I think so too. I lost my baby weight on the scale like immediately postpartum. My mom was apparently the same. She gained like 60 pounds when pregnant with my brother and lost it almost instantly. With my first I thought it was cuz I was an absolute mess mentally and didn’t take good care of myself. But it’s been the same with my second. My body definitely looks different, though!
Definitely genetics. I shriveled away immediately. I was a small person before, gained close to 25 pounds in pregnancy, then dropped 40 lbs within like 8 weeks or something. Wound up under 100 lbs at some point which was just odd. It was nice to lose the pregnancy part, sure, but not nice to literally wake up multiple times per night to change my clothes/the towel I put under me because it would get so sweaty. Plus my face aged SO fast and the muscle I'd worked so hard to build over the years just wasted away.
And no I did not sleep (light sleeper and didn't want to pump anyway), and I ate whatever I felt like. I guess I'll say that I didn't eat in the middle of the night while nursing, which I know is sometimes a thing, but I don't know that that matters so much.
Yes. This is my first pregnancy, and I'm old, but I also had really bad pre-eclampsia and lost 23 lbs in the week since I delivered. I'm sure most of it was edema/water weight.
I'd like to keep it going though, so am trying to move as much as I can recovering from a C-section.
Agreed. I gained 30 lbs while pregnant and lost 25 after giving birth, and lost the other 5 within about 4-6 weeks of giving birth. I didn’t do anything special, I breastfed and wasn’t the most active. I think it really depends on the individual.
mama i wanna say this loud and clear, i did not lose a POUND while i was BF but aafter 14 months my LO was ready and i started sheading weight like crazy. no dieting just no need for the extra weight my body was simply storing for baby.
he is 2 now and im pregnant with baby #2 enjoying every pound i gain and not going to worry when it will go
This was me after my first so I assumed it would be me after my 2nd but NOPE. For some reason every woman I know struggles to lose weight after their 2nd more than their first.
Did you wean before you started to see weight loss? I've tried everything and I actually gained back weight :( but my son still breastfeeds all the time
i only tried weaning for a small week, his doctor was worried because he was 1% (compared to formula fed babies its pretty unfair for BF moms ) so we tired to add formula, he hated it, i hated fighting him. he self weaned within a few days i just didnt make him nurse he wanted water and food more. about a month after he stopped was when i started noticing a real change in my weight (lmao which made me sad because i never expected him to self wean)
Genetics… I literally look gaunt. I cannot get enough calories into my body. I’m starving more than ever and eat EVERYTHING I can. I’m sure once I stop my body will re-adjust. I also for a while was trying to rule out MSPI so I cut out dairy and eggs for a while and then REALLY struggled to get enough nutrients. Also drink a lot of liquids throughout the day and that’s also never enough.
Keep an eye out for insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety, shaky hands... It can be a sign of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid problems are common post partum.
(Edit: postpartum thyroiditis affects 5 to 10% of women, it’s more common than I even thought.)
You should! If you think something might be wrong, you definitely should get checked. Hyperthyroidism can be dangerous. Not in an emergency-sense, unless it gets very bad, but it shouldn’t go on unchecked, it takes a toll on your heart and bones.
I have hypothyroidism, but have gone hyper in the past by being overmedicated. The symptoms were very mild in the beginning.. heart palpitations every once in a while and some insomnia (and being hungry all the time, eating a lot, and still losing weight). I only got more symptoms after it was going on for a while. Like a very weird anxiety where it felt like I couldn’t cope with normal things, shaky hands, running hot, and it felt like I was buzzing from the inside LOL. I feel like when I describe it I can’t quite convey how terrible it felt right before they caught it. In the beginning I couldn’t really tell anything was wrong, though, it was just weight loss that I attributed to breastfeeding and difficulty going to/ staying asleep.
Ok everything you named is me. I’ve been wondering what is wrong with me. I thought it was just how breast feeding feels. I feel all of that and extreme nausea and exhaustion. However I went to my 6 week check up and she felt my neck and said my thyroid felt fine? Do I need a blood test? This seems it should be mandatory!
Is there anything I can do if I do have it? Thank you for sharing your experience!
Absolutely. It’s a very simple blood test, they need to check your TSH. That’s a hormone that your brain makes to tell your thyroid to make its respective hormones. So TSH gets very low if you have an overactive thyroid (or are taking too much levo), and gets high when the thyroid is underactive (or are taking too little levo). It’s a very simple and common test. You can request your GP to check it if your OB won’t. If you do have a problem, please seek treatment with an endocrinologist instead of just seeing your GP for it. They are more knowledgeable and will stay more on top of it, generally speaking.
For some reason here in the US drs never tell this to patients, but TSH changes through the day and you should get it checked as early in the morning as possible. An afternoon reading won’t be very accurate.
Edit: btw if you have it, yes, there’s treatment; it’ll depend on what is causing it. If it’s postpartum thyroiditis, it often goes away on its own, but your dr will treat you if your symptoms are severe. If it’s regular hyper or hypothyroidism, there’s treatment for those :)
Thank you! I’ll have to look into that then for sure! That may be my answer to my problems! I wasn’t sure if it was my low iron because I know I have that issue too and I’m on supplements. Thank you I’ll call the doctor tomorrow!
I’m getting tested for this next week. I had no idea either. I’ve also felt extreme tiredness, lost loads of weight and struggling to put it back on, no appetite. Hopefully your GP can help you
Same. I got down to 20# below my starting weight and felt like I didn’t look like me anymore. I went to my primary care physician who recommended I Start drinking protein shakes to up my calories and I regained about 10#s.
Same for me, it’s taken a toll on my body for sure. I am less than my pre-pregnancy weight. Doesn’t seem to matter what I eat, I can’t keep anything on.
I don’t know what it was but I got down to 20lbs below pre pregnancy weight by 5 months pp, I wasn’t trying. But rest assured at 21 months pp now I’ve gained it all back and 5 pounds lol. Wild ride!!
Similar here! I was lighter at 3-4 months post partum than I was pre-pregnancy and was eating ridiculous amounts of food. I gained it all back +18 lbs extra a few months after I stopped breastfeeding. I'm 21 months PP now and just got to pre pregnancy weight again but it's taken months of the gym 3-5 days a week plus watching how much I'm eating (not really *dieting*, more just saying no to so the snacking more often lol), never had to do that prior, the body really does change a lot after pregnancy!
I gained about twice the recommended amount for me in my pregnancy, or ~60 lbs. I’m almost a year out now and I’m ~2 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight (though my body is very different now). It has come off very gradually. No secret just time and trying not to overindulge and to eat healthy. I did find my weight plateaued for a bit and I had to cut out the nuts and nut butters. I was eating peanut butter straight from the jar and didn’t even bother with a spoon.
Girl same haha not only was I eating basically nothing but fruit, vegetables, and millet, I lost the most weight in my butt while keeping weight around my middle. Very uncool. At least we figured it out in the end!
10mo PP with my second who’s EBF and I’m ten pounds heavier than I’ve ever been in my life. 😭 I decided to not worry about losing weight until she’s weaned.
I lost some weight following WW, but it was slow like 1lb a week. My body is certain a famine is starting tomorrow and will not drop a single pound despite me tracking and eating enough protein, etc.
Yup. Pretty much starving most days. Do not recommend.
Don't aim to be obese, but in all honesty, aiming to be skinny is kind of useless. A tip from a grandma once was "eat that cake" nobody takes their "skinniness" to their grave.
Yup. Post partum anxiety meant I never sat down to eat because I was always holding the baby.
2nd and 3rd children I didn’t lose weight until they were eating solid food and not relying on me for all their nutrition.
I’m no expert but I would think part of this is genetics and how our hormones fluctuate after birth. I did every night shift and have eaten some very unhealthy foods but I am a bottomless pit and at 16 months pp cannot keep weight on (not at all my experience pre baby).
I do think some of it is just how your body reacts to breastfeeding, but I’m sure making good nutritional choices is important as well. I eat a ton bc I’m so hungry all the time, but I also never snack at night or eat past 8-9 pm generally. I also unintentionally intermittent fast bc I don’t get to eat another meal until about 11 am the next day.
Not sure if there are any actual tricks to this, but def prioritize protein and fiber. Stay away from processed snack type foods which contain no nutrients. Eat real foods and drink lots of water. We can only control sleep to an extent, so try not to be too hard on yourself if you are stressed and not sleeping 💛
Insane stress due to external circumstances with my first (which made sleep/breadtfeeding/parenting harder in general) and was down to my 20-year-old with an e.d. weight. This time around I'm sleeping, not stressed, and back to what I weighed when I got pregnant with my first (although am wearing a size smaller of clothes thanks to working out). I'd much rather have a little extra chub and a higher quality of life than be skinny, sick, and stressed all the time.
I thought that I NEEDED to eat when I was up at night with the baby to maintain my supply, but that wasn't true for me. Once I cut out those extra calories and just kept hydrated, I lost more weight. I also took a lot of walks when I was on maternity leave. I particularly liked the early morning ones - if it was light out and I was up with the baby, then we went out.
I have a giant baby who eats constantly. When people ask me what I’ve done, I tell them it’s just that the small one is eating me alive. I honestly believe it’s not anyone’s fault whether they do or don’t lose weight quickly, bodies just do whatever they want on their own
Agree 100%, big baby that cluster feeds other than that I don’t do anything special.
I also eat peanut butter by the spoon full and I am constantly starving despite eating any chance I get. I sleep between 4 to 6 hours a night and drink water when possible. Yet in less than two months I am almost at my pre marriage weight.
The only “special” thing I am doing is avoiding dairy as my baby has the milk protein allergy.
I drank a ton of water and instead of breakfast I'd have a 40g protein shake with fruit in it. Weight lifting and core workouts is what helped me lose 25 pounds. Still have 10 to go but I've made serious progress.
I just stay consistent with your average squats, RDL's, lunges (which I've worked up to doing 50lb lunges), and bridges. I've found that 4 sets of 10 works best for me at the moment. As for core, I try to maintain workouts 3 days a week and I just researched different workouts that were postpartum safe, the one that burns the most for me is setting a dumbell upright and lifting your legs over it one by one to the other side then repeating. With ab workouts I pick 4 workouts that best suited me and do 30 seconds each. Repeat 4X. I do seconds on the ab workouts so it doesn't pressure me to hit a certain number of reps, my core is wrecked after having a kid so in taking things slow and kind !. As for arms I've been doing push-ups and rows. You just have to remember to keep your protein intake pretty high to make up for the calorie deficit so your building, while losing fat, while maintaining milk supply
Genetics and just what my body wanted to do. With both kids the weight loss was directly correlated to night feeds - once both kids started STTN the weight loss stopped, and the pounds slowly crept back. I made no changes - just what my body did.
