Breastfeeding and Fat Loss
“Nurse your baby!” the experts say, “You’ll burn so many more calories! The baby weight will just melt right off.”
Ever since my very first baby was born years ago, I’ve been suspicious of these experts who advised that breastfeeding would cause me to lose the baby weight faster. It sure never helped me. As a matter of fact, it was only after weaning that I would lose any fat at all, but then again, I was super unhealthy back then and not eating well. (Read my comparison of my healthy and unhealthy pregnancies here.)
Baby #4 was my real test. I stayed active throughout pregnancy, performing my last workout of squats and burpees just days before he was born. I was a nutrition coach and followed a highly nutritious diet. Postpartum, I have followed my pre-pregnancy workout schedule and diet, and I have made great progress, losing all but the last 5-10 pounds within the first 6 months postpartum. And so with those last few pounds not budging no matter what I do (I’m still nursing at 12 months postpartum at this writing), I have to wonder:
If you burn so many calories from nursing, about 500 on average per day, then why in the world do some mothers have such a hard time dropping the last few pounds? And why do the experts tell us the opposite is true? Here is what I found in the latest scientific studies.
Breastfeeding Does Burn Calories, but….
If you’re a breastfeeding mom, you’ve probably heard that nursing will burn 500 calories a day. This is surely the reason the experts tell us that breastfeeding will help us lose the baby weight, that’s like a killer workout!
However, so many other factors that come into play when discussing ANYONE’S metabolism, but especially a woman during her postpartum period. Like:
- Lack of Sleep: A decrease in sleep, typical of just about every new mom, can cause metabolism to slow by causing a hormonal change that can interfere with your hunger signals, causing you to eat more than you actually need.
- Stress: Stress releases cortisol, which slows metabolism, and if you’re also not sleeping much, the cortisol is not being removed from the body at night during restorative sleep. I think we can all agree that even if we are blissfully joyful, most new moms are also highly stressed.
- Less Activity, More Eating: In the first few months postpartum, most moms are sitting with baby more and may have less time for regular activity while they adjust to a new routine (even if they’re working out). In addition, the increase in energy needs for milk production can make you feel ravenous, causing you to eat more than normal, and possibly more than needed.
- Not Enough Eating: Some moms are so busy and overwhelmed in the first months of their baby’s life or mistakenly think they need to cut calories severely to lose weight and don’t eat nearly enough, which can cause the body to believe there is famine and actually store fat as an energy reserve.
- Number of Nursing Sessions: An exclusively breastfed baby who is nursing every hour or two will put a greater energy (calorie) demand on his/her mom than one who is nursing just a few times a day. Therefore, an older baby who is eating solids and nursing less often will require less energy demand on his mother’s body than a newborn. Likewise, any baby who is being supplemented with formula will also require less milk production and therefore calorie demand from her mother.
So the number that is typically thrown out there, 500 additional calories per day, can be way off and totally misleading, depending on the preceding factors.
Even with all of these factors at play, studies found that breastfeeding moms tend to start to lose more weight around the 4 month mark, and even more when they finally wean. Why is this?
One word: hormones.
Need a personalized program with postpartum weight loss? I can help you.
Hormones During Breastfeeding
During breastfeeding, hormones are very different than any other time in life. Breastfeeding mothers experience a drop in testosterone and estrogen, which are both fat burning, and an increase in prolactin.
Prolactin is the hormone that causes your body to produce breastmilk (prolactin = pro-lactation). It is elevated during pregnancy, but is kept in check by progesterone and estrogen levels, which both drop right after the baby is born. This allows the effects of prolactin to begin and the milk to come in for the baby. Prolactin levels rise every single time the baby nurses, signaled by nipple stimulation. So what does this have to do with fat loss?
Prolactin hormone is – TA-DAHHHH – also linked to fat storage. It makes sense that our bodies would put some sort of safeguard into place to protect baby’s milk supply, and it seems that prolactin may be that safety net. Prolactin seems to keep the nursing mother from mobilizing fat stores, so that there is always an energy reserve in case of famine.
Sometime between the 4-6 month postpartum mark, breastfeeding mothers experience a drop in prolactin. Suddenly, metabolism may begin to increase, and studies show that these mothers will generally start to see more fat loss at this point. Again, once the baby weans, within 24 hours prolactin levels drop again, and this might explain why those stubborn final 5-10 pounds suddenly disappear as fat metabolism returns to pre-lactation/pre-pregnancy levels.
Interestingly enough, prolactin also affects sex drive and fertility, usually causing a low libido, and cessation of periods and ovulation. After the sixth month mark, your periods may return and you might be feeling like your old sexual self – this is a sign that your fertility has returned and prolactin has dropped.
So What Does It All Mean?
I went through dozens and dozens of studies for this article, trying to find a definitive answer to give you: Is it truly more difficult to lose fat while you’re breastfeeding? The truth is that the studies all contradicted each other, and at this time there is no real scientific answer, only my (semi) educated opinion: It can be for some women.
It’s important to remember that EVERYONE is different. We all live our day-to-day lives quite differently, have different hormone profiles and genetics. This is why we all have that one friend who seemed to nurse away all the baby weight and then some with little effort while you worked your butt off with frustrating results. How your body reacts to the changes that come along with nursing will most certainly be different from my body.
However, you can see that the breastfeeding mother does have a different scenario on her hands than the average woman when it comes to fat loss. We are working against hormones, stress, lack of sleep, and exhaustion.
Losing Fat While Breastfeeding
If you’re dead-set on getting off those last few pounds or have an aesthetic goal to reach, then you’ll be happy to know that breastfeeding is not a death sentence to losing the last few stubborn pounds. You CAN lose fat while nursing, it just won’t be the same game as before.
Here are a few fat loss tricks you can try if you want to try and get past the “Prolactin Plateau” (I just made that up and would like to copyright it, please) 🙂
- Instead of counting calories and and adding 500 for nursing, try just having healthy food around and just eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. This takes some practice if you’re a chronic dieter, and I would HIGHLY recommend the book Intuitive Eating to help you with this.
- Fill your plate with mostly protein and veggies, then fill in the rest with fruits, healthy fats, legumes, and whole grains.
