# Did you hold onto weight while BFing?



## penstamon (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm a little frustrated because I weighed myself for the first time since DS was 6 weeks (he is 9 mo now) and I am still up 6 lbs from pp weight. I gained 29 lbs during pg, started out at a healthy weight/BMI (albeit 10 lbs more than ideal). I workout 5 days a week-intense cardio and weight training- and I walk and hike many miles daily. My diet has always been good and I don't overeat. Despite all these achievements, the fat doesn't budge. My pp clothes still don't quite fit .
 






My dr. said I am holding onto BFing weight, but when oh when will it go?

Did you lose only when you stopped altogether, or was there a magic time that your body decided that it didn't need so much stored?


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## PoppyMama (Jul 1, 2004)

I can do you one up...I gain weight. I weigh more at 9 months post than I did a couple of days after. Sucks. Really sucks.


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## candelaria80 (Nov 21, 2009)

I am still about 8 pounds out from my pp weight, it is such a bummer. To top it off I am bombarded with people raving about how the weight just "melts off" when breastfeeding!







I'm like, what am I doing wrong!


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

I loose the numbers on the scale pretty much straight away but I remain chunkier until around 18 months after giving birth.


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## Kristine233 (Jul 15, 2003)

I gained weight while breastfeeding. About 20-30 pounds total in the 13 months I breastfed... on top of pregnancy weight. Fun fun. After talking to a nutritionist and my Dr they said it wasn't unusual and wasn't my diet. Some women simply gain instead of lose. So, IMO, I'd be totally stoked if I lost any weight while breastfeeding, lol.


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## Lineymom (Mar 14, 2009)

I lose weight verrrrry slowly while bfeeding. Well, with my first it "melted" off and then I struggled to keep weight and not starve while pigging out constantly. With my middle child and current nursling it has gone sooo slowly. She is 5m and I have about 3-4lbs to go but am losing at a rate of about .5lb ever 2wks. With my middle child, he was 8-9months before it was all gone. I am one of those obsessive types that weighs most every morning.







After the immediate weight loss, I didn't start to loss anything until 8wk/2m, that was when I could feel the shift that my body was like "ok, safe to let it go."

I always gain a few when they start to relay more on solids, though....
Maybe your body will let you lose it when that happens. Gosh, I can't believe you are that active AND bfed!!!! I do strength exercise, but find that I can't handle much cardio... I get too hungry and am prone to mastitis.


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## Aufilia (Jul 31, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *penstamon* 
My pp clothes still don't quite fit .







My dr. said I am holding onto BFing weight, but when oh when will it go?

With #1 I lost weight like crazy for the first year, then plateaued until I weaned, at which point I gained 5lb or so. With this one, well, he's 6 months old and I've lost very little.

But what I wanted to say -- even when I was back to my original weight after my DD, my clothes still didn't fit because I was a different shape: bigger boobs followed by saggier boobs, and I always had a bit of a belly pooch even when I shrank down to a size 2. For the first year or 18 months I looked good in different styles of clothes than I'd normally buy just because my proportions were so different. Your postpartum body is maybe just _different_, regardless of what you weigh now.


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## lunarlady (Jan 4, 2010)

I wasn't back to my pre preg weight until 12 months PP, and didn't fit into my pre preg clothing until about 18 months PP, and my pre preg jeans to until about 2 years PP (sorry to tell you!)


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## TXmom2 (Sep 20, 2009)

Mine melted off quickly by 9wks PP but my supply tanked







so I ate like crazy and put back on about 6-8lbs. It helped my supply (even if not my self esteem)
Now, I can fit into some of my pre-preggo clothes but not all, just depends on the style. I'm still carrying a bit of belly flab


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## Surfacing (Jul 19, 2005)

I have a friend who is extremely lean and she held on to 7 lbs. while bfing. When she was done bfing, the 7 lbs just disappeared.

I am one of those women who packs on the pounds while bfing. Like I seriously look PG again.







Takes me about two years to get back to normal.









Sucks! But it's just a brief blip in the history of our lives...


