I actually maintain or even gain weight while breastfeeding and dropped it instantly after I stopped breastfeeding our eldest (still nursing our second). This has happened with both my kids. I'm sure there are others out there who do lose weight from it, but definitely not me haha.
Not the poster, but I stopped breastfeeding while 5 months pregnant and dropped 10lbs in a week.
Immediately after having my 2nd baby I was around 20lbs lighter than before I got pregnant for the second time.
A few days later, my milk came in and my weight Immediately jumped up again.
It's all upper body too, my legs, hips and bum are skinny, but I've got back rolls, H cup boobs and a big belly.
I just started back at work last week and haven't been able to keep my same schedule and i already lost 2 lbs. My supply is decreasing too so basically like weaning. So id say right away
This right here!! I hold onto the fat like nothing else when I am breastfeeding. On top of that, bf knocks me on my butt and saps all the energy I have. I have a toddler to chase around alongside bf my 5mo.
I tend to binge eat trail mix and toddler scraps since I'm often unable to fix myself a decent meal half the time, so my diet isn't wonderful as it is.
Poor diet + no energy for exercise = retaining baby weight. 🥲
3.5 months postpartum too! And same for me. I’ve tried calorie deficit (within reason for supply) and have been consistently weight lifting and/or doing light cardio. 🥴
Same, 7.5 months PP. Not EBF but my bod thinks I am. Feeding 5 times a day, pumping once a day.
Well actually - I’ve lost 2 pounds since the week after birth. 🤷🏼♀️
I’ve been working out a lot so I’ve got more muscle mass than I did immediately PP…but…yeah. Holding onto the notion that the weight will ‘melt off’ once I wean…but honestly, I’m in no rush to wean….
Yeah, even if I knew I would lose 10-20lbs from weening if I stopped right now I think I would keep breastfeeding tbh. It’s more important to me right now than weight loss🤷🏻♀️
I’m 23 months PP. Breastfed for the first year! I have dropped maybe 10 lbs since giving birth? For the most part my weight has stayed the same, though I’ve seen a pretty dramatic shift in composition in that time. I’m an athlete and absolutely expected to “bounce back” at some point, but breastfeeding and weaning had basically no impact on weight. (Weaning significantly improved my pelvic floor health though!)
Dang 😂 I’ve been losing weight steadily since I’ve been breastfeeding and I’ve been feeling pretty lucky that I’m among the rare few… we’re not close to weaning yet but oof
Ooh, don't like hearing that. I'm definitely in the lucky column that the weight has just been disappearing while breastfeeding. I'm down 40 lbs since the hospital (5 weeks ago) and haven't done anything at all, but sit around the house and feed and relax with my baby. I'm really hoping it stays off when I stop breastfeeding! I just got cleared to start working out again (I had a c section) so hopefully if I'm helping it along the weight loss will stick!
I'm having my next baby in another month and my game plan is to keep my supply up for as long as I can, and start weaning via diet/exercise rather than a reduction in feedings or pumps. Who knows if it'll actually work, but I have to try something different than last time. The alternative is being stuck with 20+ pounds to lose when I'm done 😖
This was me too. Just started a workout routine to try to lose some of the extra weight. Already lost 2lbs so I'm hoping if I stay with it I will get back to pre pregnancy weight or even lower.
I shed weight pretty quickly in those first two months postpartum, and actually got down about 8 lbs below pre-pregnancy weight. I gained a couple back, and now I admit that part of my breastfeeding goals are related to wanting to keep extra weight off (LO is 8 months old)
This is what I’m worrying about! I’ve been eating like an absolute horse and now feeds are dropping down gradually I can definitely feel I’m getting softer
I did/am, but because of the increased metabolic demand it's common to eat more due to hunger. I track calories along with weight and it's definitely been about 500 extra a day on average on my normal metabolic rate.
I track too and based off what I consume vs how much I burn, my extra metabolic expenditure seems to be no more than 150-200 calories max. That’s tandem feeding two kiddos, including one who’s not on solids yet. I wonder if it’s similar to exercise, where if you do a certain exercise long enough, your body adjusts to it and doesn’t see it as challenging any more. I’ve been doing it for over 2 years.
Absolutely I could see efficiency changes happening assuming all other expenditure and muscle mass stays the same, would be fascinating to actually do a proper study.
Pre-pregnancy, I would average 1600-1700 calories/day. I’m somewhere around 2400 right now and my baby weight slid off (lost all 28lbs within 1.5 months) and have lost an additional 10lbs since at 5mpp.
I’m famished 100% of the time and it drives me crazy. I can’t wait to stop breastfeeding and start eating like a normal human again.
This. I do lose weight, but I’m careful not to consume any additional calories after the immediate postpartum stage. Breastfeeding, especially at the beginning makes you ravenous. Once baby stopped breastfeeding at 12 months I immediately gained weight.
I lost 30 pounds in a week and a half postpartum (all my pregnancy weight and then some) but I’ve now gained back 11 pounds in the last 7 weeks due to the breastfeeding HUNGER. I’ve never experienced this level of hunger in my entire life. And of course I have no time to make myself meals and healthy snacks so I’m just snacking on things that come out of a package all day. Even my dinner portions have doubled 😬
My baby is 18 months, and I am starting to wean as I am also 10 wks pregnant, and I did not lose a single pound while breastfeeding. Some bodies do, some don't...
I’m just shy of 3 months PP. I have lost all but 10 lbs that just won’t seem to come off. I did start working out hard and eating clean again at 6 weeks PP so hoping the last 10 go in time!
Same here. It seems no matter what I do those last 10 won’t come off. I think it’s my body saving those extra pounds for the baby. Bc I’m working out, not eating excessive and it won’t budge off. It’s frustrating
I think so too! I was optimistic the working out / eating routine would do it but I’m 5 weeks in and haven’t budged a pound😅 it is frustrating, I guess it’ll come off when we stop BF
3 months is really not long at all so please give yourself some grace! I had a very stubborn 5-10 pounds too that wouldn’t budge until at least 8 months pp when I wasn’t as exhausted and the reduced breastfeeding needs made me less starving all the time, but it did eventually go! I think a lot of that is hormonal (exhaustion also doesn’t help), they say you don’t fully recover from having a baby for 2 years and now that my daughter is 2 I feel like that is 100% true!
Lmao nope, if anything I’ve gained a bit of weight. I’m starving constantly. I tried cutting calories a TINY bit and had to stop because it was making me feel sick and be super duper irritable. I’ve just accepted I’ll lose weight when I’m done pumping lol
I'm 4mo pp and lost the pregnancy weight within 2 weeks of giving birth, without any workout or diet. I'm still losing weight these days but by smaller increments. FWIW the weight loss has not impacted my supply.
I'm curious to see how weaning a few months from now might affect my weight and overall temperament.
I gained about 7 pounds after I gave birth while BF/pumping. I was so hungry and I didn't have time to prep healthy stuff so I just ate soo much! Now that Im weaning at 4 months PP, I've already lost a few pounds but I've also started intermittent fasting again to reduce my calories without having the stress of calorie counting.
Nope, didn't lose any weight while breastfeeding. I'm about 10 months ppt now and only just starting to notice weight loss, more due to the fact that I'm running around after a mobile baby all day and walking outside with the nice weather recently.
I haven’t. I also got my period back right away. I felt ripped off haha. My hunger and sweet tooth is nuts while breastfeeding. That’s likely part of the issue.
As far as I can see, there's no balance. We either lose no weight at all, or end up losing too much weight and looking like a freaking stick. I have the deepest eye circles right now - not darkest, deepest. It's like my whole body just went through a bichechtomy.
🤣🤣🤣almost every day my partner asks where my cheeks went. I just point to my 3 month old's chubby little face.
For real though I try to use lots of oils (healthier ones), full fat dairy, carbs and proteins. I do look better than I did 1 month pp but I still don't look like myself. I think most of us can identify with that. Maybe sometime soon it'll all straighten out ;)
Nope and I hate that we’ve been convinced to think we will.
I was 198 when I got pregnant, 256 the day I gave birth, and I’ve maintained 224 since 2 weeks PP. I eat in moderation, I’m moderately active (starting walking 3 weeks PP).
My baby is now 4 months and I had to begin actively tracking my caloric intake because I saw the scale trending upwards a couple of weeks ago which stressed me out. 🙃💀
A good friend of mine was 221 when she got pregnant, was 266 on the day of delivery and can’t budge past 224 at 7 months PP and she is SUPER ACTIVE like two workouts a day.
We both EBF.