- Eat fewer starches, or try eating starches only within 2 hours of your workout. (Starches = bread, pasta, potatoes, crackers, etc, even whole wheat/grain)
- Stop doing long, steady cardio and try HIIT workouts instead. These are great for new moms because they take less time but are actually MORE efficient at calorie burning than steady-state cardio. Try one of these HIIT workouts.
- If you do want to count calories, go to the breastfeeding calorie calculator here, add your info and subtract 15%. If this doesn’t work after a couple of weeks, you can try lowering the amount you are eating by 50 calories per day a week at a time. This will let your body know you aren’t starving so it won’t hold onto the fat, and it also won’t threaten your milk supply. I go into more detail here.
My Experience and My Thoughts
So, yes, breastfeeding did in fact put a little bit of a damper in my plans to get my pre-baby body back, visible abs and all. It became clear to me around the 5 month post-partum mark that while I COULD do it, I just didn’t freaking want to.
I realized that I could work out harder or longer, eat less starch and sugar, follow my own “get ripped plan” that I have written about here, be more strict about my calorie intake, skip the birthday cake at parties, and really focus hard on getting back that body. No excuses, right?
My focus during this first year was on SURVIVAL, people. And most of the time, survival for me meant SELF-CARE. Self-care meant:
- eating foods that nourished me and my baby, gave me energy, and made me feel my best
- exercising because I love it, for just 30 minutes of ME-time, because it gave me energy, but NOT pushing myself to exhaustion and knowing when I was too tired from sleepless nights to make myself do it.
- staying balanced and eating the cake at the party sometimes
- staying centered and meditating daily (Read Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program)
- learning and practicing loving my reflection in the mirror NO MATTER WHAT.
And the fact is, it’s FIVE POUNDS, maybe 10 from my leanest. I’m in the same pre-pregnancy clothes, I feel great, I am healthy and stronger than ever.
Maybe the experts do think that if they tell us that nursing might make losing the baby weight more difficult, we won’t do it. I made the decision to continue anyways, but that is an individual choice for everyone and one that should be informed. Now that you know (well, kind of), will you continue to breastfeed?
Sources:
- Body Composition Changes during Lactation Are Highly Variable among Women
- Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries
- Oxytocin and prolactin levels in breast-feeding women. Correlation with milk yield and duration of breast-feeding.
- Hormone Prolactin Reduces Fat Metabolism
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding
- Energy metabolism, body composition, and milk production in healthy Swedish women during lactation.
- Breastfeeding and postpartum weight retention in a cohort of Brazilian women
What an informative and well written article. I am still breastfeeding my 5 month old and am struggling with those last 5 pounds (which some of which are hiding in my crazy boobs). I have read so many articles that contradict themselves as well. It’s nice to hear it from a fellow mom who is going through it with me. When it comes down to it a healthy happy baby is just way more important than 5 pounds!
Thanks Lauren! And hey the 5 pounds could have found a lot worse places to hide than in your boobs! 🙂 Good luck!
Wow!! This is the best article I have EVER read on losing weight while breastfeeding! I thought I was crazy that I couldn’t seem to make my weight budge but this makes so much sense! Thank you for being so real about this subject, it’s refreshing!!
You’re welcome Kris! You’re not crazy 🙂
Hi Lauren,
I am just finding this article. I never lost the last 10 lbs from my first baby bc when she was 9 months I got pregnant again. Now my second “baby” is 2 years old and I am still nursing. I am 15 lbs more than I want to be and I am having such a hard time following a plan where I don’t end up overeating in the evening. Any tips?
Hi thank you so much for sharing this. I lost all the pregnancy weight but have tried to lose an extra 20 I put on before I was even pregnant and have had this same result. No matter what I do I seem to be making a snail’s pace progress. I’m 5 months postpartum and my baby girl has just started to bf a little less so maybe things will change for me soon, this is good to know. It’s frustrating to work so hard with little result. I knew something had to be up! Thanks again!!!!
I totally understand Misty. It’s very frustrating but sometimes hearing a reason can make things a little easier to process and let go a little bit. Good luck!
Thanks so much for your post. It makes sence to me. I always loose my last 10lbs right after I quit nursing. I always wondered why but not I see. 🙂
It’s so timely to read your article because I was just telling my husband today that I haven’t changed anything but in the last week or so, I’m losing weight! Our daughter (second child) turned 4 mos on 12/7 so that makes a lot of sense! Nursing is so interesting to me because I have found with both of my children that I’m much hungrier nursing than I ever am pregnant. So, I tend to not gain a lot of weight while pregnant and then I play with about 5 pounds while nursing. I nursed our son for 13 months and got pregnant 2 months later and was the exact same starting weight as my first pregnancy. It’s so encouraging to me what our bodies will do if we just trust them and do a lot of the things you said–eat well, exercise (but not go crazy), and enjoy the cake sometimes…I like that last bit the most:)
Love this Courtney! Yes, the cake is a must 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Great article! Thank you for enlightening me. I am nursing my 5th child, who is right at 5 months. He was born 8 years after my fourth after I remarried. After that fourth baby I decided to take my life back and eat right and exercise. I tried to continue working out throughout the pregnancy as much as possible. I did gain a lot if weight though. I resumed working out as soon as possible after the baby was born but weight loss is very slow. I am afraid to cut too many calories so I don’t jeopardize my milk supply. Your article was very comforting for me and I look forward to reading more from you!
Hi Brenda! Your story sounds so similar to mine only I remarried after my third, got in shape, and had my fourth 7 years later! Isn’t it crazy starting over? I’m so glad you found this comforting, it helped me too in writing it. Hang in there 🙂
Great article! I’m nursing my 7 month old and we nurse lots during the day and ALL night long. With my daughter (who I had 7 years ago) I ate less and moved more but I was also not in a great place with my marriage and I was 15 lbs thinner (I was super thin). Now I’m about 5 lbs from my normal weight. I know I could loose it by eating less but I feel like you exactly. I just want to survive and if eating a bit more is helping me feel sane and make it then I’m okay with that. I have started exercising more and I’m hoping that that will change things. I’m trying not to stress about the scale and would rather go on how I look and how my clothes fit.