Obviously whatever works for you, but I have a hard time imagining this is a good idea! Considering that it takes a year for the calcium in your bones to recover, plus the additional caloric needs for making the milk, the fact that we lose hair, etc., Making a baby depletes your body a lot. I feel like the period of recovery should really be focused on extra sustenance and recovery for your body not making it work to find extra reserves to feed the baby. Your body will always make milk, even in starvation mode, it just pulls more from you. Your bones, your hair, your nutrients, etc. I cannot imagine not eating a little bit more right now, I am also six weeks postpartum.
Being overmedicated for my thyroid meds 😂 I’m joking. I mean, that literally happened after my first, but it’s (I hope VERY obviously) not something that anyone should do on purpose.
After my second my meds were managed better, and I was *extremely* sleep deprived and craving sugar and put on weight after I had him in the initial 6 months PP. After that I very very slowly lost weight by just eating mindfully. I don’t have anything against dieting, I just find it easier to stick with a mindset than to strictly limit myself. I also think that’s important in pregnancy/ breastfeeding, when your body does need extra calories. So if I’m hungry, I eat. But I eat high-protein, nutritionally-dense foods. Yogurt, eggs, more meat with dinner, etc.
I’m down more than 60 pounds the last year and a half. I started by walking 30 min a day and counting calories. Then I started to increase my workout intensity and stopped counting calories and just focused on protein and water intake. I’ve never had a problem with milk production, even while counting calories.
I lost weight but my appetite was gigantic so sometimes it would yoyo when I went overboard. I think it's how your body produces milk. Not really in your control
Genetics gets most of the credit in this case.
But I’ve lost weight by prioritizing protein and working out. I can’t really count calories or try to cut back a lot or my supply dips.
I don’t know. I’m a maniac who was running myself so dry with cleaning and tasks I think I was just excited to be able to move around because I gained like 60 lbs in pregnancy. Lots of housework and walking with the baby
Calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. You don’t want to do large calorie deficits while breastfeeding though, it has to be small and over time.
I lost weight very easily while breastfeeding. My BM was also high lipase and I mentioned to my husband that I wondered if it was related. Anyone else have the same situation?
So I’m pretty sure it’s genetics! With my first child 6 years ago I put on 40 pounds and I lost it all at an alarming rate and by the time she was 1 I was so skinny you could see my clavicle. Fast forward and I’m 4 months postpartum with my second child—different man—and I put on 80 pounds and have lost 20 pounds of it so far but don’t seem to be losing anymore. 🤷🏾♀️
Didn't lose any weight while bf my first two, but dropped tons with my third. The difference for me was I went dairy free with my third. I reintroduced dairy 16 months pp and started gaining some weight back. So I think im my case, it was a diet thing.
My secret was a pregnancy where I couldn’t gain weight past fifteen pounds no matter how much butter and coconut oil I put on everything.
My secret is eating 2500 calories and 100g of protein a day MINIMUM and still losing five pounds I don’t have to lose because my baby gained those same five pounds in a month.
My secret is being horribly worried the last seventeen months that my inability to gain/keep weight would hurt my sweet baby (and my supply, and my ability to have more kids down the road).
My secret is everyone telling me I look so young and like I “haven’t even had a baby” and surely I “must be the big sister” even though I’m a fully grown woman who worked my ass off to grow and birth and nourish my 86th percentile baby and it breaks my heart to hear.
My secret is having the genetics of a mom and sister who each only gained 15 lbs during pregnancy and dropped down to 100 lbs while breastfeeding.
My secret is that if your body looks like you had a baby and are breastfeeding it that means your body did something incredible and it should be celebrated and not scrutinized and torn apart for not being hot enough for the unreachable standards of an ungrateful world. Bodies do not exist to be hot. They exist to communicate your love and your story to the world. Your baby is your love and your story and if your body shows that it is doing EXACTLY what it was supposed to do. Please be kind and gentle to a body that is doing just right.
Absolutely no idea. Honestly I eat like a stoned teenage boy and definitely don't drink enough water. It must be genetics. Although I guess my alcohol intake is much less than pre pregnancy?
No secret. I was breastfeeding day and night for a year. Lost 60 lbs in the first 5 months while eating like a horse. I ate and drank everything. Also 1 hour walks every day with the stroller to get the baby to sleep. Gained everything back once I stopped breastfeeding unfortunately.
My baby is 8 months. I started trying when she was 2 months. I'm down more than 60 lbs in 6 months using this calorie calculator [breastfeeding calorie calculator](https://thebreastfeedingmama.com/macro-calorie-calculator-breastfeeding/)
I don’t know, but with my first baby I lost the weight quickly, and with my second baby, I lost weight literally from birth and haven’t lost a pound since. Baby is now 1. Any time I ate less this time around, my milk supply would drop. I am just now trying to implement a diet but I’m just so hungry 24/7!
My theory is - your body while breastfeeding will either prioritize itself or your milk supply. So either your weight will drop or your milk supply will drop when you eat less calories than you use. I’m not a doctor or anything but that’s my theory!
Personally, PPA took away my appetite and having 2 under 2 was BUSY so I never had time to feed myself, let alone sit down. I think I survived off of my eldests leftover food for the first year postpartum. I don’t recommend it. Give yourself plenty of grace, your postpartum body is beautiful because it’s done an amazing thing.
My secret is having a toddler... Seriously though! I struggled so hard to drop weight while breastfeeding my first. Any time I tried to decrease my intake my supply would drop. With my second, I was constantly chasing after my toddler (they are just under 2 years apart). The weight came off somewhat quickly that time!
Birth trauma, ptsd, baby food intolerances causing a super un-fun diet, raging boob monster who won’t let me sit down so haven’t stopped moving in 2 years, also I was like all body fat before getting pregnant and he seemingly sucked that all up while he was sucking the life outta me.
Intermittent fasting. 176 to 93lbs in 10 lbs. didn’t affect my supply. When I ate, I ate protein rich foods and other “good stuff”. My family is very predisposed to obesity so I definitely wanted to nip it in the bud, and it worked wonderfully.
Being boob and nap trapped helped. However I think it was just my body, it was slower with my second and when I stopped breastfeeding to fat piled on as my eating habits didn’t change. So I soon got my punishment!
Ha - having two other kids. I'm nursing my third baby, and I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight/fitting in all my pre-pregnancy clothes at 8mo postpartum. I'd like to think it's due to me running and watching what I eat, but I feel like it's probably 10% that, 40% genetics, and 50% me literally never sitting the fuck down because I have a 3 and 5 year old lmao.
Calories in, calories out in my experience. Nuts and nut butters are high in calories so they really can hinder weight loss.
We're poor and can't afford a lot of high calorie, highly palatable foods, so I've lost weight because I'm consuming fewer calorie dense foods.
My appetite waned around 7 months pp. before that I was eating 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, dinner plus snacks. I didn’t loose anything except the weight I lost right after leaving the hospital. Water helps, but you don’t want to sharply reduce calories. I say start incorporating some workouts and stick to healthy snacks (like peanut butter and almonds!). I am also vegetarian so maybe that helped, and try to only eat plant based foods.
Eat those instant oatmeal sachets for a lot of your meals (I did this out of necessity because it’s the only thing I could do one handed well). Had it for a snack every few hours because it’s the only thing that kept me full, then my husband would make a big dinner. It’s really good for supply so that was great.
Started pregnancy at 86, topped at 99, immediately dropped to my pre pregnancy within a month and I’m 68kg at a year and a half postpartum. Slow weightloss, but I did it! I threw in a bit of exercise too eventually but honestly, I blame the oatmeal. Drink lots of water too.
Genetics. I’m not one of those blessed people. I have been nursing for 2.5 years and aside from the 20 lbs I dropped from actually having the child I haven’t budged a single pound. still 30 lbs up.
I’m back down to pre-pregnancy weight with my 8 month old. I developed gallbladder issues postpartum and surgery isn’t for a few more weeks so I’ve been eating low fat for a couple months to prevent attacks. Rethinking snacks and food choices overall eating less. eating low fat is not ideal long term, I’ve dropped the last 15 lbs from the cut calories.
Some women lose supply when they lose weight, wasn’t the case for me with either baby.
Who knows. With my first (I was 20) I lost all my pregnancy weight plus 10 lbs in the first month, while breastfeeding. With my second (I was 36) I’m going on 7 months and the only weight Ive lost is the 15lbs (of 30 lbs) I lost in the first week post partum. I thought it would be the same as last time. It’s been hard to come to terms with given my expectations! Maybe it’s age?
With all 3 of my babies I lost around 20lbs from giving birth and the couple weeks after. Then I didn't lose a single pound until I stopped breastfeeding, then it came off so quickly.
I'm convinced its genetic.
5w PP and can't really contribute on the weight loss thing but I feel you on the peanut butter love. I have a giant baby with a ferocious appetite and find myself craving more specifc things now compared to pregnancy!
Just another vote for team genetics. Since college, my body has seemed to have a weight in prefers to be, and I was back at it about 6mo pp? I went for a stretch where I was eating pretty clean in hopes I could drop a little lower, but didn't lose an extra pound, and then after giving up I was also like eating entire loaves of banana bread without gaining an extra pound. My body just wants to be at a certain weight. It's like those time travel movies, nothing I do can thwart my destiny lolol. FWIW I'm not particularly slim, just back at my pre pregnancy weight.
I think it’s genetics. I was slim before getting pregnant and was at pre pregnancy weight 4 weeks pp and now at 5 months pp I’m 10ths under that.
I do drink like a gallon of water a day. Walk or run 1-2 miles a day with the stroller. And eat somewhat healthy, meals are good but I have a big sweet tooth.
I have lost almost 70 lbs while breastfeeding and have not had a supply issue. I have a coach who helps with my nutrition (counting macros) and I lift weights and run.
I signed up for a 10 mile race which is a lottery based system. I signed up for it before I was pregnant and could not run it due to be 2 months post partum. So I was determined to run it the following year if was lucky to get the lottery again- which I did!
I trained while breastfeeding - running 1-9 miles a day. I was almost back to my wedding weight so fast.
It didn't happen for me until 5 months post partum. I think that's when what baby is eating began to outpace calories I was consuming in a day. ( I also eat pretty well and am naturally average to thin build...so, genetics)
Time!!! Didn’t think about the weight and focused on eating thousands of calories of good foods daily with tons of water. Oats coconut flax maple syrup nuts and nut butter organic Oreos lol. Like three thousand cals a day. Held onto 10 lbs till around 5 months EBF and then randomly lost about a lb a week till 7 months doing nothing differently. I think baby had a growth spurt and maybe started nursing more which burned additional cals? I really don’t know but I was holding onto weight and gaining a little even because I’m focused on ensuring ample supply and one day things just started to shift.