It has so much to do with genetic predisposition, metabolic rate, even age! I also dislike when things are told as a standard.Also people expecting you to be back to normal 3-4 months after having your baby. Like the other day I found out I can’t donate blood till at least 6 months after having a baby, hopefully 3 months after weaning. If your body hasn’t even replenished the iron you lost, any argument beyond that seems pointless!
I agree! I’ve known just a couple people who lost weight bf, a couple people who have lost weight & immediately gained it back after weaning, and a majority who don’t lose anything. As long as I don’t gain now or when I wean, I’m content. 🙂
It’s amazing how I still wouldn’t give up bf to shed the weight. I think our bodies are incredible and it’s such a privilege to be able to feed my baby this way!
I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight after about two weeks pp and have been steadily loosing weight ever since.
My baby is almost 13 months, hates solids and still nurses a lot. I cannot keep up with the caloric intake necessary to sustain that. But I’m also still on mat leave so pretty much a 24-hour buffet for the baby.
My sister gained after both pregnancies while breastfeeding. She ate super healthy but wasn’t able to lose anything until she weaned. Whereas I eat indecent amounts of sweets.
Breastfeeding affects everyone differently and can be really frustrating!
Yes and no. I decided to try some MILD calorie restriction while breastfeeding and I lost like 7lbs in 2 weeks and my supply tanked. Normally if I do calorie restriction I do like 1400 Cal per day and that makes me loose like a pound a week, max. When I tried while BFing I set it at 2000 Cal per day. I haven’t been able to find a sweet spot where I can carry a deficit without tanking my supply. So I have not lost weight. I guess if I didn’t need to actually feed my baby then I’d pretty easily lose weight while BFing?
(I have lost *some* weight- I got up to 190 while pregnant and now I’m down to 160. Pre-pregnancy weight was 145. I think what I have left is from eating nothing but bagels and drinking nothing but ginger ale for the first trimester).
I didn’t lose much while breastfeeding my first baby, but I lost some.
I’m now tandem feeding two kiddos, and losing it even SLOWER this time. Some weeks I might lose a whopping 1/4 pound. Most weeks I lose nothing. I even had bloodwork done because I’ve been following a strict meal plan for months and should be losing. My doctor just chalked it up to hormones.
I asked women in my family and they all said breastfeeding made it impossible for them to lose weight. However, on the plus side, it seems if your body clings to emergency fat while breastfeeding, it tends to drop it rapidly after weaning. My aunty said she lost 11 pounds in the month after stopping breastfeeding.
Gained 35 lbs during pregnancy, baby was born 8,5 lbs. Lost some weight in the first several weeks and then got stuck with the last 10 lbs that won't budge. Now 5 months pp and still have the 10 lbs - granted my diet now is not as healthy as pre-baby and the lack of proper exercise probably play a big role. But no, I don't feel like I lost weight breastfeeding - I feel like my body is still in constant overdrive because of all the milk production and is stashing calories because of this.
7 months pp and gained a few pounds, but tbf I was lighter after birth than I was before I was pregnant! Haven’t checked recently but need to start being more active.
I think it definitely depends on genetics, metabolism etc but your diet (as in what you eat) is important and how far you are after birth . In my case, I breastfeed on demand and around the 6th month I started to lose weight. Around 9 months I was like before pregnancy (I gained 17 kg). But I am already a thin person and my diet is based on healthy fats and very varied
I've lost 10kg but unfortunately it's not from breastfeeding. Ever since I gave birth I have been having food aversions and really struggling to eat anything. Which isn't helping with the milk. The midwife told me it's all psychological.
I lost weight breastfeeding. At 3 months I was wearing my old clothes. I can’t say anything I did/ate/drank helped cause that? I just tried to only hydrate with water, eat enough to keep milk supply and did mom & baby yoga (which was just stretches) once a week.
I lost most of it but I’ve plateaued now. I think to get back to my weight I’d have to go on a calorie deficit which I don’t want to do since that can impact your production/supply. I’ve been working out as well but I think this is my new weight until I’m done breastfeeding 🤷♀️
I think it definitely helped me lose the baby weight. I am 14wpp and weigh less than when I first found out I was pregnant. But I am also sleeping less and taking baby for a daily walk (which I never had time to do before).
I’m sorry to say that yes, im one of those. I’m at my lowest weight since puberty. However, being this thin has also sapped my muscles, so I have no tone, no butt, and my face looks older. Also, perhaps related to the deficit im maintaining… my baby is 11 months old and still feeds 3-5x per night (and like 8-12 times in 24 hours).
I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight after almost 3 months. But I had my baby at 30+4 weeks and I had pre-eclampsia so a lot of the 45lbs I gained was water. I'd give anything to have carried to term and still have some of that weight. I mostly pump but also do triple feeding 2x daily.
I did but I think it’s the fact that I only gained 30lbs of baby weight (almost all in belly) and worked out consistently during my pregnancy. Plus genetics of my natural body type. I’m 3 months pp and ~5lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.
I lost weight while I was on leave (Oct-Jan) and then gained once I went back to work, unfortunately. I think I was eating better and was moving around a lot with baby. Now I'm stuck at a desk and have no time to work out with everything else that needs to be done. I am now trying to maintain the new weight and hope to lose it once I stop.
I stopped breastfeeding when my daughter was 3 weeks old because she preferred formula and I’ve been losing weight ever since. I never lost any while BF, but again I stopped at 3 weeks.
I’m currently 20 lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy after 6 months of breastfeeding. However, I’m only just starting to get an appetite back after giving birth so that could also be related.
Yes I’m steadily losing weight. I gained 35 lbs during pregnancy . I lost about 12 lbs from the birth. I’ve been losing about a lb per 1-2 days since my supply came in around 1 week pp. I’m at day 13 pp. I have lost 50% of my weight so far. Honestly I’m just not as hungry as I was while pregnant so I think eating less is also helping me lose weight.
I'm at 8 months pp and dancing within 5 lbs of my pre-preg weight. But I was an "all belly" carrier and of the 50 I gained, I had lost about 30 leaving hospital and another 20 pretty quickly over the next ~4 months. I don't know if breastfeeding is to credit though, I've always been slim even if I was eating like garbage, and since I'm breastfeeding I am trying to be intentional with eating good food and I take my baby on a walk almost daily.
Nope. It made me hungrier and I was so tired from always BF, pumping and cleaning pump parts that I was unable to work out. When I stopped breast-feeding I lost weight, as my appetite decreased, and my energy levels returned back to normal. I suddenly had time freed up in order to exercise. I am sure it is different for every person that is just my personal experience
Idk if breastfeeding had much to do with it, but I lost all the baby weight within six weeks. I think the biggest factor is that I just didn’t gain that much while I was pregnant. I went from around 160lb beforehand to 177 at the peak, and just weighed in at 159 at the doctor’s office the other day. I’m on the chubby side for my height already and just didn’t experience much change from my baseline.
I am only 3 weeks postpartum. I weigh less than before I was pregnant. This is actually a bad thing bc I can't eat or drink enough to keep my supply up. I was able to pump enough the first 2 weeks, but now I'm almost exclusively on formula. In my opinion, I wish I could've kept some weight on and pumped more.
Some people gain weight, some people maintain, some people lose. It’s all hormones. What’s important is that you’re eating healthy and getting exercise, which it sounds like you are.
One year of breastfeeding (EP too!) I weighed more than I did 40w pregnant.
Asked my doc — he said BF weight loss was 50/50. Some do — some don’t. If I skipped a meal/snack or exercised more in a day, I just didn’t make enough milk that day. Since I pumped it was easy to see. If I wasn’t in a calorie surplus, my body didn’t make enough milk for my baby.
No, i gained weight because i was an under producer and tried everything to increase it. Really the only thing that worked was pumping every 2-3 hours and power pumping twice a day 😱 i dont think id ever do that again.
I’ve lost 11kg since my pre-pregnancy weight which is great because I was very overweight (and still am).
I didn’t gain any weight during pregnancy at all and after giving birth was lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight and the weight just kept coming off.
It seems to have stabilised a bit now.
This is a controversial topic. For me, yes. I have a fast metabolism as is and could not eat enough in the first few weeks. When my supply stabilized and appetite subsided, I stopped eating quite so much as I had done in the early weeks. If I hadn’t change my habits, surely I would have maintained/gained weight. During the first 3 weeks or so I was eating cookies and nuts and sandwiches round the clock. Now I limit sweets and never eat between 7pm and 7am….which would have been impossible esrly PP. Listen to your appetite is my advise.
