Weight After Breastfeeding

So I guess I'm different from the other responses. I'm lucky to have lost weight easily when BF my first, down by about 10lbs pre-preg. Within a week of weaning I gained it all back, but three months later when I got preg again I was at exactly my original pre-preg weight. I'm 9 months into Bf my second and only down from pre-preg a few pounds, but do NO exercise this time. I guess everyone is different! Good luck!

Congrats on losing the baby fat and more! I also breastfed(for 14 months) and lost weight. Now that I have stopped breastfeeding, I've lost even more weight. And I heard that's what happens. So don't worry about gaining.

Everybody is different, but as long as you are eating healthy and exercising, your body will settle in at whatever is a healthy weight for you.

After two pregnancies and a major life event that caused me to get down to about 5 lbs under my typical weight, I always seem to get back to approximately the same weight, regardless of how much I eat or exercise (or don't exercise as it is lately).

Anyway, try to focus on healthy habits and not about your weight (oh, I totally understand how hard this is though!).

I also nursed for a year and lost a LOT of weight during that time. I noticed that when I started to wean I was gaining a little weight. I just upped my workouts to one extra day a week and started watching my intake a little more closely. I still had some weigh to lose and was able to lose it after weaning without much of a struggle but I was nervous too! I think if you are aware, it won't sneak up on you and you can make sure you stay in the range you want to. Good luck!

i don't think you'll gain the weight back..most of the time the body hangs on to fat to help produce milk..so u may even lose more weight..working out 4x's a week is great..people should at least work out 3 hours a week. if u are burning 500 more cals..then i would suggest cutting some calories..i lost more weight when i quit bfing..also there is a vitamin by P90X called Activit i think it helps burn cals w/ no side affects..i take one a day..when i stopped i started to gain again.
u can substitute cold water w/ lemon as a drink ..and cut sugar and dairy...should be fine

good luck!

dd

Your appetite will NOT naturally go down. I thought mine would and I put on an extra 10 pounds after I stopped nursing. Stick to a four meals of 400 calories a day program and you'll have no problems. Good luck while your appetite slowly decreases. :)

why do you have to stop? it is beneficial for both of you. and when you do stop at a later time your weight will not be a problem since your hormone levels will change as gradually as weaning.
Good Luck
V.

I'm so glad this isn't just me! I also was 6-10 lbs below my "normal" weight when I finished breastfeeding my son at 13 months. I was actually hoping I'd gain some back as I'm 5'9" and pretty thin anyway. Well, it's been 5 months now and still haven't gained any back and sometimes weigh a pound or 2 less. Ugh! I'm having a tough time not losing more! I just had my thyroid checked and thank God it's normal. So basically, I can eat whatever I want and not (literally) gain a pound. I only do Hot Yoga 2X/week as I don't want to risk losing more weight by going to the gym.

Not sure if you'll gain the weight back, but yes, your appetite will go down as others have said. So I wouldn't worry too much about gaining a lot back. If it's some, maybe just a bit.

Yes, your appetite will decrease! I actually got lower than my pre-pg weight after breastfeeding for a year. The problem is your brain. It still wants to eat all that food! You are already a step ahead of the game because you are exercising.

Hey S.,
From everyone I have spoken to on this subject it appears that most women lose even more weight after breastfeeding and this is because the body stores fat reserves in order for her to produce milk. Because those fat reserves are no longer needed, you may even shed more pounds.

Its different for each woman.
For me, I lost weight AFTER breastfeeding...each time, for each child I had.

Here are some interesting links:
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documen...
http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-doc...

Just don't each junk calories and keep exercising when you can. And as usual, eating anything in excess can make you gain weight, or eating imbalanced.

Good luck,
Susan

Weight management is more about diet than it is about exercise. Remember that to lose one pound you must have a calorie deficit of 3500 calories. You burn about 1500 calories just on average functioning. With the cessation of breastfeeding, you should also be eating less because no longer have to carry the extra nutrients.

I'd be happy to work with you

J.
www.HolisticWellnessAndNutrition.webs.com

I had this same concern when I stoped. I had lost 15 lbs in addition to the baby weight natrually. But luckily it stayed off. For the first few weeks I did have to think twice about my portion size... making sure I wasn't adding that little bit more I was used to to make up for the extra calories. For me, that's all it took. No extra excersise (ok I don't excersie other than playing and picking up my little one) no diets. Good luck.

Or course, we're all different, but my guess is you're going to have to eat less or you'll gain some weight back. I've breastfed for a year with each of my sons and each time, when I stopped, I gained about five pounds...a recent bout of food poisoning helped me shed the last five, but it's still a bummer.

Good luck!
-M

You'll be fine! Chasing around that lil one will keep it off. If you are like me, it's almost impossible to finish a complete meal. I'm still trying to gain a few back after stopping nursing almost a year and a half ago (that was not a problem before I delivered my baby).

Don't fret, you'll continue to look great!

When my daughter weaned, my appetite decreased drastically.

S., I hear you. You are not alone. There is a saying...when you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got.

If you don't want that to be your situation you must DO something different.

This is what I did: www.HaveItAllUSA.com

The challenge is kicking up this week.

Want to join us?

B.
Family Success Coach

I breastfeed my son for 20 months when I stopped I was down to my orginal weight before I got pregnant. Still wishing that my body looked like it did before I got pregnant. lol
But anyway I have not breastfeed for over 6 months now and I have not gainned any of the weigth back. Everyones body is different good luck!

it sounds like maybe you're going to miss your BF time, and my question is why don't you continue BFing? I know lots of women want to stop by a year for any number of reasons. I personally have chosen to stop BFing when my kids are ready to stop instead of when I want to. I'm not judging you in any way, it's just that a lot of moms don't realize that not only is it OK to BF beyond a year, it's very beneficial for the child in so many respects. If you haven't thought about it, maybe you should!

Back to the original question, as for caloric intake, unless your child is still using your milk as her main source of nutrition, you're not using that many more calories. The 500 number generally comes from the peak of milk production. If you wean gradually (that would be best anyway) and you don't see an increase in your weight, you're probably adjusting your diet accordingly and may not gain when you remove the last feeding.

Then again, some women retain a little weight while BFing and then lose 5-10 pounds when they stop.

If you remain active by doing cardio and strength training you will probably retain your physique.

I breast fed for nearly 3 years - and ended up weighing less than before i got pregnant, as well. After I stopped nursing, I was just fine. Your appetite will naturally decrease. Mine did. Just keep eating healthy.
There is a great website to maintain or lose weight in a healthy way......so if you gain more back, and need to cut back - try it.:
Dailyplate.com
You'll do great!

yup, appetite will significantly decrease fairly soon after weaning. you may lose another few pounds too. sometimes your body will hold onto a little bit of weight just in case - but when it's obvious that you no longer need it, your appetite and metabolism will stabilize.