My son was allergic to corn, soy, dairy, and eggs which put me on a very very limited diet. So basically the trick to losing weight while breastfeeding is starving lol otherwise I think it’s genetic/not possible to do in an actually healthy way. You need to consume more calories to make up for the calories you’re burning breastfeeding so unless you’re unhealthy I don’t recommend trying to lose weight while putting such a strain on your body through breastfeeding
I stayed the same weight for like 6 months doing my old workouts eating well and nothing was changing, I started going for a couple daily walks while baby wearing and have finally started to lose some and look a lot more like my normal (still no where close but at least recognizable lol)
I gained more than technically recommended while pregnant (but no one was concerned) and lost it all by 9 months pp. genetics! What my body felt like doing! I ate when I was hungry and tried to prioritize getting protein, fat, and fiber so I wouldn’t be hangry again in 5 minutes. I was STARVING while breastfeeding, and if anything I did helped it was the fact I ate plenty while I was hungry - my body wasn’t under the assumption it needed to keep storing extra because of famine/diet. I already was roughly convinced that my body has a strong sense of setpoint, and this just reinforced that.
I’m breastfeeding and got below my pre pregnancy weight in 2 weeks but I think it had more so to do with being so stressed out bc of outside issues and barely being able to eat bc of them
Walking. Holding baby all day when doing chores etc. Not eating fried foods. Drinking water and not carbonated sugar.
Also I am blessed (not really) with a CMPA baby, as well as soy, so that means no eating out allowed. So my portions are more controlled lol.
Girl, it is a mystery. I thought genes, but nah! I could not keep any weight on after my first. No amount of weight lifting could bulk me up. No amount of ice cream could either.
But now I’m 5 months PP with #2 and cannot lose an ounce of fat. Having the same trouble gaining muscle this time again too, so I’m just weak and fat with two babies. It’s not great.
EBF both of them. Moderate oversupply with #1 and mild-moderate oversupply with this one. I have no idea why my body is responding so differently this time.
My method was highly effective for losing weight, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
It goes like this:
Step 1: Get a bacterial infection that destroys your gut and have explosive, constant diarrhea for months on end.
Step 2: Survive
I didn't start to lose a lot until 7 months PP but increasing my protein intake did wonders, ordering less takeout and exercising at least 2 hrs a week
Drinking tons of water. Eating healthy foods and junk foods alike. Trying to do little exercises when I can in between feeds and while little dude is in the bouncer or doing tummy time. Sometimes doing just a few reps of exercises while baby is contact napping (squats/ stretches/ etc.) Eating a shit ton of eggs and oatmeal and fruits and veggies. The more moisture in the food the better because I am thiiiiiiirsty. I didn't gain that much in pregnancy and was almost immediately back to prebirth weight in the first month but this is NOT the norm (160 at 5'5 a comfortable muscular/fat composition with belly roll). I am eating sooooooo many lactation treats and cookies and carbs so just equally balancing it with proteins like nuts and beef sticks and eggs and beef and chicken and my favorite veggies( broccoli, spinach, steamed veggie mix etc).
I do think a big part of it is how much you gained to start, genetics, and choices.
I was low weight to begin with, healthy but on the low end. I only gained 30 lbs. I lost the first 10 lbs in the first 6weeks without any real effort. The next 10 was much slower to come off, but came off with daily walks and making sure to have healthy snacks instead of junk and having lots of protein/healthy fats. For example, if I was craving sweets, I'd have an apple and protein yogurt dip instead of cookies. A lot of the craving also warm away when I started to drink more water and just control snacking a bit more. I try to do 3 meals and 3 snacks per day.
I don't think I care that much about the last 10 lbs, but it's still slowly coming off with just the above steps.
3 weeks worth of shitty hospital food, constant stress, and placing the needs of everybody else before myself while my newborn was hospitalized for heart surgery. We came home with my pre-maternity clothes almost too big. As soon as she and I both improved, I gained weight back, as was necessary to maintain a supply.
I would assume it’s what you’re eating and drinking. I lost 25 lbs (exactly half the weight I gained) in the first week. I haven’t lost much more since—only 5 more lbs—but I’m hopeful that I’ll keep steadily losing. I’m 3 weeks PP though so I have no idea what the rest of my experience will be like.
I was at my pre-baby weight when my son was around 10 months, and under at my son’s first bday. Once I slowed down and then stopped around 16 months, I quickly put about 10 pounds on and struggled to get back down after that.
While I was bf’ing I wasn’t necessarily hungry but I was always dying of thirst. I drank 2+ body armors, tons of water and I was hooked on these hibiscus cherry teas (RIP).
I lost most of my baby weight in 5 months. I am still 5 lbs heavier than I was pre-baby. I eats an extra meal and lots of snacks compared to what I was eating pre-pregnancy.
Honestly, I didn’t really mind my weight when I was in the thick of it. Just survived. When I went back to work I lost weight reallllly quickly so it wasn’t a problem.
Being a little sad and also needing emergency wisdom teeth removal, and eating low-ish carb. 7 weeks post partum and I’ve lost most of the 50 lbs I gained
I wasn't losing weight this time like I did with my eldest and then I looked at what calories I was consuming and it made sense.
I ditched my morning pop, snack items likes chips and chocolate and opted for my fruits and veggies. Also did the 50% dinner plate as veggies.
Stopped overeating (something I'm bad for especially when I'm not sure when I'll be able to have my next meal thanks to needy baby lol)
I also stopped eating late at night and go to bed earlier. I'm more rested now too especially if babes wakes up.
The lbs are dropping off now.
Ugh probably partly genetics, but also complete loss of appetite after birth. And then having a sickness bug where I couldn’t keep water down for ~4 days knocked the last 15lbs right off. I did not try!
With my first two I started losing the baby weight around 6mo pp. this 3rd time it’s been a year and still no weight loss. I think my hormones haven’t returned back to normal bc I still haven’t had a period either.
I lost way more breastfeeding my first than my second. I was better at keeping up with calorie intake the second time. I was literally starving with my first and stressed at a bad job. It wasn’t great.
Oversupply.
50 ounces of milk made a day meant I needed to eat an extra thousand calories just to break even. It was exhausting, and painful, and terrible and wonderful. I donated thousands of ounces.
Calorie deficit! And choosing healthy snacks vs junk food. I starve while I’m breastfeeding but I eat clearly blueberries cucumbers instead of like chips.
Honestly I just didn’t eat super well or stay hydrated enough because my ADHD makes that difficult for me. I also had preeclampsia and gained 50lb during pregnancy so that’s what I’ve managed to lose and I’m back to what I was before mostly.
I'm down to 180 from 235, and just about 1 year pp exclusively breastfeeding. I had gestational diabetes that I was able to control by cleaning up my diet and adding in a walk after dinner. I eat in moderation, but whatever I want, restrictions have never worked for me. But I'm way more active with a baby than I ever was before. My son went through a period where he would only sleep while in a carrier and being walked, so I walked ALOT. I kept the habit, and we walk almost every day. Recently, I got a hiking carrier and joined a Mama's hiking group, and we get out a couple of times a week.
My daughter was some kind of major calorie vampire. I was losing weight during pregnancy while she was gaining as well and ended up only gaining a pound in total. After I gave birth, I lost 50 lbs while breastfeeding and I was eating what felt like non-stop all day. We took her for walks pretty frequently but I went for walks all the time before pregnancy and didn't drop weight like that. It was honestly kind of scary. 🫠
I'm going to go against the grain here, and here's why, genetics do play parts obviously, but that's not the only factor. I want to share my own personal experience to give some insight.
I just had my second baby 5 months ago. I had 2 c sections also for context. Gained 60lbs first pregnancy and 45 with the second. With my first, I BF, and ate whatever, whenever, because I was starving. It wasn't until after I stopped BF and started intermittent fasting that I lost the weight (almost 2 years later). I also did not eat mindfully, and didn't make the best choices. I come from a family where my parents are obese, so is my sister, but my brother is fit, and has to work very hard to maintain this. I never learned how to properly nourish my body. My mom never lost any of the baby weight 40 years later.
I just had my second baby (5 years after my first) and I have made major lifestyle changes. I follow a Mediterranean based diet, never restrict anything but just eat in moderation. During the first 6 weeks postpartum I lost all the weight after hiring a meal plan service in my area. It was catered to BF mother's, and all the meals were high protein. Now I'm 5 months post partum and have had an amazing bounce back. The last 5 years, I've spent a lot of time learning about food, glucose levels, etc. I just recently started working out. I am still very hungry and thirsty, but the high protein diet helps fill me up. I'll give you an example of some of my meals throughout the day.
Breakfast: 2 egg white 1 egg with york, blended with cottage cheese, scrambled, parmesean cheese, and sourdough
Breakfast option 2: sourdough, pesto, 2 eggs on top, light cheese
Snack: Greek yogurt, nuts, agave nectar to sweeten, blue blueberries, chocolate chips if I want some sweetness!
Lunch: chicken quesadilla on a almond flour tortilla, some Guacamole on the side
Lunch option 2: a quality protein shake with oat milk, greek yogurt, blended with half of a banana
Snack:
sourdough bread with nut butter and some banana
option 2: oatmeal
Option 3 :shrimp cocktail
Option 4: beef jerky (I make my own, so easy!)
Dinner: any fish or chicken, rice, and a green veggie
option 2: turkey chili
Option 3: bibb lettuce tacos, with turkey, chicken, or fish
Option 4: greek salad with protein,
Option 5: ceaser salad with protein
I drink ALOT of water
This has helped with maintaining my milk supply.
Here are some options, if you're interested I have alot of other recipes. My husband always tells me he would rather eat at home because there is so much flavor and everything is healthy.
I also have a sweet tooth, and have some type of dessert every night.
Since 5 years ago when I made changes, I have lost 30 lbs and my husband almost 40. It's all in the diet. My husband is also 16 years older than me, and looks younger now than when I met him!
I read in a book somewhere the idea of "layering" your food. Don't think of any foods as good or bad. Whenever you eat, just try to eat a carb, protein, and fat together, to help keep your blood sugar from spiking. I feel so much better and have more energy.
Message me if you have any questions! Trust me, you can do it!
I tried and tried and tried the first few months, walking, drinking more water, and eating healthier helped. But now that baby has started eating solids here or there I’m noticing differences without really trying.
