Breastfeeding Keeping Baby Weight On?????

J.,
DON"T WORRY! If you were indeed "a rail" before you got pregnant, then of course you're body is holding on to ten pounds. It takes some body fat to make milk, not to mention the weight gain associated with your breasts! Keep eating healthy foods (I think you and I have the same food philosophy), but stop killing yourself over 10 lbs - in the grand scheme of things, 10 pounds are nothing, and they will come off after you stop nursing. You could even add back in some of the foods you've eliminated to lose weight, so you're body doesn't compensate and slow down the metabolism or the milk production. Enjoy the time with your son, the more voluptuous curves, and trust in the system that God put in place. You are living an incredibly healthy lifestyle (amazing with a 9-month old - how do you do it?)...focus on health, not weight; your health and the incredible lifetime of health you're offering your son by breastfeeding. Isn't that worth a few more months of 10 extra pounds? Blessings!

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ok ok, first of all calm down. You eat healthy, your work out, and you are nursing. 10 pounds is no big deal, really, try gaining 80 pounds during your pregnancy, and 3 years later you are still at "pushing weight". I too eat healthy, organic, and exercise, and get this I am over 200 pounds, yes it's true. SO there, feel better yet? Stop worrying about your 10 little pounds, and start counting your blessings, You and your baby are healthy, and just keep doing what you are doing....your doing the right thing. I would not stop brstfeeding because of 10 pounds..get a grip girl, you are fine, relax, have fun, enjoy your life your child...I'm just saying....your fine, you just made a person for petes sake...

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I'm in the same boat.
I do eat well, excercise and still have 15lbs to loose since having my daughter in September (She's 6 months). I dont think the people who say "10 pounds is nothing" understand that when it comes to weight and loosing it, one persons 10lbs is another persons 50! Personally, I have never been overweight in my life, and its very difficult to accept it now. I've never had a fat stomach or carried weight in that area, and I dont plan on having one ever again. I truly believe my body is holding on to these last pounds since I am nursing. And while I want to continue to do so to provide my daughter with the wonderful benefits, its really hard to look in the mirror and see what my body looks like. I'm very depressed knowing that none of my summer clothes will fit this year. I'm praying that if I keep up with my healthy lifestyle the weight will fall off when I wean her. I think a positive attitude helps. I refuse to believe that I will never have my body back, I know I will. I think you are doing everything that you can to stay in shape and that you will loose it once you are done nursing your son too. Good Luck!!

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10 lbs. overweight is fat??? Yikes! You may have a problem psychologically!! I'm 50 pounds away from the weight I was before my first baby!!

The fact is, after a baby your body WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!! It may be weight or where the weight is distributed on your body, your boobs may be bigger/smaller, your teeth are different, your hair is different, your skin may be different,etc. No matter what...even if someone appears to look great after pregnancy...SOMETHING is different about their body.

After my first, I my teeth were shot! I had to get 2 root canals! After my second, I lost ALL the weight I had gained, yet none of my clothes fit the same! Why? because my weight wasn't distributed the same on my body as it was before!

Just keep working at it, but geesh don't beat yourself up over 10 measely pounds!!! Trully you should be grateful! Besides once you quit nursing, your boobs will dwindle to nothingness and that should take off a few pounds right there! :) good luck!

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I know this sounds odd, but be sure to eat enough carbs. If you don't eat about 59 grams a meal, your liver puts out sugar to compensate, and you will not lose weight.

definately, a relative had been breastfeeding or pregnat the last 9 years. now that she is done, she lost like 15 pounds i would say without doing a thing. my sister too after she stopped nursing. thats what im counting on since im still 13 pounds from my prepreg weight. and its way harder with the second!

J.,

If the weight won't come off you could try the Simeons Pounds & Inches (Weight Loss Cure) diet. It worked for me. I'd wait until you're done breastfeeding though. The diet works and in 23 days your ten pounds will be permanently gone.

Call or email me if you want more details. My weight was stuck, just like yours only it was more like 20 pounds. Very frustrating!

