Metabolism and brestfeeding.

[rissierae]

I was thinking about this today. How so many women attribute their weight gain to having kids. I assume that what they mean is having a hard time losing their pregnancy weight, but for me it has been the opposite. I have lost so much weight since having one baby, and I attribute it to breastfeeding (especially breastfeeding for over a year). I know that everyone is different and that they have different metabolisms to begin with, so I want to know what most breastfeeding women have experienced.

I hope I gave enough choices.

[Mrsboyko]

I think it has a lot to do with your metabolism pre-kids as well. I have always had a high metaboism and am naturally skinny. Having a bf'ing baby kicks that into high drive. I was getting concerend at one point when I got about 10 lbs below my normally low weight with my DD. That was around 9-12 months PP. I am nearing that stage with my son and again I am starting to go below what I consider my normal weight.

I have been either pregnant of bf'ing for the last 4 years so I am wondering how things will end up when I am done with both. Dh was razzing me about my eating happits (constant basically) and post-bfing weight this weekend actually.

[rissierae]

Yes, I am pretty much the same way, I've always been pretty thin. Except that before I got pregnant my metabolism was starting to slow down. Now since bfing, it's back to more what it was like in high school. And I too, am constantly hungry

[Megan73]

I'm 20 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight after breastfeeding for almost 15 months - although I could still stand to lose another 20.
I think it's partly nursing but it's also the lifestyle I had for a year of maternity leave - long walks with DS in the Ergo, having time to go to the farmer's market and cook healthful dinners every night.

[HappyFox05]

Nothing changed for me, though I pretty much stopped exercising after DD was born - winter in Korea, overwhelmed by the needs of a newborn, end of my Army career, so no more "forced" exercise. I didn't gain any weight, but didn't lose any until I started walking again....3 months before I became pregnant. I'll start walking again for weight loss in Jan or Feb & maybe, nursing a toddler AND a newborn, the "breastfeeding helps you lose weight" will finally pay off for me.

[Miss Chris]

I breastfed for a year and for that year I hung on to about 10-15 pounds of my pregnancy weight. I wasn't really concerned about it but I noticed because so many people had said the weight would just melt off. That was not the case for me at all. I have always been thin and I figured my body just decided that while breastfeeding I needed a little extra "cushion" to keep it going.

After my daughter weaned, the last 10 pounds disappeared without trying or even noticing really. I only figured it out when it got hot out and the summer clothes I had bought the year before were all too big.

I voted my metabolism slowed slightly, but it was only while I was actually breastfeeding. Afterward I went back to my old self pretty much in terms of appetite and body size.


Miss Chris

[JamieCatheryn]

I lose like half my pregnancy weight without effort semi quickly then hang on to the rest til after my kids are eating more solids, I think it's my body holding stores in case of famine or something.

[SomedayMom]

I breastfed for 2 years with DS2. I have a healthy diet and exercise a lot. He's been weaned for almost 3 months and I am FINALLY under 10 lbs from my prepregnancy weight.

So, yeah...Breastfeeding is NOT helpful for me to lose weight. Same thing happened with my DS1. I was not back down until about 6 months after I weaned.

[russianthistle]

nak
with my 1st preg, I lost all weight by the time ds was 18 mo.
now, I'm in my old jeans at 5 mo pp, but still 15-20 lbs up (mostly boob weight...they're HUGE)...I'm a reg. build, but petite sort.

[NicaG]

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn

I lose like half my pregnancy weight without effort semi quickly then hang on to the rest til after my kids are eating more solids, I think it's my body holding stores in case of famine or something.

I bfd my ds until he was 2, and I remember losing that last 5 lbs of pregnancy weight when he weaned. Now I've been bfing my dd for 13 months, and I feel like I lost a lot of weight initially, but now I'm hanging onto those last few pounds again. Part of it may be just that I'm older now, I think I'm exercising less....who knows if breastfeeding has anything to do with it at this point.

[asoulunbound]

I gained 40 lbs with this pregnancy. Have lost and gained and lost in the last year- still 25 lbs to go. I am not hardcore exerciser and am a lover of sweets, but I still try to eat right and work out. I just can't seem to get rid of it. My dd is 12 mths Sunday, and EBF.

