As some of you know, I have a 17 month old and a 3 year old. The first nurses 4+ times a day, and the second nurses 2-3 times a day. When I had my second I rapidly lost the baby weight. I was 240 the day my youngest was born and lost over 85 lbs (35 from baby, 50 from college) from then until about 5 months ago. Then I stabilized with no loss or gain. In the last month I have rapidly gained weight (5 lbs), although diet and exercise has not changed. We eat 3 clean-- whole, minimally processed, from scratch when possible-- meals, plus 2 snacks. No soda or fruit juice ever. I do indulge in dessert, but not often. I am not pregnant. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice?
I know that some women gain weight when nursing. Is my body finally getting to the party, so to speak. Thank you for the advice.
Sample meals (organic, low sugar/salt)
*Am: 1 or 2 homemade oat bran pancake (no sugar) with peanut butter with plain whole no sugar added yogurt, 1 egg, water or tea
*Snack: full until lunch or carrots with salsa, apple with organic peanut butter, or handful walnuts
*Lunch: shredded chicken salad with vegenaise, mustard, tomato organic sprouted bun, handful of grapes, carrots
*Dinner: Farro, fresh green beans, shredded chicken, Salad w/homemade balsamic vinagrette
Well, I forgot all about Aunt Flo. She had not paid me a real visit in almost 4 years. She made up for lost time. Once she went back home I lost about 3 lbs of the weight. Can't wait until the next visit.
I did journal my food intake and realized I was indulging in desserts more than I thought: birthdays, girls nights, bbqs, vacation, and just because. My 90/10 lifestyle was becoming more like 70/30; not great for the waistline at my age
Thanks for the great answers!
As the 17 month old gets more food from other sources your body doesn't have to supply as much milk so fewer calories are being put into milk production meaning excess calories for you to store as fat. At this point they are nursing more for comfort and closeness so you'll need to cut back on the quantity of food you are consuming to avoid gaining more weight.
I don't know how old you are but keeping the weight off just gets harder as we get older whether you're breast feeding or not.
Additional:
Welcome to your 30's!
It only gets more interesting as you hit 40's and again in your 50's!
I swear - I don't even have to EAT a brownie to gain weight - just smelling one is enough for me to put on 5 lbs.
Maybe you're pregnant?
:)
your body may be telling you its time to stop eating for the breastfeeding. it may be saying its ready to move on. i would have a talk with the dr about it and get their expert opinion on the subject. as many things can cause sudden weight gain (and have nothing to do with breastfeeding) thyroid issues can cause unintentional gain (or loss) when it stops working properly. so chat with the dr to rule out medical issues that cause unintentional gain
I gained weight immediately after weaning both my kids. The 1st time it totally snuck up on me. With the second, I knew it was coming. With my 1st, I put on 10 lbs before I realized what was happening. With the second, because I knew, I kept it to 5 (but couldn't completely prevent it). Basically, all those calories I burned making milk suddenly weren't needed anymore, but I was so used to eating as if they were needed that I put on some weight.
You might be going through something similar - you are still nursing, but now that your babies are older, you are probably not making nearly as much milk as you did previously. I'd guess that they (the older one in particular) are nursing more for comfort than for lots of calories these days. Which is totally ok, it just means that your body isn't pumping as much energy into making high-calorie milk. You need to cut down on portion size (or increase exercise) accordingly.
I never breast fed that long so can't speak to that part.
So you're 145 lbs? So if you're breastfeeding two children - you need quite a few calories to produce enough milk. I think it's around 500 calories isn't it? So times that by two give or take - their age and how many times.
And you also need fat supplies to produce milk.
So maybe your body is saying you don't have enough fat and is keeping it.
I know some women's metabolism slows down when they are breastfeeding, especially if you're run down or getting up at night at all. That can cause a weight gain.
ETA: I think Diane's advice is probably the most likely now that I think about it.
