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Breastfeeding and weight gain/loss?


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I am breastfeeding and formula feeding my 3 month old. My husband and i are on day 25 of the whole30 and the good news is that I have noticed an increased in my milk supply which means less formula for my LO. The bad news is that i have not noticed any significant physical changes. Mentally, I am far more alert and have heaps of energy and i even started working out again but when I look in the mirror everything looks the same and my clothes don't fit any different. I am just wondering if anyone else who is breastfeeding (exclusively or not like myself) noticed that it is much harder to lose weight on the whole30 while breastfeeding. Since I feel so good otherwise, i am going to keep at it, especially since it has helped my supply, along with the other natural supplements that I am taking, but I has hoped for some weight loss too.

Thoughts? experiences?

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Trying to lose weight (faster than how things normally happen) while BFing is kind of counterintuitive. Lose too much fat, and milk supply stalls. I would suggest focusing on all of the awesome changes you are seeing with the program, and letting your body do what it needs to do to preserve your milk supply. The weight will come off gradually and healthfully, especially if you continue with your healthy eating habits and sensible exercise protocol - but if you get too aggressive, your feeding strategy will perhaps suffer.

Best,

Melissa

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I didn't do Whole30 while breastfeeding (though I should have, and wish I'd found it then), but 3 months is not much time. Unless you're a supermodel. And then, I hate you. ;-) I lost some weight before six months postpartum with all four of my nursling babies, but the challenge of feeding a six month or older baby took the weight off like nobody's business. Like, I couldn't keep enough weight on to please my "food is love" mother and kept having to reassure her that I was NOT dieting or trying to lose any more weight. Just hang in there...keep nursing, keep eating well, and the weight will come off. You're doing all the right things! And, you probably feel a heckuva lot better than I did, with all the great food you're getting!

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When I switched to a more paleo-like diet, three weeks before starting my Whole30, my milk supply went THROUGH THE ROOF. I'm now on day 22 and breastfeeding my 5-1/2-month-old. I haven't noticed any physical changes either, though my mood and energy are definitely better.

Postpartum weight-loss (especially while nursing) seems to be a really individual thing. One woman I know lost all her "baby weight" and then some in just a few months, just by nursing (she says). With my first baby, after the initial post-birth weight-loss, I didn't lose another ounce until he was mostly weaned. I don't know how that would've been different if I'd done a W30 then, but I think it's worth mentioning.

Melissa is absolutely right: focus on the awesome benefits you are experiencing! And know that while most OBs say you're "back to normal" at 12 weeks postpartum, it really takes more like 6 months to a year for your body and your hormones to truly settle down. Keep eating well, keep nourishing your little one, and enjoy the extra energy. Your body will get there.

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