I so hear you on this Lily! We’re still nursing at 13 months and I’m trying to step up my game now that I’m not so much in survival mode and have a little more of a consistent schedule. When the time is right you will be able to do it no problem!! 🙂 You’re doing a fabulous job 🙂
Great insight and advice =) I’m bf-ing my 16 month year old and while I’ve lost all the extra weight I gained during pregnancy I’ve experienced a 6 month plateau (I probably have an additional 5-8kg to lose to see me at my leanest). I’m training a lot for a half marathon and have a fairly good diet. My body fat % and weight have not changed in 6 months despite seeing massive fitness gains and I’m sure it’s to do with lack of sleep, hormones and bf-ing. It’s slightly annoying at times but I love running so I try not to think about the number on the scales and focus on being happy, healthy and enjoy this time with my little guy. Great article =)
Thanks Lou! I’m also training for a half, and my husband, who is a PT, says that during long distance training you will hold onto so much more water weight than normal. Your body is desperately storing glycogen in your muscles to use as energy during those long runs. That made me feel better:)
THANK YOU!!! Such a great article and I appreciate all the research you put into making it happen. I am so curious to see what will happen with my body and this process in 2 months! Thanks!
You’re welcome Cassie! I appreciate you stopping by!
I absolutely love this and have been searching for this information. I share your mentality towards fitness while maintaining balance and reasonable expectations. I exclusively breastfed both my kids and have had 2 very different experiences. I got my period back immediately with my son and dropped weight without trying. I’ve been working hard at it this time around with SLOW progress. I’ve been doing HIIT, lifting weights, & eating about 2300 “clean” calories. My daughter is 10 mo now and my period has not returned. Hormones definitely play a big role in weight loss.
How interesting that your experiences were so different! Our bodies are amazing aren’t they? Thank you for stopping by Michele!
This is perfection! Thank you so much for your post. Almost all of my friends are the type that the weight zaps away. I would try to explain to them how I’d lose a good amount of weight at first but after that, nothing. This describes it all so well. I’m currently pregnant with #4 and will still breastfeed for about a year when she comes. I feel like it’s best for baby and so much more convenient than bottles and formula. Thanks again for your post and tips!
Amanda, don’t you hate being the only friend who holds onto the weight? I was starting to feel crazy 🙂 good luck with baby 4, it’s a great number to have!!
I have been so frustrated that the weight has been so slow to come off since I had my twins in February of 2014. Everyone talked about how much weight I would lose, but that has not been the case. I am still nursing them, and selfishly, this post makes me want to quit. I don’t feel like myself, and I hate it. But I’m not sure if I or they are ready to quit nursing cold turkey!
Hey Sarah — I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but quitting did not make me lose the last 5 like I had hypothesized while writing this article. Granted it has only been a month, but I do believe that it is just a hormone thing that you have to be patient with no matter what you do. I have heard before that it takes 2 full years for a woman’s body to become hormonally “normal” again after giving birth. Austin weaned himself and I totally thought, NOW it will all fall off! And I not only didn’t lose 5, I gained 5!! I’m trying reverse dieting (I INCREASED my calories and am slooowwwwlllly cutting them by 50/day every week) and that’s working! I totally understand your frustration though. I just would hate to see anyone quit nursing because of something I wrote…try reading this article first.
Thanks for this great article! I “held on” to those pesky 10 lbs after my son was born and when he stopped nursing at one year old, they practically fell off overnight. Now, my second child is 5 months and I have the same problem. I must admit, sometimes I feel Like giving up just to lose that weight. But I’m not…. A year will come, I’ll wean the baby and that extra stored fat will melt away again. It’s a small price to pay to doing what’s best for my baby! This article is the greatest thing I’ve ever read.
That is the nicest thing anyone ever commented 🙂 You can do it Jen! Hang in there!
HI!
Thanks for the information! I have been driving myself CRAZY trying to figure out why I cannot lose the 20 lbs I gained. Baby boy is 11 months old and I am still nursing him a few times during the day and then mostly for comfort at night. I was doing Jillian Michaels DVD 30 Day shred for a month and now just started the insanity workouts. After almost 6 weeks of working out I have yet to lose even an inch. It is EXTREMELY discouraging. I guess I just need to wait until he is weaned to see any results.
I understand completely. Stay tuned for a more detailed post on how to lose the last few while nursing!
I experienced this same thing with my first baby. I felt fat -the heaviest in my life- and embarrassed and nothing I tried worked.Then when she self-weaned at 11 months, I literally automatically went down to a fit size 6 without changing anything else! Now, once again, after this second pregnancy, I lost most of the baby weight in my first week post-partum. But then gained fat around my belly, hips and thighs and don’t feel like myself. But, I am eating extremely healthy, chasing 2 kids, getting exercise when I can and still nursing a 16-month old. I prioritize her above my bikini body. I am just realizing I must be a combination of hormones and trying to cut calories that is back-firing on me! I need to relax and realize that when I get her to wean I will see my body change again. Thank you for writing this so we don’t feel alone.
Megan – I finally had to INCREASE my calories and then cut again to lose the last few pounds! I’m writing an article about my experience now!
Hi, thanks for all the information. I wanted to know if you know anything about thyroid regulation and weight loss while nursing. I lost all my pregnancy weight by 3 months post partum. When we arrived at 4 month mark; I started loosing a lot of hair, gaining weight, and joint ache. My baby is now 6months and I have put back 10lbs that arent going anywhere! I have read that it could be to the thyiroid trying to regulate itself. How does Prolactin play a roll in this situation? Any info is greatly appreciated.
Hi, unfortunately I don’t know anything about the correlation between thyroid and prolactin, and a quick google search turned up nothing substantial. It definitely sounds like you’re experiencing some sort of hormone disruption and I would check in with your doctor to get tested! Also, in the meantime, have you tried any of these things? http://www.coachcalorie.com/increase-low-thyroid-levels/
Great article! I’ve had a tough time finding any real great explanation why some women hold onto weight while breastfeeding. I held onto it for awhile while nursing my first son and I am now 4 weeks pp with my second. I haven’t really ever felt a decrease in libido up until now – it is not cool! I’ve been really frustrated about the extra weight because I eat pretty clean (no breads/pasta, very limited extra sugar (sometimes I have a 85-90% cocoa at night), even limited fruit, but am still about 30 lbs away from my goal weight. I can’t even believe that I gained that much! Do you have any thoughts about the Renegade diet while nursing? Or intermittent fasting while nursing? What I’ve found online suggests that fasting for less than 24 hours doesn’t impact your milk, but I am obsessed with worrying about supply. I have started some of the aspects of renegade, including fasting for 14-16 hours of the day (9p-11a or 1p), and am not eating carbs until later in the day, but i worry about the effects.
