Have you lost weight due to breastfeeding? [Archive] - Bub Hub Pregnancy & Parenting Forum

BJelly

10-09-2005, 21:59

I found especially in the early days, that my appetite went up - I was eating 5 meals a day rather than 3 and a couple of snacks.

7 months down the track, I'm finding my appetite has gone back to normal.

Once I got over the birth, and bubs got old enough, so I had a bit of time to myself, I got some yoga DVD's to do some exercise as well as walking around the block.

For me I found that breastfeeding didn't help as I was extra hungry. But I have been able to shed the extra pounds once I got some time to myself because bubs has been sleeping longer (ie) 1-2 hours at a time during the day rather than 30 mins.

I'm curious to see what other's experience was, because I also had heard that B/F helped the weight to drop off.

jembelina

11-09-2005, 07:23

I WISH!!! That'd just be too easy now wouldn't it?! :D I personally have found it to make no difference to my weight whatsoever. What i really need to do is get off my bum and exercise, but to be completely honest I've never been much of a fan :o I think it's also a myth that running aroung looking after bub and doing housework sheds the kilos.... which is a shame as it sure feels like it should!maybe i should have tried for triplets!lol

jamb

11-09-2005, 07:44

Nope didnt help me lose all my weight but i did put on 27kgs. My mum however bf for longer than i did and she said she could eat whatever (croissants etc) she like the whole time and was a skinny binny- why didn't i get those genes?

Jamily

11-09-2005, 07:59

Hello

I claim that I lost my preg weight through BF, but actually think its more to do with the fact I burnt a zillion calories pacing and rocking Emily. Saying that I am defs eating a lot more than normal and haven't put back on any weight (then again I am still pacing and rocking!) :D

draught

11-09-2005, 08:21

I am still surprised and thrilled to say that yes I am one of the people who loses weight while BF. I have never had much success in losing weight in the past but after both babies while eating far too much chocolate, cake and sugar generally and doing less exercise than ever, the weight has dropped off. I am currently 7 kgs lighter than I was when I fell pregnant with DD1. I am still not skinny mind you, and now that I am getting to the point of starting to think about weaning I have started to try and cut out the sugar etc, and have started on the CSIRO well being diet to try and shift a few more kgs while my metabolism is still working. While I would be happy to maintain my current weight I would be thrilled if I lost another few kgs.

talon

11-09-2005, 10:29

I for one found that I lost a lot of my baby weight while I was breastfeeding. Then when I stopped I started to put all of my weight back on again! :mad:

My Pead. also told me that I would lose the weight a lot quicker if i was breastfeeding but then I have talked to so many people about it and they all say different things.

H&B'sMum

11-09-2005, 10:47

Yep, I'm another that lost weight while breastfeeding. You do burn more calories breastfeeding so if you intake more than you burn you will put on weight. Breastfeeding helps with the contraction of the uterus after birth, that's why a lot of women who breastfeed find that their tummy goes back to a relatively normal shape pretty soon after birth.
It all goes on how much you intake comparied to how much you burn, but you should never have an unhealthy diet while breastfeeding as this will affect your milk. All in moderation.

Manxie

11-09-2005, 11:44

Loving it.....I've got a kilo to go and then I'm back to where I started. Lucy is 5 weeks old. Having just lost weight before I got pregnant I was very careful to eat heathily when pregnant and put on 14kilos very steadily so no stretch marks either.

I do however need to loose probably another 10kilos to get to my "ideal" weight so am hoping that now is my opportunity.

I have told everyone that pregnancy has been the best "diet" for me - it has just made me eat properly for the first time in years and its soooo much easier when you know that your baby is going to benefit.

Good luck :D

mimi

11-09-2005, 12:07

Well- though the research shows that those who breastfeed for 6 months or more maintain a lower body weight than those who do not breastfeed - lactation helping to utilise the fat - SUPPOSEDLY!! I am not one of those who has found that :mad:
I know mums who have nearly considered giving up BF because they found it so hard to keep the weight ON!! [I should be so lucky!! :rolleyes:]

And, yes Jembilina, I think it IS a myth that running around after babies/children keeps the weight off. Though we wear ouselves out so that we are too exhausted to do ANYTHING other than the basics at the end of the day!! I think the problem is that housework/childcare is not the kind of physical and strenuous workout that we need to keep our heart rate up for the required length of time to achieve weight loss ..... It's more of a mental 'wearing out'!
And of course I am one of those who eats when I am tired/stressed/sad ... happy ... well any time really :D so I guess there is not much hope for me :o

StormAngel

11-09-2005, 15:40

Hi

I b/f 2 of my bubs and bottlefed 2, and to be honest it never made a difference, so for me the b/f diddn't take any weight off.

I suppose it happens for some lucky ones and not for others! Oh well! LOL

MoushiMoushi

11-09-2005, 19:12

I bf for 10 months and I found my appetite increased while feeding and my weight stayed the same (after the intial weight loss 10 kg in 2wks post birth) after I stopped bf my appetite decreased and slowly I started to lose the rest of baby weight :)

FamilyMum

11-09-2005, 19:59

Hi there,

I defintely am a big fan of breast feeding. I weighed 52kg when I first found out I was pregnant. I put on 18kg when I was pregnant and got up to 70kg. Straight after the birth of my son I lost 11kg which sent me back down to 59kg. I then breast feed for 12months (which was not only a bonus for my baby, but a big bonus for me). Within the first 6 months I lost 7kg and went down to 52kg my original pre-birth weight. Then the last 6 months I lost a further 5kg and went down to a very low 47kg. If anything I lost too much weight and found it hard to put the weight back on. Now 8 months later i've finally gotton back up to 50kg. I think it work for me because once I had my son I still ate alot, but not like when I was pregnant. I also think it was sucsessful for me because of how long I breastfeed for.

