moms who breast fed ...Q

lolakitten · 06-05-2008, 03:02 PM

Did you find it tough to control your appetite to loose the baby weight? I am constantly starving. What did you do?

Eileen · 06-06-2008, 01:30 PM

Eat more. Breastfeeding requires a lot of calories, even more than pregnancy.

Just try to make good food choices. If you are craving chocolate, it's a good bet you need more magnesium, and cocoa is the best food source. A big mug of cocoa or a few pieces of very good dark chocolate should do the job.

Breast milk is a high fat food, so don't cut down on your fats. Eat lots of oily fish, nuts and cheese and stuff like that, not fries and chips.

I used to be vegetarian until I got pregnant, then I wanted the odd bit of meat. When my baby was born and I started breastfeeding, I suddenly wanted meat four times a day, starting with blood pudding for breakfast. And I would have killed my DH for meat if he didn't give it to me.

How old is your baby?

lolakitten · 06-06-2008, 03:42 PM

Thanks - she's 3.5 months old.
That's what I've been trying to do - eating clean, but more. I dont really crave anything, I'm just always hungry. I've been back in the gym for 2 months now, and thought I would loose some of the fat (granted I didn't gain much, but still) but my weight hasn't budged since he initial baby/water loss at the begining.

Eileen · 06-06-2008, 03:48 PM

Give it time. I lost a lot of weight while breastfeeding, but I wasn't on any sort of time table. I did end up doing extended nursing, just because I felt the baby was such a wonderful fat-sucker.

Don't forget that in the early days, you are coping with lack of sleep as well as problems getting time to prepare and eat. Does your baby always wake up and demand to be fed just as you are sitting down to eat? I swear, the smell of food must wake them.

Ash1978 · 06-06-2008, 04:12 PM

Just thought I would let you know that I didn't lose any weight until I stopped breastfeeding. For some reason my body held onto the weight until I stopped.

lolakitten · 06-06-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen

Does your baby always wake up and demand to be fed just as you are sitting down to eat? I swear, the smell of food must wake them.

Yes! Even if I'm just drinking water, lol.
She sleeps really well though, so I can't use the lack of sleep as an excuse for anything anymore :P

lolakitten · 06-06-2008, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash1978

Just thought I would let you know that I didn't lose any weight until I stopped breastfeeding. For some reason my body held onto the weight until I stopped.

- with my luck, this is probably the case too. I was very lean before I got pg.

LatinaLoca · 06-06-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolakitten

Did you find it tough to control your appetite to loose the baby weight? I am constantly starving. What did you do?

It takes alot of energy to make milk, so don't be afraid to eat more. You are still eating for two even though your sweet baby is on the outside

. Right now is not the time to try to loose weight, breastfeeding alone (for a majority of women) actually helps you loose weight.

As your baby goes through growth spurts his or her need for more milk will increase and you will notice that he/she wants to nurse even more and then you'll appetite will go up again. The La Leche League (a pro breastfeeding organization) has published several book that have were very usefull for me when I was breastfeeding my three kids.

If you have any breastfeeding questions I'd be more than happy to help. I'm not an expert but after nursing a few kids I've at least got a little experience LOL>

Sgonzalez76 · 06-06-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolakitten

- with my luck, this is probably the case too. I was very lean before I got pg.

If you are hungry....just eat but healthy and drink a lot of water.

Nursing helped me lose weight ,the first 6 months the combination of breastfeeding, light exercise, a healthy diet worked for me......I did it for 20 months.

Eileen · 06-06-2008, 05:23 PM

Great to hear that some many of you are or were breastfeeding.

MC63 · 06-07-2008, 04:06 PM

just eat!
I nursed for 6 mos full time then part time for another7 mos. I was always hungry. I listened to my body. If I did not have the perfect flat tummy or whatever I figured that this short time in my life was a little miracle and I was going to put my nutrition and my baby's first.

I worked out somewhat, not extreme or anything. I made primarily good food choices and nature took care of my baby fat. I was back to pre baby weight by the time I stopped nursing. Then I went harder on the workouts, started to cut back my calories, easy to do I wasn't so hungry. And I was in great shape 4 mos post nursing.

Oh, and I had my baby at almost 41yrs old.

runnermama · 06-08-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash1978

Just thought I would let you know that I didn't lose any weight until I stopped breastfeeding. For some reason my body held onto the weight until I stopped.

ditto here.

I breastfed for the first year and for the life of me during that time, could not drop the last 10-15 lbs, I only gained 27 lbs total. I did not start losing the weight until I weaned.

Bodyfat is essential for making milk

Just keep eating clean, just with more quantity.

glad to see these breastfeeding mamas

lolakitten · 06-10-2008, 04:55 PM

So should I even bother to count calories now?

runninmom · 06-10-2008, 06:21 PM

I personally would not count calories while you are nursing especially with your baby only that old. Maybe after he starts eating real food and nursing less but you still are feeding another person!!
I nursed both my kids until 14 months and held onto the wt with the first and lost all the wt with the second. just concentrated on eating healthy like everyone has said and if you have a craving don't deprive yourself...enjoy this time, it goes by soooo fast.

Ever84 · 06-10-2008, 09:29 PM

It also helps that they start to eat more and more the bigger they get...so YES they help suck the fat off you. My 9 month old eat's 9 ounces..8x a day!! Can't wait till he sleeps through the night! he still eats 3x a night...can you believe that?

Eileen · 06-11-2008, 01:52 PM

Don't count cals, just eat to hunger. It's no harm to record what you are eating, just so you can look back at it in years to come and say "I actually ate that much in a day????" I've never been able to eat that amount before or since.

Ever84, night is when you have the highest quality milk. Night time milk has the highest proportion of fat. Evening milk has the lowest, which is why they suck so long, they need the extra time to get the calories out.