Why does Breastfeeding make it harder to lose preggo weight?

[Anonymous]

For me, breastfeeding impeded weight loss. I found that the second I dieted, e.g., weight watchers, etc., or exercised a lot, my supply fell. I wasn't able to lose those last 15 pounds while nursing, and had to wait until DD was weaned at 11 months. I guess everyone has different reactions! To me, it was worth staying a little chubby to nurse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It is really this simple.

actually it's not that simple - I tracked my calories in and out and even with a deficit I couldn't move the last 5lbs. My body refused to let me drop below a certain weight while I was bfing, no matter what I did.

If you were actually running a calorie deficit, you would have lost weight. The laws of physics and thermodynamics apply to you. This is truly not meant to sound mean, but I get so tired of seeing people I care about lie to themselves about what they're eating and why they weigh what they weigh. Not for my sake, because I could care less, but because they are unhappy.

and I'm telling you I was running a deficit. At first a small one because I didn't want to mess up my supply and then I added more and more exercise (up to 2 hours a day - running 1 hour, walking neighborhood hills 1 hour) so that there was a significant deficit but the last 5 lbs would not move. When I'm not breastfeeding I do simply monitor calories in and out and as long as there is a deficit I lose weight. It just did not happen when I was breastfeeding. FWIW, this also happened to me when I was on Zoloft. While maintaining a deficit works most of the time, for most people, there are circumstances where your body says no.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP--metabolisms are flexible and respond to circumstances. She may have been 'running a deficit' but if the body wants to keep that weight, it will slow down metabolism to do so. As someone with hypothyroidism, I know this is true. once I got my thyroid drugs regulated, i was able to eat significantly more and lose extra weight, whereas for a long time I was exercising rigorously, counting calories and still carrying an extra 15 lbs.

[Anonymous]

I've breastfed two kids. The first time, I lost all my pregnancy weight in the first month. (Then I gained some weight when my child started solids and I was nursing less but still eating the same... watch out for that!) The second time is right now, and I've still got 20 pounds to go after one month... so from my perspective, breastfeeding doesn't make or break you either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It is really this simple.

Hormones affect how much weight you gain and how much weight you keep. Why? For one, they affect your metabolism, but there are other factors at work and from what I've read doctors aren't sure they have all the angles yet. If you've ever known someone who went on a medication and, without eating more, gained a lot of weight, you know what I mean.

As another example, in some stages of pregnancy your body slows down digestion to eek every bit of calorie and nutrient out of the food you eat. The food has the same number of calories but you body comes closer to taking in 100% of that number.

Anyway, breastfeeding does affect different people differently. How much, when, and what you eat are a big part of the picture, but so are genes, physical movement, amount of sleep, and hormones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It is really this simple.

Hormones affect how much weight you gain and how much weight you keep. Why? For one, they affect your metabolism, but there are other factors at work and from what I've read doctors aren't sure they have all the angles yet. If you've ever known someone who went on a medication and, without eating more, gained a lot of weight, you know what I mean.

As another example, in some stages of pregnancy your body slows down digestion to eek every bit of calorie and nutrient out of the food you eat. The food has the same number of calories but you body comes closer to taking in 100% of that number.

Anyway, breastfeeding does affect different people differently. How much, when, and what you eat are a big part of the picture, but so are genes, physical movement, amount of sleep, and hormones.

Fine, but my premise still holds: if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Certain medications or hormonal conditions may slow your metabolism somewhat, but this doesn't alter the equation, it simply means that you need fewer calories than you think you do (or want). Further, when you are breastfeeding you automatically burn about 500 calories a day more than usual; it is almost inconceivable that you could see such a shift in your metabolism that this additional burn would become a wash. Usually, but not always, the reason that a person is unable to lose weight while breastfeeding (assuming they want to lose weight) is that they are eating more calories than they need.

[Anonymous]

Fine, but my premise still holds: if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Certain medications or hormonal conditions may slow your metabolism somewhat, but this doesn't alter the equation, it simply means that you need fewer calories than you think you do (or want). Further, when you are breastfeeding you automatically burn about 500 calories a day more than usual; it is almost inconceivable that you could see such a shift in your metabolism that this additional burn would become a wash. Usually, but not always, the reason that a person is unable to lose weight while breastfeeding (assuming they want to lose weight) is that they are eating more calories than they need.

And you know this because you have done a study of what women eat and how much they lose or don't lose?
What if your body is demanding 2500 calories a day or your supply drops, but at that level you can't lose weight?

People's bodies are different in terms of efficiency at breastfeeding and baby demand, just as they are at running or lifting weights. Not everyone burns an extra 500 calories.

Look, I suspect we agree that many Americans are overweight because of what they eat and how little they move. I don't think every fat adult has a hormonal imbalance. But as a fit woman with a good diet, and similar friends, what doctors say about hormones, etc., sure seems to hold true. Pregnancy and post can do wacky things to your body, for a time.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with the posters who are saying that the body will "hold onto" extra weight if it wants to by slowing the metabolism down.
I've always been fit and athletic and have NEVER had a weight problem - I am 5'3", age 34, and my highest weight ever was 110 lbs. I
was 105 when I got pregnant. (I'm 34 wks pregnant now.) In my first trimester, I did not change my eating habits, and I still worked
out 5x/wk, and I still gained 6 lbs. This is not a case of me being lazy or eating fast food. I do not eat processed foods and have a very
healthy diet, and am a very athletic person (I ran the Army 10-miler when I was 16 weeks pregnant, at a 9-minute mile pace). I felt
that my body, for whatever reason, felt it "needed" the extra pounds to support the baby, so it held onto weight. I didn't mind it because
I knew it was just doing what it needed to. So, when it comes to pregnant and breastfeeding women, I do not believe that the equation
is as simple as it is for the general public. Our bodies are different because they are trying to support either a fetus or breast milk.
It's not really right to compare -- our bodies have a vested interest in not being too skinny. (FWIW, I TOTALLY agree with you when it
comes to the general public, and I agree that regular people are often in denial about how much they eat, and they complain about
gaining weight when they're eating fatty food, not exercising, or doing "lazy" exercise like slow walking and expecting that to burn off
the McDonald's lunch, etc.)

