Can I lose weight while BF without affecting my milk supply?

[JFTB1177]

I'm gonna say it- I'm tired of being FAT! :( Before my first baby I was 119 lbs (I am 5' 2 1/2"). After that my metabolism s-l-o-w-e-d down. I gained 60 lbs with that pregnancy and stayed around 132 since then, could never seem to shake that extra weight. Same thing with baby #2- thought because I was BF the weight would just fall off- no such luck here! In fact I got heavier!! I did finally start to lose weight when baby #2 was about a year old (I ended up having to wean around 8/9 months because I had gone back to work around 3/4 months and although I pumped, my milk supply was severely affected). But then got PG with baby #3 when baby #2 was about 15 months old.

Now I am 7 weeks PP, and BF is going great!! I am no longer at that job so don't have to worry about going back to work and losing my milk supply, etc. But I am tired of being FAT!!! I am super chunky right now, prob the chunkiest I've been. Haven't weighed myself since I was PG but I guess I am around 150 which is a lot when you're short like I am (I gained around 50/60 lbs again this time, on top of my new heavier weight) but my legs are fat, my arms are fat, my face is still fat (usually the first thing to thin out but hasn't this time)... wth?? I know we are not supposed to diet while BF, and I don't want to do anything to compromise my milk supply, but I want to look at least semi-attractive. :( Please help! Anyone else go through this, and when/how did you lose weight?

ETA: I hope I didn't offend anyone who is the same weight or heavier... I have a good friend who is over 200 lbs and looks thinner than me, b/c she carries the weight well and also she is taller! I think she looks great and doesn't need to lose a pound (even though she thinks she does). But I am short, and so every. single. extra. pound I have is like adding 10 or 15 pounds on a taller person, kwim? Literally. :(

Edited by JFTB1177 - 4/3/11 at 7:38am

[PatioGardener]

I gained A LOT with pregnancy too, and was unable to lose more than the weight from the baby/placenta etc until about 4 months postpartum. Then as I got more active and slept better (cosleeping rocks!) the weight slowly started to shift. Now at 11 months postpartum I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm pretty sure it is breastfeeding that has done it, as my activity level is less than before I had the baby. HTH  

[Heba]

Dieting is not a no-no while breastfeeding, at least not if you follow a well-balanced not-too-severe diet plan.

A *sudden and significant* decrease in calories can sometimes result in a drop in supply - but a moderate decrease (such as required to result in the typically recommended rate of weight loss - 1-2 pounds per week) doesn't usually cause a problem.  There is some anecdotal evidence that certain diets (e.g. the ones where you cut out a whole food group) can impact supply, so you might want to avoid those.

Kelly Bonyata (IBCLC) has some good information and suggestions here: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html

Good luck!

[D_McG]

WW has a breastfeeding plan. IME I can lose weight until a certain point. I am 5'8" and right around 150 my supply seems to be impacted. I would just try it and see what happens.

[Eresh]

After I stopped pumping for DS1 (around 13 mo) I gained a little weight back.  I went on WW when he was 16 mo.  I did not add extra points in for bfing since he was only bfing a few times a day by then.  I lost 35lbs over about 6mo without a lot of effort then got preg with DS2.  I rejoined WW when he was almost 3mo, lost a little bit of weight then found it really wasn't working for me.  He's still exclusively on bm and I'm always ravenous so I would end up getting too hungry and over-eating even with the ebf points added on.  He's 6mo now and I'm working on just cleaning up my diet. I figure if I don't keep loosing weight I'll go back on WW when he's starting to gain some of his nutrition from solid foods.

ETA:  I'm about 15lbs over my low weight and 25lbs over my goal and I really hear you.  I'm tired of my clothes not fitting and feeling flabby ... especially given how great I felt when I was lighter.

[JFTB1177]

Thank you so much ladies for the advice!! Is WW Weight Watchers?

Patiogardener, what do you mean when you say more active? Like walking? I wanna know how you did it1 ;)

Heba- good to know! That's what I was worried about... oh well, I don't like dieting anyway LOL. Maybe I'll do it slow like you said and just cut out the really fattening things? Thanks for the link!!

Thanks again for your replies, it's good to know I'm not alone!! ;-)

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177 

Patiogardener, what do you mean when you say more active? Like walking? I wanna know how you did it1 ;)

At about 4 months I started to walk about an hour a day wearing DS. That really helped. Also getting more sleep helped, as I was snacking to keep awake during the night feeds (DS has severe reflux and had to be nursed upright for about 4 months.)

I was stressed about weight until it started to slowly come off. I probably lost 40 lbs over 6 months. I've stopped walking right now (it is really cold here in the winter!) but will start again as soon as it is bearable outside. I ran daily before DS but no chance of that now! So walking will have to do for a while.

Also, my midwife said that she sees lean women gaining a lot (50-60 lbs) of weight during pregnancy and shedding it over the first 12-18 months postpartum, but you have to be healthy about your life (eat well and be active.)

[poorlittlefish]

I just joined Weight Watchers for nursing moms (my DD is 10months old) and lost 4lbs my first week with no impact on supply.  I do think that everyone is different though.  So far, I love it and it hasn't impacted me.  They really stress fruits, veggies and lean protein so maybe that is what is helping.