Hi Rachel! Congrats on your new baby! I’m not familiar with the Renegade diet, but I do know that there has been recent research with some evidence that Intermittent Fasting can wreak havoc on women’s hormones. I myself had a very bad experience with it before pregnancy, I did get very lean but my hormones went absolutely crazy and I was not myself for about 6 months. I would read this: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting-women and I would be very, very cautious with IF while nursing. Are you eating ENOUGH calories? You can email me if you want and I can help you figure something out. deannaschober @ gmail
Hi Deanna!
I just wanted to let you know that your article really rang true for me (and helped me!!). I finally lost some weight at 4 months, and a little more at 6. He’s 8 months old and I’m hoping to shed the last few pounds soon! I remember how frustrating it was that the weight just wouldn’t come off but then all of a sudden, right around those times, it just fell off – without any change in diet or exercise!
Anyway, thanks for the article! I share this info often!
Geez I wish it was just 5 or 10 pounds that won’t go away. I weigh exactly what I did when I left the hospital. It’s been 7 months, exclusively nursed for 6. But I have PCOS, so I have a sinking feeling I’ll have to go back on Metformin to lose weight.
Haley, that’s got to be tough…I’m really sorry. You should join our Fit After Pregnancy group on Facebook and maybe I can help you out, or at least give you some encouragment: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678700002357918/
I have a 10 week old, and have 40lsb to lose, exactly what i gained. my size 4’s are a distant memory of my past and everyone said , “oh! the weight will come of fwhne you breastfeed!” FALSE. this article hit it right on the dot. I was back to work, full time at 6 weeks, in a high stress sales position, i have to pump all of the time and my weight is not “melting off.” i feel i don’t have time to work out, bc i am pumping during my free time, or at home, I am preparing for the next day and finally lay down at 9am, just to wake again 2.5-3 hours later to nurse her…. I liked this article bc it made me feel a bit better about not loosing the weight right away. I think also my issue is not easting enough. I used the Breast Feeding Calorie calculator, and it said i need 1850 per day! that’s insane, i couldn’t eat that much if i wanted to…. i am hoping to hire a trainer to help me lose the weight bc right now i just feel horrible. my daughter is absolutely beautiful and healthy though…. all worth it. just frustrating. thanks for the article. it helped!
I’m glad it helped and I hope things turn around for your soon!
Thank you for this article!! My baby is now 10 months and exclusively breastfed and the pounds are just not falling off. I’ve gained ~8 pounds from 2-8 months postpartum and now my body appears to be holding steady. I’m 18 pounds above my normal weight and it’s so depressing. I feel so at odds with everything–on the one hand I’m like F it, weight loss can wait but then out of nowhere I get depressed about it. I used to count calories religiously and don’t do that anymore because I find it a slippery slope into an unhealthy mindset about food …not being able to lose makes me want o reconsider.. Thank you for your article…it was written very well and makes mothers feel like they’re not alone in struggling with weight while breastfeeding.
I sent a friend request for your Facebook group–I’d love to talk to other mommies looking to get fit post baby.
Welcome to our group Christina! I’m so sorry you are struggling! Let me know if I can answer anything for you!
Thank you for such a well laid out article. All my nursing friends easily dropped weight and there I was holding on to 40 lbs despite healthy eating habits and regular exercise (I’ve never been one to count calories, more of an intuitive eater). I breastfed for 22 months with barely a drop in the scale, maybe 5 lbs occasionally, despite being healthier then I had ever been since high school. I never had such a struggle with my 1st two kids, and I wasn’t even trying with them it just sort of happened, but I also didn’t breastfeed past 4 months with them. In less then a month after weaning my weight started dropping, my energy levels improved along with my mood. I felt like my old self again! Then within a few weeks I ended up pregnant again (darn re surging libido lol!). So I didn’t get to see how that would have played out. But 4months into breastfeeding baby #4 and I plan on nursing for at least 18 months again depending on what baby wants to do. Temporary weight retention is totally worth the benefits of breastfeeding my baby (plus all the saved money of not buying formula). This time around I’ve been more focused on eating more frequently and including more protein, last time around I would routinely forget to eat being so busy with baby + 2 little boys. I noticed finally that I drop a good amount of weight right after birth (first 6 weeks or so) when I am ravenous and eating large amounts of protein. But as baby gets older and I start getting caught up in life, my appetite decreases. Fingers crossed this at least helps my energy and mood levels!
Good luck!!
Excellent article. My daughter is 8 weeks and I must admit that I’m very seriously considering giving up breastfeeding in a couple weeks to drop the last 10 pounds. I need to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes for my return to work (before pregnancy I was super fit and a size 0 to 2), and I’ve been eating clean and vigorously exercising (HIIT boot camp for an hour a day) with–strangely–absolutely no results. The only issue is I feel somewhat guilty for weaning her… She really loves nursing and only takes a bottle when she’s alone with the nanny.
Hi Sara! While I would never say what to do or not do I wouldn’t plan on getting the weight to slide off just by stopping nursing. It has yet to happen for me:) I swear my body holds onto a reserve in case I ever need to feed my entire family breastmilk to survive;) Once I had my kids self wean it still took a few months for the weight to leave and oddly it was not located in the same places as before! I was always a petite size before my first and she very kindly moved my hips to the point I might be the same size but I wont be a petite again! Just a little fi info. Do what makes you feel good and what you think is best just dont bet on regrouping as fast or exactly as you might expect. Are there any work clothes that can close the gap between now and then. Oh and another fyi. My breasts grew enough with my first that I have yet-expecting my third-to go back down to that size. i went from a B to a EE to a G cup. None of my B shirts will button and its all acros the chest. First in my family for that one and cant say its a huge problem;)
THANK YOU!! Thank you so much for writing this. I just had my second child on 4/1/15, and I’m a nursing mom who also works full time/pumps at work. I lifted heavy weights/kickboxed my entire pregnancy, and jumped back in the gym with HARD workouts 5x’s per week as soon as i hit the 12 week postpartum mark. I count every calorie and work my butt off, and I’m LUCKY if I lose 1 lb a week. I’ve been feeling SOOO defeated… and feeling like I’m spinning my wheels and wasting the little time I have outside of work on workouts that aren’t working and planning healthy meals that aren’t making a difference.