[rissierae]

Wow, this is very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[MountainMamaGC]

Originally Posted by Megan73

I'm 20 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight after breastfeeding for almost 15 months - although I could still stand to lose another 20.
I think it's partly nursing but it's also the lifestyle I had for a year of maternity leave - long walks with DS in the Ergo, having time to go to the farmer's market and cook healthful dinners every night.

Me too, although I dont have any more weight to lose. It didnt really start to fall off until she was about 8 months old.

[CHoney]

I had hyperthryoid postpartum and went to 15lbs below my already slim weight. Now that is corrected, I am 10lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight and unable to gain.

I think breastfeeding definitely increases my metabolism.

[Viola]

I lost weight while breastfeeding my children, but in the third year of breastfeeding, I gained it back.

[paulamc]

I lost fast after having my son, and quickly got to my pre-pregnancy weight.
But that weight was 10-15 pounds over what I'd really like to be.

Since all that, I've gained about 7-8 pounds and just can't get rid of them. DS is just over 12 months. I feel like my body is doing everything to hang onto the weight now.

A few months ago I was really exercising and eating well, and was losing, but then I felt like my milk supply plummeted. D#!mned if you do, d#!mned if you don't!

Oh, I'm older too - in my 40s. I'm sure this makes a difference in my metabolism.

[mimim]

It was different for me during different times. With my first - and I was only 20 when he was born - the weight melted right off. It seemed like my metabolism was a little faster than before I had him. With my 2nd two, I held on to 10 lb or so until they weaned and then that weight gradually dropped off.

I voted "other", but would have liked a multiple option.

[fruitfulmomma]

Based on my weight when I got pregnant with my first, I was 10lbs. lighter at conception with my 2nd, 10lbs. heavier at the conception of my 3rd, and about right back at the same with my 4th and 5th ones. I am currently 10mo pp and weigh less by 10lbs at least, though I am not sure exactly.

I attribute most of it to breastfeeding, but I have also changed my diet quite a bit and right now am having some major food issues with my bf'ing tandem pair so almost all 'junk' foods are off limits which is helpful.

[BlackSheepPDX]

Despite being very active (I row, run, bike, and more), my weight loss has been slow over the past two years. I feel like my body has kept me more "insulated" than I normally am in response to breastfeeding. I'm a pretty muscular build, and I think my body is trying to keep me with enough stores. I'm curious what, if anything will change when I finally do wean. Though, I have no idea when that will be. I was recently away for 5 days, and on my return, in the car home from the airport, after about 10 minutes of stream of consciousness updating on what had happened while I was gone, my daughter threw in "and let's go home and have some boobs!" Didn't miss a beat.

[joyfulgrrrl]

With my first, I was in school and BF, and I got back to pre-pregnancy weight but was never 'thin'. After ODD, I got back to my normal size, which is 'trim' but not skinny. I found it actually harder to keep teh weight off once she weaned.

After DD2 was born, I lost the weight pretty easily, but kept an extra 10 pounds on me. Now I'm tandem nursing DD2 and DD3 and I've cleand up my diet a bit and I'm back to trim, and almost skinny.

For me, it was easy to blame the added weight on the fact that I was (or wasn't) breastfeeding. But really, if Im completely honest with myself, I kept extra weight on because I was very undisciplined in my eating. When I BF'd I used it as permission to eat a muffin or an extra slice of toast or a couple more cookies. When I got honest with myself about what I was eating, and got rid of the crap, the weight literally fell off effortlessly. BF has definitely helped me lose weight, as had returning to work - I don't have the access to food, or ingredients for baking...deadly! I bring a health morning and afternoon snack, and only allow myself plain coffee or tea (e.g. no lattes, pop, or hot chocolate) and I don't allow myself to go to the cafeteria - I only allow myself water once my snack (usually raw veggies) is gone.

I eat whatever I want on weekends, and I'm still losing weight. I don't feel deprived, and my skin is better having dropped most of the sugar and baking out of my diet

I'm kind of worried about weaning one of the girls, because I might have to be even more disciplined with my diet. That would be a bummer!

Edited to add: in my view, it's tough post-baby to lose weight because (a) most new moms are at home at least for a little while, with unlimited access to snacks; (b) most new moms are sleep-deprived to some extent, which makes their bodies crave fat and sugar; (c) most new moms are relying on more prepared foods at least in the short term because it's busy being a new mom and cooking from scratch is more challenging.

At least - that was my experience.