Breastfeeding but gaining weight?

[Lewa]

Hi all!
I'm trying hard to lose my pregnancy weight now, but it's really not working out. I'm walking a LOT and also doing some running and bodyweight exercise, and for the past week I haven't eaten anything with added sugar except 4 squares lindt dark chocolate, and no bread except a little in a home made vegetable pie. Also no pasta, rice or potato. I've mainly been eating fruit, vegetables and couscous, beef one day, fish and eggs and a few nuts, and guess what, I now weigh more than when I ate mostly chocolate 4-5 weeks ago! Today I actually weighed 2lbs more than on Monday!

It's really frustrating I'm doing so well, but getting no results!! Anyone with similar experience? Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? I have about a stone of baby weight to lose, and want to lose another stone after that. I've heard some people don't lose weight until they stop breastfeeding, but the general idea is that it should help! I'm planning on breastfeeding as long as I can, but I hope I won't have to wait for months to get this weight off I barely have clothes that fit me! Please tell me some of you've experienced the same, but that they started losing before they stopped bf!

 

[Lewa]

I just checked my ticker that I haven't updated in maybe 4-5 weeks, and I've actually gained about 5 lbs since then, despite moving more and eating healthier

 

[TORino]

Strange.

Doesn't sound right to me - what else are you eating??

Bf burns 500 more cals so unless you are packing away really high calorie foods then you should naturally lose weight, especially of you are upping your calorie expenditure with exercise?

Unless you are gaining muscle?

 

[knopk@]

Doesnt sound right, maybe check thyroid?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[pushca]

With my first I lost no weight during bf but it dropped off as soon as I stopped bf xxx

 

[Kayelle]

I thought bf helped lose weight too :-s I'm stalking for answers if you don't mind!!
On a diff note I don't think you should cut out pasta and potatoes, they are good for you as they fill you up. I lost tonnes of weight on slimming world and was allowed as much pasta and pots as I liked on days I had less meat.

 

[Hope81]

There is an explanation for that. Let's say that your body spends per day 2500 calories and you are getting in 1700.
What happens then is that your body understands that as an imminent danger of famine while you have a bubs to feed and slows right down all of the calories depositing fat from all of them so your body and baby will not starve.
For bf to work really as a loosing weight tool you have to have a difference of around 300-500 cals (depending of how tour metabolism is) not more than that.
I think by exercising and cutting right down your calories you somehow tricked your body to believe that there is not enough energy supply.

Cutting down the bad carbs a little is what I am planning to do too while breast feeding.

Good luck

 

[Maria1977]

^^What Hope81 said.

You need to take on more calories so your body has the energy to feed your baby plus burn calories off your body.

I ran alot from when my son was 4 months old and walked everywhere but I ate all the time, and the weight fell off dramatically!

Everyone is different though, so if you are worried def speak to GP or somebody that can advise bit better.

xxx

 

[Mrs. KM]

Same issue here, and I agree with hope and maria. If I rememver from your bump pics, you were tiny anyway. I think our bodies are storing some extra fat just incase it's needed, and especially if you're not eating enough. It's not the time to diet when you are breastfeeding. Remember, it took 9 months to put the weight on, it will take a whileto come off. Xx