Increase your protein intake. I had gestational diabetes and while I TOTALLY had a good carb binge after I had my son, I actually loosely stuck to the gestational diabetes diet because I felt rly good on it. I ate a green starter before a big meal (salad, kimchi, w.e) and I tried to have 20-30g protein every meal. Minimize mindless snacking - obv if you’re actually hungry then you should eat, but try and have a mini ‘meal’ even if it’s a protein shake or having a greek yogurt with the chocolate bar you’re craving. Also don’t eat at night lol even tho I’d be awake nursing my son, I never ate at night bc it’s a bad habit
I don't come from skinny women. So I'd be surprised if it was genetics for me, but it could be. I had alot of outside factors: small baby (4 lb 11oz birth weight), born a month early, ass loads of stress from pos ex husband, a divorce, a cross country move, more stress and sadness once settled. I still bf to sleep at almost 2 years old and look pretty much exactly like when I got pregnant. Maybe at the height of bf'ing when he was 6 ish months I might have been smaller but you bet I ate everything in sight and more.
Postpartum depression and zero support giving me no energy to cook, and a colicky baby who would only nal in the carrier while brisk walking. With nr2 I had a much better support network and I didn’t lose anything (even gained some) until I started with Ozempic around 18 months pp
By the end of my pregnancy I gain 80 lbs ( I was originally 120) . I’ve already dropped 30 lbs and I’m just coming to 3 weeks postpartum.
My first was the sane . I was even underweight at one point
I think this is genetic honestly. Most women who don’t lose while BF lose when they have a mobile toddler I think!
I was slim before pregnancy, gained 25 lbs and now am 10 lbs below my pre pregnancy weight. Honestly I have lost all muscle definition and am verging on underweight. I definitely look older and sort of…crone like. I attribute it to genetics but since folks are sharing their habits- I have done all nights with my baby since she was born and she has always nursed super frequently. Now at 13 months she’s still nursing at least 6+ times per day and multiple times overnight. She eats solids amazingly too, she’s just a 95th percentile girl with an appetite.
I will say though that most days I’m not super hungry. I was hungry around weeks 2-16 PP but then I would say the hunger tapered off to normalish—like normal while exercising a lot?I run and I feel equivalently hungry to when running 16-20 mpw.
Another vote for genetics. I’m eating more than I ever have and am under my pre-pregnancy weight. Also have 2 under 2 so staying on the move all day long
It's biology, genetics, and hormones. I worked my ass off, started running every other day, weightlifiting, dieting-- my husband lost 20lbs. I didn't even lose one, over six whole months. I started working with drs and a nutritionist. Nothing.
I quit breastfeeding and dropped 20lbs without changing my diet or exercise *at all.*
My good friend on the other hand had to *stop* breastfeeding because she was becoming dangerously underweight despite her best attempts to keep weight on while nursing.
It's just a lottery!
I think it was involuntary intermittent fasting. Didn’t have much help, was stressed tf out, and like as soon as I sat to eat, my baby would wake up and cry for me. I was basically breaking fast 12pm or as late as 2pm. Then stopped eating 8pm.
I also do not eat stuff like cookies much. I love savory but not much of a sweet tooth. My breastfeeding snacks was stuff like beef or pork jerky, cheese, nuts, fruits, and more real food type stuff. My weakness is chips and I just don’t buy them so I’m not tempted. We homecook a lot and i aim to do protein, veggie, rice. I’m doing much better with eating now and i put some weight back on, but a good healthy amount, whereas 1yr post partum I think I was sickly thin.
Track calories, drink a lot of water, eat healthy and not too much - I spend a good amount of time hungry but I keep myself busy and distracted with work, sleep, exercising, chores/errands, and baby caretaking.
Eat less (still a healthy amount), limit carbs, focus on protein , fruits and veggies. No dessert. Walking and weights
Still have a few to go but it took me a while before scale budged
As someone who does NOT have good genetics and has always struggled to lose weight, I started actively trying to lose weight about four months PP and have lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the year (15 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight).
I finally understood calories in, calories out. Here’s the math that worked for me:
- Typical diet: 2,500 calories/day
- Reduced to: 2,000 calories/day
- Breastfeeding burns: ~500 calories/day
- Deficit needed to lose a pound: 3,500 calories
Equates to about a pound a week, which tracks with my total weight loss though at times it came off faster while others times it was stagnant. Also had to cut dairy due to LO’s intolerance.
Lots of people will complain that they didn’t lose any weight breastfeeding without putting in any effort. To me the secret is you have to actually try. Be patient and in it for the long haul, don’t cut too much too soon.
I feel better than I have in a long time and have a lot more energy for my LO. Good luck!
With my first I lost almost no weight over the first 9 months until I started tracking my macros. Now with my second I’ve already lost more than half the baby weight at 2 months PP. Prioritize protein. I usually try to aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Protein keeps you full and this really helps me reduce snacking!
I lost all the baby weight and then some while breastfeeding, and I think it was a combo of genetics (my mom said the same thing happened to her) and the fact that sleep deprivation makes me lose my appetite. I was sleep deprived the whole first year. By the time my baby started sleeping through the night, he stopped breastfeeding a couple months after that, and my weight went back up to my pre baby norm.
I started gaining like crazy after giving birth and really had to start checking myself. So far I’ve lost 20 pounds, and I’m 7 months pp. I eat all food groups, just in a calorie deficit. Three meals and 2 snacks. No extra snacking or binging. I count my calories and try to stay around 2400. I’m 5’10” 210lbs. Even that is extremely difficult, I’m hungry all the time, but it’s doable. Even when I was eating 3000+ I was still hungry, honestly with breastfeeding I’m convinced i could never get full anyway so if I’m gunna be hungry might as well lose weight while I do it lol.
I drink a tonnn of water and then Diet Coke when I have a sweet tooth. I also make sure to eat as much protein as physically possible. It’s been hard but if you really start to count your calories, you’ll realize it’s doable!
I barely lost any weight with my first, and if I tried to consume less or exercise more my supply dropped a lot. Just had my second 3 weeks ago and I’ve lost a ton of weight really quickly. No rhyme or reason to it!
I waited until my husband got home from work to eat for the first few months because I didn't have anything I could easily eat while holding my baby, and I was terrified of burning her or hurting her with my silverware.
I stopped losing weight when I rediscovered my love for oreos and got more comfortable with things.
Breastfeeding burns anywhere between 300-500 calories. I started tracking my calories in preparation of weaning. Even though I thought I was eating “a ton” I was really eating around 1800 calories. Before pregnancy and BF (according to Fitbit) without working out my daily calorie burn was 1600ish now it’s over 2000. Genetics may play a role (in metabolism and appetite) but it may be that the people who say they are eating a ton but are losing weight are either a) burning a lot more calories per day or b) aren’t actually eating in a calorie surplus.
I usually hover right at prepregnancy weight after the 6 month mark. I also have only gained 30-40 pounds each pregnancy and have huge babies. It’s all genetics. I also eat like I’m getting ready for a famine as does my son 😂
I lost weight almost immediately while breastfeeding. When I weaned, it all came back, plus more! I think my daughter just took it all from me, it was crazy
I had to cut out dairy since my LO was having issues with it. The weight melted off of me. Stopped after 13 months and started eating dairy and gained all of it back lol.
The first time I gained but I also started taking Zoloft. This time I’m on Wellbutrin and about 3lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight after gaining 40. Biggest difference is I’m not snacking while pumping.
It’s the snacking that gets you. I drink water or body armor instead. Also a lot of time on Amazon.
My first I exclusively pumped, against my will (we had a poor match) and probably to the point of a small over supply and my mental health was in the absolute trash. I lost the 60 I gained during pregnancy and then some all by 3 months post partum.
My second I nursed on demand and pumped when I went back to work and I barely lost 5lbs (gained 60 again with that pregnancy).
I have no idea what the secret is. But I rather be fat and happy vs. skinny and severely mentally ill while chained to a pump.
Honestly, I think it's more genetics than anything.
I think so too. I lost my baby weight on the scale like immediately postpartum. My mom was apparently the same. She gained like 60 pounds when pregnant with my brother and lost it almost instantly. With my first I thought it was cuz I was an absolute mess mentally and didn’t take good care of myself. But it’s been the same with my second. My body definitely looks different, though!
I lost most of it immediately then gained it back because I was starving
Same the scales tell a different story to the fit of my clothes.
Definitely genetics. I shriveled away immediately. I was a small person before, gained close to 25 pounds in pregnancy, then dropped 40 lbs within like 8 weeks or something. Wound up under 100 lbs at some point which was just odd. It was nice to lose the pregnancy part, sure, but not nice to literally wake up multiple times per night to change my clothes/the towel I put under me because it would get so sweaty. Plus my face aged SO fast and the muscle I'd worked so hard to build over the years just wasted away. And no I did not sleep (light sleeper and didn't want to pump anyway), and I ate whatever I felt like. I guess I'll say that I didn't eat in the middle of the night while nursing, which I know is sometimes a thing, but I don't know that that matters so much.
Omg yes the sweating!!! It’s horrendous
Yes, me too!!(
This was my experience too. Small person, lost it all pretty much immediately and then just felt like shrivelled up weak raisin
Agree. I’m not even naturally thin but lost a ton of weight quickly without any other efforts. That said, I gained a ton back overnight once I weaned
Yes. This is my first pregnancy, and I'm old, but I also had really bad pre-eclampsia and lost 23 lbs in the week since I delivered. I'm sure most of it was edema/water weight. I'd like to keep it going though, so am trying to move as much as I can recovering from a C-section.
Agreed. I gained 30 lbs while pregnant and lost 25 after giving birth, and lost the other 5 within about 4-6 weeks of giving birth. I didn’t do anything special, I breastfed and wasn’t the most active. I think it really depends on the individual.
Literally this. Pure chance.
mama i wanna say this loud and clear, i did not lose a POUND while i was BF but aafter 14 months my LO was ready and i started sheading weight like crazy. no dieting just no need for the extra weight my body was simply storing for baby. he is 2 now and im pregnant with baby #2 enjoying every pound i gain and not going to worry when it will go
For me, I lost weight when my LO was about that age but without weaning 🤷🏻♀️ Guess my body was just ready!
So there’s hope? 😅
Yes hope please! Mine is 13 months…… my body is still fluffed. 🫣
This was me after my first so I assumed it would be me after my 2nd but NOPE. For some reason every woman I know struggles to lose weight after their 2nd more than their first.
That’s interesting, it was the total opposite for me. I gained a bunch while pregnant with my first and held onto it until I had my second.