S. Hoehner
____@____.com
###-###-#### Pacific Time

I know it is frustrating, but apparently breastfeeding keeps on those last 10 lbs. Something about storing fat for feeding the baby. When you are done, hopefully it will come right off. In the meantime, keep in mind that you are doing the best you can for your child. Good luck!

J.,

First, please be reassured that being ONLY ten pounds above your pre-pregnancy weight is not bad - especially if you were completely fit prior to pregnancy.

Second, you could be not eating enough - and not having enough healthy fats in your diet. Women's bodies are designed to first and foremost grow and nourish babies. In that design are some "fail-safes". One of those fail-safes is the difficulty in shedding weight - our bodies hang on to fat stores in order to feed our babies. When we consume below a certain amount of calories, our bodies goes into "famine-mode" and our metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy to have it available to grow babies or make milk.

Try adding a bit more of some whole grains and healthy fats into your diet and see if that breaks the plateau.

One other thing, have you considered the fact that in being a "rail" prior to pregnancy, you may have been *underweight* and that this last ten pounds is actually a good thing?

I was about to bring this up tonight. I'm having the same troubles. My son is 10 months and I've tried it all. It's normal to keep a few pounds (up to 15) on until you stop nursing. Most women keep 4-6. Guess we're just lucky! :)!) The body needs a fat storage to make the milk. However, that doesn't make it any easier to handle. It sucks to not fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes. And with summer coming--UGH.

Don't worry J.. Breastfeeding helps lose the initial pounds quickly, but your body needs to maintain a certain amount of "fat" to help continue nourishing you and the baby while you nurse. When you stop, the weight usually goes away fairly quickly. Keep eating healthy foods as your baby is gaining nutrients from you and you will eventually be back to where you were. Good luck!

Hi J.,

Maybe you're not eating enough and your body is holding onto those 10 pounds for reserves? I say that because, strangely enough, the opposite thing has happened to me while nursing: I can't keep weight on. I've struggled w/ my weight since high school, so I can honestly say that this is an unusual thing. I eat more now than I ever did. I'm a vegetetarian and try to eat healthy foods, but still, the quantity of food I eat now is amazing. It's like my son sucks it all out of me!

I'd suggest eating 200-300 more calories a day, from healthy foods of course. I read somewhere that nursing uses up 600 calories a day, so nursing moms do need a little extra food to run on.

Eating more food seems to be an antithetical solution to your problem, but it may be worth a try.

Best!
A.

I definitely found that breastfeeding stopped me losing weight with both my children. It was as if my body refused to let go of the weight until it knew the baby didn't need it any more! I found all the usual stuff about breastfeeding helping lose weight was rubbish. With both of them I couldn't lose it until after I had stopped, but then it went off OK.
So don't worry, just keep eating healthily and you'll lose it when you are ready to stop feeding!

Yes, when I was nursing I weighed more because I needed to eat more during the day because I was feeling weak if I wasn't eating enough! I found that in the morning I was starving. I kept 10 lbs on the WHOLE time I was nursing. As soon as a stopped (my son self-weaned at 10 months) I lost the weight immediately! Don't stop nursing!!! Nurse as long as you want because when you aren't anymore you will miss it! Appreciate those pounds too, because those pounds mean you are healthy and eating the appropriate things so that you have healthy breast milk for your son! (and as soon as you are done nursing you can eat as little or as much of what ever you want because you are not feeding two anymore!!!) chin up!

