difficult since you will get used to it and want to continue.
Your insurance should cover the cost of a Registered Dietician. Contact your local hospital - all hospitals have several on staff to address the various needs of the community.
I've worked with Dieticians for many years, and they all agree that the worst thing you can do is diet. Be willing to change your eating habits for the rest of your life, and you'll be successful.
There is A LOT of debate about carbs/protein/fat consumption since the Atkins and South Beach diets became popular about 9 years ago. As you may have noticed, most of those products are no longer on the market as most people can't sustain the balance of nutrients in the long run.
Adding more fiber to your diet, either through increasing fruit/vegetable consumption or by adding supplements like Benefiber, will help block the absorption of carbs. We don't get nearly enough fiber in our diets, and I'm a big fan of most of the FiberOne products.
The USDA changed the food pyramid about 3 years ago, and it's now a little confusing.
But, if you really haven't learned how to prepare healthier meals for your family, check out Jamie Oliver's food revolution for common sense tips. Also remember that, as we age, our metabolisms slow considerably. This usually starts around age 30 and continues.
PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY SUPPLEMENTS OR OVER THE COUNTER WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCTS!!!! Most are NOT FDA approved and have proven in recent years to be quite harmful (even the ones that are FDA approved have warnings).
Hi R.,
True nutrition will help you lose weight. My husband lost 110 pounds on an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex while his best friend lost 50 and my sister in law lost 15. Each lost exactly what their body was not supposed to carry. Get back to me and I can give you more details. I'd love to help!
If a nutritionist would help you get on path, then that's what you should do. The basic idea is that you need to change your lifestyle, and that includes what you cook for your family. Whatever you make for YOU, should be what they eat as well.
In general, lean proteins (salmon, chicken, turkey, pork) should be a foundation for most meals. Use healthy carbs (brown rice, whole wheat pasta...nothing white, basically) and serve a balance of these at each meal. Pay attention to portion sizes. No meat should be larger than the palm of your hand. Same with sides.
Green veggies are you best friend. You can eat as much of them as you want. Stay away from salads topped with fried foods, and use balsamic vinagarettes for dressing.
These are just some very basic guidelines. Again, a nutritionist would help. You CAN change the way that you eat while breastfeeding. Absolutely. You just need to make sure that if you're hungry, you eat the RIGHT foods (above) to satisfy that. Breastfeeding tends to take 500 calories/day. An average diet for weight loss while breastfeeding should be somewhere between 1600-1800 calories. Each day will vary depending on how hungry you are.
Finally, sugar is responsible for fat. Period. And it's in everything. Milk, TONS in juice, etc...so read your labels, and stick to foods that have less than 10grams of sugar/serving.
Clean up your diet with some of the above guidelines, and you'll see weight start to fall off within 2 weeks.
And most importantly - EXERCISE!