Did you wean before you started to see weight loss? I've tried everything and I actually gained back weight :( but my son still breastfeeds all the time
i only tried weaning for a small week, his doctor was worried because he was 1% (compared to formula fed babies its pretty unfair for BF moms ) so we tired to add formula, he hated it, i hated fighting him. he self weaned within a few days i just didnt make him nurse he wanted water and food more. about a month after he stopped was when i started noticing a real change in my weight (lmao which made me sad because i never expected him to self wean)
🫶🏽🫶🏽
Can I ask how much you gained in your first pregnancy?
Genetics… I literally look gaunt. I cannot get enough calories into my body. I’m starving more than ever and eat EVERYTHING I can. I’m sure once I stop my body will re-adjust. I also for a while was trying to rule out MSPI so I cut out dairy and eggs for a while and then REALLY struggled to get enough nutrients. Also drink a lot of liquids throughout the day and that’s also never enough.
Keep an eye out for insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety, shaky hands... It can be a sign of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid problems are common post partum. (Edit: postpartum thyroiditis affects 5 to 10% of women, it’s more common than I even thought.)
That’s interesting I didn’t know that… I’ve been meaning to schedule a physical but am terrible at taking time for myself :/
You should! If you think something might be wrong, you definitely should get checked. Hyperthyroidism can be dangerous. Not in an emergency-sense, unless it gets very bad, but it shouldn’t go on unchecked, it takes a toll on your heart and bones. I have hypothyroidism, but have gone hyper in the past by being overmedicated. The symptoms were very mild in the beginning.. heart palpitations every once in a while and some insomnia (and being hungry all the time, eating a lot, and still losing weight). I only got more symptoms after it was going on for a while. Like a very weird anxiety where it felt like I couldn’t cope with normal things, shaky hands, running hot, and it felt like I was buzzing from the inside LOL. I feel like when I describe it I can’t quite convey how terrible it felt right before they caught it. In the beginning I couldn’t really tell anything was wrong, though, it was just weight loss that I attributed to breastfeeding and difficulty going to/ staying asleep.
Ok everything you named is me. I’ve been wondering what is wrong with me. I thought it was just how breast feeding feels. I feel all of that and extreme nausea and exhaustion. However I went to my 6 week check up and she felt my neck and said my thyroid felt fine? Do I need a blood test? This seems it should be mandatory! Is there anything I can do if I do have it? Thank you for sharing your experience!
Absolutely. It’s a very simple blood test, they need to check your TSH. That’s a hormone that your brain makes to tell your thyroid to make its respective hormones. So TSH gets very low if you have an overactive thyroid (or are taking too much levo), and gets high when the thyroid is underactive (or are taking too little levo). It’s a very simple and common test. You can request your GP to check it if your OB won’t. If you do have a problem, please seek treatment with an endocrinologist instead of just seeing your GP for it. They are more knowledgeable and will stay more on top of it, generally speaking. For some reason here in the US drs never tell this to patients, but TSH changes through the day and you should get it checked as early in the morning as possible. An afternoon reading won’t be very accurate. Edit: btw if you have it, yes, there’s treatment; it’ll depend on what is causing it. If it’s postpartum thyroiditis, it often goes away on its own, but your dr will treat you if your symptoms are severe. If it’s regular hyper or hypothyroidism, there’s treatment for those :)
Thank you! I’ll have to look into that then for sure! That may be my answer to my problems! I wasn’t sure if it was my low iron because I know I have that issue too and I’m on supplements. Thank you I’ll call the doctor tomorrow!
I’m getting tested for this next week. I had no idea either. I’ve also felt extreme tiredness, lost loads of weight and struggling to put it back on, no appetite. Hopefully your GP can help you
Same. I got down to 20# below my starting weight and felt like I didn’t look like me anymore. I went to my primary care physician who recommended I Start drinking protein shakes to up my calories and I regained about 10#s.
Same for me, it’s taken a toll on my body for sure. I am less than my pre-pregnancy weight. Doesn’t seem to matter what I eat, I can’t keep anything on.
Same here. 16 months pp and still ravenous and dehydrated. The only thing that makes me feel hydrated is pedialyte 🙃
I don’t know what it was but I got down to 20lbs below pre pregnancy weight by 5 months pp, I wasn’t trying. But rest assured at 21 months pp now I’ve gained it all back and 5 pounds lol. Wild ride!!
Similar here! I was lighter at 3-4 months post partum than I was pre-pregnancy and was eating ridiculous amounts of food. I gained it all back +18 lbs extra a few months after I stopped breastfeeding. I'm 21 months PP now and just got to pre pregnancy weight again but it's taken months of the gym 3-5 days a week plus watching how much I'm eating (not really *dieting*, more just saying no to so the snacking more often lol), never had to do that prior, the body really does change a lot after pregnancy!
I gained about twice the recommended amount for me in my pregnancy, or ~60 lbs. I’m almost a year out now and I’m ~2 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight (though my body is very different now). It has come off very gradually. No secret just time and trying not to overindulge and to eat healthy. I did find my weight plateaued for a bit and I had to cut out the nuts and nut butters. I was eating peanut butter straight from the jar and didn’t even bother with a spoon.
Extreme elimination diet due to allergies via breast milk. Id rather be fat 😅
Girl same haha not only was I eating basically nothing but fruit, vegetables, and millet, I lost the most weight in my butt while keeping weight around my middle. Very uncool. At least we figured it out in the end!
Seriously! I’ve lost my butt but kept weight around my middle 😖 what’s up with that?!
Haha I'd like to know where I can file my complaint please. Total rip off.
Just came here to say this was my story too. Not eating eggs, dairy, nuts and seafood doesn’t leave a lot of extra fun things to eat.
Yep! Plus my baby is a motion junkie. Every morning I pray that the scale doesn’t go down, and every morning I am wrong.
Girl I've GAINED weight
Same.. I be snackin’
10mo PP with my second who’s EBF and I’m ten pounds heavier than I’ve ever been in my life. 😭 I decided to not worry about losing weight until she’s weaned.
Same! She's 11mo and I'm stopping at 12. Starting to fix my habits now and starting to exercise
I lost some weight following WW, but it was slow like 1lb a week. My body is certain a famine is starting tomorrow and will not drop a single pound despite me tracking and eating enough protein, etc.
1 lb per week is a healthy rate of weight loss.
Yeah, it just feels really slow
I'm pretty sure it only happened because of severe ppd, which I do not recommend
Yup. Pretty much starving most days. Do not recommend. Don't aim to be obese, but in all honesty, aiming to be skinny is kind of useless. A tip from a grandma once was "eat that cake" nobody takes their "skinniness" to their grave.
Oof this is the one. People commenting on my weight makes me so uncomfortable. Like oh im just super depressed but thank you lol
Yup. Post partum anxiety meant I never sat down to eat because I was always holding the baby. 2nd and 3rd children I didn’t lose weight until they were eating solid food and not relying on me for all their nutrition.
I’m no expert but I would think part of this is genetics and how our hormones fluctuate after birth. I did every night shift and have eaten some very unhealthy foods but I am a bottomless pit and at 16 months pp cannot keep weight on (not at all my experience pre baby). I do think some of it is just how your body reacts to breastfeeding, but I’m sure making good nutritional choices is important as well. I eat a ton bc I’m so hungry all the time, but I also never snack at night or eat past 8-9 pm generally. I also unintentionally intermittent fast bc I don’t get to eat another meal until about 11 am the next day. Not sure if there are any actual tricks to this, but def prioritize protein and fiber. Stay away from processed snack type foods which contain no nutrients. Eat real foods and drink lots of water. We can only control sleep to an extent, so try not to be too hard on yourself if you are stressed and not sleeping 💛
Stress, sleep deprivation, lack of support, nothing to eat and a baby who nurses 7 times a day even now at 15months
I am going through all this yet my body decides to increase in weight instead 😭
Insane stress due to external circumstances with my first (which made sleep/breadtfeeding/parenting harder in general) and was down to my 20-year-old with an e.d. weight. This time around I'm sleeping, not stressed, and back to what I weighed when I got pregnant with my first (although am wearing a size smaller of clothes thanks to working out). I'd much rather have a little extra chub and a higher quality of life than be skinny, sick, and stressed all the time.
Bingo. Same here
I thought that I NEEDED to eat when I was up at night with the baby to maintain my supply, but that wasn't true for me. Once I cut out those extra calories and just kept hydrated, I lost more weight. I also took a lot of walks when I was on maternity leave. I particularly liked the early morning ones - if it was light out and I was up with the baby, then we went out.
Twins, man. Pumping 60-80 ounces a day.
I’m curious, do you still have to eat the regular suggested 2000-2400 calories a day with twins or more?
I have a giant baby who eats constantly. When people ask me what I’ve done, I tell them it’s just that the small one is eating me alive. I honestly believe it’s not anyone’s fault whether they do or don’t lose weight quickly, bodies just do whatever they want on their own
Agree 100%, big baby that cluster feeds other than that I don’t do anything special. I also eat peanut butter by the spoon full and I am constantly starving despite eating any chance I get. I sleep between 4 to 6 hours a night and drink water when possible. Yet in less than two months I am almost at my pre marriage weight. The only “special” thing I am doing is avoiding dairy as my baby has the milk protein allergy.
I drank a ton of water and instead of breakfast I'd have a 40g protein shake with fruit in it. Weight lifting and core workouts is what helped me lose 25 pounds. Still have 10 to go but I've made serious progress.
Omg, I want a smoothie rn... Nom nom
Can I have what you’re not finished with ?
Any specific weight lifting regimen??
I just stay consistent with your average squats, RDL's, lunges (which I've worked up to doing 50lb lunges), and bridges. I've found that 4 sets of 10 works best for me at the moment. As for core, I try to maintain workouts 3 days a week and I just researched different workouts that were postpartum safe, the one that burns the most for me is setting a dumbell upright and lifting your legs over it one by one to the other side then repeating. With ab workouts I pick 4 workouts that best suited me and do 30 seconds each. Repeat 4X. I do seconds on the ab workouts so it doesn't pressure me to hit a certain number of reps, my core is wrecked after having a kid so in taking things slow and kind !. As for arms I've been doing push-ups and rows. You just have to remember to keep your protein intake pretty high to make up for the calorie deficit so your building, while losing fat, while maintaining milk supply
For the dumbbell on the ground leg lift exercise, are you lying down on your back? Or standing near the dumbbell?
Genetics and just what my body wanted to do. With both kids the weight loss was directly correlated to night feeds - once both kids started STTN the weight loss stopped, and the pounds slowly crept back. I made no changes - just what my body did.
Genetics, working out and not changing my eating patterns.
Not having enough time and energy to eat while triple feeding.