After reading this article, I’m will continue to breastfeed… I was never considering stopping to lose weight faster. But at least now, I know I am changing my body– getting stronger, etc…– but I can’t expect to lose my usual 2-3 lbs a week. I need to focus on non-scale victories– lifting heavier, running faster, eating clean, etc… Then when I do stop breastfeeding, I will have built up fat-burning muscle and clean eating is just a normal part of life. I have a renewed sense of hope. Thank you!!
Yay!!! I’m now 6 months out from weaning and in the best shape of my life again – it WILL happen, I promise!
Looking through Google I came across this. It’s very upsetting to be BF a 17 month old, and still 11-12 kg overweight. I have lost NOTHING since the first week. I too think about dropping BF’d as I so want my body back-I hate the sight of myself. I exercised during pregnancy, and eat very well…but I put on 22kg+ (I stopped counting at the end). It makes sense…I just hope it’s not my age (40) and my metabolism that has changed for good.
Hang in there Alexandra! I understand the frustration.
Thank you so much for this article.you have given me hope.I am still breastfeeding my 15months old daughter. I’ve gained 21kg’s,started doing zumba,taebo and I run up and down the stairs.I try my best to eat healthy,but I haven’t lost any of the weight.Hopefully when my Daughter stops bf I will lose the weight.
This was very uplifting for me to read. I’ve been struggling to get back to my pre-baby weight since the birth of my second child. Eating 1800 to 2200 calories daily, doing crossfit 3-4 days a week and walking I haven’t seen a change on the scale. It’s really great to read that my body is just doing what’s best for my nursing baby. This is a good reminder to be patient and keep working hard and I will get back to that pre-baby body at some point even if it takes a few more months. Thank you for the read!
You’re welcome! Good luck Michelle.
i was crazy losing fat during breast feeding and i started dieting after postpartum but suddenly i noticed that my kid is not getting enough milk! so stop dieting. after one year i loose my weight gradually but struggling with the last 5 pounds! i hope your writing will help me to sort out the problem. thanks.
Great information – I must tell my daughter who is having her first baby in a few months! Thanks!
Well, ladies….I am still nursing my 25 mo. baby girl! I have not read anything about gaining weight before but I have thought that nursing is making me store some fats somewhere I don’t have before eventhough we eat very well as a family. You just confirmed what I was thinking! Great post! 🙂
Wow… Very nice and useful info for first time moms. 🙂
Thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU! Seriously, this was one of the most comprehensive and well-organized articles I have read about the topic. And believe me, I have researched a TON after struggling to lose weight while BFing my first. I have to admit, (and part of me is ashamed to admit it) a small part of why I weaned so early (around 5 months) is because my body would not lose a single pound despite how hard I worked. I always knew the formula of losing weight, eat less+exercise more, and it just was NOT happening. This, along with major supply issues, a major bottle preference, and an inability to pump more than a couple ounces, we sadly had to stop this “magical” and “so natural” process. Nothing about breastfeeding was magical or natural for me, and I worked with lactation specialists, did my research, etc. The fact that I couldn’t lose weight ON TOP of that was just beyond frustrating.
This time around (I’m about 5 months preggo) I’m gonna give it at least 6 months, ideally a year, and be much more patient about the weight loss. I will definitely use your tips–I appreciate them so very much!
Elizabeth
You’re so welcome and thank you for sharing your story! So many moms out there struggle not only physically with breastfeeding but mentally as well. There is no right or wrong way to get through it, only the way that works for YOU and your baby! You’re doing great. Good luck!!
Hi Elizabeth, I don’t know if you will see this, but I just wanted to give you some encouragement, re:breastfeeding. I went into it so sure that it would just be natural and easy the first time around and it definitely was NOT. A whole slew of problems later and I quit nursing around 4 1/2 months. The second time around I really wanted to make it a year but ended up with a baby who nursed 15-18 times a day. With all that nursing the weight really did fall off of me but by 7 months I was ready to have a little time to myself again. We were completely done by 9 months. With my third I was determined to make it a year and we are currently at 10 1/2 months and so SO close. I was playing around with the idea of nursing passed a year or as long as we both want but was getting frustrated with those last five pounds that I have been holding on to. I have gotten down a couple of times but it jumps right back on as soon as I lax off even a tiny bit. This article, and all the comments on here have encouraged me to just enjoy non-scale victories, and not rush anything to an end before we are ready.
Anyhow, I just wanted to encourage you and let you know that just because breastfeeding can be difficult and isn’t as enjoyable and easy as it is for some, it is still possible to have a normal BFing relationship.
A great article. I’m over in the UK. I’ve been really puzzled why my body fat is so high (despite lifting weights x5 a week and doing 3-4 short HIIT sessions). I’m currently BFing an 18 mo. When I was NOT pregnant OR breastfeeding, I lost half a stone by intermittent fasting (5:2) with not much exercise and my body fat was low at 16.8%. I ate like king on non fast days – high fat. I’m now in the best shape I’ve ever been due to lifting and HIIT, a stone lighter than prepregnancy and I watch my fat intake (much less than I used to eat pre preg) BUT body fat is much higher at 27%! I’m convinced it’s because my body is hanging onto fat to make milk. But I won’t stop BFing just yet : we both still enjoy it and she’s my last baby. Good luck to everyone out there. Thanks for posting this article.
You’re doing a great job 🙂
Great article! It is all about the prolactin-plateau – you should definitely TM that term.
I am a pilates, yoga & dance fitness instructor 7.5 months post partum and still exclusively breast feeding. We are slowly introducing some baby led feeding.
LaBlast dance fitness is a wonderful HIIT cardio workout – and super fun – check it out! Louis Van Amstel created this workout based on his work on DWTS.
I am still storing the last 5 pounds -mostly breast weight and all over softness from the prolactin effect. Libido very low and no periods yet.