I laughed so hard at your request. Well, not at it, with it. I am sitting (and I say sitting because it is in my butt) on about 15 extra pounds that I can't shake either. I am also still nursing and I will say this to you: Relax with the weight until you stop using your body to feed another person. You can't win. Your body needs the extra lbs. and it will have it. So resign to the flab for a few more months. Once little darling is off the boob, up the exercise and the weight will drop off. I can't promise that your shape will return, but the number will be what it was in no time. Hang in there :-)

hi J.,

it sounds like you're doing all you can to be mindful of your diet. my experience has been quite the opposite. i exclusively nursed my son (and at 2+ years old i still do once/day) and i found that nursing thinned me out. i too was a rail pre-pregnancy but, unlike you, was hoping to keep 10 pounds postpartum. but alas, i snapped back to pre-pregnancy weight in 2 weeks (and believe me, i was eating!) what i'm getting at is that each body reacts differently to pregnancy (nursing or not) and this may be your new body. love it and live in it in all its glory.

my only word of advice would be that if you're nursing it's not the time to count calories. your baby needs fatty, nourishing milk. i'm no stranger to body-image issues so please don't think i'm being insensitive to yours... save the dieting until you've weaned him (or at least are supplementing with cow's, goat's or almond milk). lots of luck.

K.

I hate to inform you. Your body will never be the same as it was pre-baby. Everything about you has changed. Breastfeeding isn't keeping you from losing weight. You burn 500 calories a day doing it. What worked for you before won't work anymore.

This may sound dumb, but try to eat more!!! You body is breastfeeding, and needs a lot of nutrients, and with what you are eating, they are all going to the baby. You body has nothing to hold on to except what it has in stores, and every morsel you put in your mouth. Once you increase your intake, you metabolism will boost, and your body will not be in fear of not getting enough, and will finally let some of the stores go. Sort of like a hybernating bear. It won't be automatic, but give it a week or two. You can also vary your diet. Your body is used to what you are giving it, and expects it. Therefore, if you put some excitement (shake it up), in your caloric intake, your body will get excited! Then you will get excited. I am on weight watchers, so I am trying to loose my baby weight, she is now 4. And they say the same.

I didn't have time to read through all the responses so I apologize if I'm saying anything already said.
I commend you for being such a healthy eater! That's wonderful for you and for your baby. I have a lot of experience trying to loose weight. The one thing I can suggest is that you eat more. I nursed for only a year (I often said I'd do it forevery if I could just so I could keep loosing weight). I learned that you have to actually eat MORE than you did before you were nursing. I joined weight watchers so that I would have a way of knowing that I was eating enough but not eating too much. Nursing take about 500 calories a day above and beyond what you need for yourself. Try to track your calories over the course of a week. Make sure you are getting enough. I'm sure that you know this, but if your body thinks you are not getting enough calories, it holds on tight to everything you eat. That would keep you from loosing weight. Also, if you don't eat enough, the weight you loose could be muscle weight instead of fat. Good luck! Maybe try adding 500 calories a day to your diet for a couple of weeks. See what happens. Drink an extra glass of milk and extra fruit and nuts and veggies. That may add up to the 500. In my personal experience, nursing was the BEST way to loose weight. I just had to make sure I ate enough.

First of all 10 lbs over your pre-baby weight is not fat! You are just use to being a rail so 10 little lbs to you is a lot. Woman would probably die to look like you never even having had children. Plus keep in mind you are only 9 months out, that's not very long. You are doing everything right by the sounds. Maybe you need to actually up your calories a bit. Your body might think it's starving trying to sustain you and a milk supply so it's going into starvation mode and storing fat. My husband was a body builder and owned a gym. I was a marathon runner before having two children. I'm already back in my old clothes and my second one is also only 9 months old. Just what ever you do keep breast feeding that baby. It's way more important than you looking hot in a bikini. After you are done nursing you can hit this issue head on. Buy a jogging stroller, your son will love it. Join the Y, they have a babysitting room where you can drop your kids off and go work out. You don't have to stress about where they are because they are in the same building as you litteraly feet away. My advice is up your calories for a few weeks and see if that makes a difference. When you are breast feeding you should be consuming 2500 calories a day at the least. It doesn't sound like you're getting that much. If you need any more pointers write me back with questions.