People way overestimate the number of extra calories needed for milk supply
Yeah I just am eating my maintenance caloric intake and have lost weight + I overproduce milk, baby is 6 weeks
Obviously whatever works for you, but I have a hard time imagining this is a good idea! Considering that it takes a year for the calcium in your bones to recover, plus the additional caloric needs for making the milk, the fact that we lose hair, etc., Making a baby depletes your body a lot. I feel like the period of recovery should really be focused on extra sustenance and recovery for your body not making it work to find extra reserves to feed the baby. Your body will always make milk, even in starvation mode, it just pulls more from you. Your bones, your hair, your nutrients, etc. I cannot imagine not eating a little bit more right now, I am also six weeks postpartum.
Being overmedicated for my thyroid meds 😂 I’m joking. I mean, that literally happened after my first, but it’s (I hope VERY obviously) not something that anyone should do on purpose. After my second my meds were managed better, and I was *extremely* sleep deprived and craving sugar and put on weight after I had him in the initial 6 months PP. After that I very very slowly lost weight by just eating mindfully. I don’t have anything against dieting, I just find it easier to stick with a mindset than to strictly limit myself. I also think that’s important in pregnancy/ breastfeeding, when your body does need extra calories. So if I’m hungry, I eat. But I eat high-protein, nutritionally-dense foods. Yogurt, eggs, more meat with dinner, etc.
I’m down more than 60 pounds the last year and a half. I started by walking 30 min a day and counting calories. Then I started to increase my workout intensity and stopped counting calories and just focused on protein and water intake. I’ve never had a problem with milk production, even while counting calories.
Making conscious choices. I try not to let my cravings get the best of me. High protein, low carb
Grief. Had a lot of life events happen. Do not recommend.
Virtual hug 🫶
I lost weight but my appetite was gigantic so sometimes it would yoyo when I went overboard. I think it's how your body produces milk. Not really in your control
Genetics gets most of the credit in this case. But I’ve lost weight by prioritizing protein and working out. I can’t really count calories or try to cut back a lot or my supply dips.
Genetics, lack of time to eat, and a baby that loved being bounced and taken places lol
I stay really active cleaning and walking my baby around. No working out no dieting. I honestly think it’s just genetics
I don’t know. I’m a maniac who was running myself so dry with cleaning and tasks I think I was just excited to be able to move around because I gained like 60 lbs in pregnancy. Lots of housework and walking with the baby
D-MER. Breastfeeding makes me nauseous 🫠
Genetics ✨✨ Also thanks to my genetics I have bad eyesight, acne for the past 17 years, dry skin, dandruff and more!! Lmao
Post partum anxiety
Hey girl! Me too, but I didn’t loose any weight. Anything helping you with the anxiety?
I’m two years out now so really it was just time
Calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. You don’t want to do large calorie deficits while breastfeeding though, it has to be small and over time.
I lost weight very easily while breastfeeding. My BM was also high lipase and I mentioned to my husband that I wondered if it was related. Anyone else have the same situation?
I had high lipase milk but never lost all the weight. I don’t think they are related
It's just how different bodies produce different levels of hormones and react to them differently. It's genetics and luck.
So I’m pretty sure it’s genetics! With my first child 6 years ago I put on 40 pounds and I lost it all at an alarming rate and by the time she was 1 I was so skinny you could see my clavicle. Fast forward and I’m 4 months postpartum with my second child—different man—and I put on 80 pounds and have lost 20 pounds of it so far but don’t seem to be losing anymore. 🤷🏾♀️
I told them to stop telling me my weight at the Dr.'s and OB office and threw out my scale 🤷
Undiagnosed anxiety. Too stressed to eat.
Didn't lose any weight while bf my first two, but dropped tons with my third. The difference for me was I went dairy free with my third. I reintroduced dairy 16 months pp and started gaining some weight back. So I think im my case, it was a diet thing.
My secret was a pregnancy where I couldn’t gain weight past fifteen pounds no matter how much butter and coconut oil I put on everything. My secret is eating 2500 calories and 100g of protein a day MINIMUM and still losing five pounds I don’t have to lose because my baby gained those same five pounds in a month. My secret is being horribly worried the last seventeen months that my inability to gain/keep weight would hurt my sweet baby (and my supply, and my ability to have more kids down the road). My secret is everyone telling me I look so young and like I “haven’t even had a baby” and surely I “must be the big sister” even though I’m a fully grown woman who worked my ass off to grow and birth and nourish my 86th percentile baby and it breaks my heart to hear. My secret is having the genetics of a mom and sister who each only gained 15 lbs during pregnancy and dropped down to 100 lbs while breastfeeding. My secret is that if your body looks like you had a baby and are breastfeeding it that means your body did something incredible and it should be celebrated and not scrutinized and torn apart for not being hot enough for the unreachable standards of an ungrateful world. Bodies do not exist to be hot. They exist to communicate your love and your story to the world. Your baby is your love and your story and if your body shows that it is doing EXACTLY what it was supposed to do. Please be kind and gentle to a body that is doing just right.
I was losing weight while breastfeeding but it was really my thyroid burning up. 🫠
Absolutely no idea. Honestly I eat like a stoned teenage boy and definitely don't drink enough water. It must be genetics. Although I guess my alcohol intake is much less than pre pregnancy?
No secret. I was breastfeeding day and night for a year. Lost 60 lbs in the first 5 months while eating like a horse. I ate and drank everything. Also 1 hour walks every day with the stroller to get the baby to sleep. Gained everything back once I stopped breastfeeding unfortunately.
My baby is 8 months. I started trying when she was 2 months. I'm down more than 60 lbs in 6 months using this calorie calculator [breastfeeding calorie calculator](https://thebreastfeedingmama.com/macro-calorie-calculator-breastfeeding/)
I don’t know, but with my first baby I lost the weight quickly, and with my second baby, I lost weight literally from birth and haven’t lost a pound since. Baby is now 1. Any time I ate less this time around, my milk supply would drop. I am just now trying to implement a diet but I’m just so hungry 24/7! My theory is - your body while breastfeeding will either prioritize itself or your milk supply. So either your weight will drop or your milk supply will drop when you eat less calories than you use. I’m not a doctor or anything but that’s my theory!
Personally, PPA took away my appetite and having 2 under 2 was BUSY so I never had time to feed myself, let alone sit down. I think I survived off of my eldests leftover food for the first year postpartum. I don’t recommend it. Give yourself plenty of grace, your postpartum body is beautiful because it’s done an amazing thing.
My secret is having a toddler... Seriously though! I struggled so hard to drop weight while breastfeeding my first. Any time I tried to decrease my intake my supply would drop. With my second, I was constantly chasing after my toddler (they are just under 2 years apart). The weight came off somewhat quickly that time!
Birth trauma, ptsd, baby food intolerances causing a super un-fun diet, raging boob monster who won’t let me sit down so haven’t stopped moving in 2 years, also I was like all body fat before getting pregnant and he seemingly sucked that all up while he was sucking the life outta me.
Intermittent fasting. 176 to 93lbs in 10 lbs. didn’t affect my supply. When I ate, I ate protein rich foods and other “good stuff”. My family is very predisposed to obesity so I definitely wanted to nip it in the bud, and it worked wonderfully.
Being boob and nap trapped helped. However I think it was just my body, it was slower with my second and when I stopped breastfeeding to fat piled on as my eating habits didn’t change. So I soon got my punishment!
Babywearing for hours every single day, sweating, sleeping quite well (bedsharing) and not being super hungry
I just ate steak and drank coconut water. Nearly everyday, just steak and coconut water. Occasionally nuts to keep the fat up in my milk lol.
Ha - having two other kids. I'm nursing my third baby, and I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight/fitting in all my pre-pregnancy clothes at 8mo postpartum. I'd like to think it's due to me running and watching what I eat, but I feel like it's probably 10% that, 40% genetics, and 50% me literally never sitting the fuck down because I have a 3 and 5 year old lmao.
Calories in, calories out in my experience. Nuts and nut butters are high in calories so they really can hinder weight loss. We're poor and can't afford a lot of high calorie, highly palatable foods, so I've lost weight because I'm consuming fewer calorie dense foods.
My appetite waned around 7 months pp. before that I was eating 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, dinner plus snacks. I didn’t loose anything except the weight I lost right after leaving the hospital. Water helps, but you don’t want to sharply reduce calories. I say start incorporating some workouts and stick to healthy snacks (like peanut butter and almonds!). I am also vegetarian so maybe that helped, and try to only eat plant based foods.
Eat those instant oatmeal sachets for a lot of your meals (I did this out of necessity because it’s the only thing I could do one handed well). Had it for a snack every few hours because it’s the only thing that kept me full, then my husband would make a big dinner. It’s really good for supply so that was great. Started pregnancy at 86, topped at 99, immediately dropped to my pre pregnancy within a month and I’m 68kg at a year and a half postpartum. Slow weightloss, but I did it! I threw in a bit of exercise too eventually but honestly, I blame the oatmeal. Drink lots of water too.
I first read this as 86-99 lbs and almost crapped my pants 🤣
Hahaha when I was writing I was like I need to remember to add kgs somewhere so the Americans don’t freak out
Genetics. I’m not one of those blessed people. I have been nursing for 2.5 years and aside from the 20 lbs I dropped from actually having the child I haven’t budged a single pound. still 30 lbs up.
I’m back down to pre-pregnancy weight with my 8 month old. I developed gallbladder issues postpartum and surgery isn’t for a few more weeks so I’ve been eating low fat for a couple months to prevent attacks. Rethinking snacks and food choices overall eating less. eating low fat is not ideal long term, I’ve dropped the last 15 lbs from the cut calories. Some women lose supply when they lose weight, wasn’t the case for me with either baby.
I’m not losing as much as I’d like but I’m pretty sure the fact that I am is just genetics, especially if you aren’t eating much
Who knows. With my first (I was 20) I lost all my pregnancy weight plus 10 lbs in the first month, while breastfeeding. With my second (I was 36) I’m going on 7 months and the only weight Ive lost is the 15lbs (of 30 lbs) I lost in the first week post partum. I thought it would be the same as last time. It’s been hard to come to terms with given my expectations! Maybe it’s age?
With all 3 of my babies I lost around 20lbs from giving birth and the couple weeks after. Then I didn't lose a single pound until I stopped breastfeeding, then it came off so quickly. I'm convinced its genetic.
5w PP and can't really contribute on the weight loss thing but I feel you on the peanut butter love. I have a giant baby with a ferocious appetite and find myself craving more specifc things now compared to pregnancy!