However the OXYTOCIN soars when I am close to baby. So I’m enjoying no periods still and get all the intimacy from baby. It’s a bit easier though because I am not in a committed relationship – so I encourage all you ladies with partners to supply them with scientific information as to why your just “not in the mood”.
DON’T Worry about it Mamas! BE KIND to yourselves – you just brought an amazing PERSON to earth and are super busy caring for him/her (as well as all your loved ones).
Lots of love, dance & support to all the Mom’s out there – past & present xo
I had never thought about the oxytocin effect with baby, so true! Thanks for a great comment!
This was so helpful! I’ve been nursing for 7 weeks and was less than impressed with my weight loss at my post-partum checkup yesterday. I am going to try your HIIT workout and try to stay positive about my body! Thank you for blogging!
Thank you Katie! Good luck!
Thank you soo much for putting the time and research into this subject! I’m on my 4th kid and never knew about prolactin being a fat storer and a libido tanker (which i was happy to inform my hubbie that it’s hormones!!).
I do have a quick question. I’ve had great success with carb cycling in the past, but have never tried it while nursing my other 3 kids. What would you success? I exclusively nurse my 5mo old and pump 1/2 gallon extra a day to donate. I’ve been keeping my cals at 1750-1900 and am 13lb away from my goal weight. I do a lot of HIIT training and oly lifting. Would you think cutting my carbs would be ok?
Thanks!
Sarah
I would say go for it and just keep a close eye on your supply! If it starts to dwindle, it’s nothing that can’t be undone. My husband actually just published a great article on carb cycling here: http://www.coachcalorie.com/carb-cycling-diet/
Also, you’re amazing for pumping and donating, seriously, GREAT job!
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I am breastfeeding my 10 month old and am going to continue until she’s 1 and despite 30 minute workouts 5 days a week (p90x3 or 21 day fix) and healthy eating the last 10 lbs are stuck! Funny things is around 4 months, I was able to lose about 10 lbs but have been stuck since then. I am totally on board with your balance mentality though! It’s really so great to see an explanation especially when literally everyone else (from my OBGYN to nosy woman at work who have never gotten pregnant themselves) is telling you the opposite! Thank you again!
This blog post is a Godsend!! I’m hanging on to an extra 28 lbs 6 months pp. I’ve struggled to eat balanced meals and exercise regularly but nothing makes a difference! My weight actually fluctuates up and down by about 6 lbs on a weekly basis and drives me insane. I’ve had to let go and just keep trying to be healthy…I’m hoping my son’s introduction to solids will drop my prolactin levels and maybe some of my exercise will pay off :). Thank you so much for the encouraging article! It’s good to know that, if I keep this healthy lifestyle, my body may go back to normal after my son fully weans.
You’re doing a great job Claire! Hang in there.
I’m 7 weeks post partum and at my pre pregnancy weight of 55kg. I don’t appear to have diastasis recti but my belly seems like it’s retaining all my fat despite working out since 4 weeks pp. Is it possible that all the weight is being stored in my mid section? It’s getting me down as everywhere else the weight has dropped off.
There are a few possibilities, one is that your skin hasn’t firmed up yet from being stretched out. Another is that you might have a higher level of cortisol from stress (if you’re not sleeping much, etc) and that is where your body tends to store fat when you’re stressed. And even if your abdominal wall has come back together, the soft tissue might still be pretty loose after only 7 weeks. Give yourself until about 5-6 months pp to heal before worrying too much 🙂 Your body has been through a lot!
This is a great article!! I was beginning to lose hope and give up on exercising and eating right. I’ve been busting my butt for 6 weeks since I was cleared to workout and have lost nothing!! I gained 50 pounds while pregnant. Lost 30 in the first 2 weeks. Since then I remain at 145. I was 127 prior to being pregnant so my goal was to get back to that. I’ve always been an avid fitness buff and in shape so I’m really struggling with this. Reading your article really helped explain what I may be going through. I was always led to believe breastfeeding would melt away the fat but honestly it makes me so hungry. My milk is actually drying up but I am going to continue as long as I can. The weight I hope will eventually come off. Thanks for giving me hope 🙂
I’ve been researching for awhile and your articles have been the most helpful by far! I’m due with baby #1 any day now, and I’m running/biking/swimming a sprint Tri in October. Finding information on training diets for nursing mothers is hard! I don’t want to jeopardize my milk supply with so much cardio for this race. Your advice and suggestions for eating are so helpful and reassuring since I’ve been thinking that my best bet is hydration and enough of the right calories. Any big suggestions for diet while nursing and high cardio would be so helpful! Thank you for your insight!
Hey Liz! good luck with your upcoming birth 🙂 You are exactly right that you need to hydrate and eat enough. I’m also a triathlete and require quite a bit of calories; when I was nursing it was 2200-2400 to train for a half marathon. So after the baby comes eat a high carb (40-50%) diet mostly from whole grains, fruits, and veggies, get in as many calories as you can without gaining weight (use the calculator on my site to find the right range) and drink several liters of water per day. Good luck!
You must have put quite a bit of research into this article! I really, really, deeply appreciate it. I have been so hateful to myself while I continue exercising, eating a heart healthy diet, and NURSING every 1.5 hours and NEVER sleeping. My God. I have gained muscle, I have gained strength, I have gained endurance…and I cannot get this weight to move more than 2 pounds. So frustrating…This article helped me a lot. THANK-YOU!
You’re welcome Adina!
Just stumbled across your article. My 2nd is almost 3 months old and weight loss has been sloooow. It’s so nice to hear that you and others have had very similar experiences with breastfeeding and struggling to lose weight! Also had this struggle with my first and ALMOST made it back to my pre-pregnancy weight :/
So frustrating and discouraging at times, but I guess our bodies know best. And I wouldn’t give up nursing either! I love our time together even though I get like 3hrs of good sleep a night lol….
8 months PP with my 3rd baby and it’s the same story the third time through, sloooooow fat loss while nursing despite my best efforts. So frustrating, but just have to remind myself that this is just a season and I’ll get my body back to myself soon enough. Great post!!!