C. R

J.,
Your whole body has changed and that includes your metabolism. If your like every other mother in the world your not getting the full recommended hours of sleep. It's a highly published fact that sleep deprevation leads to slower metabolism. It just takes time, try to sleep more and drink tons of water. Be patient.

you could not be eating enough and putting your body into starvation mode so it is storing afraid of not getting enough food. If you are breastfeeding you have to eat more! Do not dispair I breastfed my 2nd(myfirst did not want to!) I wieghed more after a year of breastfeeding than I did when I was 9 months pregnant! The best advice my Dr gave me was to eat and not to worry and when I was finished breastfeeding join Weight Watchers! I was also less stressed and was able to feed my baby happily. Weight Watchers was great and they even allow for breastfeeding Moms, you get more food!
Good Luck and remember it takes 10 months for your body to gain all that weight and they say the same to loose it!

Hi. Let me start by saying that I am not suggesting that you are starving yourself. However, when you breastfeed you need more calories. If you aren't getting enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and store whatever fat you do eat. I'm not sure how many calories you need when breastfeeding, but look it up, then count your calories. You may find you are not getting enough and your body is overcompensating. Also try weight training. Building muscle burns fat. Good luck. While I don't think 10 extra pounds is a big deal apparently you do. So I hope you can take it off. But do realize that your body may have reshaped in different places, and may not ever be quite the same.

Hi J.,

Sorry this response is so late. I have twin girls and they keep me pretty busy :) I only read through a couple of the responses and feel badly that they seem to suggest your diet is the culprit. It is a necessity for your body to hold onto an extra 8-10 lbs. in order to maintain milk production. I nursed my daughters for 12 months, holding onto 10 extra lbs., and right after I stopped it fell off immediately! I am now thinner than I was before I got pregnant (125 lbs. and 5' 8"). I know it's frustrating as you're always told how breast feeding is the best way to lose the pregnancy weight - it is, but only after your finished nursing :) Best of luck - it will happen.

R.

The reality check is that your body changes after having a child. Some of us hold that extra weight to nurse, some of us don't. Why not learn to love your body instead of projecting negativity towards it? Keep in mind, what you resist persists! Sounds like you're putting a lot of energy towards this blubbery oozing problem. Why not focus on the most important job you're doing which is giving your child the best shot at optimal health he can have by breastfeeding him.
Stop starving yourself and counting calories and fat grams. Instead, focus on creating health for both you and your growing family and you'll find that the weight will normalize as a happy side effect.
Keep eating health supportive food and breastfeeding your child, it's the best start you can give him, let go of your 10 lb. goal and focus on more positive things. The weight will magically let go on it's on.
Remember! What you resist persists!!!

ah yes, the nursing-and-no-weight-loss nightmare! welcome to my world!

i have a 14 mo old and a nearly 3 yr old, and i not only nursed my big one right thru my pgncy but also nurse both of them STILL and i had to go on weight watchers to lose the baby weight! the big news is, all that BS you hear about how nursing is a guarantee of the pounds melting off, is in fact, BS. just like everything else re pgncy and babies, every BODY is different.

my theory is this; some of us have bodies that will keep the weight on because we're kind of storing fat for when it's needed later. other times the metabolism just slows to a crush because we have so many crazy hormones.

i know a lot of nursing moms who can't get rid of the last ten or even if they do, thier body still looks blabby. i would say for you, at 10 months, it's WAY TOO SOON to worry about it. most times it takes about 2 years to be close to normal. and depending how your hormones go, how long you nurse, etc;, you might hit a great streak in a few months or a year from now where you kick into high gear and it does fly off. it's just a litle farther down the road than you'd like.

just try not to compare yourself to all those assinine celebrities who lost baby weight by a combo of excessive exercise, having thier own personal chef, and guess what? PLASTIC SURGERY! because that's not normal reality. and if you're having more kids, really don't obsess about it because you're just going to have to go thru the same thing aall over again down the road.

the most important thing is to KEEP NURSING, because that's so fabulous, and that's what's the priority right now. the rest of your life will fall into place eventually. sort of. one hopes.

anyway you have a beautiful baby; how many skinny people do you know that would gladly give up thier waistline for what you've got?

j

Of course, this is anecdotal. But in my circle of friends, I've observed that nursing moms fall into two categories:

1. Moms who pretty much melt away to pre-pgregnancy weight, or less, while nursing.
and
2. Moms whose bodies retain some weight during their nursing relationship.

