when people say "Breastfeeding makes the baby weight melt right off"

[Snapdragon]

I have not found this to be the case! For me, breastfeeding makes me super hungry and want to eat lots of heavy foods!
I suppose if I denied myself as much food as I want then breastfeeding would make me lose weight.
But then I would also be grumpy and hungry and maybe not so happily nursing.

Anyway- just read another thing of- I got skinny by breastfeeding.
And I wonder if others have had more of my type of response- ? (ie: it makes me so hungry that losing the weight is not as easy!)

btw I have one 4 month old child.

[Dmitrizmom]

when I hear this, sometimes, it makes my head want to explode. I don't lose weight while bf. at all. and I'm nursing my third child. haven't lost while bfing any of them.

of course... I have to balance this with the fact that I lose weight during pregnancy. :

[MeepyCat]

It honestly does work for some people. I had a massive case of oversupply with my first kid - pumping ~40 ozs. a day AND breastfeeding on demand in the evenings and through the night. I was hungry all the time, and I lost weight like crazy. When I finally weaned, I gained ten pounds just about instantaneously.

Come the second kid... I was really careful not to get into an oversupply situation (because it hurt like words not allowed on this site), and I was mostly pumping for a while because she was in the NICU and all and I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty fast, but now that she's older I've managed to stop pumping... and get her to sleep at night... And funny, I'm putting some of that baby weight back on.

[lifeguard]

Bfing doesn't make me especially hungry but it most certainly doesn't melt the weight away. I am in fact only 10lbs less than the day before ds was born & he's now 21 months & still bfing. On top of that I have been killing myself in the gym for the last year with almost no weight loss.

I think it's highly individual & I am both jealous & bitter of those who lose it easily!

[Snapdragon]

Yeah- I am 4 months pp and still 30 lbs over my pre pregnancy weight! I was 120 before I got pregnant- got up to 160 or a little more
and now am holding steady at 150.
I am exercising more but I do not want to cut down on how much I eat right now.

[ErinYay]

Aww, it's still early for many of you! I've heard that it's usually after the 6 month mark that the weight kinda falls off, and for me, it's been 100% true!

We're at nearly 8 months now, and I'm a good 5-10 lbs lighter than I was before I got pregnant. Nothing has changed, diet- and exercise-wise, but I'm really starting to look too thin. I've always had a speedy metabolism, so perhaps that's one factor.

And always remember "9 months on, 9 months off." Unless, of course, your body is a weirdo like mine.

[KempsMama]

I think nursing can help-but every woman is different.

I ate more nursing than I did during pregnancy-and I lost all my pregnancy weight by my six week check up (no dieting, no exercising, just nursing and sleeping and taking care of my baby.)

I know some women who didn't lose a pound till the weaned. But I do think most people fall in between the two extremes, and that overall nursing mothers lose faster than non-nursing mothers.

[corysmilk]

I nursed my 2nd ds untill one month before his 3rd birthday. he nursed a couple of months later, just in the morning. I didn't have any milk left. but about 3 months later I started to lose weight I lost about 40 pounds all together. after I relized I was losing weight I started to exercise and eat well.
over the years I have gained it back, lol

[Multimomma]

I don't lose weight when bfing...I'll lose my initial birthing weight, but nothing until I wean, usually 18 to 24 months later. Then it's a pound a week, until I hit the heaviest weight in my height category.

I know exactly two people who lost weight while bfing, but I hesitate to say it was because they were exclusively nursing, or genetics or whatever the cause is. On the other hand, I know dozens of bfing moms who don't lose weight, whether they try or not

[dakotablue]

So I'm one of those you hate. Before I got pregnant with DS I was 200lbs. At the top PG weight I was around 260-270, but much of it (at least 20-0lbs was water weight. DS is now almost 10 months and I am down to 160. I will say however I lived on potatoes and chicken sausage in the beginning and I had to cut all soy, dairy and corn from my diet due to his allergies. So the no dairy thing may have had a lot to do with it. More so I think my body is finally functioning properly. I had to use clomid to become pregnant with DS. So reason to not hate me...I'm one of those never got a period and I'm pregnant now.

Also, loosing the weight so rapidly has left huge loose belly skin that I don't think I'd have otherwise.

ETA: I also had a HUGE over supply and leaked ALOT. seriously I could've fed twins.

[Katie T]

None of the women in my family loose weight while breastfeeding. If I cut my calories back enough for some weight to come off my supply tanks so I stay fat and will loose weight when she weans.

Not all of us loose weight unfortunatly

[crystal_buffaloe]

I am much hungrier BFing than I was when I was pregnant. I think I'm probably eating more, but I'm not sure -- honestly, I just don't have much time.