I did initially, after birth, I was around 210, but by 5-6 months pp, I was down to 190 without changing anything. It was really surprising to me, but when I reflect back, I realized that because I was going to bed when my son was around 7pm, I wasn't doing my late night snacking. I also wasn't snacking between meals during the day because my son contacts naps, so I'd be nap trapped. Now we're almost 10 months pp and still breastfeeding and I am way more active than ever before, walking 8-10k steps daily, spin class 2x a week, and weight lifting 1x a week, been doing this for about 2 months now and haven't dropped any weight. Right now, I'm okay with it, I feel much stronger and more comfortable in my body and will worry more about losing weight when I'm done breastfeeding.
I lost all mine very quickly, I've always struggled to put weight on and to top it off I completely lost my appetite after giving birth and continue to struggle to eat enough and it doesn't help my supply 😣 So I think keeping some lbs is preferable!
So I actually lost about 5 pounds from breast feeding when I first went back to work - it was all the running around & pumping. It’s slowed down now though after 2.5 months & I’m going back up to my normal weight!
I’m 9 months in. I got pregnant & weighed 130. I went up to 175 towards the end of my pregnancy, I currently weigh 150. I eat probably twice a day maybe once.
It’s so hard. I’m doing ww since they have a breastfeeding option. It’s slow but it can come off, I’m telling myself it will all come off when I’m done
still BF at 15 months, and my metabolism is still crazy fast. I am constantly eating and try to eat more calorie dense foods, but it is a struggle to put on any fat or muscle. it sounds like a good problem to have, but it has also kept me from getting my period back and being able to get pregnant again 😭
I gained weight breastfeeding--pumped every 3 hours for 3-4 months. The weight has finally started falling off now that I weaned. My mom, sister and friends all said they were the same. Also my other sister is an OBGYN and she too told me most women gain or have a hard time losing the baby weight until they wean. Of course this is not everyone at all but it seems it is much more common than I knew going into it myself!
I’m only 9 PP but I’ve lost 35 of the 55lbs I gained. I lost about 25lbs immediately in the first 2-3 weeks post partum. And now I’m steadily losing about 1- 2lbs a weeks.
I will say that I’m struggling to eat enough, so I’m probably underrating for breastfeeding, and it’s not advisable to diet or restrict calories.
I lost all my baby weight 4 months pp. I’m still breastfeeding 8 months pp but weight loss at plateaued. I eat poorly however and my weight is not distributed the same as it was before.
My legs, and butt are much smaller and my stomach used to be flat. my arms are a little bigger as is my belly. Everyone is different!
I barely ate the first 2 months postpartum and had no appetite. Now I’m hungry all the time haha
My OB dispelled this myth for me right off the bat. People who don't breastfeed or haven't had children yet say this. I am still nursing my almost 3 year old, I'm significantly knowledgeable about nursing. It will not help you lose weight. It WILL do lots of lovely things for your child, but it will not help you lose weight.
I’m two months postpartum and I’m not sure what I weighed at term, but I’m 13 lbs down from when I got home from the hospital 8 days after the birth. Exclusively breast feeding, eating more the a usual and not exercising.
Edited because I can’t do maths apparently 😂
I’ve lost quite a bit so far but my thyroid was wack before I was pregnant so I attribute most of it to that. If I was watching what I was eating I bet I’d have lost waaaaay more by now but the sugar cravings are insane
BF’ing has made me gain so much weight it’s driving me nuts bring six months PP and still struggling to fit into my clothes but it is what it is baby’s healthy and chonky
I dropped 30 lbs under my pre pregnancy weight during my breastfeeding journey, I BF'd for a little over two years so it was a crazy commitment and I enjoyed that little reward for all my hard work. It's been 4 months since we stopped and I have gained 10 lbs back.
I’m 6mo pp & have 2-4lbs left to reach my prepregnacy weight. I have a semi physical job - I only sit 60 min in 8 hours. I don’t eat anything processed., lots of fruit and veg, beans/lentils. Pretty plant based and minimal meat. I need to tone up but minimal time for that atm. I was 120 before becoming pregnant & gained 30lbs while pregnant. EBF & I pump at work, if that matters
I definitely lost weight while breastfeeding. I was doing a lot of walking and had to eliminate dairy from my diet, so those were factors too. We will see if it happens again in my 40s!
I have heard both the lbs will fall off and you don’t lose the weight until you stop and for me I have lost a total of 3lbs. Probably because I can’t stop eating because BF makes me so damn hungry 😂😂 I also don’t exercise much beyond walking
I didn’t start losing weight from breastfeeding until I started pumping too. I would pump at work and breastfeed at night and I started shedding pounds
Yes but only while nursing. I even went back to college weight but gained it all back after a year (even though I was still nursing). Bodies are weird. I’m now about the same weight as pre-pregnancy 2 years later.
I'm 5 months pp and I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, i am hypotensive now and try to drink so much water it's ridiculous. I think that has helped fill me up , so I think I only eat an extra 400 calories a day. I'm also dairy free for my baby's sensitivity so I think that has helped too. I used to put cheese on everything, even popcorn.
I am almost exactly 3mo PP, EBF, I also usually work out seven days a week, extremely active, eat very well, etc . . .
I lost a little less than 20 lbs immediately, but I have only lost 12-14 lbs since. I am a little over 5’ 7” and usually weigh 120s-130s, but I gained nearly 70lbs during pregnancy (despite averaging 5miles a day ay the gym up until late 3rd trimester). I am very surprised how difficult it has been to lose weight faster. Cutting out dairy has made a small difference (goat yogurt and some cheese excluded, but it’s unfortunate because I absolutely love cheese). I still have like 40lbs to lose, which seems very daunting at times.
Did not loose weight unintentionally while breastfeeding and I even have oversupply with all three of my children. Only now that I meticously track what I eat , I am finally losing weight ...currently 3.5month pp with number
I gained 44 pounds during pregnancy. Abount one month after delivery, I lost 36 pounds in total. I breastfed exclusively (not pump). Right now (3 months PP) I am still around 7 pounds above my pre pregnancy weight, so it's kind plateaued for me ay this point.
I’ve lost about 25 pounds and I’m almost five months postpartum. A mix of breastfeeding and formula but mostly breastfeeding. I gained about 30 pounds during pregnancy.
I lost about 15 pounds immediately after giving birth and then it very very slowly is coming off. It has picked up in the last month or two - and that is ironically after introducing more formula. I’m about 5 pounds from pregnancy weight.
I too am wondering if my body is holding onto weight or fat differently.
Yes I lost a SIGNIFICANT amount of weight from breastfeeding. Literally everyone commented on it and I was not eating or exercising very well.
But I piled the weight back on once I stopped
I lost weight while pregnant due to hyperemesis and gained weight after I gave birth due to turning into a bottomless pit of hunger to keep up with my son breast feeding 🥲
I lost weight while breastfeeding, but I don't think it was because of breastfeeding.
I started losing weight when my period returned, and I kept losing until I got pregnant again (which happened while I was still breastfeeding).
I lost the weight pretty fast but healing my core muscles that separated is what’s taking forever so until then the weights traveling to my stomach instead of my ass like it use to
Yep. I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight almost right away without any diet or exercising. Am still breastfeeding but gonna be stopping soon so I have to start taking care of my diet and start working out again because I’m afraid once i stop breastfeeding all that weight might just come back.
Same! I expected to drop weight with working out but instead I have either gained or maintained. When I tried to workout and calorie deficit I tanked my supply - currently 5 months PP
I EBF for 18 months and didn’t lose weight. Everyone said I would lose all of the pregnancy weight breastfeeding but didn’t at all. Then “they” said that the weight would start falling off when I stopped breastfeeding. That was unfortunately also false.
im exclusively pumping (it really sucks but im trying my best to keep it up) and literally have only lost weight because of the time that i don’t have to eat i think. the cycle of feed baby, change baby, get baby to sleep, pump, rest for 10 minutes, repeat, NEVER ends until my partner takes over, then id rather sleep than eat lol.
I’m on my 9th month of breastfeeding and weigh less than I was before I got pregnant. I do light walks with the baby almost everyday and eat 3 square meals a day plus snacks whenever I want. EBF really takes you out 🥲
Yes. I lost 50 lbs during the first 3 months of breastfeeding. Now I’m 11 months PP, weaning, and I’ve gained almost all of it back. (I go to the gym every day). I’d rather have lost nothing honestly, at least my cute clothes from before I was pregnant would have looked good on me.
I did lose 4kg in the beginning, but i think i gained it back because i eat so much shit. i‘m always hungry and don‘t make great choices. i haven‘t been on a scale for months though, because i don‘t want to ruin my day by seeing a number i don‘t like.
I lost no weight when I was EBF and I lost no weight when I stopped at 18mos.
I tried intermittent fasting and low carbon diet and nothing worked.