I know my older sister who also has just had her first baby thought breastfeeding did nothing. But she said she was still very hungry when she was breastfeeding and was eating the same amount as when she was pregnant and only breastfeed for 6 weeks.

I hope this has helped.
Theresia, mother of
Iwan Jan04

dna13

12-09-2005, 07:01

I am also one of the lucky ones!
I'm not sure whether it was the breastfeeding or just good genes but i am now a tad smaller than i was before i got pregnant. I don't watch what i eat but i do walk for about 3 hours a week and have done so from the time i came home from hospital!

I do believe the breastfeeding has played a big part for me but i still need to tone up; so bring on the sit ups and Tae-Bo! LOL

jonesso

15-09-2005, 10:28

I've been breastfeeding and haven't lost weight - I put on 15kg during the pregnancy and have only lost 5kg since. I agree with other posts - increased appetite must be a factor for me. I think it is probably a combination of individual metabolisms and the effect of breastfeeding on the body differing from person to person.

BugBias

15-09-2005, 13:19

while bf my DD I gained probably between 15 and 20kg cause I was hungry ALL the time! :p
However having said this while bf my son (he's six months) I've lost 50kg!!! :eek: with weight watchers help of cause, with my doctor guidance aswell before anyone else jumps up and down!

________________________________
DH 23
DM 22
DD 3
DS 6.5 months

mimi

15-09-2005, 13:22

while bf my son (he's six months) I've lost 50kg!!!
Well done!!!
Wish I had some of your will power ;)

Briannabear

15-09-2005, 13:32

Along with healthy eating it worked for me! I have gone down 2 dress sizes smaller than what I was before I fell pregnant!! :D
Its just an added bonus!!

petster

15-09-2005, 21:27

I am also one of the lucky ones! Breastfeeding has worked wonders for me (and bub!). I am now down to my pre-pregnancy weight - which is actually still slightly overweight, but hey - I can't really complain! I think if I actually got off my butt and did some excercise, I'd be skinny (nearly!)!! It's strange though - I'm back to my normal weight, but my body shape is different... I hate the tyre I have over my waistband, and stuff jiggles in places it didn't used to!

Cheers!

P.S. Way to go BugBias!! I wish was as strong as you!!

Supermum

15-09-2005, 23:56

Nope - not one single stuffing ounce. Pretty surprising considering he sucked the life out of them every two hours for the first 8 weeks .... but I guess it explains why those pendulous things that I once called breasts now get tucked into my belt along with my shirt. :o

Briannabear

16-09-2005, 08:41

but I guess it explains why those pendulous things that I once called breasts now get tucked into my belt along with my shirt. :o

You are so funny!! LOL! :D

Charlotte & Georgia's Mummy

17-09-2005, 09:05

Hi,
I have to say that I am one of the lucky ones. I put on in excess of 20kg when I was pregnant. I say in excess because when I reached the same weight as my DH I stopped weighing myself. I think it was probably in the rage of 20-25kg.
Anyway within 2 weeks of having my DH I was able to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans, and within 6 weeks I was back down to only 3kgs more than what I weighed when I got pregnant. Yay for me!!

I would love to shake that last 3 kg, as well as a few more, but I guess that would require getting off my butt, exercising and stopping eating chocolate.
I am currently keeping everyone at Cadbury's comfortably employed, no fear of redundancies there while I'm craving chocolate!!

LucyE

21-09-2005, 00:49

I initially put on weight because my appetite increased dramatically (and DS was off the percentile charts) but that stabilised. Around 12mths (when DS started to wean) and my appetite has returned to normal, I've started losing weight.

I think it's as a previous poster has said. It's about your caloric intake as well as breastfeeding :)

Boston's Mum

21-09-2005, 08:16

I am one of the fortunate ones and lost a lot of weight breast feeding. Infact I lost too much weight my doctor told me to stop feeding. I fed my son until he was 12 months. I didn't want to stop but as we were ready to try for our second child I had to stop feeding as I didn't have my periods back.

I think that the change in lifestyle also affects your weight lose or gain. Some Mum's may put on weight as they are at home more and can eat more and some Mum's may lose weight as they are on the go chasing a baby. Everyone's body and metabolism are different.

But I am glad that I was able to lose weight through breastfeeding.

Rhiannon

Boston's Mum (04/07/03)
No. 2 due 26/11/05

rachdent

02-10-2005, 21:42

Hi girls

As many of you already know, I'm currently researching a book on breastfeeding and am looking for mums stories - thanks for those who've contributed so far. There's going to be a chapter entitled 'The Weight Myth - or is it?' about whether breastfeeding helps mums lose weight or not.

I'd love to hear from some of you about your experiences of this - please email me at Pink.Ink077@gmail.com If you don't want to write more than what you've already said in this forum, then please just copy your message in an email to me as I can't publish anything anyone has said without permission.

Thanks again for your help and if anyone is interested in knowing more about contributing for the rest of the book, please email me.

Cheers,
RACH!

lalamcd

10-10-2005, 20:26

I lost 10lb more than what I was before I got prego. :eek: I'm still bf @ 5mo, and the only thing I've noticed is that I want more sweets. So, my plan is, when I start to wean baby off BF, I wean me on to exercise ;) That's the plan anyways. I read somewhere that the weight loss thing is not effective if you don't BF for less than 6mo. Hope you are a lucky one and get this added benefit.