Does anyone here find it difficult to lose while nursing? I have had several friends who have said that the weight just wouldn't go away (even though they tried) while they were nursing, but just fell off after they stopped.

that's exactly how I was with my first daughter. this time the weight is coming off, but we'll see how long that lasts!

With my son I held on to the weight while nursing and lost alot after but I still held onto the las 20 pounds then I wa pregnant again.I am losing now and nursing my almost 6 month old and I can see I really didnt try hard enough the last time around. In reality we only need 300-500 extra calories a day and thats so easy a sandwich with cheese and mayo and a cup of juice is enough to supply those calories. I just always over underestimated what I was eating just like during pregnancy and thats why I ended up gaining like 60 pounds.

You know, it can be frustrating to try to lose weight while nursing--in my case, for the simple reason that my calorie needs seem to vary so widely, depending on how much my baby is requiring. When, with my first son, I tried doing the Weight Watchers plan for nursing moms, I would experience a supply problem after about three days, because it just wasn't enough food. Eventually I found a calorie (not POINT) range that worked well for me; it was 2200-2400 calories per day. I was exercising regularly as well.

One thing I've noticed, though, is that my sense of hunger becomes a much more reliable measure of how much I should eat if I'm not eating SUGAR. Eating simple carbs makes the blood sugar spike and then crash, then suddenly you're STARVING again, even if you really don't need more calories. It's your blood sugar that needs a boost then.

I'm struggling right now with donuts. A couple of months ago, I was actually skinnier than I've been in my adult life, but the pounds have been creeping on . . . I need some encouragement to get out of this bad habit!

I need to start WRITING DOWN what I'm eating. That is so key. I'm just not acknowledging to myself what all I'm putting in my mouth. And, if I could see it all on paper, I might notice some nutritional deficiencies that may be contributing to my sugar cravings.

Sometimes, it's as simple as not eating enough at supper, then getting really hungry late at night -- the worst time to eat! -- and gobbling everything in sight.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

Tuliper

Just an anecdote - I heard this too and was hopeful for a big weight drop when I stopped nursing when my son was 10.5 months old, but the weight did not fall off for me. I'm 35, was 186 when I got pregant, and was sill 206 when my son was a year old. With exercise & watching what I eat the weight is slowly coming off & my shape is slowly (slowly!) changing for the better.

yup i'm right there with you...people always tell me that you lose while nursing, but i never have...i was 201 when i had my dd 6 months ago and after delivering dropped quickly to 195 and now i'm back at 208!!!!

What does your pediatrician say? Seems there is time after nursing?

I'm in the same boat. I nursed my daughter for 2.5 years, and couldn't lose for the life of me while nursing. When she weaned, I lost 30 lbs pretty easily w/in 11 months, then got pg again. My son is now 15 months, I lost 20 lbs after delivery, but that all stopped at about 2 weeks PP, I have now gained that 20 back, and am only 3 pounds under my weight the day I delivered him . It's so frustrating! I'm hoping once DS stops nursing, the weight will start to shed a bit better..in the meantime, I'm going to try harder at it and hope this time it will work. I'm so sick of having this extra weight.

I had my first child 8 months ago I weighed 201lbs the day he was born and 197lbs 4 months later. He was a preemie by two months so even though he nursed often he was always hungry and i had to supplement with formula in a bottle after every other feeding. When he was 4 1/2 months old he decided he did not want to nurse anymore and cried until he got the bottle I pumped for a couple weeks but never had enuff to satisfy him soooooo to make a long story short we switched to formula and although I have not been as successful with weight loss as planned I am not absolutely starving on an 1800 kal diet he is sleeping thru the night I get alot more excercise and since I was at 195lbs may 5th 2007 and I am at 178lbssept 24, 2007 today, I guess that is slow but steady progress. I can't push the world and the baby aside to achieve quick weight loss I do the best I can. There is alot of stress and adjustment mental and physical for us as new mothers and I for one do not need the added pressure of getting back to a size 8 by halloween especially when i have been trying like crazy for 5 months and i am still a size 14. I am not skinny, thin, or even average but I am not starving or binging, I excercise 5 days a week , and I eat balanced meals the fat is not melting off before my eyes but I trust that the excercise will keep me strong and my diet of 1800kal a day will provide me the energy/nutrition I need to stay happy and healthy even though I may very well still be a size 14 6 weeks from now I plan to be a stronger, fitter size 14 with all the energy I need to keep up with my boy. I hope we can all give ourselves the time our bodies need to heal before our goals become obsessions. Congratulations new mom's don't stress too much I would much rather be breastfeeding my boy today at 197lbs. than trying to see the bright side of bottle feeding at 178lbs. God Bless.

I actually gained weight while nursing...some thing like that could only happen to me lol. My youngest self weaned at 5 months I continued to pump for two months. It's been two weeks since he's been on fourmula and the weight is already coming off. I was always really worried if I was eating enough when I was nursing so I think I over ate a lot.

I was able to loose while nursing but then there was a point 3 months ago where I had to purposely not loose weight because my milk supply took a nosedive every time I lose a calorie I swear LOL (DD was 9mo) now that she is a year I plan to work out and eat like I feel is appropriate and jsut see what happens to my milk.

I intend to nurse for a year and don't want to be this unhealthy chubblet that whole time!

I lost (yes!) 9 kg. during the pregnancy, and now I regained 5 while nursing... I noticed I have less milk when I eat less than A LOT OF calories, so I don't know how to do: it seems a "weight loss OR breatsfeeding" thing. I know that they say just 300 calories more are all what you need to breastfeed, but it seems not to be true with me. I also restarted to binge eating like before my pregnancy; during the pregnancy I felt no need at all to binge...
Any advice???