I fall into the latter category. I'm still nursing my almost 21 month old and I've just tried to come to terms with the fact that I'll be holding on to those last few pounds until we wean. I also eat a quite healthy diet and found that when I tried to reduce my calorie intake to help rid those last few lbs, my supply noticably dipped (could tell because I was pumping at work at the time).

Hi J.~ I can totally relate to the "nursing drops all the baby weight fast" myth! My daughter is almost 8 months, and I still have 15 lbs of baby fat. It is definitely due to the milk making process. Keep up you're routine and when your beautiful son is weaned, the weight will come right off. The advice from all of these mom's is right on track!
PS: Weight Watchers totally works! I did that program after my son was weaned.

Start lifting weights and doing sit-ups, push-ups and lunges. This should help. It worked for me. The cardio isn't enough. I didn't breastfeed, so that might be part of it since extra weight gets retained in the chest. I know that I lost 5 pounds once my breasts got back to normal, so some of your excess weight will probably remain until you stop breastfeeding.

Remember that for a lot of women, when you breastfeed you retain about 5-10 pounds until you wean. Whatever you do do not diet while breasfeeding, it will compromise your milk and your energy-you need all the nutrients and calories you can get. It will come off eventually!!

Not only make sure that you are eating/drinking enough,but also make sure you are getting enough sleep (which is difficult with a 9 month old!). Your body will go into storage mode if you don't sleep enough, same as if you don't eat enough. Maybe you should go back to your old habit of eating what you want within the healthy foods scope - and see what happens.
And like some others have said, your body gets redistributed after birth. Though I have always had to watch my hips, butt, thighs - my tummy now carries weight in a way that it didn't before.
Sounds like you're working hard to be healthy - let me encourage you to keep that up rather than working hard to be thin. Good luck!

My son will be nine months old in 2 days, I still have 10 lbs. to go, and I stopped breastfeeding when he was 7 months old. I'm certainly not as active as you are and until yesterday I haven't REALLY been trying very hard. I don't think the breastfeeding would hold you back. Maybe you should change your workout and diet a little. Give your body more calories to burn. Maybe your body is storing them while you breastfeed on a low cal diet.
If you get the magic answer please let me know!
Good luck!

J.-

It's going to sound crazy, but make sure you are eating enough calories, if you are eating under 1000 calories, your body will go into starvation mode and not lose weight. Times your current weight by 10 and eat that many calories per day to lose weight. Great calorie book/website to check out www.calorieking.com.

Hope that helps.

D.

I did not lose that last 10 pounds untill I stopped BFing. Then it just melted off with zero effort. I 've heard this from others as well. Dont worry about the extra weight right now and enjoy breastfeeding! It will come off later.

Sounds like you're not giving your body enough fuel and it's shutting down. You may be eating way too little and not enough of a balanced diet. Also, with all the extra energy you use taking care of your son, your body may actually need more food than you are providing it with. Try making sure your have a protein, fruit/veggie, carb, & milk product with every meal. Good luck!

Its true, nursing does seen to make the fat last longer.

Breastfeeding Helps take the weight off. This must have to do with something you are unable to control right now. I would say trust the process. A holistic nutritionist may be able to help. There are many of them cropping up everywhere. Also, if you are into alternative healing sources, go to healingwateronline.com... This site has a triple breath for losing weight- ! - I know it may sound weird to some, but this works for many and it is inexpensive.