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## akind1 (Jul 16, 2009)

I don't know if it is quite right, but my friends who were quite thin - or just slender - pre-baby - have a hard time losing weight while BF. once they wean, no problem losing weight. For me, as I have plenty of extra "cushion" I lost 20 of the 25 lbs I gained while pregnant in the first 6 weeks. at 5 months PP I have one more pound to go, although since my boobs are bigger and heavier than pre-pregnancy (I went from a DD to a G) I am probably really less than my pre pregnancy weight.

my theory is, if your body knows that you don't have much extra stored up in fat or whatever, it kind of holds on to it. In my case, I have plenty of "extra" so my body is like, well, we can afford to lose some of this! FWIW I try to be just naturally active, lots of walking, carrying DS, etc, not back to the gym just yet, and while I haven't cut calories, I try to eat healthier. I don't want to go to gung-ho on weightloss and my supply tank. I don't know that it will, but I don't want to chance it either.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

with ds1 i started at a healthy size but gained an inhuman amount of weight, maybe close to 80 or 100 lbs. i lost about 30 or so immediately after the birth, but the rest stuck around until ds slowed way down in his nursing. he was done despite my encouragement at 24 mos and that is when the rest came off on its own.

yrs later i developed some health issues and gained back a ton of weight. ]with ds2 i was about 100lbs overweight when i got pg (miracle of miracles!) but had hyperemesis and lost weight all through the pg. i weighed less the day i lef tthe hospital thatn i did the day i conceived, but i was still majorly fat and didnt lose any weight at all while nursing.


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

I was at a healthy weight when I got pregnant and gained 60lbs (ugh!) I dropped 30 immediately but gained back about 10 a few months after DD was born do to a very stressful situation. I'm now 15 months PP and that extra 40 lbs won't budge!!!! I eat well and have been exercising almost every day and still nothing. I'm going to test for cysts just to be sure that's not going on (I had problems in the past) and if that's ok, I might try and see a doc and check. I've heard holding on to 10 lbs or less is pretty normal but I'm thinking 40 is not! Especially with the amount that I'm working out.


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## akind1 (Jul 16, 2009)

debunks my theory! I am the only really overweight one in our circle of friends; everyone else is slim, and they all had major trouble losing baby weight until they weaned. Granted, they all wean between 6 mos and 1 year.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

I'm still up 10-15#s from pp, and 20-25#s from pp with DS1







So, yeah, I've more-or-less permanently gained weight since getting pregnant the first time. I keep hoping to at least drop the 10-15#s I had before getting pregnant the second time, but so far, no go. OH, DS2 is 8 months and DS1 is 3 now...


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## HappyFox05 (Apr 11, 2007)

Didn't lose it either time unless I actively watched what I ate & tried to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. So, no bf-caused free ride to weight loss for me, lol.


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## mambera (Sep 29, 2009)

I was super-stable at 123 lb for years pre-preg, without any particular attention to diet or exercise. Gained 29 lb while preg, lost 14 immediately and then another 10 lb slowly over 2 mo. Then I bounced *back* and have been hovering around 130 ever since. Now 10 mo postpartum and still bfing, weight is not budging. I have fit in most of my prepreg clothes since 6 weeks pp for the most part but they definitely do not fit the same way - can you say muffin top, bleh!









I am crossing my fingers those 7 lb will magically drop when DD weans. Although honestly I still am not paying any particular attention to diet or exercise so I realize it's not so realistic to expect this. Especially since I have heard a lot of people say that 30 y/o is the milestone where they started to have to watch their weight (I got preg at 30, I'm now 32.)

Sigh.


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## AlishaLukesMom (Feb 24, 2010)

I can't loose the last 10lbs and I am 14months post baby. Ugh. I hope it comes off soon, it is driving me crazy!


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## Mama Khi (Sep 2, 2007)

Well, at least it's not just me!


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

i've gained 25 lbs since i gave birth. sigh. i only gained 11 the whole pg, the lost 15 at birth. i. am. fat.


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## averlee (Apr 10, 2009)

I gained 40 pounds during pregnancy, and lost most of that during the birth. (Baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, and at least a gallon of poo, sweat, and tears, lol!) Those last 10-20 pounds hung around until just after my daughter's 2nd birthday. We're still nursing, she's almost 3, and I'm back at my pre-preg weight.