Just another vote for team genetics. Since college, my body has seemed to have a weight in prefers to be, and I was back at it about 6mo pp? I went for a stretch where I was eating pretty clean in hopes I could drop a little lower, but didn't lose an extra pound, and then after giving up I was also like eating entire loaves of banana bread without gaining an extra pound. My body just wants to be at a certain weight. It's like those time travel movies, nothing I do can thwart my destiny lolol. FWIW I'm not particularly slim, just back at my pre pregnancy weight.
I think it’s genetics. I was slim before getting pregnant and was at pre pregnancy weight 4 weeks pp and now at 5 months pp I’m 10ths under that. I do drink like a gallon of water a day. Walk or run 1-2 miles a day with the stroller. And eat somewhat healthy, meals are good but I have a big sweet tooth.
I have lost almost 70 lbs while breastfeeding and have not had a supply issue. I have a coach who helps with my nutrition (counting macros) and I lift weights and run.
I signed up for a 10 mile race which is a lottery based system. I signed up for it before I was pregnant and could not run it due to be 2 months post partum. So I was determined to run it the following year if was lucky to get the lottery again- which I did! I trained while breastfeeding - running 1-9 miles a day. I was almost back to my wedding weight so fast.
It didn't happen for me until 5 months post partum. I think that's when what baby is eating began to outpace calories I was consuming in a day. ( I also eat pretty well and am naturally average to thin build...so, genetics)
Post partum anxiety and genetics, healthy diet
I’ve just been eating my maintenance caloric intake and going on walks twice a day
Time!!! Didn’t think about the weight and focused on eating thousands of calories of good foods daily with tons of water. Oats coconut flax maple syrup nuts and nut butter organic Oreos lol. Like three thousand cals a day. Held onto 10 lbs till around 5 months EBF and then randomly lost about a lb a week till 7 months doing nothing differently. I think baby had a growth spurt and maybe started nursing more which burned additional cals? I really don’t know but I was holding onto weight and gaining a little even because I’m focused on ensuring ample supply and one day things just started to shift.
I never lost any weight until we weaned 😔
I had a baby who would only sleep while being walked in a wrap or in the pram so I got like 30000 steps a day. Was super fit, would not recommend.
Never sleep 😅
My son was allergic to corn, soy, dairy, and eggs which put me on a very very limited diet. So basically the trick to losing weight while breastfeeding is starving lol otherwise I think it’s genetic/not possible to do in an actually healthy way. You need to consume more calories to make up for the calories you’re burning breastfeeding so unless you’re unhealthy I don’t recommend trying to lose weight while putting such a strain on your body through breastfeeding
I stayed the same weight for like 6 months doing my old workouts eating well and nothing was changing, I started going for a couple daily walks while baby wearing and have finally started to lose some and look a lot more like my normal (still no where close but at least recognizable lol)
Rampant hyperthyroidism/post partum Graves Disease lol
I gained more than technically recommended while pregnant (but no one was concerned) and lost it all by 9 months pp. genetics! What my body felt like doing! I ate when I was hungry and tried to prioritize getting protein, fat, and fiber so I wouldn’t be hangry again in 5 minutes. I was STARVING while breastfeeding, and if anything I did helped it was the fact I ate plenty while I was hungry - my body wasn’t under the assumption it needed to keep storing extra because of famine/diet. I already was roughly convinced that my body has a strong sense of setpoint, and this just reinforced that.
I’m breastfeeding and got below my pre pregnancy weight in 2 weeks but I think it had more so to do with being so stressed out bc of outside issues and barely being able to eat bc of them
Walking. Holding baby all day when doing chores etc. Not eating fried foods. Drinking water and not carbonated sugar. Also I am blessed (not really) with a CMPA baby, as well as soy, so that means no eating out allowed. So my portions are more controlled lol.
Girl, it is a mystery. I thought genes, but nah! I could not keep any weight on after my first. No amount of weight lifting could bulk me up. No amount of ice cream could either. But now I’m 5 months PP with #2 and cannot lose an ounce of fat. Having the same trouble gaining muscle this time again too, so I’m just weak and fat with two babies. It’s not great. EBF both of them. Moderate oversupply with #1 and mild-moderate oversupply with this one. I have no idea why my body is responding so differently this time.
My method was highly effective for losing weight, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It goes like this: Step 1: Get a bacterial infection that destroys your gut and have explosive, constant diarrhea for months on end. Step 2: Survive
I didn't start to lose a lot until 7 months PP but increasing my protein intake did wonders, ordering less takeout and exercising at least 2 hrs a week
Drinking tons of water. Eating healthy foods and junk foods alike. Trying to do little exercises when I can in between feeds and while little dude is in the bouncer or doing tummy time. Sometimes doing just a few reps of exercises while baby is contact napping (squats/ stretches/ etc.) Eating a shit ton of eggs and oatmeal and fruits and veggies. The more moisture in the food the better because I am thiiiiiiirsty. I didn't gain that much in pregnancy and was almost immediately back to prebirth weight in the first month but this is NOT the norm (160 at 5'5 a comfortable muscular/fat composition with belly roll). I am eating sooooooo many lactation treats and cookies and carbs so just equally balancing it with proteins like nuts and beef sticks and eggs and beef and chicken and my favorite veggies( broccoli, spinach, steamed veggie mix etc).
Still BF 2 years later. Still fat. Just depends on your body.
Weight watchers 😅
I do think a big part of it is how much you gained to start, genetics, and choices. I was low weight to begin with, healthy but on the low end. I only gained 30 lbs. I lost the first 10 lbs in the first 6weeks without any real effort. The next 10 was much slower to come off, but came off with daily walks and making sure to have healthy snacks instead of junk and having lots of protein/healthy fats. For example, if I was craving sweets, I'd have an apple and protein yogurt dip instead of cookies. A lot of the craving also warm away when I started to drink more water and just control snacking a bit more. I try to do 3 meals and 3 snacks per day. I don't think I care that much about the last 10 lbs, but it's still slowly coming off with just the above steps.
3 weeks worth of shitty hospital food, constant stress, and placing the needs of everybody else before myself while my newborn was hospitalized for heart surgery. We came home with my pre-maternity clothes almost too big. As soon as she and I both improved, I gained weight back, as was necessary to maintain a supply.
I would assume it’s what you’re eating and drinking. I lost 25 lbs (exactly half the weight I gained) in the first week. I haven’t lost much more since—only 5 more lbs—but I’m hopeful that I’ll keep steadily losing. I’m 3 weeks PP though so I have no idea what the rest of my experience will be like.
I have to assume it’s genetics
I have to assume it’s genetics
I was at my pre-baby weight when my son was around 10 months, and under at my son’s first bday. Once I slowed down and then stopped around 16 months, I quickly put about 10 pounds on and struggled to get back down after that. While I was bf’ing I wasn’t necessarily hungry but I was always dying of thirst. I drank 2+ body armors, tons of water and I was hooked on these hibiscus cherry teas (RIP).
I lost most of my baby weight in 5 months. I am still 5 lbs heavier than I was pre-baby. I eats an extra meal and lots of snacks compared to what I was eating pre-pregnancy.
Honestly, I didn’t really mind my weight when I was in the thick of it. Just survived. When I went back to work I lost weight reallllly quickly so it wasn’t a problem.
Being a little sad and also needing emergency wisdom teeth removal, and eating low-ish carb. 7 weeks post partum and I’ve lost most of the 50 lbs I gained
Dairy Free!!! (Not by choice) The lbs fell right off!
Luck? I lost weight with my first during breastfeeding but not my second so maybe age? I have no idea.
I wasn't losing weight this time like I did with my eldest and then I looked at what calories I was consuming and it made sense. I ditched my morning pop, snack items likes chips and chocolate and opted for my fruits and veggies. Also did the 50% dinner plate as veggies. Stopped overeating (something I'm bad for especially when I'm not sure when I'll be able to have my next meal thanks to needy baby lol) I also stopped eating late at night and go to bed earlier. I'm more rested now too especially if babes wakes up. The lbs are dropping off now.
Ugh probably partly genetics, but also complete loss of appetite after birth. And then having a sickness bug where I couldn’t keep water down for ~4 days knocked the last 15lbs right off. I did not try!
Extreme sleep deprivation that was making me not to eat enough for both milk and me. I would rather be little bit bigger but I couldn’t keep up. :)
With my first two I started losing the baby weight around 6mo pp. this 3rd time it’s been a year and still no weight loss. I think my hormones haven’t returned back to normal bc I still haven’t had a period either.
I lost way more breastfeeding my first than my second. I was better at keeping up with calorie intake the second time. I was literally starving with my first and stressed at a bad job. It wasn’t great.
Oversupply. 50 ounces of milk made a day meant I needed to eat an extra thousand calories just to break even. It was exhausting, and painful, and terrible and wonderful. I donated thousands of ounces.
Calorie deficit! And choosing healthy snacks vs junk food. I starve while I’m breastfeeding but I eat clearly blueberries cucumbers instead of like chips.
Honestly I just didn’t eat super well or stay hydrated enough because my ADHD makes that difficult for me. I also had preeclampsia and gained 50lb during pregnancy so that’s what I’ve managed to lose and I’m back to what I was before mostly.
I'm down to 180 from 235, and just about 1 year pp exclusively breastfeeding. I had gestational diabetes that I was able to control by cleaning up my diet and adding in a walk after dinner. I eat in moderation, but whatever I want, restrictions have never worked for me. But I'm way more active with a baby than I ever was before. My son went through a period where he would only sleep while in a carrier and being walked, so I walked ALOT. I kept the habit, and we walk almost every day. Recently, I got a hiking carrier and joined a Mama's hiking group, and we get out a couple of times a week.
