? for bf mamas trying to lose weight

[natural4mybabies]

ok so DS is now over 6 mos old and I still need to lose 20-25 lbs.

A couple of months ago I really got serious about losing the weight and was really strict with my diet...not in the sense that I was reducing calories because I actually wasn't counting, but only healthy clean foods,NOTHING processed. Also with that, I went to the gym and busted my butt 4 days a week....the scale never moved. Clothes didn't fit any differently.

So while frustrated with this especially since I was dragging myself into the gym while still getting up with DS at least twice a night, I told myself all the hard work was only adding to my stress and I stopped working out unless I could get a decent night's sleep...annnnnnd the scale went up, 8 lbs in a month.

Now I am ready to rip my hair out, so on Sunday I joined WW online. This way I could keep track of exactly what I was eating and could eat according to my nursing plus the weight I wanted to lose.

This is the weird part...Monday a.m., I am down 8 lbs again!!! How is that physically possible?? It was a brand new digital scale, on flat surface same place in the bathroom, same time of day (first thing am after bathroom and nursing but before breakfast). I even had DH check, and he weighed the exact same, soooo...that ruled out the scale as the issue.

This morning it was back up 5lbs from the 8 I "lost" yesterday. And yesterday was particularly tough for me, my hunger was out of control, even waking me in the middle of the night, so I know the "gain" could not be attributed to anything I ate the last 2 days.

I understand there could be water weight issues from day to day, but 5-8 lb swings? Isn't that a little much?

Just wondering if anyone else has the same experiences or has any tips on how to make this work. I feel like I am starving, but when I eat more I only gain weight. What to do?

TIA

[sharkysmom]

I have empathy for your situation as I am in the same boat, need to lose that last 15-20 pounds and ds is 6mo so when I went to my midwife for a checkup I told her I was trying to get rid of the last of the baby weight and she told me that up to half of the weight left is milk...I was so happy to hear that! Perhaps that is the reason for the drastic weight fluctuation? If we can have up to 7-10 pounds of milk I'm guessing it can fluctuate a lot. Try weighing yourself before and then after a feeding.

[ihugtrees]

I know what you mean

My daughter is almost 6 months and while I only have about 15 lbs more in baby weight to lose, my body is soooo different. I was a size 8 before, now I am a size 14(sometimes even 16)!! I have a really obvious stomach pooch that I can't hide, and I look the same now as I did when I was 5-6 months pregnant, except the chubbiness is not just in my belly...its in my hips/butt, arms, and face, too

I am eating really healthy (vegan, mostly whole foods, very little sugar or processed foods) and being moderately active (walking a few times a week, babywearing, dancing with the baby, etc), and one day my clothes are too big while the next they are too tight! I don't weigh myself but can tell I am fluctuating and don't understand why. It's so frustrating!

I refuse to starve myself, though. If I am hungry, I eat. If I am waking up hungry in the middle of the night, that means I need to eat something before bed. I'm just trying to accept my body right now, but it's really hard to be happy with yourself when things vary so much one day to the next.

[lifeguard]

For me bfing most certainly has NOT made losing weight any easier. I still haven't lost any of the pregnancy weight despite watching my diet & exercising.

As for the scale thing: my weight fluctuates within a 5lb range daily. An 8lb fluctuation doesn't sound that extreme to me. That's one of the reasons it is recommended to only weigh once a week/month so that you don't notice the crazy ups & downs. It's more important the trend than the individual weighings.

[Diyan]

I've had days that I step on the scale, step off and let it zero out, step on again and get the same reading - good, the scale is working. Then I brush my teeth and pee, and weigh myself again now that I've gotten rid of several ounces of urine (silly, I know), and lo and behold, the scale tells me I'm two pounds heavier. So not only does your weight fluctuate throughout the day, but your scale can fluctuate too. But my scale does work - over the course of 6 months of WW online I saw it go steadily down. You just need to watch the trend rather than each particular reading.

If you're eating healthy foods and getting moderate exercise, I would call that a victory even if you're not loosing pounds or inches. But I would point out that healthy, whole foods are not necessarily good for weight loss. I was eating homemade granola every day and thinking I was being healthy. When I joined WW and entered my recipe into the recipe builder, I saw that I'd been eating 10 Points of granola a day. Yikes!