[anjsmama]

First - I feel you! Second - you can do it! I did not follow any of the "do not lose weight while breastfeeding" rules. My DD is just over a week older than yours (born 1/28) and I am back to pre-pregnancy weight (117 lbs, and I'm 5' 2 1/2" so very similar size!). By 4 weeks, I was healed, DD had been nursing with ease since birth, my milk supply was more than established (I actually had oversupply issues for a bit) and doc said I could exercise if I wanted. So I did! I started running then (I am a runner, anyway) and am now in full swing (about 15 mi/week).I typically don't run more than 30-45 minutes at a time, so I just nurse DD, strap on my shoes and go (when DH is home). I never miss feedings. I also try to stay generally active, taking DS in the stroller and wearing DD for walks, taking DS to the playground and wearing DD. I do not calorie count (breastfeeding mothers ARE recommended to eat-to-hunger to maintain supply) but instead pay attention to the value of what I'm eating. What's in it? How does it benefit me? My baby? I have celiac disease too, so I am gluten free which certainly makes dieting "easier" (hahahahhaa)... but basically I eat a TON of fruits, veggies, pork, chicken, brown-rice pasta, cereal, soy milk, eggs, fruit or green smoothies, yogurt........ if I had to guess, I probably take in around 2500 calories a day - but my body and metabolism and digestive system have become so efficient from the "good" that I eat .. that I don't have to worry about weight (OR milk supply! DD is 13 lbs!). When it comes to snacking (I don't know about you - but keeping up with my kids leads to a lot more snacking than meals!).. I keep stock of dried fruits, rice cakes, nut/fruit trail mix, etc.. so when I just want something "munchy" I'm not adding insane fats & sugars. Try to avoid high fructose corn syrup if possible... just read an awesome article on naturalnews about yet another study showing your body cannot process it the same way it does regular sugars.. and the #1 result is excess weight in the belly area! 

Also - don't guilt trip yourself for WANTING to be skinny. Even though it's nice that everyone says I look great, that is not what drove me/drives me to lose or keep weight off. It's just COMFY. I like to run for FUN (not for weight loss).. and running is really hard when I carry extra weight. I like it when my clothes are a little loose and comfy to move and mother in! I like the improved energy and overall comfort with myself. Being my "best" weight makes it easy for me to NOT think about myself and focus on my mommy life. You can lose weight & breastfeed, mama! :)

[skfmama]

I gained a LOT of weight during pregnancy. Like 50 lbs. It took me a long time to get back to "normal." I don't know what I weigh now, but I think I'm close to prepregnacy weight (at almost 13 mo pp). I think it took me getting more sleep as DS got older, I did get a little more active as I got more energy (although not much...it's cold here in the winter!). But mostly it was just time. I think it just took my body about a year to recover from growing a baby, giving birth, and growing a baby some more. I still eat a ton, bc I'm always hungry from nursing (DS still nurses 6 or 7x/day). I just try to make sure what I eat is good for my body and not junk, and beyond that I don't limit myself. So I'd say give it more time - I think at 7 weeks pp I looked 5 or 6 months pregnant. :)

[WhiteHorse]

I think it's important most of all to eat healthy foods and portions, but not necessarily "diet."  After my last son was born, I was at my heaviest and actually gave away all my clohes because I knew I would never be a size 10 again (I was 37 and done trying to diet). Well, I can tell you it didn;t happen overnight, but most of the weight I lost during BF came off after the one year mark. I wasnt even trying to lose, and didn't exercise at all. If I had been exercising I would have come down even more. I was wearing a size 8 by the time my son was 18 mos old. We kept nursing till he was 2.5 but after a certain point, he wasn't taking much in the way of calories from me and I started to GAIN again because I was still eating like I was BF a little baby (what can I say, I love mac n cheese). So be careful when baby starts eating meals and nurses less, to keep your calorie intake balanced.

[bdoody11]

I joined Weight Watchers (WW) at 7 months PP with DD#2 (I had done WW in the past as well). As of today (11 months PP), I've lost 26 pounds with no effect on supply. For the first few weeks I lost more than the recommended amount (I was loosing 3-5 pounds per week), but it evened out as time went on. I'm feeling great and am below my pre-pregnancy weight with DD#1. You can do it! WW has helped me make healthier choices and be accountable for my eating and portions. I am definitely not deprived. Now, if only I could figure out how to work out with two kids in tow!

[ibusymomto5]

I can identify! I'm 5'2" as well and am sitting here at 1 week pp with 15lbs to lose to get to my pre-preg weight, 20lbs to get to my ideal. WW has worked for me in the past while nursing, and I plan to start it again in a few weeks, along with walking and then gradually getting back into running which always makes me feel so good and helps the weight come off. One thing I've noticed in the past is that I tend to lose the preg weight the quickest if I make sure to eat every single calorie/point coming to me, including the flex points and activity points. I think it's because it keeps the metabolism higher. It's when I start skipping meals or snacks that I stall or even gain while nursing. I was pretty surprised when I first started doing WW after my last baby to see that I was not eating enough. So, if anything I think WW is really good, because it helps to ensure that you're getting the calories you need to keep the milk supply up.