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## Inspired007 (Aug 25, 2006)

At first I thought that I held onto weight while bf'ing but then I realized that it was likely a combination of a lot of different factors. Over the last 3 months (my son is 5 months old) I've lost 25 lbs with diet and exercise. What I noticed is that since this was my second baby and I'm now over 30 that I really had to step it up a notch to get the weight off. Prior to my first child, I could do cardio 3-4 times a week for 30 mins a day and the weight would drip off. After my daughter, that maybe went to 4-5 times a week for 30 mins a day. This time, my metabolism was so screwy that it has taken me 5-6 days of cardio a week at 45-50 mins a day PLUS weight training 2-3 days a week for toning. I am now at my goal weight, which is 15 lbs lighter than I was prior to my second baby (and 10 lbs lighter than my first). I stick to a fairly controlled diet of about 1500-1800 cals a day which is a modest reduction in calories for my weight/height (I'm rarely hungry b/c I snack healthily during the day). I burn roughly 400-600 cals a day with cardio and strength training. Once I stepped up the cardio and strength, the weight started dripping off again at a rate of about 1-2 lbs a week depending. I am happy because my body has retained it's shape and I don't look all that different from how I did in college.

I think that the "nursing and holding on to weight" thing can be overcome but you may have to go over and beyond what is usually "normal" for you to find the happy medium. It seems like you're already fairly active, but maybe your body is too used to your fitness regimen. You could try mixing up the type of cardio you do in order to challenge your body a bit more. Our bodies go through so much before, during, and after childbirth and they don't always respond to the same stimuli the same way as before. Good luck!


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## OMWMom (Mar 3, 2008)

I definitely retain 5-7 lbs while breastfeeding. The scale will stay still on one number regardless of how much or how little I eat or exercise.


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## mamaw/two (Nov 21, 2005)

I not only hold onto weight, but actually gain while bfing. I don't eat any differently or any more. My 4th lo is 11 monthes old and I am still 15lbs heavier then a few days after his birth. I was determined not to let it happen again for the fourth time, so when he was 4 weeks old I started working out. I worked out for about 6 weeks, just brisk walking and weight training... I gained 10lbs. I was so frusterated that I quit for a month. I started back up at 4 monthes pp, I went hard core and was doing weights 4x a week, 45 mins of cardio 5-6x a week, 50 min pilates class 2x a week...I gained 10lbs more. After about 4 monthes of that I was exhausted (I had to get up 2 hrs before everyone to get to the gym, then get home, shower, and get 4 kids dressed and ready to drive ODD to school, and of course at night I still went to bed later then everyone with trying to get dinner made, lunches packed, homework done, baths, and bedtime!) I also have low thyroid, so that's part of my problem. I quit working out when he was 8 monthes old and quit dieting, I have lost 5lbs since then and get 2 extra hrs of sleep everynight! I'm going to just try to eat reasonably, go for nice walks and bike rides with my kids and not stress about the weight. When it starts coming off on it's own, then I will go back to my hard core workout.


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## ewe+lamb (Jul 20, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PoppyMama* 
I can do you one up...I gain weight. I weigh more at 9 months post than I did a couple of days after. Sucks. Really sucks.

This is me as well, I loose weight when pg and put it on while bfing, ds is starting to reduce significantly the bfing and I'm starting to loose now - I shalln't tell you how long this has been going on - that'd be just too depressing!!!

I walk everywhere and do 1 hour of cardio aerobics every day too! I remember feeling really cheated when every.single.doctor.midwife said how much weight I'd loose when breastfeeding - although that wasn't my goal but to actually put it on and eat less than other bfing mothers, I felt like my body was failing me, guess it's just the way we're made differently .... sigh


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## bcblondie (Jun 9, 2009)

I find that breastfeeding just makes me so dang hungry that I run out of healthy options and start eating junk. I mean. When you've had your 3 (or 4) healthy meals, plus like, yoghurt, fruits and veggies for snacks etc, you start to run out of snack ideas and reach for the chocolate. lol.

I did manage to lose the last pound but MAN it took work. I really had to count my calories. I used myfitnesspal.com.
I find exercise is overrated for weightloss, as you burn say, 200 calories in a good walk, but often eat slightly more or (conciously or subconciously) treat youreslf afterwards. A small bowl of icecream runs you 200 cals easily.