Hi J.,
Good for you! I'm proud of you for sticking it out with breastfeeding for 9 months! So many moms give it up much sooner. Just think, 3 more months and you will make it to a year - pediatricians say a year of breastfeeding is great!!
I know it's frustrating trying to lose the weight. I was also pretty thin pre-preg and I gained 52 lbs while I was pregnant. My son is now 11 months old and my body is still holding on to the last 6 or 7 lbs. But the extra weight is worth it, to continue nursing him. That's fantastic that you are eating so healthy and exercising! I did not adjust very well to being a new mom, so I did not have the energy or the motivation to exercise or eat well. Most of the weight seemed to come off from a combination of nursing and keeping a high maintenance baby entertained all day long. Remember that if it took 9 months to gain that weight, it will take 9 months or longer for it to come off. Instead of thinking about those last 10 lbs, be proud of yourself for all of the weight that you DID lose so far! I'm sure a couple of those pounds are in your bra - it will come off when you and your son are ready to wean.
At least you are eating healthy - I sometimes eat like I am still pregnant. I have a feeling that once I stop nursing I will gain a lot of weight... I have no self-control when it comes to snacks!
Congratulations on your son and best of luck to you!

I never lost my baby weight while breasfeeding with either of
my kids. And it gets harder with each pregnancy. Most of the people I know who lost all their weight within 9 months, didn't breastfeed for that long. I came to the conclusion that my body was holding onto the weight because it needed to. I have no medical basis for this thought, only experience. I gained over 40 pounds when pregnant and when I stopped nursing at 15 months, it quickly melted away. I am a pretty healthy eater and I exercise a lot.

Your diet may actually be part of the problem. Do some research b/c, again, I am no doctor. But I have heard that when pregnant and nursing, your body will do everything it can to support the baby, and will rob Mom to do it. It's an evolutionary thing- save the baby, sacrifice mom. My doctor told me that my body will feel depleted long before my ability to produce milk is affected. You may not be eating enough to healthily support the baby and yourself. If the body is undernourished, it will store fat for the future in order to save itself.

I really understand your frustration and I applaud your determination to keep nursing. I haven't been able to lose anymore weight for quite a while. I exercise a lot, and so my shape has improved and my clothes are too big. I don't get on the scale often because that number doesn't coincide with how I look and feel. Keep in mind that your body has been through a lot in the last 18 months and has changed in a very dramatic way. The things you did pre-preg may not work the same way anymore. Some parts of your body just might not go back to the way they were before. Its a sacrifice we have to make as moms, unfortunately. When you decide to stop nursing, you will have more freedom to work on your body. Until then, try to focus on the great gift your are giving your baby by breastfeeding. I really hope this has been helpful.

A.

Hi J.,

I Know how you feel. My son is 14 months old, and I am 15 lbs heavier than when I got pregnant. Nursing helped take off MOST of the weight from my pregnancy, but the last 5-15 (depending on your body type & cup size change) do not come off until you wean. It's your body's way of making sure there is enough for the baby, just in case. I eat healthy and am pretty active. Definitely try eating more, your body may be in storage mode. This helped me loose 5 lbs to get to where I am now. I wasn't eating enough, backwards, Huh?

Dear J.,
Don't get discouraged. Breastfeeding does seem to keep extra weight on Mom; it must be a force of nature, so quit fighting it. The more you fight, the more you lose - or don't lose(as far as weight is concerned). It seems to be more the case with little boys, than girls. When I had my daughter, I had no trouble losing the weight. Then my son came along, and actually I wanted to keep on the extra pounds. But the moment I stopped breastfeeding him, the pounds shed. In general, boys seem to need more substanence, nutrients, and calories than girls - even as babies. When this comes through Mom's body, Mom pays the price. My suggestion would be to start supplimenting breastmilk with solid food.It is the first step in "letting go." Once you start letting go, the transition is enormous and very satifying. Experience with him the new taste sensations in trying new foods.
One word of advice my mom gave me and it worked. Start children on veges before fruits. Once a child has tasted the sweetness of fruits, veges seem bland. If they learn to eat veges first, they will eat them without a problem. They will inevitably like fruits.
Good luck, W.

