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dieting while BF

allstaggallstagg member
in Breastfeeding
have any of you moms successfully dieted while BF? my arms are so fat i can't fit them through my jacket comfortably. i really need to lose some weight but want to continue breastfeeding. any successful, BF safe diets you can share?
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Re: dieting while BF

  • wintersongwintersong member
    ? First buy a new jacket if you can afford it.

    Your post really irritates me for some reason, though I can't put my finger on why. There is no magic diet, even less if you are breast feeding. Your body stores fat when you are pregnant on purpose to make milk, lol.

    How old is your baby? Breastfeeding made me lose a ton of weight. I am now 20 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant, at 12 months post partum. Even though I am 20 pounds lighter, my pants are two sizes bigger because I actually changed body shape!!

    Of you have a newborn, I also suggest keeping healthy snacks at the place you nurse and a waste bottle. Nursing made me hella thirsty and hungry.

    Dont try any diets that really secretly restrict your calories harshly. Breastfeeding takes more calories than being pregnant. Plain old fashioned exercise combined with a heathy diet is your best bet. If you are limiting your calories, make sure all the foods you eat are really nutrient dense and have good fats. (also don't limit too much. Really you probably need to be eating over 2000 a day. I find I needed an extra 300 calories a day from what I was used to before betting pregnant and I still lost weight.) Avoid empty calories. Stop drinking soda.
    BabyFruit Ticker
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  • doodleoodledoodleoodle member
    When pregnant everything goes to your baby first. When you're breastfeeding everything you consume goes to you first and producing milk second. I wouldn't attempt to diet it could definitely hurt your milk supply. Producing milk burns a lot of calories anyway. How far PP are you? They say it took 9 months to put the weight on and to expect it to take 9 months to burn it off. I wouldn't put pressure on yourself. Some women even gain weight while BF. The BF cravings and calorie demands are real!
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  • A&LmommyA&Lmommy member
    Just eat healthy, stay away from processed foods and sugars and if there's any problem areas that your worried about, focus on those areas when you exercise. You mentioned your arms, start lifting light weights and look into arm specific exercises. Don't worry about bulking up, most guys try to bulk up but they can't do it without supplements and spending hours and hours at the gym. Honestly, you might even get nice toned 'mom' arms in time from lifting your baby so much.
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  • allstaggallstagg member
    edited January 2016
    @longliveregina - sorry my post was so irritating to you ... ?

    doodleoodle & @nyssana - thanks for your tips. i am 4.5 pp, put on 40lbs and only lost 18 since birth. i feel like i have actually put on a couple of lbs in just the past week. its really hard for me to find time to exercise let alone use the bathroom, as i am sure you may have experienced. i have a refluxy baby that literally wont let me put him down so i wear him and do my best to feed myself whatever i can get my hands on. in the past couple of weeks my husband cooked a bunch of food and stocked the fridge so it was healthy proteins and veggies so i wasn't living off of oatmeal, coffee and granola bars, but i found myself not feeling full when i was eating nutrient rich foods? i am trying to avoid buying new clothes because i am now on a tight budget because i may not be resuming work for reasons related to not being able to find care for the LO that wont entail me signing all of my paychecks over to a nanny or even a day care! arg.
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  • klirwin82klirwin82 member
    Contrary to what others have said, I've found the weight has not "melted away" despite EBF. I'm now almost 7 months in and still have 20+ lbs that's not going anywhere fast. I did Whole30 at 3 months PP, it's a great clean eating program, note that if you're BFing you are not limited to 3 meals/day. It didn't impact my milk supply at all, I DID feel like I had more energy, but all said I lost a grand total of 4 lbs. Since I was eating way, way better than I normally eat and wasn't cheating at all (even drinking black coffee, which I hate), I figured the 4 lbs is a sign that I just need to try again when I'm done BFing. My body is holding onto every calorie right now.

    If I were you, I'd just buy a new jacket for now. Goodwill. You can lose the weight later, nursing won't be forever.
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  • ondabiancaondabianca member
    I would advise against a die but instead try healthier eating overall...proteins, veggies, fruits, healthy fats, whole grains...limit processed foods and bad fats. Oh and lots of water...
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  • doodleoodledoodleoodle member
    I know exactly what you mean OP! That's why I didn't suggest exercise haha Although maybe you could lift your baby up over and over?

    I found myself eating a lot of junk food too just because it was easy, quick and have a baby that doesn't like to be put down for very long. I started making a large pot of steel cut oats with flax on the weekends, pre making salad, cooking meals on the weekends so that there would be plenty of leftovers all week long. It really helped me to feel better. Like you, I still have some of my baby weight but I don't think you should beat yourself up about it. You just grew a human being inside of you and are sustaining their life with your body so basically, your body is AMAZING.
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  • crsanchez87crsanchez87 member
    I feel your pain OP. I feel like right after my baby was born and until about 3 months in that I was losing weight while exclusively BFing. Then I returned to work and had to start pumping and I feel like I've been gaining/plateauing.
    LO is currently 10 months old and always wants to be held by me when I am home so cooking dinner is a struggle. I cook healthy dinners and breakfasts at least 5 times a week but on the weekends we usually order in for dinner. At the end of the work day, I am so exhausted, I don't feel like working out or even preparing my lunch for the next day. Plus I get cravings for fast food :neutral: 
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    edited January 2016
    I'm glad you asked this question. I thought weight loss while breastfeeding was universal...I haven't lost even a pound since 3 weeks PP, despite diet and excercise. 

    I would love some guidance on losing weight while breastfeeding, as well. All weight loss info/apps/programs I see don't factor in BF dietary needs. 
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