Breastfeeding + weight loss

[Anonymous]

OP, you need help. EBF moms are recommended to get 2200-2500 calories a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need help. EBF moms are recommended to get 2200-2500 calories a day.

I can't imagine eating that much without my weight getting out of control. I have doubled my intake but have not gained any weight. Is this normal? If you eat plenty yet remain underweight while breastfeeding, does the weight pile on when you're done? Am I setting myself up to be overweight after weaning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need help. EBF moms are recommended to get 2200-2500 calories a day.

I can't imagine eating that much without my weight getting out of control. I have doubled my intake but have not gained any weight. Is this normal? If you eat plenty yet remain underweight while breastfeeding, does the weight pile on when you're done? Am I setting myself up to be overweight after weaning?

I ate about 3000 calories a day when I was nursing, and I still lost weight. I got to about 10 lbs below my normal (low) weight. In the year since I've stopped nursing, I've slowly gained those 10 lbs back. My weight stabilized a few lbs. lower than my pre pregnancy weight.

[Anonymous]

OP,

Another thing to think very seriously about is that this is not just about breastfeeding. It IS great that you're breastfeeding and that your daughter is getting the benefits of breastmilk, but being a good and present mom involves SO MUCH MORE than just breastfeeding.

Being a good mom involves being present with your child, engaging their mind, having fun with them, running around at the park, and otherwise being very "checked in" with what's happening with them at any given time. If you are exhausted, "foggy" minded, stressed out about your weight, feeling anxious about dying, you are not capable of doing ANY of those things with any degree of success.

I know this from personal experience on both a minor and major level. On days when I'm sleep-deprived, or not feeling well, or preoccupied with another issue, I'm not as good of a mom. I'm not. It sucks. It sucks for me and for my kid and for my family. I've also suffered from bouts of anxiety in the past and that, too, rips me away from my kid because my mind is elsewhere and because my energy is spent coping with my anxiety rather than thinking of ways to engage my kid that day.

Getting treatment and taking care of myself is not just the right and healthy thing to do, it's the NON-SELFISH thing to do and it's (perhaps most importantly) my responsibility as a mother. I don't have the luxury of effing around with my own neuroses, anymore. The stakes are too high and there's a little person who will suffer if I don't make sure that I'm at my best as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need help. EBF moms are recommended to get 2200-2500 calories a day.

I can't imagine eating that much without my weight getting out of control. I have doubled my intake but have not gained any weight. Is this normal? If you eat plenty yet remain underweight while breastfeeding, does the weight pile on when you're done? Am I setting myself up to be overweight after weaning?

I ate about 3000 calories a day when I was nursing, and I still lost weight. I got to about 10 lbs below my normal (low) weight. In the year since I've stopped nursing, I've slowly gained those 10 lbs back. My weight stabilized a few lbs. lower than my pre pregnancy weight.

You became underweight eating 3,000 calories per day?