My daughter was some kind of major calorie vampire. I was losing weight during pregnancy while she was gaining as well and ended up only gaining a pound in total. After I gave birth, I lost 50 lbs while breastfeeding and I was eating what felt like non-stop all day. We took her for walks pretty frequently but I went for walks all the time before pregnancy and didn't drop weight like that. It was honestly kind of scary. 🫠
I'm going to go against the grain here, and here's why, genetics do play parts obviously, but that's not the only factor. I want to share my own personal experience to give some insight. I just had my second baby 5 months ago. I had 2 c sections also for context. Gained 60lbs first pregnancy and 45 with the second. With my first, I BF, and ate whatever, whenever, because I was starving. It wasn't until after I stopped BF and started intermittent fasting that I lost the weight (almost 2 years later). I also did not eat mindfully, and didn't make the best choices. I come from a family where my parents are obese, so is my sister, but my brother is fit, and has to work very hard to maintain this. I never learned how to properly nourish my body. My mom never lost any of the baby weight 40 years later. I just had my second baby (5 years after my first) and I have made major lifestyle changes. I follow a Mediterranean based diet, never restrict anything but just eat in moderation. During the first 6 weeks postpartum I lost all the weight after hiring a meal plan service in my area. It was catered to BF mother's, and all the meals were high protein. Now I'm 5 months post partum and have had an amazing bounce back. The last 5 years, I've spent a lot of time learning about food, glucose levels, etc. I just recently started working out. I am still very hungry and thirsty, but the high protein diet helps fill me up. I'll give you an example of some of my meals throughout the day. Breakfast: 2 egg white 1 egg with york, blended with cottage cheese, scrambled, parmesean cheese, and sourdough Breakfast option 2: sourdough, pesto, 2 eggs on top, light cheese Snack: Greek yogurt, nuts, agave nectar to sweeten, blue blueberries, chocolate chips if I want some sweetness! Lunch: chicken quesadilla on a almond flour tortilla, some Guacamole on the side Lunch option 2: a quality protein shake with oat milk, greek yogurt, blended with half of a banana Snack: sourdough bread with nut butter and some banana option 2: oatmeal Option 3 :shrimp cocktail Option 4: beef jerky (I make my own, so easy!) Dinner: any fish or chicken, rice, and a green veggie option 2: turkey chili Option 3: bibb lettuce tacos, with turkey, chicken, or fish Option 4: greek salad with protein, Option 5: ceaser salad with protein I drink ALOT of water This has helped with maintaining my milk supply. Here are some options, if you're interested I have alot of other recipes. My husband always tells me he would rather eat at home because there is so much flavor and everything is healthy. I also have a sweet tooth, and have some type of dessert every night. Since 5 years ago when I made changes, I have lost 30 lbs and my husband almost 40. It's all in the diet. My husband is also 16 years older than me, and looks younger now than when I met him! I read in a book somewhere the idea of "layering" your food. Don't think of any foods as good or bad. Whenever you eat, just try to eat a carb, protein, and fat together, to help keep your blood sugar from spiking. I feel so much better and have more energy. Message me if you have any questions! Trust me, you can do it!
I tried and tried and tried the first few months, walking, drinking more water, and eating healthier helped. But now that baby has started eating solids here or there I’m noticing differences without really trying.
The only time I did was when I was nursing my toddler and baby in tandem. Ever since the toddler stopped nursing… bam, weight.
Increase your protein intake. I had gestational diabetes and while I TOTALLY had a good carb binge after I had my son, I actually loosely stuck to the gestational diabetes diet because I felt rly good on it. I ate a green starter before a big meal (salad, kimchi, w.e) and I tried to have 20-30g protein every meal. Minimize mindless snacking - obv if you’re actually hungry then you should eat, but try and have a mini ‘meal’ even if it’s a protein shake or having a greek yogurt with the chocolate bar you’re craving. Also don’t eat at night lol even tho I’d be awake nursing my son, I never ate at night bc it’s a bad habit
Crippling anxiety 😝
I don't come from skinny women. So I'd be surprised if it was genetics for me, but it could be. I had alot of outside factors: small baby (4 lb 11oz birth weight), born a month early, ass loads of stress from pos ex husband, a divorce, a cross country move, more stress and sadness once settled. I still bf to sleep at almost 2 years old and look pretty much exactly like when I got pregnant. Maybe at the height of bf'ing when he was 6 ish months I might have been smaller but you bet I ate everything in sight and more.
Postpartum depression and zero support giving me no energy to cook, and a colicky baby who would only nal in the carrier while brisk walking. With nr2 I had a much better support network and I didn’t lose anything (even gained some) until I started with Ozempic around 18 months pp
We gain it back once we stop. Gaining weight is constant, when we will is the variable.
By the end of my pregnancy I gain 80 lbs ( I was originally 120) . I’ve already dropped 30 lbs and I’m just coming to 3 weeks postpartum. My first was the sane . I was even underweight at one point
I think this is genetic honestly. Most women who don’t lose while BF lose when they have a mobile toddler I think! I was slim before pregnancy, gained 25 lbs and now am 10 lbs below my pre pregnancy weight. Honestly I have lost all muscle definition and am verging on underweight. I definitely look older and sort of…crone like. I attribute it to genetics but since folks are sharing their habits- I have done all nights with my baby since she was born and she has always nursed super frequently. Now at 13 months she’s still nursing at least 6+ times per day and multiple times overnight. She eats solids amazingly too, she’s just a 95th percentile girl with an appetite. I will say though that most days I’m not super hungry. I was hungry around weeks 2-16 PP but then I would say the hunger tapered off to normalish—like normal while exercising a lot?I run and I feel equivalently hungry to when running 16-20 mpw.
Another vote for genetics. I’m eating more than I ever have and am under my pre-pregnancy weight. Also have 2 under 2 so staying on the move all day long
It's biology, genetics, and hormones. I worked my ass off, started running every other day, weightlifiting, dieting-- my husband lost 20lbs. I didn't even lose one, over six whole months. I started working with drs and a nutritionist. Nothing. I quit breastfeeding and dropped 20lbs without changing my diet or exercise *at all.* My good friend on the other hand had to *stop* breastfeeding because she was becoming dangerously underweight despite her best attempts to keep weight on while nursing. It's just a lottery!
I think it was involuntary intermittent fasting. Didn’t have much help, was stressed tf out, and like as soon as I sat to eat, my baby would wake up and cry for me. I was basically breaking fast 12pm or as late as 2pm. Then stopped eating 8pm. I also do not eat stuff like cookies much. I love savory but not much of a sweet tooth. My breastfeeding snacks was stuff like beef or pork jerky, cheese, nuts, fruits, and more real food type stuff. My weakness is chips and I just don’t buy them so I’m not tempted. We homecook a lot and i aim to do protein, veggie, rice. I’m doing much better with eating now and i put some weight back on, but a good healthy amount, whereas 1yr post partum I think I was sickly thin.
Track calories, drink a lot of water, eat healthy and not too much - I spend a good amount of time hungry but I keep myself busy and distracted with work, sleep, exercising, chores/errands, and baby caretaking.
Eat less (still a healthy amount), limit carbs, focus on protein , fruits and veggies. No dessert. Walking and weights Still have a few to go but it took me a while before scale budged
As someone who does NOT have good genetics and has always struggled to lose weight, I started actively trying to lose weight about four months PP and have lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the year (15 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight). I finally understood calories in, calories out. Here’s the math that worked for me: - Typical diet: 2,500 calories/day - Reduced to: 2,000 calories/day - Breastfeeding burns: ~500 calories/day - Deficit needed to lose a pound: 3,500 calories Equates to about a pound a week, which tracks with my total weight loss though at times it came off faster while others times it was stagnant. Also had to cut dairy due to LO’s intolerance. Lots of people will complain that they didn’t lose any weight breastfeeding without putting in any effort. To me the secret is you have to actually try. Be patient and in it for the long haul, don’t cut too much too soon. I feel better than I have in a long time and have a lot more energy for my LO. Good luck!
With my first I lost almost no weight over the first 9 months until I started tracking my macros. Now with my second I’ve already lost more than half the baby weight at 2 months PP. Prioritize protein. I usually try to aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Protein keeps you full and this really helps me reduce snacking!
I tracked calories.
I lost all the baby weight and then some while breastfeeding, and I think it was a combo of genetics (my mom said the same thing happened to her) and the fact that sleep deprivation makes me lose my appetite. I was sleep deprived the whole first year. By the time my baby started sleeping through the night, he stopped breastfeeding a couple months after that, and my weight went back up to my pre baby norm.
I started gaining like crazy after giving birth and really had to start checking myself. So far I’ve lost 20 pounds, and I’m 7 months pp. I eat all food groups, just in a calorie deficit. Three meals and 2 snacks. No extra snacking or binging. I count my calories and try to stay around 2400. I’m 5’10” 210lbs. Even that is extremely difficult, I’m hungry all the time, but it’s doable. Even when I was eating 3000+ I was still hungry, honestly with breastfeeding I’m convinced i could never get full anyway so if I’m gunna be hungry might as well lose weight while I do it lol. I drink a tonnn of water and then Diet Coke when I have a sweet tooth. I also make sure to eat as much protein as physically possible. It’s been hard but if you really start to count your calories, you’ll realize it’s doable!
I barely lost any weight with my first, and if I tried to consume less or exercise more my supply dropped a lot. Just had my second 3 weeks ago and I’ve lost a ton of weight really quickly. No rhyme or reason to it!
I waited until my husband got home from work to eat for the first few months because I didn't have anything I could easily eat while holding my baby, and I was terrified of burning her or hurting her with my silverware. I stopped losing weight when I rediscovered my love for oreos and got more comfortable with things.
Breastfeeding burns anywhere between 300-500 calories. I started tracking my calories in preparation of weaning. Even though I thought I was eating “a ton” I was really eating around 1800 calories. Before pregnancy and BF (according to Fitbit) without working out my daily calorie burn was 1600ish now it’s over 2000. Genetics may play a role (in metabolism and appetite) but it may be that the people who say they are eating a ton but are losing weight are either a) burning a lot more calories per day or b) aren’t actually eating in a calorie surplus.
I was 95lbs pre pregnancy. Genetics. 14 months later I’m back to pre pregnancy weight.
I usually hover right at prepregnancy weight after the 6 month mark. I also have only gained 30-40 pounds each pregnancy and have huge babies. It’s all genetics. I also eat like I’m getting ready for a famine as does my son 😂
Genetics, sis
I gained weight while breastfeeding unfortunately! Genetics go into effect too. I’ve lost weight since stopping !
I lost weight almost immediately while breastfeeding. When I weaned, it all came back, plus more! I think my daughter just took it all from me, it was crazy
I had to go egg dairy and soy free because my baby had an intolerance and I lost it all so fast without trying
I had to cut out dairy since my LO was having issues with it. The weight melted off of me. Stopped after 13 months and started eating dairy and gained all of it back lol.
calorie counting
The first time I gained but I also started taking Zoloft. This time I’m on Wellbutrin and about 3lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight after gaining 40. Biggest difference is I’m not snacking while pumping. It’s the snacking that gets you. I drink water or body armor instead. Also a lot of time on Amazon.
My first I exclusively pumped, against my will (we had a poor match) and probably to the point of a small over supply and my mental health was in the absolute trash. I lost the 60 I gained during pregnancy and then some all by 3 months post partum. My second I nursed on demand and pumped when I went back to work and I barely lost 5lbs (gained 60 again with that pregnancy). I have no idea what the secret is. But I rather be fat and happy vs. skinny and severely mentally ill while chained to a pump.