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## tri31 (Jan 30, 2007)

If I recall, I was still nursing when I got pregnant, the number on the scale was about 8 pounds more than I usually weigh. However I looked great, I was very focused on diet and exercise. So I look at the pictures at the beach last year and I see my muscles were toned and my clothes fit nicely. So is it muscle vs fat or breastfeeding? Personally I am happy with a higher number as long as I look fit. Best wishes.


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## lovepiggie (May 10, 2009)

I gained 35 lbs while pregnant... I weighed myself when I was 2 days pp and I was already 18 lbs less! I lost the rest of the weight pretty quickly. I'm actually a few lbs lower than my pre pregnancy weight, but I still don't fit some of my clothes because my hips and ribcage are wider!


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## mambera (Sep 29, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lovepiggie* 
my hips and ribcage are wider!

Me too darnit! (It's not just the extra 7 lbs.) So I guess this is forever? I don't like it.


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## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

I tend to hold onto 10 lbs while nursing, but to be honest, I'm not being that good about eating or exercising. With DS #1 I was the same, but started to lose that last little bit when he wasn't really getting much milk from me anymore. He was still nursing, but it was very sporadic and I think he was purposely avoiding stimulating my milk supply (nursing for comfort only). Of course, I got pregnant again shortly thereafter, so I started this pregnancy about 8-10 lbs heavier than last time.

I'm never hungry when I'm pregnant (I actually lost weight my last few weeks of pregnancy!) but I'm ravenous post-partum.


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## karika (Nov 4, 2005)

I have 20 lbs more now than pp weight (baby is almost 17 mo). It is a good thing. For some reason it is necessary to produce milk. With dd1 I carried an extra 15 lbs until I started leaving her for 10 hrs a day to go to work at 12 mo... I lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks and my supply went down (many reasons I am sure... solids, work, not having a baby at breast every 4 hrs, though I pumped more than once while there...) I stopped working again when she was 18 mo and ate better and supply went up... But when she was 3.5 yo I had gotten down to 98 lbs (pp weight was 100) and I had no milk. I was beginning to be ill. So, love that extra weight, it is what is intended to help feed babies somehow... I look at all my cool clothes and wish I could fit in them, but I know I will again someday... For now I am content wearing my early pregnancy pants and old shirts... oh, and I have one pair of jeans that I can get on, so that is cool...


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## lovepiggie (May 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mambera* 
Me too darnit! (It's not just the extra 7 lbs.) So I guess this is forever? I don't like it.









I hope it's not forever







Although I did try on a dress a few days ago that definitely didn't fit last month, and it fit even though I haven't lost anymore weight. So it seems that things are slowly returning...

I also think my face seems chubbier post partum, so I hope that's not forever!


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## lkmiscnet (Jan 12, 2009)

BFing weight GAIN? I thought BF caused you to lose weight from the additional calories burned???

I gained 24 lbs with my pregancy and was 10 lbs below my PP weight within about 2 months. However, while my weight has stayed there, I have gained fat around my middle and am "fatter". I think I ate more with the knowledge that I was supposedly burning those calories.

I am still BFing at a year. Not sure what to expect when my LO is weaned.


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## judybean (Jul 8, 2004)

with dd3 I completely held on to weight... until dd3 was nursing just at night (more comfort than food) or every other day until completely weaning at 40 months... and then I was able to easily lost 35 pounds... I think while I was nursing I actually slowly *gained* some weight.

This time around I'm hovering around my pre-preg weight (I gained *very* little during pregnancy so came out about even after birthing dd4).. I'm hoping to just maintain. We'll see though...


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## sanguine_speed (May 25, 2005)




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## MommyMad (Feb 23, 2009)

I gained 33lbs during pregnancy and today at almost 6 months post, I'm still holding on to 8lbs.

I'll admit to not really doing anything to lose the weight because of fear of my supply tanking and having to formula feed. However, now that 6 months have rolled around, I've tried limiting my intake a bit and I have noticed a decline of about 1 - 2oz. I'm holding steady now because I don't want to lose any add'l supply. I do notice that the days I eat A LOT, the 2oz do reappear.


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

Pretty much. I was the same size 2 years when I weaned seth as I was after I gave birth. There was a point in time where I lost 30 lbs by exercising a lot and eating mostly vegetarian diet but gained it all back LOL


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