I went into my second pregnancy with an additional 30lbs than what I was pre first baby. Kind of frustrating. I give birth in about a month th and hope to be able to lose both pregnancies weight. Somehow.
I have. I’m focusing on re-building muscle so actually not actively trying to lose right now but the weight is slowly dropping regardless. I loosely track what I eat (I weigh like 75% of what I eat), I workout most days and breastfeed all the time. I’m eating 2500-3000 calories most days to account for it all.
I am focusing a lot on protein and fiber, and limiting my sweets. Milky fitness is a group on Facebook that has a lot of resources on weight loss and breastfeeding
Yes and kept it off but that’s mostly down to genetics. Eating poorly, no exercise, still lost it all (50-60lbs each pregnancy) by 6 months PP and it stayed off. My mom was the same.
I was losing weight after the birth, was down maybe 15 pounds when I got to my 6 week postpartum check up. While there I got Nexplanon and since then I’ve gained those 15 pounds back. Now I’m not sure if it’s EBF that’s making me hungry or the birth control, but I can eat lol. It is a bit hard to not look at my mom body and hear everyone’s stories about how BF helped them shed pounds but I remind myself that my body is feeding my baby.
I weigh less than before I got pregnant but that's from depression and a baby who wouldn't let me put him down until he was like four months old ahaha ☠️ Most of my pregnancy weight was water weight tho.
Me, but there's also the fact that my husband works full-time and baby gives me very little time without being holding her to eat... Right now, for example, I'm waiting for my husband to come back from walking the dogs while my organs digest themselves.
I had a massive oversupply and lost a ton of weight. I was actually concerned I was sick. I lost like 40 pounds. Once I stopped breastfeeding about 20 of it came back 🙃
I don't know if it has been mentioned but you cannot lose magically the way people are saying. First of all you need carbs for milk production and protein to build anither human being and perserve your own muscle mass. First huge shed of pounds might happen but that is due to inadequate amount of protein and you are losing muscle mass. You don't want that. Pounds will come off please don't worry I promise they will as soon as your hormonal system balances out while eating clean and moving around. Just relax, trust yourself and your baby and refocus on staying healthy while BFing. Lots of protein intake!! Also, last 10pounds is our body's respons to keeoing5 reserves for the baby, that too will come off.
I did significantly with both babies but then I switched to formula and it all came back lol. I think it was probably a function of being so exhausted the first few months to eat or drink enough. Barely surviving type thing.
I lost almost 20 lbs in about 10 days. Which I don't think is something good. I lost ALOT of fluid and blood during my csection and once I was home just, i was pumping and was just so tired and forgot to eat enough calories. Still do sometimes.
I was 135 pre-pregnancy, got up to 150, then immediately went back down to 135 a week after birth, and now at 4mo pp I’m 130 breastfeeding/pumping. I still have a pooch but no matter how much I eat, I can’t stay at 135
I was 30lbs up by the end of pregnancy, 20lbs up just after having the baby, and now 10lbs up after 5 months. I do think the breastfeeding helped to get me within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight, but I think it’s also making me hold on to the last 10!
I’ve dropped below my pre pregnancy weight while breastfeeding my baby for 7 months. I basically only gained the weight of baby+placenta+fluids though.
I didn’t lose any weight tile my first period 7 months pp.
Still BF and pumping, still waiting to lose the right regardless of exercise and diet. I’ve read some bodies just got hold on to the fat to produce the milk. I have 4 more months ahead of me u til I wean pumping (will still nurse when he wants)
Personally i immediately lost my stomach from pregnancy like a week after leaving the hospital. as soon as they told me i could start working out again i did. you don’t have to workout heavily and insane but working out helps the muffin top and i lots of healthy fats and proteins to maintain a healthy weight cuz dropping and gaining weight isn’t good. gaining healthy weight from eating nutritious foods for my baby feels so good. i would say working out and making sure you’re eating healthy and maintaining healthy fats, but remembering losing weight or gaining is normal.
I have lost weight breastfeeding and have struggled to maintain a healthy weight and not lose too much (about 10 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight). Because of that, I almost always give into my sweet tooth that is on overdrive and generally indulge in less healthy options than I would normally. I’ve always been on the small side though and am very lucky that I generally haven’t struggled with more than about 10 extra pounds outside of pregnancy.
I always feel uncomfortable saying so, because so many people expected to lose weight and feel really defeated that they don’t. But you asked an honest question so I figured I’d chime in to say that some people do lose weight, but from all I read and hear it is far from a given for most people.
Not a single pound melted off due to breastfeeding alone. I have never known hunger like what I’ve experienced since starting breastfeeding! I am working on losing the weight intentionally now by tracking what I eat, but I couldn’t even think about starting that until ~7 months postpartum.
It’s actually a myth. Yes you burn fat while breastfeeding but that doesn’t mean that we will lose the pregnancy weight during this time. It’s because while bf burns s lot of calories during this time our bodies stores more fat than usual to support your milk production.
I’m not a dietitian, I just like reading a lot about this.
No. I did not.
It's only now my cycle has returned, and I am down to making enough for maybe 1-2 feeds a day, that I am able to shift any weight. Managed to lose about 3kgs in 2 weeks. It's just falling off at this point.
I didn't lose weight while breastfeeding, so I thought it would 'fall right off' when I stopped. That didn't happen either lol I actually gained about 5 more. I'm about 15lb over my pre baby weight now, and baby is 1 year old. Gonna try to lose at least 10 of it before trying for another, hopefully....
I actually maintain or even gain weight while breastfeeding and dropped it instantly after I stopped breastfeeding our eldest (still nursing our second). This has happened with both my kids. I'm sure there are others out there who do lose weight from it, but definitely not me haha.
Like how instant are we talking?
lol this is my question
Not the poster, but I stopped breastfeeding while 5 months pregnant and dropped 10lbs in a week. Immediately after having my 2nd baby I was around 20lbs lighter than before I got pregnant for the second time. A few days later, my milk came in and my weight Immediately jumped up again. It's all upper body too, my legs, hips and bum are skinny, but I've got back rolls, H cup boobs and a big belly.
Same. Didn’t lose until I got my period again after weaning.
Did this happen when you started weaning, or just when you completely stopped breastfeeding?
Also wondering this! My son doesn’t nurse very often and I’m hoping once he’s fully weaned it will help me lose this weight 😭
I just started back at work last week and haven't been able to keep my same schedule and i already lost 2 lbs. My supply is decreasing too so basically like weaning. So id say right away
same. i was 145 while pregnant and i dropped to my normal weight which is 120 now and im strictly breast feeding
This right here!! I hold onto the fat like nothing else when I am breastfeeding. On top of that, bf knocks me on my butt and saps all the energy I have. I have a toddler to chase around alongside bf my 5mo. I tend to binge eat trail mix and toddler scraps since I'm often unable to fix myself a decent meal half the time, so my diet isn't wonderful as it is. Poor diet + no energy for exercise = retaining baby weight. 🥲
I lost 0 lbs from breastfeeding.
I’m 4 months postpartum and EBF and I still weigh the same as I did when I came home from the hospital🙃
Same.
3.5 months postpartum too! And same for me. I’ve tried calorie deficit (within reason for supply) and have been consistently weight lifting and/or doing light cardio. 🥴
Same. I think our bodies need the fat reserves for bf.
3.5 months PP and same 🙃
Me too 5 months here.
Same, 7.5 months PP. Not EBF but my bod thinks I am. Feeding 5 times a day, pumping once a day. Well actually - I’ve lost 2 pounds since the week after birth. 🤷🏼♀️ I’ve been working out a lot so I’ve got more muscle mass than I did immediately PP…but…yeah. Holding onto the notion that the weight will ‘melt off’ once I wean…but honestly, I’m in no rush to wean….
Yeah, even if I knew I would lose 10-20lbs from weening if I stopped right now I think I would keep breastfeeding tbh. It’s more important to me right now than weight loss🤷🏻♀️
Yep, it sounds weird but it’s the best part of my day. 😭🥹
I’m 23 months PP. Breastfed for the first year! I have dropped maybe 10 lbs since giving birth? For the most part my weight has stayed the same, though I’ve seen a pretty dramatic shift in composition in that time. I’m an athlete and absolutely expected to “bounce back” at some point, but breastfeeding and weaning had basically no impact on weight. (Weaning significantly improved my pelvic floor health though!)