Hi J.,

I haven't read through all of the responses so far, so forgive me if I'm about to repeat someone else's thoughts. Have you considered strength training? Building more muscle will not only tone up those "blubbery" spots, but it will keep up your metabolism and burn more calories around the clock.

Otherwise just be patient. It sounds like you're getting excellent nutrition and exercise which is healthier overall than those ten extra pounds. Good luck!

I hear you! I too, was very trim and lean before both of my pregnancies. I nursed both of my daughters to about 1 year old (the younger one is now almost two) and I do remember that with both of them, my body just seemed to want to hang on to those last five pounds until my babies started getting more into solids (meaning that I started nursing a bit less). It seemed like the more they transitioned into solids, suddenly those last five pounds just disappeared. So take heart, you will probably drop the rest soon, as your baby starts nursing less (and kudos to you, by the way, for not giving up nursing for your own vanity).
That being said - take a good look at your habits and make sure that they are for sure conducive to helping you get your old weight back - are you doing snacking in between meals? (when I was nursing, I craved sweets so bad!) Having dessert a lot? Also, are you working out? It's not just diet that helps you with weight control - you have to burn calories, too! I started working out again six weeks postpartum with both pregnancies, and I know that it made a huge difference not only in how I looked, but more importantly how I felt. Make sure you are not just watching what you eat, but moving those buns, too! You may have been able to control your weight with just diet before, but having a baby changes your body, and you have to adjust your life along with it. Anyhow, sorry you are going through this, I remember being there and being so frustrated and SO sick of not being able to fit into my old clothes. Keep you chin up -watch your snacking, start exercising, and you'll start to see results. Good luck!

Try to relax. Keep with healthy eating and healthy exercising and nursing. I lost 70 pounds during the first year after my son, my 40 from the pregnancy and 30 more. I had lost all that weight and my body was completely different. I continue to nurse my son at 18 months but not as frequent. I have gained some of it back and my body is somewhat returning to normal for me. I still have a lot to do with rebuilding my muscle tone but all things take time.

I don't think breastfeeding is "keeping you fat". From my experience the entire pregancy journey changes your entire body (hormones, muscle tone, metabolism, etc) and it takes a long time before it will settle on what will become your new normal. It is alot to accept but keep healthy and keep nursing your body will adjust to it's new state. It may not be what it was before but then again it may if you give it time.

In the meantime enjoy your child and learn to be as happy as you can with your body. It was something that I've had to struggle with. I'm not in love with my body right now but have had to accept it for what it is now and work to change it in slow steps back to what I would like it to be.

Breastfeeding definitely kept on the baby weight around my mid-section. I know several other Moms that had that same issue. Soon after we stopped breastfeeding, we lost that extra weight. It's really annoying because everyone talks about how many calories you burn when you breastfeed, so you expect to lose all your pregnancy weight while you breastfeed, but that doesn't happen. If it is just 10 pounds that you have left, it will probably disappear after you stop breastfeeding.

I feel completely opposite. Supposedly, breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day! And boy, did it! I was 145lbs before I got pregnant (I'm 5'9") Now, I'm 131 lbs. I used to run about 10 miles a week before pregnancy, did the David Kirsch Diet and exercise program and would drop a few pounds here and there, but always in the 139-140 area. Once I got pregnant, I was so sick, I couldn't exercise like I used to...after she was born, I stopped exercising all together. When I started breastfeeding, we realized that she had a dairy allergy. I had to cut out ALL milk/dairy products. I also cut out all gluten because I had a gluten intollerance and would get hives from it. I believe the combo of the 500 calorie burn breastfeeding does and cutting out all gluten/dairy from my diet, and lite exercise (picking her up, loading the carrier in the car, taking the stroller out of the car, walking, carrying groceries and housework) allowed me to drop the baby weight. See if cutting out dairy and gluten does the trick :) Also, I think it's mental. Get out of your head that you HAVE TO LOSE THE WEIGHT and think I WILL LOSE THE WEIGHT! :)