Breastfeeding moms- did breastfeeding help you lose extra weight that you had even before you were pregnant?

Question

What I mean is were you able to get down to even lower than your pre-pregnancy weight? How long did it take you & how much did you lose?

Answer 1

Breastfeeding and walking (my daughter liked napping in the sling on the move). I gained 20 lbs. when pregnant, and lost close to 40 lbs. within about 10 months postpartum.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I was at a low weight when I became pregnant. A friend of mine was able to get down lower than she was pre-pregnancy and she did it without dieting- only breastfeeding. She lost all the pregnancy weight and an extra 20 lbs. I don't know her numbers though. It was over 18 months.

The trick is to learn some new habits while you are breastfeeding so that you won't put the weight back on after you wean.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I could hardly lose a kilo/pound when I was breastfeeding both of my kids!! But as soon as I stopped feeding them, 7-8mths old, the weight started dropping off quickly!

I managed to lose all and more of my pregnancy weight!
I started at 70kg (154pds) before children
I went up to 95g (209ds) with my first.
I lost that and was down to 65kg (143pds) when I fell pregnant with the second.
I then put on another 16kg as was up to 81kg (178pd)
and managed to lose it all again and more.
By the time my second was 18mths old I weighed 61kg (r 134 pounds) and have stayed there until now!!
I am pregnant again so I get to do it all over again!!

So overall I started out at 154 pds - went up and down like a yoyo over a 4 year period but have maintained a weight of 138pds for the last 18mths!!! So skinnier than before kids!!
I actually fit into my year 12 formal/prom dress again!!

It took me from the time they were 7-8mths old till they were 18mths old to lose all the weight, so over a year. But I just stayed really active, joined a gym at one point and ate very healthily.

Anyone can do it, its not too hard!!

Answer 5

My son is 13 months, we are still breastfeeding. When he was about 8 months I started to dip below pre-pregnancy weight, and I am still going down. I did not do this with my first, who I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months.

I don't know exactly if my weight loss is due to breastfeeding, I think it does have a hand in it probably.

Answer 6

i typically breastfeed for a year or longer, and I hang onto about 15 pounds until I wean, like another answerer. Every woman is different in how their body works. I was working out some after my first pregnancy, and still that weight stuck. Once I weaned, it melted off relatively quickly. My youngest is 14 months and still breastfeeding, and I still have 20 lbs on me, and I just found out i'm pregnant again, so no luck on losing that 20 lbs anytime soon! lol.

Answer 7

HAHAHAHA!!!! NO!!! I WISH!!! For some reason my body did the opposite. I put weight ON instead of off!!! I was NOT happy. It took me about 1 year(wasn't really trying) to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. But like my partner said "Gee, you wouldn't have thought so!" Mean mean man!!! I found out the hard way that once you have a baby your body NEVER returns to it's normal shape again,lol. So what do I do. I go and do it all over again,lol. Although this time I'm 19 weeks pregnant and still haven't put the weight back on that I lost at the start due to morning sickness. Still down 5 kg. In the end as long as my babies are healthy I don't really care how long it take for me to get the weight off.

Answer 8

Breastfeeding helps alot with weight as it takes alot of energy and that to produce the milk. I lost all my baby weight through breastfeeding, but as for weight before pregnancy, I don't think it will as theres only so much you can burn through breastfeeding.

Answer 9

During my pregnancy I had lost weight. When I had my son I was lower in weight then when I had gotten pregnant. I had only gained one pound my entire pregnancy. I also watched what I had eaten and drank. Was a strict diet.
I had lost 27 pounds below my start weight. Yes, I think breast feeding helped some, however I didn't do it for a long period of time either.

Answer 10

I lost weight during my pregnancy and post partum. Breastfeeding though made me sssooooo hungry and I gained that weight and some more. I have talked to other nursing moms and its just as common to gain weight from appetite changes as it is to lose weight from breastfeeding. I gained about 15 pounds post partum just from the appetite changes alone.