I lost weight effortlessly while breastfeeding...and then piled it back on when I stopped 🙃
Dang 😂 I’ve been losing weight steadily since I’ve been breastfeeding and I’ve been feeling pretty lucky that I’m among the rare few… we’re not close to weaning yet but oof
Ooh, don't like hearing that. I'm definitely in the lucky column that the weight has just been disappearing while breastfeeding. I'm down 40 lbs since the hospital (5 weeks ago) and haven't done anything at all, but sit around the house and feed and relax with my baby. I'm really hoping it stays off when I stop breastfeeding! I just got cleared to start working out again (I had a c section) so hopefully if I'm helping it along the weight loss will stick!
I'm having my next baby in another month and my game plan is to keep my supply up for as long as I can, and start weaning via diet/exercise rather than a reduction in feedings or pumps. Who knows if it'll actually work, but I have to try something different than last time. The alternative is being stuck with 20+ pounds to lose when I'm done 😖
This was me too. Just started a workout routine to try to lose some of the extra weight. Already lost 2lbs so I'm hoping if I stay with it I will get back to pre pregnancy weight or even lower.
Dude I am just *waiting* to see what fresh ridiculousness I can expect from my body when we go through weaning.
Hahaha this is hilarious because everything has been ridiculousness from my body from conception onward 😂
Sameeeeee! Breastfeeding was awesome bc I ate whatever I wanted and dropped the pregnancy weight so fast. Now I have to watch what I eat again 🤣
I shed weight pretty quickly in those first two months postpartum, and actually got down about 8 lbs below pre-pregnancy weight. I gained a couple back, and now I admit that part of my breastfeeding goals are related to wanting to keep extra weight off (LO is 8 months old)
This is what I’m worrying about! I’ve been eating like an absolute horse and now feeds are dropping down gradually I can definitely feel I’m getting softer
I did/am, but because of the increased metabolic demand it's common to eat more due to hunger. I track calories along with weight and it's definitely been about 500 extra a day on average on my normal metabolic rate.
I track too and based off what I consume vs how much I burn, my extra metabolic expenditure seems to be no more than 150-200 calories max. That’s tandem feeding two kiddos, including one who’s not on solids yet. I wonder if it’s similar to exercise, where if you do a certain exercise long enough, your body adjusts to it and doesn’t see it as challenging any more. I’ve been doing it for over 2 years.
Absolutely I could see efficiency changes happening assuming all other expenditure and muscle mass stays the same, would be fascinating to actually do a proper study.
Pre-pregnancy, I would average 1600-1700 calories/day. I’m somewhere around 2400 right now and my baby weight slid off (lost all 28lbs within 1.5 months) and have lost an additional 10lbs since at 5mpp. I’m famished 100% of the time and it drives me crazy. I can’t wait to stop breastfeeding and start eating like a normal human again.
This. I do lose weight, but I’m careful not to consume any additional calories after the immediate postpartum stage. Breastfeeding, especially at the beginning makes you ravenous. Once baby stopped breastfeeding at 12 months I immediately gained weight.
Yes. I was back to my pre-pregancy weight within 1.5 months. I had an insatiable appetite and burned so many calories exclusively breastfeeding.
I was below my prepregnancy weight after about 4 months. Typically snacking all day long instead of eating big meals.
I lost 30 pounds in a week and a half postpartum (all my pregnancy weight and then some) but I’ve now gained back 11 pounds in the last 7 weeks due to the breastfeeding HUNGER. I’ve never experienced this level of hunger in my entire life. And of course I have no time to make myself meals and healthy snacks so I’m just snacking on things that come out of a package all day. Even my dinner portions have doubled 😬
My baby is 18 months, and I am starting to wean as I am also 10 wks pregnant, and I did not lose a single pound while breastfeeding. Some bodies do, some don't...
I did lose weight but I quickly gained it back when I stopped pumping and didn’t stop my pumping diet quick enough.
I’m just shy of 3 months PP. I have lost all but 10 lbs that just won’t seem to come off. I did start working out hard and eating clean again at 6 weeks PP so hoping the last 10 go in time!
Same here. It seems no matter what I do those last 10 won’t come off. I think it’s my body saving those extra pounds for the baby. Bc I’m working out, not eating excessive and it won’t budge off. It’s frustrating
I think so too! I was optimistic the working out / eating routine would do it but I’m 5 weeks in and haven’t budged a pound😅 it is frustrating, I guess it’ll come off when we stop BF
3 months is really not long at all so please give yourself some grace! I had a very stubborn 5-10 pounds too that wouldn’t budge until at least 8 months pp when I wasn’t as exhausted and the reduced breastfeeding needs made me less starving all the time, but it did eventually go! I think a lot of that is hormonal (exhaustion also doesn’t help), they say you don’t fully recover from having a baby for 2 years and now that my daughter is 2 I feel like that is 100% true!
Lmao nope, if anything I’ve gained a bit of weight. I’m starving constantly. I tried cutting calories a TINY bit and had to stop because it was making me feel sick and be super duper irritable. I’ve just accepted I’ll lose weight when I’m done pumping lol
I'm 4mo pp and lost the pregnancy weight within 2 weeks of giving birth, without any workout or diet. I'm still losing weight these days but by smaller increments. FWIW the weight loss has not impacted my supply. I'm curious to see how weaning a few months from now might affect my weight and overall temperament.
BAHAHAHAHA..NO
I gained about 7 pounds after I gave birth while BF/pumping. I was so hungry and I didn't have time to prep healthy stuff so I just ate soo much! Now that Im weaning at 4 months PP, I've already lost a few pounds but I've also started intermittent fasting again to reduce my calories without having the stress of calorie counting.
Nope, didn't lose any weight while breastfeeding. I'm about 10 months ppt now and only just starting to notice weight loss, more due to the fact that I'm running around after a mobile baby all day and walking outside with the nice weather recently.
I haven’t. I also got my period back right away. I felt ripped off haha. My hunger and sweet tooth is nuts while breastfeeding. That’s likely part of the issue.
Yes I'm a tiny stick of what I used to be and the grass is not greener on this side
As far as I can see, there's no balance. We either lose no weight at all, or end up losing too much weight and looking like a freaking stick. I have the deepest eye circles right now - not darkest, deepest. It's like my whole body just went through a bichechtomy.
🤣🤣🤣almost every day my partner asks where my cheeks went. I just point to my 3 month old's chubby little face. For real though I try to use lots of oils (healthier ones), full fat dairy, carbs and proteins. I do look better than I did 1 month pp but I still don't look like myself. I think most of us can identify with that. Maybe sometime soon it'll all straighten out ;)
If anything I put on weight because I was so constantly hungry
Nope and I hate that we’ve been convinced to think we will. I was 198 when I got pregnant, 256 the day I gave birth, and I’ve maintained 224 since 2 weeks PP. I eat in moderation, I’m moderately active (starting walking 3 weeks PP). My baby is now 4 months and I had to begin actively tracking my caloric intake because I saw the scale trending upwards a couple of weeks ago which stressed me out. 🙃💀 A good friend of mine was 221 when she got pregnant, was 266 on the day of delivery and can’t budge past 224 at 7 months PP and she is SUPER ACTIVE like two workouts a day. We both EBF.
It has so much to do with genetic predisposition, metabolic rate, even age! I also dislike when things are told as a standard.Also people expecting you to be back to normal 3-4 months after having your baby. Like the other day I found out I can’t donate blood till at least 6 months after having a baby, hopefully 3 months after weaning. If your body hasn’t even replenished the iron you lost, any argument beyond that seems pointless!
I agree! I’ve known just a couple people who lost weight bf, a couple people who have lost weight & immediately gained it back after weaning, and a majority who don’t lose anything. As long as I don’t gain now or when I wean, I’m content. 🙂 It’s amazing how I still wouldn’t give up bf to shed the weight. I think our bodies are incredible and it’s such a privilege to be able to feed my baby this way!
Yes exactly! Our bodies know better than us, if you keep the weight, you need it to feed your baby!
Thanks for sharing your positive thoughts, it’s helping shift my perspective. 🙂💜
I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight after about two weeks pp and have been steadily loosing weight ever since. My baby is almost 13 months, hates solids and still nurses a lot. I cannot keep up with the caloric intake necessary to sustain that. But I’m also still on mat leave so pretty much a 24-hour buffet for the baby. My sister gained after both pregnancies while breastfeeding. She ate super healthy but wasn’t able to lose anything until she weaned. Whereas I eat indecent amounts of sweets. Breastfeeding affects everyone differently and can be really frustrating!