I was 5 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6 week appointment (I gained about 25 pounds during the pregnancy), but I didn't fit into any of my pre-pregnancy clothes (big, flabby c-section belly). I started walking after the appointment and have plateaued on the weight loss, but am thankfully fitting into a few more clothes. The thing is, I could care less about the number on the scale, I just wish my clothes fit (and it's tops, pants, everything).

[akind1]

I am definitely more hungry while nursing, but I have lost the 25 lbs I gained during pregnancy fairly easily, +5 lbs more. I still need to lose a ton more weight though.

The ironic thing for me is, while nursing, I NEED to eat to lose weight; body is counting on those calories to keep me going and nourish the LO. If I skimp at all, I go nowhere, and even gain, because body starts hoarding. which is silly, b/c at 220 lbs, I have plenty of cushion already!

I know alot of my friends don't lose weight until weaning; but they were all fairly thin to begin with, and they tend to watch what they eat. I eat what I want, just in healthy portions. I would lose weight (and do lose weight) faster if I am excersising. Need to work on that!

[sosurreal09]

i lost 70lbs and have been Bfing for 9 months. i dont work out lol i eat a decent amount but i am also on an elimination diet. i have always had an overeating problem though...yesterday i had a pan of "ellergy free" brownies..im not proud lol

[Miss Chris]

Among my friends I only actually know one person who lost weight easily while nursing. For me, like some of the PP's, I have to eat A LOT while I'm nursing or else my supply starts to suffer. It also negatively effects my supply if I push myself too hard or exercise too vigorously.

I'm nursing my second right now and so far with both my babies I hang on to about 15-20 extra pounds until the baby weans and then I gradually return to my base weight without much extra effort.

The first time it bothered me because I had been told that the weight should just "melt off", but this time I'm just buying a couple of pairs of pants in my "transition" size and being as relaxed about it as possible. Right now my focus is on feeding the baby and I'll worry about the weight later.

[kanga1622]

I lost all 40 pg pounds within 9 days of DS's birth. I just totally focused on him to the point that I was forgetting to eat. Eventually I was 5 pounds under my pre-preg weight. Now that I make it a point to eat and I still don't exercise for fear of losing my milk supply, I've gained back about 10 pounds.

I figure that once I get back into my pre-baby exercise routine, the weight should fall off fairly easily. In the meantime, sleep deprivation causes sugar cravings so I battling that!

[Quinalla]

I put on a lot of weight during pregnancy, but apparently my body knew what it was doing as it used it all already for BFing the first 6 months or so. Now that my weight is back down a little below PP, but still overweight by ~25lbs, I am not losing any weight and having to be careful not to gain weight. BFing does make me extremely hungry and it is so easy to start eating to much sugary stuff that leads to more sugary stuff and weight gain for me. But yeah, there definitely are plenty of women out there whose bodies hold onto some/all weight while BFing, probably trying to reserve some stores in case of starvation, a good survival trait a long time ago, not so great for you now :

Also, for me anyway, I was so wrapped up and busy with taking care of my baby I know I did not eat well for the first few weeks. Not that I recommend that at all, but I'm sure that was part of it for me.

[laohaire]

I guess it works for some people.

For me, I started pregnancy at my absolute perfect weight.
I gained 34 pounds, which I consider very respectable.
I lost 18 (I think) pounds on the day I gave birth. I have a picture of myself a week later wearing a size 6 short skirt.

Don't hate me because there's more to come.

Over the next 5 years (breastfeeding the whole time... I *think* DD is weaned now, but we're on that border for now) I managed to gain enough to EXCEED how much I weighed the day BEFORE I gave birth. Cooking from scratch, mostly (and for some months, completely) avoiding sweets. One year I did a big exercise program with jogging and weight lifting. (That year I gained yet another dress size. Sigh.).

I think my body really, really, really wanted a good layer of fat around me for breastfeeding.

Fortunately a few things happened (including weaning, it seems) to make the weight start to come off, so I'm happy.

[dosergirl]

I think the thing to remember is that everyone is different! Don't feel bad is bf'ing doesn't melt away weight for you, there are plenty of mamas that don't have that experience. I find it best to just not compare myself to people.
That being said, I only gained 25lbs while i was pregnant with my now 10 month old daughter, 10 months post partum and I am a size smaller then i was before being pregnant, so for me, yes, breastfeeding did melt pounds away, that and chasing after a mobile baby.

[hollytheteacher]

It was darn true for me! i became WAAAY underweight while nursing ds. By a year i was like down to 114 (and i'm 5' 9")! which is less than what i was in highschool (118). Nursing takes a LOT of calories and i could never eat enough to keep up my weight. Once i started placing limits on nursing, i gained enough weight back, but while exclusively nursing it was VERY true for me!