Breastfeeding and weight loss

[MrsGiraffe12]

I know this has probably been done to death but:
In your experience did breastfeeding help you to lose weight?
If yes was it just baby / pregnancy weight or did it exceed baby pregnancy weight?

Obviously I want to breastfeed baby for the health benefits for little one but weight loss would be a bonus, especially since I have developed love handles I never had before :-S

[littleomar]

I lost pg weight plus a bit more, but it seems to be quite random - doesn't work for everyone.

[OiMissus]

I was incredibly lucky. I exclusively bf and I lost loads of weight.
I was fit before pg, never thin, always sturdily built and muscular. I stopped going to the gym at 28 weeks.
I bf and the weight dropped off. Even my sturdy thighs and shins became much thinner.
Alas, 9 months of pregnancy and 4 months of maternity leave and cake wit bother mums got me into bad habits, and working full time means that I've never been back to a gym.
So bf. and don't stop. Not til he/she is 18.

[OiMissus]

" Bother mums"
Ha!
With other mums!

[JassyRadlett]

Nope. My body clung onto the weight (but I wasn't actively trying to lose it either).

I dropped a over a dress size in under a month when I stopped breastfeeding at 18 months.

[McBaby]

With dd1 I lost all of my pregnancy weight (I put on 4.5 stone) plus an extra stone by the time she was 6 months old. I ate what I want including lots of cake!

Dd2 is currently 3 months old and the weight is not coming off as easily but now with sensible eating of 1800-1900 cals a day I am losing about 2lb a week.

[atos35]

I breast fed for 5 months and lost a bit of weight (put on 3 stone in pregnancy lost 2 in those 5 months) but as soon as I stopped breast feeding that last stone just dropped off. Not sure why, I know it's meant to be the other way round and bf should help weight loss but it was stopping it that did it for me (not why I stopped bf though).

[Aidycake34]

I put on about a stone and a half with pregnancy and within 10 days of the birth I was back down to my pre pregnancy weight. I've now lost a further 6lbs and I put all of this down to breastfeeding as I've been eating cake pretty much every day and we have massive portions for dinner in the evening. Not drinking wine has probably also helped as pre pregnancy I used to drink a lot!

[callamia]

I've pretty much just eaten cake for nine months, and I'm still half a stone lighter than usual. I'm thanking breastfeeding and more walking about for that. Although most of my walks involve cake.

[2LittleFishes]

I lost the baby weight pretty quickly too an assumed it was the breastfeeding as I wasn't particularly trying to loose it.

Just be careful once u stop- I fed for a little over 6months but put on 10lbs in 3 weeks or so of stopping an im still trying to shift it 12months later.

[Anotheronesoon]

I hate you all. Have been bf for three months. I eat lettuce. No weight loss. So unfair! Sulks off xx

[bouncinbean]

I varied between a 12 and a 14 before pregnancy. I became a 10/12 while breastfeeding. DD is really dropping the milk feeds now at 13 months and a bit has crept on and I am a definite 12 now. Think I caught it in time though and now the extra snacks have to stop

[MrsGiraffe12]

Thanks for the quick responses everybody, it's as I thought, varied for everyone! Only time will tell, 6 weeks till due date and fingers crossed I can breastfeed x

[Tomkat79]

6 weeks! Yey not long mrsG

We're 10 weeks in and my body clings to every pound like we're about to starve as a nation! I'm hot, fat and hungry. Baby girl is thriving :-)

[ipswichwitch]

Same as Tomkat.
I've not lost an ounce. I tried being more sensible about what/how much I ate, and it made me miserable, really hungry, craving sugar and still fat.
Was the same with DS1 until I stopped bf then the weight melted off.

[NancyinCali]

Lost it all and then some. Mind you I also have a different lifestyle now than I had pre-pregnancy no.1 (eat better and spend a lot of time outside). 40 weeks with DD2 now so we will see what happens this time!

[ThatWasNice]

I lost baby weight plus extra when I breastfed my DCs. I was exercising too. I lost my baby weight quite quickly but I did work at it. My babies were all quite chubby though but they looked much better chubby than I ever did.

[LastOneDancing]

I'm losing about 1lb a week at the minute, it's got faster as my DS gets bigger (16w today).

I walk a bit more & try to eat sensibly but it must be the feeding as cake still happens

[PretzelPrincess]

I hate you all too. Bf for 5 months and the fat is just a clinging to me. I've only lost weight in the past couple of weeks since I've been working out. Argh it's so upsetting

[fruitpastille]

Losing 1 or two pounds a week as long as I am reasonably sensible. I loosely follow weight watchers so weekly weigh in helps. You get lots of extra points. Bf makes it easier to get the weight off but it's not a licence to stuff your face every day I find!

[Patilla]

Another one who struggles to lose weight when breaastfeeding.

If I limit my food intake then I lose it well but it's counterbalanced by an extreme hunger for sugary things that moderates itself somewhat once I stop breaastfeeding.

[AdorableAbbie]

As far as I remember, when I was breastfeeding DD, i gained 11 lbs. I tried to lose it through exercise but diet failed me. I just had one hell of an appetite at that time. I can't control my portions so I gave up my goal to lose weight. But today is a different story :) After several years on that overweight stage, I finally found my best buddy -- Liproxenol Max, a natural appetite suppressant. It helped me control my appetite and increased my metabolism, I think, which eventually got rid of unwanted fats. But of course, a lifestyle change has a lot to do with my weight loss success.

[jojomama1507]

I went from being a size 14 before pregnancy to a size 10!! had endless comments on how good I look. Shame I don't feel it need a decent nights sleep !!

[mrsmugoo]

I have gained while breastfeeding - but then I have eaten for England and enjoyed every second!

[wtffgs]

First time not so much but I had routines and stuff. Every 3 hours etc.

Second time I used to shove a boob at dd so I could keep the toddler amused/safe/away from the cat. She piled on the weight and it dropped off me. We co-slept (out of desperation rather than planning) I'm sure that helped.