Twins

[SSGSWJohnson]

Hey all, im posting to try and gather information to help my wife. Im deployed and working out, and she is at home with all the kids and starting to get worried that she will still have all her baby weight when i get back. the problems are many so ill lay out some background info. We have six kids (time is a sacred commodity) and four of them are twins (two sets) She has always been able to lose weight, but this time she is determined to breastfeed our latest two as long as possible. She cant dramatically cut calories doing that. ive found info on losing weight while breastfeeding, but the specifics are definately different when there are two babies rather than one.

here is what im hoping that yall can help me with;
-how many calories should she be getting to help her lose weight and still make enough milk for two breastfeeding babies?
-anyone have any diet journals or meal plans that would apply in this case?
-im hoping that somewhere out here, someone has been in a similar position and can share their story and what worked.

im sure there are more questions ill have, but for now ill see what you all have to say.

thanks for your time!!
-Steve

[discdoggie]

Hey all, im posting to try and gather information to help my wife. Im deployed and working out, and she is at home with all the kids and starting to get worried that she will still have all her baby weight when i get back. the problems are many so ill lay out some background info. We have six kids (time is a sacred commodity) and four of them are twins (two sets) She has always been able to lose weight, but this time she is determined to breastfeed our latest two as long as possible. She cant dramatically cut calories doing that. ive found info on losing weight while breastfeeding, but the specifics are definately different when there are two babies rather than one.

here is what im hoping that yall can help me with;
-how many calories should she be getting to help her lose weight and still make enough milk for two breastfeeding babies?
-anyone have any diet journals or meal plans that would apply in this case?
-im hoping that somewhere out here, someone has been in a similar position and can share their story and what worked.

im sure there are more questions ill have, but for now ill see what you all have to say.

thanks for your time!!
-Steve

How old are the nursing babies? Theoretically, energy for milk production can be pulled from fat stores. This is one of the resaon it's possible for countries in horrible famine conditions to still have over-population problems.

My body easily did this ^^^^. But I've read and heard that many women's supply will suffer on a restricted diet.


Also, how much fat does she have to lose? If it's substantial, she's sprobably safer with a larger caloric deficit than someone who only has a few extra pounds or so.

[a10derlady]

I've had and nursed 5 children, so I'm going off experience here. If she's still nursing, she shouldn't diet. If she starts dieting, her milk is definitely going to suffer. If she's not getting enough nutrients to supply her milk and keep up with the demand of even one of the babies, her body will pull from her fat stores leaving her malnutritioned because the babies needs are going to come first. She will look and (more importantly) BE unhealthy.

I wouldn't suggest her dieting or cutting calories. What I would suggest is her eating clean, having small well-balanced meals throughout the day, taking a good multivitamin and EFA's, and starting a moderate work-out routine. If she sees any depletion in her milk supply, she should up her calories accordingly. Once she weans the twins, she will already have healthy eating habits and will see positive results and can modify her routine and diet according to how much weight or body fat she needs to lose then.

I hope this helps!

[SSGSWJohnson]

Thank you for the replys. ive done some more research on my own and came to basically the same conclusions. she started this week trying to eat clean, small meals throughout the day. hopefully she can keep it up. the babies are a month and a half now, and her goal is a year for breastfeeding.

i keep telling her to stop worrying about it. i think she is sexy just the way she is, but im sure being ladies yourselves, you know how her thought process is.

Im going to encourage her to stay with the healthier, multiple meals and really start bugging her about MAKING time for exercise. Although i do feel bad since the babies are feeding for an hour every other hour, and the other four keep her on her toes the rest of the time.

[a10derlady]

Thank you for the replys. ive done some more research on my own and came to basically the same conclusions. she started this week trying to eat clean, small meals throughout the day. hopefully she can keep it up. the babies are a month and a half now, and her goal is a year for breastfeeding.

i keep telling her to stop worrying about it. i think she is sexy just the way she is, but im sure being ladies yourselves, you know how her thought process is.

Im going to encourage her to stay with the healthier, multiple meals and really start bugging her about MAKING time for exercise. Although i do feel bad since the babies are feeding for an hour every other hour, and the other four keep her on her toes the rest of the time.

I totally understand where she is. It's really tough to have so many at one time. My ex and I had 9 total, so it was a busy household.

One thing is, while she's breastfeeding, she will lose weight with minimal exercise if she eats clean. The weight problems really come when ladies eat a lot of "bad foods". If she can just eat clean, and get in a short workout every other day (maybe in the morning before the kids get up) she'll have a nice body she can be proud of. And it doesn't have to be a long workout, just 30 mins will do.

You sound like a really great husband, and I'm sure she will meet her goal with you behind her.

[SSGSWJohnson]

I totally understand where she is. It's really tough to have so many at one time. My ex and I had 9 total, so it was a busy household.

One thing is, while she's breastfeeding, she will lose weight with minimal exercise if she eats clean. The weight problems really come when ladies eat a lot of "bad foods". If she can just eat clean, and get in a short workout every other day (maybe in the morning before the kids get up) she'll have a nice body she can be proud of. And it doesn't have to be a long workout, just 30 mins will do.

You sound like a really great husband, and I'm sure she will meet her goal with you behind her.

well thank you. 9 is a bunch for sure. how did you guys do it? i know with six our daily lives are pretty nuts, i cant imagine adding any more than that! we even had to go and get a 12 passenger econoline van... at 27 years of age, all my coolness went out the window when i showed up to work in that the first time. nine...you guys are awesome.

she has had a tendancy in the past to lose weight the wrong way, so im actually glad that she will have to be more disciplined with it now. thanks again!

[a10derlady]

well thank you. 9 is a bunch for sure. how did you guys do it? i know with six our daily lives are pretty nuts, i cant imagine adding any more than that! we even had to go and get a 12 passenger econoline van... at 27 years of age, all my coolness went out the window when i showed up to work in that the first time. nine...you guys are awesome.

she has had a tendancy in the past to lose weight the wrong way, so im actually glad that she will have to be more disciplined with it now. thanks again!

No problem! We basically just took it a day at a time. It was difficult, but once we got in a groove, it was easier. We were both in the Army too, so we were always on a set schedule. Scheduling was everything with us. I'm not on a set schedule like I was with all the kids, which is part of what has contributed to my weight gain. So I've forced myself to get back on a strict schedule and getting strict on my diet too. (except tonight... I splurged and had a glass of wine)