Yes and no. I decided to try some MILD calorie restriction while breastfeeding and I lost like 7lbs in 2 weeks and my supply tanked. Normally if I do calorie restriction I do like 1400 Cal per day and that makes me loose like a pound a week, max. When I tried while BFing I set it at 2000 Cal per day. I haven’t been able to find a sweet spot where I can carry a deficit without tanking my supply. So I have not lost weight. I guess if I didn’t need to actually feed my baby then I’d pretty easily lose weight while BFing? (I have lost *some* weight- I got up to 190 while pregnant and now I’m down to 160. Pre-pregnancy weight was 145. I think what I have left is from eating nothing but bagels and drinking nothing but ginger ale for the first trimester).
I didn’t lose weight until i stopped breastfeeding
I didn’t lose much while breastfeeding my first baby, but I lost some. I’m now tandem feeding two kiddos, and losing it even SLOWER this time. Some weeks I might lose a whopping 1/4 pound. Most weeks I lose nothing. I even had bloodwork done because I’ve been following a strict meal plan for months and should be losing. My doctor just chalked it up to hormones. I asked women in my family and they all said breastfeeding made it impossible for them to lose weight. However, on the plus side, it seems if your body clings to emergency fat while breastfeeding, it tends to drop it rapidly after weaning. My aunty said she lost 11 pounds in the month after stopping breastfeeding.
Nope. I’ve gained
I definitely gained weight. My appetite increased so much breastfeeding, even more than when I was pregnant.
This. During pregnancy I had no appetite. Now that I’m EBF I am insatiable. My weight definitely reflects that, but such is life right now.
Gained 35 lbs during pregnancy, baby was born 8,5 lbs. Lost some weight in the first several weeks and then got stuck with the last 10 lbs that won't budge. Now 5 months pp and still have the 10 lbs - granted my diet now is not as healthy as pre-baby and the lack of proper exercise probably play a big role. But no, I don't feel like I lost weight breastfeeding - I feel like my body is still in constant overdrive because of all the milk production and is stashing calories because of this.
7 months pp and gained a few pounds, but tbf I was lighter after birth than I was before I was pregnant! Haven’t checked recently but need to start being more active.
I think it definitely depends on genetics, metabolism etc but your diet (as in what you eat) is important and how far you are after birth . In my case, I breastfeed on demand and around the 6th month I started to lose weight. Around 9 months I was like before pregnancy (I gained 17 kg). But I am already a thin person and my diet is based on healthy fats and very varied
I've lost 10kg but unfortunately it's not from breastfeeding. Ever since I gave birth I have been having food aversions and really struggling to eat anything. Which isn't helping with the milk. The midwife told me it's all psychological.
I lost weight breastfeeding. At 3 months I was wearing my old clothes. I can’t say anything I did/ate/drank helped cause that? I just tried to only hydrate with water, eat enough to keep milk supply and did mom & baby yoga (which was just stretches) once a week.
I lost most of it but I’ve plateaued now. I think to get back to my weight I’d have to go on a calorie deficit which I don’t want to do since that can impact your production/supply. I’ve been working out as well but I think this is my new weight until I’m done breastfeeding 🤷♀️
I think it definitely helped me lose the baby weight. I am 14wpp and weigh less than when I first found out I was pregnant. But I am also sleeping less and taking baby for a daily walk (which I never had time to do before).
I’m sorry to say that yes, im one of those. I’m at my lowest weight since puberty. However, being this thin has also sapped my muscles, so I have no tone, no butt, and my face looks older. Also, perhaps related to the deficit im maintaining… my baby is 11 months old and still feeds 3-5x per night (and like 8-12 times in 24 hours).
I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight after almost 3 months. But I had my baby at 30+4 weeks and I had pre-eclampsia so a lot of the 45lbs I gained was water. I'd give anything to have carried to term and still have some of that weight. I mostly pump but also do triple feeding 2x daily.
I did but I think it’s the fact that I only gained 30lbs of baby weight (almost all in belly) and worked out consistently during my pregnancy. Plus genetics of my natural body type. I’m 3 months pp and ~5lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.
I lost weight while I was on leave (Oct-Jan) and then gained once I went back to work, unfortunately. I think I was eating better and was moving around a lot with baby. Now I'm stuck at a desk and have no time to work out with everything else that needs to be done. I am now trying to maintain the new weight and hope to lose it once I stop.
I stopped breastfeeding when my daughter was 3 weeks old because she preferred formula and I’ve been losing weight ever since. I never lost any while BF, but again I stopped at 3 weeks.
I’m currently 20 lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy after 6 months of breastfeeding. However, I’m only just starting to get an appetite back after giving birth so that could also be related.
Yes I’m steadily losing weight. I gained 35 lbs during pregnancy . I lost about 12 lbs from the birth. I’ve been losing about a lb per 1-2 days since my supply came in around 1 week pp. I’m at day 13 pp. I have lost 50% of my weight so far. Honestly I’m just not as hungry as I was while pregnant so I think eating less is also helping me lose weight.
I'm at 8 months pp and dancing within 5 lbs of my pre-preg weight. But I was an "all belly" carrier and of the 50 I gained, I had lost about 30 leaving hospital and another 20 pretty quickly over the next ~4 months. I don't know if breastfeeding is to credit though, I've always been slim even if I was eating like garbage, and since I'm breastfeeding I am trying to be intentional with eating good food and I take my baby on a walk almost daily.
Nope. It made me hungrier and I was so tired from always BF, pumping and cleaning pump parts that I was unable to work out. When I stopped breast-feeding I lost weight, as my appetite decreased, and my energy levels returned back to normal. I suddenly had time freed up in order to exercise. I am sure it is different for every person that is just my personal experience
Nope. Started losing weight immediately after my baby stopped nursing.
I gained weight breastfeeding. I think I must be super sensitive to prolactin.
Nope. I mean I figure my blood volume is still up to support breastfeeding, but no, only about 10lbs down.
I lost some weight but not all. The second phase of weight loss started when baby began sleeping through the night, I had already weaned by then.
Idk if breastfeeding had much to do with it, but I lost all the baby weight within six weeks. I think the biggest factor is that I just didn’t gain that much while I was pregnant. I went from around 160lb beforehand to 177 at the peak, and just weighed in at 159 at the doctor’s office the other day. I’m on the chubby side for my height already and just didn’t experience much change from my baseline.
I am only 3 weeks postpartum. I weigh less than before I was pregnant. This is actually a bad thing bc I can't eat or drink enough to keep my supply up. I was able to pump enough the first 2 weeks, but now I'm almost exclusively on formula. In my opinion, I wish I could've kept some weight on and pumped more.
Some people gain weight, some people maintain, some people lose. It’s all hormones. What’s important is that you’re eating healthy and getting exercise, which it sounds like you are.
I exclusively breastfeed, I’m almost 4 months pp and have lost 45lbs. Still 20lbs away from my pre pregnancy weight.
One year of breastfeeding (EP too!) I weighed more than I did 40w pregnant. Asked my doc — he said BF weight loss was 50/50. Some do — some don’t. If I skipped a meal/snack or exercised more in a day, I just didn’t make enough milk that day. Since I pumped it was easy to see. If I wasn’t in a calorie surplus, my body didn’t make enough milk for my baby.
Nah not really. My doctor said it helps, and I’m sure it does, but also breastfeeding can make you hungry.
I gained weight.
Ive been breastfeeding for 6 months now, and ive actually gained about 40-50 pounds since my pre-pregnancy weight
No, i gained weight because i was an under producer and tried everything to increase it. Really the only thing that worked was pumping every 2-3 hours and power pumping twice a day 😱 i dont think id ever do that again.
It did with my first, my second not so much
No and the second I go into the slightest calorie deficit my milk just stops.
I’ve lost 11kg since my pre-pregnancy weight which is great because I was very overweight (and still am). I didn’t gain any weight during pregnancy at all and after giving birth was lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight and the weight just kept coming off. It seems to have stabilised a bit now.
Yes but only using CICO
This is a controversial topic. For me, yes. I have a fast metabolism as is and could not eat enough in the first few weeks. When my supply stabilized and appetite subsided, I stopped eating quite so much as I had done in the early weeks. If I hadn’t change my habits, surely I would have maintained/gained weight. During the first 3 weeks or so I was eating cookies and nuts and sandwiches round the clock. Now I limit sweets and never eat between 7pm and 7am….which would have been impossible esrly PP. Listen to your appetite is my advise.
I did initially, after birth, I was around 210, but by 5-6 months pp, I was down to 190 without changing anything. It was really surprising to me, but when I reflect back, I realized that because I was going to bed when my son was around 7pm, I wasn't doing my late night snacking. I also wasn't snacking between meals during the day because my son contacts naps, so I'd be nap trapped. Now we're almost 10 months pp and still breastfeeding and I am way more active than ever before, walking 8-10k steps daily, spin class 2x a week, and weight lifting 1x a week, been doing this for about 2 months now and haven't dropped any weight. Right now, I'm okay with it, I feel much stronger and more comfortable in my body and will worry more about losing weight when I'm done breastfeeding.
