Started eating better and exercising, have GAINED? Wtf

[Anonymous]

I also think you are better off eating full fat protein! And your focus on "lean meats" makes me think you believe that fats make you fat -- no, carbs make you fat! Fats keep you full, and will be good for your breast milk, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m ten weeks postpartum and breastfeeding, slowly weaning. I eat sensibly all of the time, but over the last three weeks have stepped it up to do the following:

-drink 3-4 liters of water a day
-make smoothie with frozen spinach, bananas, some fruit (frozen berries kr frozen mango), low-fat yogurt, shredded coconut and water - that is breakfast every day
-make salad with lots of veggies and lean protein - that is lunch every day
-walk between 3-5 miles every day
-do yoga a few times a week
-stopped adding cream or sugar to my morning coffee

I am doing what I thought you are supposed to do to lose weight at a reasonable rate, but I have actually gained a few pounds. WTAF?? This is extremely frustrating.

All those plants are the problem. Smoothies full of sugar, oxalates, phytates, lectins, and other anti-nutrients.
Lunch with even more of the same.
Good stopping the sugar in your coffee, but you are eating a ton of fructose and carbs without essential fats. Horrible.

Okay, I hear you on the smoothie. But salad? I make great salads with a bed of baby greens or “super greens” (love the organic girl brand) and will add celery, cucumber, carrots, peppers, avocado - these are not full of fructose and carbs. I also only use my own dressing, which is evoo, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. I think you are in a mindset that fruit and carbs, like rice, are "healthy foods."

A diet with good fats and protein, and minimal produce and carbs, will help you lose weight. You'll also stay full much longer, so you'll end up eating less often. Avocado, salmon, eggs. Fat and protect are your friends here.

This is OP - thanks for giving me something to consider. I thought you can’t overdo plants, especially vegetables, and especially green vegetables, which make up the bulk of my diet. I will increase protein and fats.

[Anonymous]

It’s hormonal but get rid of the sugar bomb smoothie

[Anonymous]

So much horrible dietary advice here. When I was 6 weeks postpartum, after steadily losing those first 6 weeks, I started working out. My weight loss completely stalled for a month because I was building muscle, retaining water, and shifting body composition. The scale isn’t everything. No nutritionist on this planet would give you the advice you are getting here. Really? A serving of fruit is causing weight gain??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much horrible dietary advice here. When I was 6 weeks postpartum, after steadily losing those first 6 weeks, I started working out. My weight loss completely stalled for a month because I was building muscle, retaining water, and shifting body composition. The scale isn’t everything. No nutritionist on this planet would give you the advice you are getting here. Really? A serving of fruit is causing weight gain??

Well if she’s eating 3 meals a day then one of them is likely causing the weight to stick around. It’s not like she’s training for the Olympics at however many weeks PP! How could someone 6-8 weeks PP be gaining so much muscle?! It’s easy to see that the morning smoothie is a sugar bomb.

Before having kids I didn’t really have to watch my weight or what I ate within reason. Postpartum I had to have a nearly perfect diet to get the weight off. Having something like that smoothie every morning truly would have caused me to not lose weight.

Instead OP should eat: eggs and small piece of whole grain toast; greek full fat yogurt and strawberries; salmon and small serving of cream cheese on small slice of toast. Etc

[Anonymous]

^agree. This thread is lunacy. You are two and a half months out and still nursing, even if only part time.

Eat the damned smoothie. Three pounds doesn't mean anything at this point.

Keep doing what you are doing.

Sugar bomb. Shaking my head at the complete nonsense.

[Anonymous]

It is great that you are walking so much and doing yoga but these are not the types of activities that burn calories efficiently.

Breastfeeding will make you hold onto 5-10 extra pounds if your baseline is thin or normal weight.

It's still really soon. I would consider something like biking or swimming (running is pretty rough on the pelvic floor postpartum so avoid for a bit longer). Stationary bike if you don't feel like you have bandwidth to leave the house, but there are gyms that have childcare too and your partner should be able to cover 30 mins for you to exercise.

[Anonymous]

The smoothie is a bad idea because the food that’s in it was never intended to be eaten in pulverized form. If you want to eat the fruit and vegetables that comprise the smoothly, eat them. Don’t run them through a blender to alter their form. If you do that, you probably won’t even be able to eat all of it in one sitting anyways

[Anonymous]

Worry about it after you’re done breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

Agree with previous poster about the stationary bike. A bike with an accurate power meter is about the most fool proof way of counting actual calorie expenditure, though I wouldn’t be using that number as a guide for anything. If fit properly you’d be using your posterior chain effectively which are huge muscles without the impact of running, but potentially with the same intensity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The smoothie is a bad idea because the food that’s in it was never intended to be eaten in pulverized form. If you want to eat the fruit and vegetables that comprise the smoothly, eat them. Don’t run them through a blender to alter their form. If you do that, you probably won’t even be able to eat all of it in one sitting anyways

You have a lot of calories in your smoothie and it won’t be as filling as if you ate the components separately. It’s why weight watchers charges points to free fruits and vegetables when they’re blended. Eat the yogurt and a serving of fruit separately. Also coconut is high in unsaturated fat and not healthy.

But ignore the posters telling you fruits and vegetables aren’t healthy. Most are but they (esp fruits) still have calories that can add up.

Mostly give yourself a break! Hormones are still the biggest factor for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Worry about it after you’re done breastfeeding.

Some people breastfeed for a year plus. This is not good advice. I think "worry about it when you're sleeping better" / when the newborn stage is over is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is “a few” and how often were you weighing?

3 weeks is a short time span. I wouldn’t trust any weight tracking for women that isn’t at least 8 weeks simply because of cycles.

Three pounds.

I’m not menstruating again yet, but I understand my hormones likely are playing a role here, but it’s still frustrating.

Welcome to the rest of your life. Babies absolutely wreck us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. I think you are in a mindset that fruit and carbs, like rice, are "healthy foods."

A diet with good fats and protein, and minimal produce and carbs, will help you lose weight. You'll also stay full much longer, so you'll end up eating less often. Avocado, salmon, eggs. Fat and protect are your friends here.

This is OP - thanks for giving me something to consider. I thought you can’t overdo plants, especially vegetables, and especially green vegetables, which make up the bulk of my diet. I will increase protein and fats.

That lady gave you horrible advice. You need to see a nutritionist. A plant based diet is the healthiest does you can have. Instead I’d listing to someone who seems to get their information from TikTok, please read the research in plant based Mediterranean diets.