Thank you so much for writing this article! I wish it were only 5 lbs I am fighting but knowing it may get better after breastfeeding is encouraging. I was 130 pre pregnancy and I have been stuck at 150 since 6 month postpartum. I was thin all my life and always lost weight easily…even with my first child. I have done everything I can to lose weight but the scale will not budge. At one point I was on a diet while running, biking and lifting weights…every single day…and yet the scale did not budge…not even 1 single pound!!! It’s hard not to be depressed about it. My daughter is 13 months and still nursing like a champ. While I want to be thin, I can’t bring myself to wean her. My latest attempt was an all juice diet…still no movement. I will keep my fingers crossed it gets better when she weans. Thanks again
Thanks, that’s some great info! I am about to have a one month old and really want to lose more of that baby weight this time. I was still hanging on to some from the last this time around.
With my first i bf for one year and dropped 70 lbs in three months post partum. Then with my second I lost all the 65 lbs in a year and continued to drop weight untill i ended at 113 which was the skinniest I have ever been, all the while eating very unhealty foods and lots of sweets and icecream. After weaing the second at two and a half years old I slowly gained 10 lbs and held steady till got pregnant with my third child 2 yrs later. I am currently nursing my third child who is almost three years old about four times a day including all night ( she loves her milk!). I am pretty frustrated with my fatty mid section from my upper ribs to my lower stomach. I lost 45 of the 55 pregnancy lbs by the time she was two and in the past six months lost the rest plus a few with out trying. I Was walking and dong squats since she was a year and my weight would not budge once i got to 128 lbs no matter how what I ate or didn’t eat. So now I am a low 120lbs (teenage weight) but with the pants size and stomach pooch of a pregrenancy time when I weighed 135lbs. I am hoping to loose this stomach fat since my body is reacting so differently to fat storage this time around. Maybe it’s age? I am now 31 so I will blame it on that. Ha.
Just wondering if you did lose the rest of the belly fat after stopping breastfeeding? I was very fit and without belly fat before pregnancy and was pretty shocked to find my midsection so doughy/fatty postpartum. It doesn’t feel like stretched skin but just more fat. No weight gain anywhere else, except my boobs, obviously. I’m hoping it won’t stay like this forever and your post gives me hope that it wont.
Interesting. I breastfed my first up until a month after my 2nd was born. Ate clean and exercised throughout and after 1st pregnancy. Couldn’t lose the last 10 lbs. I’m now 12 weeks postpartum- same regimen. Haven’t been able to workout as much but still can’t lose the last 15lbs from 2nd pregnancy and now I’m 25 lbs over with baby weight. It’s so annoying. I’ve done paleo and my weight didn’t budge. I’m not sure what to do. We wanna have a 3rd in the future but not until I’m able to lose all this weight. I’ve wondered if my age has anything to do with it too.
I agree with what you wrote about breastfeeding and weight loss. When I was nursing my daughter, I was so darn hungry that I was eating literally like every five minutes. Good thig that I was just having some quick bites and controlled myself on not eating too much. Instead I compensated it with liquids, liquids and more liquids. Water, juices, milk, basically any liquid that can keep me full. I did not gain nor loose pounds during the whole time. But when I stated to wen my daughter, that’s when I noticed that I was slimming down. So overall, control your hunger with healthy options and trust your body that it will regain its normal form (if not, at least close to normal).
Just stumbled on this today- I see it was written awhile ago. What a great article! Well written. I have about 8 lbs from pre pregnancy (lo is 4mo now) and it seems that weather I eat a lot or super clean it just stays there. On the bright side it’s super easy to maintain my weight- but Though me prepregnancy clothes fit technically, I would mind losing an inch so they were just a bit more comfortable May just have to accept where I’m at and look forward to weaning next year! Thanks for the insight
I hate my body with a passion. I’m just curious of those mamas that hang on to 25-30 pounds after bfding how LONG did it take to lose the weight after you weaned? I’ve weaned 3 months ago and it doesn’t seem like my weight wants to budge!! I go to my doc next week to check my thyroid but if it’s not that I’m thinking it’s my prolactin because my boobs still want to remain a C cup instead of the A I’m used to. You would think you’d want the larger cup size?? Not when the rest of your body expands along with it!!
Thanks so much for this post! I’m still breastfeeding 3 times a day at 15 months and while I did see a bit of a drop in the fat/increase muscle around the 12 month mark (when we went to mostly food and cow milk), nothing has really budged since then AND I find that a little indulgence seems to have an almost overnight effect whereas before I could indulge and not see much of a change. I’ll keep eating cleanly and working out (because that way I feel the best I can!) and then see what happens whenever we wean. Thanks again!
My daughter is now 2 years old 4 months. I am still breastfeeding her. I am still about 23lbs over my pre pregnancy weight. ( Not sure if my weight was 115lbs or 120lbs). The reason I kept on my weight was because I had to have surgery right after I had her. My gallbladder had to be taken out and made me go from 135lbs to 175lbs. I am now at 138.6lbs and am trying to get back to 120lbs/115lbs. The reason I am set back is because my body goes into starvation mode as soon as I cut calories. My fiance has been helping alot by helping me get active again as I was sick for almost 3 years. Got healthy last year because we moved and found mold. I am hoping once my daughter weans the last 23lbs will melt off but I am still trying. I exercise every day and eat healthy (some what. I cheat alot but always stay within my calorie intake for my body). So reading that it happens to other people well breastfeeding is awesome to know. For my other two the weight was gone within hours of giving birth. This is my third baby and I have never tried as hard to get healthy again like I have with her.
Thanks for this! I’ve found it to be very difficult to lose weight while breastfeeding. Lack of sleep and generally being more emotional have made it harder to cope with the 20+ extra pounds of fat on my frame. It’s tempting to go on a drastic diet, but at this point I don’t even think that would help. I’m going to continue exercising and eating healthy so I don’t gain even more weight…and focus on keeping my baby healthy through breastfeeding.
You have an excellent perspective! If you continue healthy habits now, even if you are not dropping the extra weight yet, those habits will catch up with you sooner or later and before you know it you’ll be there. XO
This article has helped me in such a big way!!! I have been meal prepping and working out an hour a day (hiit & lifting) for the last 6 Months and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight. Now I know I have replaced some fat with muscle but come on… not even a 1 lbs drop on the scale. I only have 10 lbs to go to get back to my pre-baby weight. I knew that my hormones were playing a role but now that I’ve read this article and I see others are going through the same thing, I’m not gonna kill myself anymore to drop those last 10 lbs. My son is 16 Months and I plan on nursing him until he is 2yrs. I will now continue to eat healthy and workout, but with a whole different goal in mind. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this article.
