question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

ok, i have a superficial question at BFing..i was reading the book the girlfriends guide to the first year and the author is very negative about life postpartum. now i know it's not sunshine and roses while you are recouperating and learning how to take care of a baby so i understand the humor she is trying to convery. ANYWAY, she states in her book that BFing does not at all in any way quicken weight loss or help out to get you "back to normal" any quicker. i am just wondering if that is true? i plan on BFing with or w/o that benefit but i have heard all these stories from people how BFing helped then lose weight faster and now this book is saying not at all. so bottom line-what is your experience if you don't mind sharing? thank you!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

It totally depends on your body. I only BF for 8 weeks, so I can tell you only from my experience that I lost 27lbs. right off the bat, but I don't think it had anything to do with BF-ing, I think it just had to do with having a baby. But once I stopped BF-ing, I started losing weight so quickly. I was actually surprised, but I guess that's just how my body reacted to all those hormones. HTH! In all honesty, I lost 52lbs this past year, and it came off a lot easier than I thought it would. It's just the weight I needed to lose BEFORE I had the baby that's been a struggle. HTH!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I am still EBF and DS is 6 months. I lost all but 3 pounds but I dont think it has anything to do with BF. I always had a fast metabolism.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I do not breastfeed but a few of my friends do...

2 of them lost their weight in record time, they are actually smaller now than before pregnancy...weird thing is they exclusively pump. One friend said her doctor told her she was burning over 1500 calories/day with the amount she was pumping.

The other 2 friends lost the same amount I did...they still have some weight to lose and their babies are 8 months and 12 months. They said the breastfeeding helped their belly go down fast, but made them hungry around the clock so they were eating what they were burning. They exclusively breastfeed, no pumping.

I doubt there is a correlation but I find it interesting!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I pumped for 8 months and was the slimmest I ever was. For me, weight dropped off of me while I was pumping. This was the case for quite a few of my girlfriends also....although I appreciate its not the case for everyone. Once I finished with the BF'ing, I put tons of weight on. So there you go!!! The chocolate didn't taste nearly as good!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I breastfeed and I had lost all my pregnancy weight no later than 3-4 months postpartum. I lost an additional 10-12lbs by about 7 months and my weight has remained consistent since. I weighed 155 the day I gave birth and now, at 13 months PP, I'm 108-110. So I had gained 35lbs with my pregnancy and lost a total of 45-47 afterwards.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

It is simple biological fact that breastfeeding burns calories. Of course that made me very, very hungry so I ate as much as I burned. I did hit my pre-pregnancy weight really fast though (under two months, and I had gained 30+ pounds) but I have no comparison to know what the weight loss would have been otherwise...

Don't decided to breastfeed for the weight loss. Do it because of the HUGE health benefits for the baby and to reduce your own risk of breast cancer. (And save money and not wash bottles all day long!)

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I think it helps...I BF and supplemeted from day one and I lost 30 pounds in the first 4 weeks....I have been stuck there for a while now though

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I am not sure if it's a coincidence or not but I've been BFing for 8 months and I lost all my pregnancy weight and then some. AND I eat like no tomorrow. I believe if I wasn't BFing that I would have gained a ton of weight in the past few months. I eat everything...I mean cookies, ice cream, etc....things that would have made me gain weight by just looking at them. And I haven't gained an ounce!!!!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I breastfeed and lost all the weight (30 lbs) by my 6 week post-partum visit. I have been 5 pounds below my pre-preggo weight since about 5 months post-partum. I eat whatever I want -- I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to wean him -- breastfeeding is the best weight loss program.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

Posted by stephanief

I think it helps...I BF and supplemeted from day one and I lost 30 pounds in the first 4 weeks....I have been stuck there for a while now though

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I lost weight very quickly with breastfeeding.

The only thing to consider is once you stop breastfeeding, you need to stop eating like you're breastfeeding.

I could eat anything and everything while breastfeeding and lose weight. I continued eating like that after I stopped bfing and gained weight quickly.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I EBFed my son for 13.5 months and lost a lot of weight. I was 10 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight when I was done and I was not overweight before getting pregnant. BF takes a lot out of you. BF on demand burns about 500 calories a day, so it's a lot like a running a treadmill everyday without really doing it.

However, as PP mentioned, you can eat anything you want while BF and still lose but when you stop you have to get yourself in check again otherwise you WILL gain.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I have been EBF. My DD is 6 weeks. I have lost 29lbs thus far. I am 7 pounds away from my prepreggo weight. I still need to loose another 30 after that. Lets see if BF will help me loose the remainder of that weight.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I BF for 4 months. I lost more weight when I stopped Bf'ing. I lost about 30 lbs by 2 month PP (I gained 50+ total), and after that, nothing came off until I stopped.

I was one of those women it didn't do anything for me in the weight department. As soon as I stopped I lost 10lbs in 1 month.

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

I was back to pre pregnancy weight fairly quick

Re: question for breastfeeding moms or those who have-thanks!

Mine is 6 months old, I gained 62 pounds with him, all is off except 9 lbs.

All I do is walk, no other exercise. I totally think its the bfing.