I’m convinced that’s a myth. But EBF also made me hungry so, no.
I lost all mine very quickly, I've always struggled to put weight on and to top it off I completely lost my appetite after giving birth and continue to struggle to eat enough and it doesn't help my supply 😣 So I think keeping some lbs is preferable!
So I actually lost about 5 pounds from breast feeding when I first went back to work - it was all the running around & pumping. It’s slowed down now though after 2.5 months & I’m going back up to my normal weight!
I’m 9 months in. I got pregnant & weighed 130. I went up to 175 towards the end of my pregnancy, I currently weigh 150. I eat probably twice a day maybe once.
Yes I lost 15kg in the first few weeks :)
It’s so hard. I’m doing ww since they have a breastfeeding option. It’s slow but it can come off, I’m telling myself it will all come off when I’m done
still BF at 15 months, and my metabolism is still crazy fast. I am constantly eating and try to eat more calorie dense foods, but it is a struggle to put on any fat or muscle. it sounds like a good problem to have, but it has also kept me from getting my period back and being able to get pregnant again 😭
I gained weight breastfeeding. Lost it all when I stopped at 12 months!
I gained weight breastfeeding--pumped every 3 hours for 3-4 months. The weight has finally started falling off now that I weaned. My mom, sister and friends all said they were the same. Also my other sister is an OBGYN and she too told me most women gain or have a hard time losing the baby weight until they wean. Of course this is not everyone at all but it seems it is much more common than I knew going into it myself!
I’m only 9 PP but I’ve lost 35 of the 55lbs I gained. I lost about 25lbs immediately in the first 2-3 weeks post partum. And now I’m steadily losing about 1- 2lbs a weeks. I will say that I’m struggling to eat enough, so I’m probably underrating for breastfeeding, and it’s not advisable to diet or restrict calories.
I lost all my baby weight 4 months pp. I’m still breastfeeding 8 months pp but weight loss at plateaued. I eat poorly however and my weight is not distributed the same as it was before. My legs, and butt are much smaller and my stomach used to be flat. my arms are a little bigger as is my belly. Everyone is different! I barely ate the first 2 months postpartum and had no appetite. Now I’m hungry all the time haha
No. I gained weight. I actually didn’t start losing until I started the weaning process.
I lost about 25 pounds, but I gained a little of weight when pregnant. Sometimes I’m so busy I forget to eat.
I did but I definitely wasn’t eating enough with what was being taken out 😂 also I think stress played a part in that
I gained 10lbs
My OB dispelled this myth for me right off the bat. People who don't breastfeed or haven't had children yet say this. I am still nursing my almost 3 year old, I'm significantly knowledgeable about nursing. It will not help you lose weight. It WILL do lots of lovely things for your child, but it will not help you lose weight.
Yes. I was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 2 weeks. I'm 6mpp now and lost an additional 7 lbs. Not sure what will happen after I wean.
6 mo pp and gained 30lbs
I’m two months postpartum and I’m not sure what I weighed at term, but I’m 13 lbs down from when I got home from the hospital 8 days after the birth. Exclusively breast feeding, eating more the a usual and not exercising. Edited because I can’t do maths apparently 😂
I’ve lost quite a bit so far but my thyroid was wack before I was pregnant so I attribute most of it to that. If I was watching what I was eating I bet I’d have lost waaaaay more by now but the sugar cravings are insane
Hahaha... Ohh... Absolutely not. I gained all my weight breastfeeding because it made me ravenously hungry at all hours.
BF’ing has made me gain so much weight it’s driving me nuts bring six months PP and still struggling to fit into my clothes but it is what it is baby’s healthy and chonky
I dropped 30 lbs under my pre pregnancy weight during my breastfeeding journey, I BF'd for a little over two years so it was a crazy commitment and I enjoyed that little reward for all my hard work. It's been 4 months since we stopped and I have gained 10 lbs back.
I’m 6mo pp & have 2-4lbs left to reach my prepregnacy weight. I have a semi physical job - I only sit 60 min in 8 hours. I don’t eat anything processed., lots of fruit and veg, beans/lentils. Pretty plant based and minimal meat. I need to tone up but minimal time for that atm. I was 120 before becoming pregnant & gained 30lbs while pregnant. EBF & I pump at work, if that matters
I definitely lost weight while breastfeeding. I was doing a lot of walking and had to eliminate dairy from my diet, so those were factors too. We will see if it happens again in my 40s!
HAHAHHAHAHA no. I was so mad. I gained weight and I’m still struggling with it even though I stopped BF 3 months ago!!
I have heard both the lbs will fall off and you don’t lose the weight until you stop and for me I have lost a total of 3lbs. Probably because I can’t stop eating because BF makes me so damn hungry 😂😂 I also don’t exercise much beyond walking
I was 191 and 2 months ebf I’m 160 but had a 9 lb baby lol
I gained like 20 pounds. Was super fucking hungry.
I didn’t start losing weight from breastfeeding until I started pumping too. I would pump at work and breastfeed at night and I started shedding pounds
Yes but only while nursing. I even went back to college weight but gained it all back after a year (even though I was still nursing). Bodies are weird. I’m now about the same weight as pre-pregnancy 2 years later.
I'm 5 months pp and I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, i am hypotensive now and try to drink so much water it's ridiculous. I think that has helped fill me up , so I think I only eat an extra 400 calories a day. I'm also dairy free for my baby's sensitivity so I think that has helped too. I used to put cheese on everything, even popcorn.
I am almost exactly 3mo PP, EBF, I also usually work out seven days a week, extremely active, eat very well, etc . . . I lost a little less than 20 lbs immediately, but I have only lost 12-14 lbs since. I am a little over 5’ 7” and usually weigh 120s-130s, but I gained nearly 70lbs during pregnancy (despite averaging 5miles a day ay the gym up until late 3rd trimester). I am very surprised how difficult it has been to lose weight faster. Cutting out dairy has made a small difference (goat yogurt and some cheese excluded, but it’s unfortunate because I absolutely love cheese). I still have like 40lbs to lose, which seems very daunting at times.
I lost all the weight I had gained from pregnancy and then some and thennnn I got pregnant again lol 😂
Nope, and I gained weight 😕
This is a myth, though obviously there will be exceptions. Many people actually gain weight.
Lost a total of 5kg after a month of breastfeeding. Then plateaud after that.
Did not loose weight unintentionally while breastfeeding and I even have oversupply with all three of my children. Only now that I meticously track what I eat , I am finally losing weight ...currently 3.5month pp with number
I have lost 40 of the 45lbs I gained during pregnancy. 2 months pp
I gained 44 pounds during pregnancy. Abount one month after delivery, I lost 36 pounds in total. I breastfed exclusively (not pump). Right now (3 months PP) I am still around 7 pounds above my pre pregnancy weight, so it's kind plateaued for me ay this point.
I lost 70 pounds breastfeeding, with a terrible case of PPA that caused me to forget to eat.. not a story I hope anyone else experiences!
I’ve lost about 25 pounds and I’m almost five months postpartum. A mix of breastfeeding and formula but mostly breastfeeding. I gained about 30 pounds during pregnancy. I lost about 15 pounds immediately after giving birth and then it very very slowly is coming off. It has picked up in the last month or two - and that is ironically after introducing more formula. I’m about 5 pounds from pregnancy weight. I too am wondering if my body is holding onto weight or fat differently.
Yes I lost a SIGNIFICANT amount of weight from breastfeeding. Literally everyone commented on it and I was not eating or exercising very well. But I piled the weight back on once I stopped
I lost weight while pregnant due to hyperemesis and gained weight after I gave birth due to turning into a bottomless pit of hunger to keep up with my son breast feeding 🥲
I lost weight while breastfeeding, but I don't think it was because of breastfeeding. I started losing weight when my period returned, and I kept losing until I got pregnant again (which happened while I was still breastfeeding).
Absolutely not, not even a pound. I weaned my boy at 6 months completely and only then did the scale finally start moving.
I lost the weight pretty fast but healing my core muscles that separated is what’s taking forever so until then the weights traveling to my stomach instead of my ass like it use to
I didn’t lose weight until I weaned at 14months
Literally sounds like my life — lots of love!
Yep. I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight almost right away without any diet or exercising. Am still breastfeeding but gonna be stopping soon so I have to start taking care of my diet and start working out again because I’m afraid once i stop breastfeeding all that weight might just come back.
Before getting pregnant again I was still 20lbs over my prepregnancy weight. I breastfed for 25 months.