Okay this seriously made me feel ten times better about myself. I calorie counted, worked out, worked 12 hours shifts at work and kept up with a three year old at home while I was pregnant with my second baby. On top of my husband asking for a divorce. I couldn’t even enjoy my pregnancy. Now, five months post partum, I’m still calorie counting and working out while breastfeeding and I’m doing my best. But all I hear from my family is about how fat I am every. Single. Day. I’m not even fat!!! I have a bulge in my belly from just having a baby. It has been so discouraging to constantly feel like I’m doing everything I can to shed weight and honestly? It hasn’t come off nearly as fast as I thought. I nurse every two hours still and pump sometimes and theoretically I should be losing weight from all the calories in the breastmilk but nope. My body is stubborn. So thank you for writing this article with the science behind it. Now? I won’t be so hard on myself knowing that sometimes it just won’t happen as quickly as they tell you. Appreciate it!!
Thank you for this wonderful article! I’ve always been able to lose weight quickly and I’m currently 6 months into exclusively pumping. I’m in a constant battle of keeping my supply up and trying to correct my self image from the foreign body I left the hospital in. The fact that my SO is a personal trainer and fitness director makes it so hard to explain to him why I’m having such a hard time losing weight, when he thinks I just don’t want to when I get frustrated. I know he means well when he offers to make me meal and workout plans but he just doesn’t get that if I lose 5 pounds my volatile milk supply drops and I get heartbroken slowly running out of my frozen stash. Thank you for such a wonderfully informative article with scientific backing to finally put me at peace with not being the skinny twig with abs I was a year ago. The resources you linked were perfect for making me accept my body the way it is right now and made me okay with choosing breastfeeding my son over my vanity.
Thank you so much for this! It was incredibility helpful to read and gave me much more insight into losing weight while breastfeeding. <3
I am struggling significantly with the weight from my last baby and don’t know what to do. This is my fourth baby. I have always gained significant weight when pregnant. My first was 40 lbs, second 45/50 lbs, third about 45/50 lbs, and now about 45/ 50 as well. I am quite petite, 5”4” and normal writhe about 120. I have always lost all my baby weight through healthy, intuitive eating and moderate exercise. My first I lost it all in three months with no effort and actually could not keep my weight on until I quit nursing – was underweight for a period of time. My second I lost it all by month six. My third by month nine . This one I am at five months postpartum and still have 20 pounds to lose. I have probably exercised the most post partum with this one! I also exercised throughout the pregnancy. My diet is the same as all my other babies. Despite working four days a week and having four children under age 9, I still make myself go to the gym 4-6x a week a which is NO small feat. I am too tired to do more than mild weight training and some moderate cardio – but still, this is as much if not more than I did with my other babies. I am too tired to exercise more or be on some rigid meal plan. I am nursing exclusively with this one, as I did all my others . I eat about 2300 cal a day give or take based on my hunger cues. Despite substantial, the weight won’t budge . I am still in maternity clothes, embarrassed when I look in the mirror, and just getting so demotivated and discouraged . I truly don’t know what to do. I feel like throwing in the towel and being chubby, it’s so disheartening. And, nothing is wrong with my thyroid, it’s has been tested . It it age? I just don’t understand.
Wow. I’m glad I came across this. I’m amazed at how many commenters are experiencing a struggle to lose the last 5 pounds or so when I am steadily GAINING weight each week at 3 months postpartum, despite regular exercise (including weight training) and eating well. I am exclusively breastfeeding and have suspected that it’s prolactin that is making my body store fat instead of burning it. I broke down today and cried because it’s hard not being able to even fit some maternity pants I wore through pregnancy but now don’t fit me in the thighs or waist! I’m normally a size 2 or 4 and I most certainly am no where near getting back into my old clothes. And where my arms have always been very slender, and same with my back, now I have such a fatty back and my arms are bigger! Trying really hard not to feel depressed about this. And yes, I too have those friends who did nothing and lost the weight plus extra from breastfeeding alone! Ugh. I’m SO thrilled to be able to feed my babies breastmilk and to enjoy the nursing bond, but wow is tough to go through. Worse things in this world by far of course, but it’s no picnic either.
Hi, I did the calculating counting that you put in the website (I’m 29 yrs old, weigh 59 kg, height 158). If I want to maintain my weight I eat 2,600 calorie per day. I do breastfeed a 18 month old baby. If I want to loose weight I have to eat 2,585 calorie per day. I think it is too much calorie! Do I have to lower the calorie intake as my baby is 1 and a half year old? I now eat like 1,500-1900 calorie per day with 3-5 times a week working out. My weight isn’t moving much and I have 34% body fat 🙁 What should I do?
Thank you so very much for this well written, compassionate article. I needed to read this this morning especially. I’m 9.5 months pp, still breastfeeding and can NOT lose the last ten. I’ve been killing myself at the gym, trying to restrict what I eat and this morning of yet another heartbreaking weigh in (where I actually—wait for it—gained weight) and rare cry-fest, I thought I’d give the internet one last chance to explain to me why the universe was against me. My problems are compounded by the fact that I’m a) very short, so ten pounds looks like 20; b) many of my friends and family and in-laws are thin, and they seriously don’t really work at it…at all—especially after babies, they lost weight. So I’m surrounded by this constantly; c) I have poor body image and always have had. I’ve struggled with eating issues in the past and have overcome them with healthy eating and exercise. So having a baby was a big decision and one I didn’t take lightly—obviously he’s my whole world and I’ve never regretted that for a second. But knowing that doesn’t make my struggle feel any easier some days. SO, thank you for this glimmer of hope and more positive start to my day. And also for the assurance that no, I’m not crazy, all of those stupid articles on breastfeeding do contradict themselves!!
I just had my 4th baby 4 months ago. It was my healthiest and easiest pregnancy. I worked out, ate healthy and only gained 23 lbs. I’m basically back at my pre pregnancy qeight, i fluctuate tho between it and 5 lbs which is no big deal. What I’m having a hard time with is the lack of body change. No inches coming off at all especially in the belly area. Any tips? I feel like I’m doing all thenright things