[Anonymous]

In times like this I really wish physics was mandatory in school... sigh...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In times like this I really wish physics was mandatory in school... sigh...

What about medicine? Read the literature. Doctors agree.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP from above (with the poorly formatted message, saying I believe that breastfeeding women/pregnant womens' bodies don't always follow a simple formula. I didn't add that I'm a physician. And I took physics, and chemistry, and a ton of other science classes. Things aren't always so black and white. Maybe they were for your body, but they aren't for everyone's. It doesn't mean people are being lazy or making excuses -- not to say some people aren't, but not everyone is. Don't you believe that hormones can slow down metabolism? Why do women in their 50s and 60s tend to gain weight, even if eating the same diet and getting the same amount of exercise they did at a younger age? What about people whose bodies go into "starvation mode"? Do you not believe in that either? You think everything is so rigid and formulaic in every biological circumstance? The body just isn't that simple!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, breastfeeding impeded weight loss. I found that the second I dieted, e.g., weight watchers, etc., or exercised a lot, my supply fell. I wasn't able to lose those last 15 pounds while nursing, and had to wait until DD was weaned at 11 months. I guess everyone has different reactions! To me, it was worth staying a little chubby to nurse.

BINGO! My problem exactly.

My appetite is MONSTEROUS. However when I exercise or reduce my calories, my supply plummets. For me as well, it is/was worth it for my babies. I wish I were one of those women for which BF made skinny, but for me it makes me rounder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP from above (with the poorly formatted message, saying I believe that breastfeeding women/pregnant womens' bodies don't always follow a simple formula. I didn't add that I'm a physician. And I took physics, and chemistry, and a ton of other science classes. Things aren't always so black and white. Maybe they were for your body, but they aren't for everyone's. It doesn't mean people are being lazy or making excuses -- not to say some people aren't, but not everyone is. Don't you believe that hormones can slow down metabolism? Why do women in their 50s and 60s tend to gain weight, even if eating the same diet and getting the same amount of exercise they did at a younger age? What about people whose bodies go into "starvation mode"? Do you not believe in that either? You think everything is so rigid and formulaic in every biological circumstance? The body just isn't that simple!

Please, please, please read my post again and let me know if you really want to challenge me on this: when you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight. I am not trying to tell you that people do not become enormously hungry while breastfeeding. I am not trying to argue that people don't absorb more calories from the food they do eat while pregnant. I am not trying to tell you that people's metabolic rates don't slow down when they are middle aged. But when your daily intake is less then your energy output, you will lose weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, breastfeeding impeded weight loss. I found that the second I dieted, e.g., weight watchers, etc., or exercised a lot, my supply fell. I wasn't able to lose those last 15 pounds while nursing, and had to wait until DD was weaned at 11 months. I guess everyone has different reactions! To me, it was worth staying a little chubby to nurse.

BINGO! My problem exactly.

My appetite is MONSTEROUS. However when I exercise or reduce my calories, my supply plummets. For me as well, it is/was worth it for my babies. I wish I were one of those women for which BF made skinny, but for me it makes me rounder

LOL - this was/is me to a "T"! I was so excited to BF, but I hardy lost any weight at all. I joined Weight Watchers, and even did the special program for nursing moms, but regardless, the cut in calories made my supply drop almost instantly. I sooo wanted to be a skinny nursing Mama, but my body just doesn't work that way. So, I eat what I want, and DD is happily getting as much milk as she wants. Nursing is for such a short time period, and is so important, does it really matter to lose weight so quickly? Not to me, it didn't!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP from above (with the poorly formatted message, saying I believe that breastfeeding women/pregnant womens' bodies don't always follow a simple formula. I didn't add that I'm a physician. And I took physics, and chemistry, and a ton of other science classes. Things aren't always so black and white. Maybe they were for your body, but they aren't for everyone's. It doesn't mean people are being lazy or making excuses -- not to say some people aren't, but not everyone is. Don't you believe that hormones can slow down metabolism? Why do women in their 50s and 60s tend to gain weight, even if eating the same diet and getting the same amount of exercise they did at a younger age? What about people whose bodies go into "starvation mode"? Do you not believe in that either? You think everything is so rigid and formulaic in every biological circumstance? The body just isn't that simple!

Please, please, please read my post again and let me know if you really want to challenge me on this: when you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight. I am not trying to tell you that people do not become enormously hungry while breastfeeding. I am not trying to argue that people don't absorb more calories from the food they do eat while pregnant. I am not trying to tell you that people's metabolic rates don't slow down when they are middle aged. But when your daily intake is less then your energy output, you will lose weight.

The PP is correct. When you say "your metabolism has slowed down" for whatever reason--BFing, medication, age, etc--what that means is your body is now burning calories at a different rate. So whatever equation you were using to determine how many calories you WERE burning is no longer valid. You are not *actually* running a deficit. You just need a new equation.