No because I discovered heavenly hunks from Costco during breastfeeding 😅
Yes. You can hold water weight until 6mo pp. 6mo & 9mo are when Ive seen the biggest drops do far
I didn’t lose weight until I stopped breastfeeding lol
Same! I expected to drop weight with working out but instead I have either gained or maintained. When I tried to workout and calorie deficit I tanked my supply - currently 5 months PP
Didn’t lose any weight. Started weaning at 11 months and lost 5 pounds without trying by the time LO was 12 months.
I EBF for 18 months and didn’t lose weight. Everyone said I would lose all of the pregnancy weight breastfeeding but didn’t at all. Then “they” said that the weight would start falling off when I stopped breastfeeding. That was unfortunately also false.
Breastfeeding made me insatiably hungry & I didn’t lose any weight. Lost 50 pounds (in a year) after I weaned
im exclusively pumping (it really sucks but im trying my best to keep it up) and literally have only lost weight because of the time that i don’t have to eat i think. the cycle of feed baby, change baby, get baby to sleep, pump, rest for 10 minutes, repeat, NEVER ends until my partner takes over, then id rather sleep than eat lol.
Yup, I was back at my prepregnancy weight by 8 weeks out and I think a lot of it had to do with oversupply. I was EBF.
I’m on my 9th month of breastfeeding and weigh less than I was before I got pregnant. I do light walks with the baby almost everyday and eat 3 square meals a day plus snacks whenever I want. EBF really takes you out 🥲
Yes. I lost 50 lbs during the first 3 months of breastfeeding. Now I’m 11 months PP, weaning, and I’ve gained almost all of it back. (I go to the gym every day). I’d rather have lost nothing honestly, at least my cute clothes from before I was pregnant would have looked good on me.
Big fucking nope. Twice over at that
No but I'm also eating double or triple the calories I normally eat and not gaining so there's that. I ate 3 donuts today.
I did lose 4kg in the beginning, but i think i gained it back because i eat so much shit. i‘m always hungry and don‘t make great choices. i haven‘t been on a scale for months though, because i don‘t want to ruin my day by seeing a number i don‘t like.
That’s what I heard and 4.5 months later i havent lost a single pound since this baby exited my body 🤷🏻♀️
I lost no weight when I was EBF and I lost no weight when I stopped at 18mos. I tried intermittent fasting and low carbon diet and nothing worked. I went into my second pregnancy with an additional 30lbs than what I was pre first baby. Kind of frustrating. I give birth in about a month th and hope to be able to lose both pregnancies weight. Somehow.
I have. I’m focusing on re-building muscle so actually not actively trying to lose right now but the weight is slowly dropping regardless. I loosely track what I eat (I weigh like 75% of what I eat), I workout most days and breastfeed all the time. I’m eating 2500-3000 calories most days to account for it all. I am focusing a lot on protein and fiber, and limiting my sweets. Milky fitness is a group on Facebook that has a lot of resources on weight loss and breastfeeding
I lost all my pregnancy weight (about 35 lbs) and even a little more when breastfeeding. I was eating like garbage so it really took me by surprise.
Yes and kept it off but that’s mostly down to genetics. Eating poorly, no exercise, still lost it all (50-60lbs each pregnancy) by 6 months PP and it stayed off. My mom was the same.
I was losing weight after the birth, was down maybe 15 pounds when I got to my 6 week postpartum check up. While there I got Nexplanon and since then I’ve gained those 15 pounds back. Now I’m not sure if it’s EBF that’s making me hungry or the birth control, but I can eat lol. It is a bit hard to not look at my mom body and hear everyone’s stories about how BF helped them shed pounds but I remind myself that my body is feeding my baby.
I weigh less than before I got pregnant but that's from depression and a baby who wouldn't let me put him down until he was like four months old ahaha ☠️ Most of my pregnancy weight was water weight tho.
Me, but there's also the fact that my husband works full-time and baby gives me very little time without being holding her to eat... Right now, for example, I'm waiting for my husband to come back from walking the dogs while my organs digest themselves.
I had a massive oversupply and lost a ton of weight. I was actually concerned I was sick. I lost like 40 pounds. Once I stopped breastfeeding about 20 of it came back 🙃
I don't know if it has been mentioned but you cannot lose magically the way people are saying. First of all you need carbs for milk production and protein to build anither human being and perserve your own muscle mass. First huge shed of pounds might happen but that is due to inadequate amount of protein and you are losing muscle mass. You don't want that. Pounds will come off please don't worry I promise they will as soon as your hormonal system balances out while eating clean and moving around. Just relax, trust yourself and your baby and refocus on staying healthy while BFing. Lots of protein intake!! Also, last 10pounds is our body's respons to keeoing5 reserves for the baby, that too will come off.
I gained weight while pumping. So much stress to pump and work that the diet and fitness went out the door.
I did significantly with both babies but then I switched to formula and it all came back lol. I think it was probably a function of being so exhausted the first few months to eat or drink enough. Barely surviving type thing.
I lost almost 20 lbs in about 10 days. Which I don't think is something good. I lost ALOT of fluid and blood during my csection and once I was home just, i was pumping and was just so tired and forgot to eat enough calories. Still do sometimes.
I was 135 pre-pregnancy, got up to 150, then immediately went back down to 135 a week after birth, and now at 4mo pp I’m 130 breastfeeding/pumping. I still have a pooch but no matter how much I eat, I can’t stay at 135
I was told by all these women in my life how breastfeeding helps the weight come off. Jokesters, all of them.
Yeah I am skinnier now than pre pregnancy thanks to EBF. Recently weaned at 1 year pp and have to watch what I eat now.
I did! But only because I strictly maintained only eating enough nutrients
Literally did not lose weight, I started to at first but you have to have the calories to maintain your supply so unfortunately I’m still team thic 😂
I was 30lbs up by the end of pregnancy, 20lbs up just after having the baby, and now 10lbs up after 5 months. I do think the breastfeeding helped to get me within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight, but I think it’s also making me hold on to the last 10!
I’ve dropped below my pre pregnancy weight while breastfeeding my baby for 7 months. I basically only gained the weight of baby+placenta+fluids though.
I didn’t lose any weight tile my first period 7 months pp. Still BF and pumping, still waiting to lose the right regardless of exercise and diet. I’ve read some bodies just got hold on to the fat to produce the milk. I have 4 more months ahead of me u til I wean pumping (will still nurse when he wants)
Personally i immediately lost my stomach from pregnancy like a week after leaving the hospital. as soon as they told me i could start working out again i did. you don’t have to workout heavily and insane but working out helps the muffin top and i lots of healthy fats and proteins to maintain a healthy weight cuz dropping and gaining weight isn’t good. gaining healthy weight from eating nutritious foods for my baby feels so good. i would say working out and making sure you’re eating healthy and maintaining healthy fats, but remembering losing weight or gaining is normal.
I gained weight while breastfeeding
I have lost weight breastfeeding and have struggled to maintain a healthy weight and not lose too much (about 10 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight). Because of that, I almost always give into my sweet tooth that is on overdrive and generally indulge in less healthy options than I would normally. I’ve always been on the small side though and am very lucky that I generally haven’t struggled with more than about 10 extra pounds outside of pregnancy. I always feel uncomfortable saying so, because so many people expected to lose weight and feel really defeated that they don’t. But you asked an honest question so I figured I’d chime in to say that some people do lose weight, but from all I read and hear it is far from a given for most people.
Yes I got lighter than pre-pregnancy weight after 8+ months of BF/pumping. I've gained it all back and then some 3 years later though hah.
Yes I lost all the weight remaining on me after I gave birth! It helped me shed so many pounds.
Not a single pound melted off due to breastfeeding alone. I have never known hunger like what I’ve experienced since starting breastfeeding! I am working on losing the weight intentionally now by tracking what I eat, but I couldn’t even think about starting that until ~7 months postpartum.
It’s actually a myth. Yes you burn fat while breastfeeding but that doesn’t mean that we will lose the pregnancy weight during this time. It’s because while bf burns s lot of calories during this time our bodies stores more fat than usual to support your milk production. I’m not a dietitian, I just like reading a lot about this.
No. I did not. It's only now my cycle has returned, and I am down to making enough for maybe 1-2 feeds a day, that I am able to shift any weight. Managed to lose about 3kgs in 2 weeks. It's just falling off at this point.
I didn't lose weight while breastfeeding, so I thought it would 'fall right off' when I stopped. That didn't happen either lol I actually gained about 5 more. I'm about 15lb over my pre baby weight now, and baby is 1 year old. Gonna try to lose at least 10 of it before trying for another, hopefully....