Focus on the Filling Foods, and if you're hungry, eat. Try eating lean protein with your snacks - that might help you stay satisfied longer. Make sure you eat all your Daily Points every day, including your breastfeeding Points. Use your Weekly Points Allowance, and if you need them, eat your Activity Points too.

[desertgirl01]

I'm right there too! I gained far too much weight during pregnancy, lost 35 lbs in the first month, and have pretty much been stuck with an extra 15lbs since then (my baby is 6 months old). I did spend a good 3.5 months working out almost daily, and that made a huge difference in converting some of the fat back into muscle (no weight loss, but clothes started to fit again). But 6 weeks ago, I went back to working 4 days a week, extended hours, so I don't have the extra time to work out again unless I don't want to see my baby. And my body is already starting to slump again. I'm not getting much more than 4 broken hours of sleep a night, so working out after the baby has gone to bed hasn't been happening, but I'm sick of this extra weight and am probably feeling more tired because of it!

Normally, I vary about 5lbs throughout the day, so I don't think 8lbs is very extreme. Now that I'm breastfeeding, I find I can REALLY fluctuate lbs daily.

BF also makes me HUNGRY, so I have to be sure to keep healthy snacks around, all the time. Otherwise it's the unhealthy, instant gratification foods that I'll reach for.

This whole thing is frustrating. I never thought I'd be one to hold onto the pregnancy weight, but here I am, 6 months postpartum and still shulmpy. Like pp, I was a size 8 (sometimes a 6!) but now I'm 10-12, with chubby arms, fat pads above my hips, and huge, earthmamma breasts.

I do know quite a few women who have told me that they lost a bunch of weight after they stopped breastfeeding.

The best we can do is choose to eat healthy foods with natural fats, drink plenty of water, and exercise when and how we can. Getting a decent night's sleep might work wonders too, but I don't see that happening for me anytime soon.

[natural4mybabies]

***sigh***

thanks mamas

it is relieving to hear I am not the only one and that a 5-8 lb flux in a day is not crazy weird! I am usually a size 6 and right now size 10 pants fit if they are "broken in"

Just tired of rotating the same 3 pairs of pants to work and 1 pair of jeans for the weekend each week because I refuse to buy bigger sizes if it is only temporary!

I will watch for trends on WW, hopefully it is a gradual decline over the next couple of weeks. And I can live with the last extra 5-10 lbs if it is all in my boobs

[dakotablue]

Hey just wanted to add too...

When I drink a TON of water through out the day I weigh like 9-10lbs less than when I go a day or 2 without drinking a ton. I think my body just holds onto water, which give the illusion of weight.

I'm right on board with you, I've never had body issues before, but my stomach Uck!

[Smithie]

Another mama with a 6 mo.o baby here and a body that is stubbornly hanging out in the, um, cow stage (big udders, big belly, big rear). It's not too surprising considering that I have such a hungry calf.

I've been through this a couple of times before, and for me, weight-lifting makes a huge difference in kicking my body back into gear. Cardio is fine and dandy, but weight-bearing exercise seems to be what sends the signal to drop the belly and butt fat. Go figure.

My gym went bankrupt and closed (and didn't refund my prepaid membership, of course) so I'm trying to figure out what to do about this. One thing I was thinking of trying was brisk walking with the baby in a backpack - that's weight-bearing exercise for sure!

[MountainMamaGC]

I didnt lose the weight till DD was 8 months old and eating more solids. Its like my body knew I was EBFing and may need the fat someday since I am the only source of food for my child. Honestly the fat did not budge after the initial PP weight loss. Then at 8 months it just started to fall off and I am 15 lbs lighter than my pre-preg weight.

If you are only a few months PP, give yourself some more time. Also I would not skip meals. You are supporting a human being and you may trick your body into holding on to the fat longer to support your child. There are hundreds of years of evolution in the survival of humanity and part of that is the survival of times without food. It would make sense that if you skip meals your body will be reluctant to let go of any excess fat to make sure you can feed your child for long periods of time with little food.

Walks with baby in a backpack are an excellent idea. If you can find a walk with hills, its an awesome workout.