Weaning and Gaining Weight Afterwards

Hi A.
Congrats on BF this long! To answer your question - you will gain weight if don't follow a diet that you were on before pregnancy and BF. With BF, your body needed a few extra calories because you burned about 500 calories a day exclusively BF. When you wean, your body's needs will go back to the way it was before pregnancy. Following the food pyramid will help you take in your daily needs. This is what happens, unless of course you're blessed with an incredible metabolism. But if you're like most of us, following a decent diet and getting exercise will help you from hopefully not gaining excess weight.
I hope this helps.

PJ

1 mom found this helpful

Hi A..
The smallest I was since high school is when I nursed. When I weaned, I unfortunately put the weight back on. I guess it depends on your activity level as well. My job is a sit down job, so hard to get much exercise.
Good for you for nursing so long. I think that is so awesome! My weaned themselves at about 14/15 months.
bless you.
W.

1 mom found this helpful

I lost weight - probably 5 lbs without even trying, becuase your boys holds extra fluids and reserves when you breastfeed. Good for you for going 17 months - good luck!

I gained a lot of weight when I weaned my first son. I was a milk producing machine (about 60 oz a day)so I was able to eat over a thousand extra calories a day and still weigh 15 lbs less than I did before getting pregnant. I got used to being able to eat any and everything so I had a hard time watching my diet after weaning.

I'm nursing my six week old second born now and already weigh five pounds less than I did before getting pregnant. But I plan to begin the south beach diet when I wean (which probably won't be for another 18 months).

I guess if you watch your diet you might not gain weight. But I have always struggled with my weight and the only time I was my ideal weight was when I was breastfeeding.

I've always lost weight after weaning. From my experience, your body holds on to some "fat stores" while you are breast feeding, and i remember losing about 5-10 lbs after weaning. Although, i have always tried to eat healthier, I'm sure that it also has something to do with what you're eating. Good luck!

Your appetite will drop, so adjust your eating accordingly and you will be fine. Just keep in mind that when you're nursing full time, you are using an extra 500-600 calories a day (way more than is needed during pregnancy), so just eat that much less when you stop nursing.

A.,
Actually, I lost weight after weaning. The extra weight that I was storing for breastfeeding just slid right off and within a couple of months, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Just keep in mind that everyone is different. Good luck!

Pay attention to your caloric intake. Breastfeeding burns about an extra 300 calories a day. Bear that in mind while you wean, arm your self with healthy snacks as you get used to taking in less food.

Walking with the Stroller is a great way to combat the gain. Even just a short 15-20 minutes per day will make a difference.

P

Hi, Havent read the other responses but I guess everyone is different anyway.
I know I weighed less 5 weeks after giving birth than I do now - 22 months after giving birth. Nursing burned a ton of calories for me, apparently, and now that I stopped I am having a hard time losing. I weigh 10 pounds more now than before I was pregnant. I nursed for 15 months.

L.

Hi A.,

You might gain weight when you wean but you can avoid it if you change some of your eating habits now. I recommend the low glycemic index diet. This is NOT a diet to lose weight. It is a diet to stay healthy and allows you to consume mass quantities of food :) if you eat the right types. It allows for all foods except simple sugars. It works so well that some of the weight loss companies have figured that out and are using it on their weight loss plans...you can google it for more information.

I counsel in health and nutrition and I PREACH being healthy is the only thing that will keep you at your optimum weight. If you'd like specific help, let me know.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

While you are breastfeeding, you are burning an extra 500 calories a day. You just have to make sure to cut back your calories after you wean to avoid gaining weight. Good luck.

The way to not gain weight after weaning the baby is to eat less and exercise more. Buy a stroller and walk every day. It worked for me.

I've had friends that have lost weight (for the same reason the earlier poster said ... or that's what they said, as well) when they weaned. But, I gained weight when my daughter self-weaned at 13 months. I'm sure it's different for everyone.

You probably just won't be as hungry/thirsty. Keep eating good nutrition, and you may even lose weight. I did sometimes (breastfed 4 kids who are now adults! Where does the time go??) I think a lot of it has to do with what season of the year it is when you quit and how active you are at that particular season!

Blessings 2 U!

Only if you keep eating like you are breastfeeding. ( : Just watch your calories and increase your activity if you notice a few pounds appear. Good luck. ( :

I did. When I was nursing I was hungry all of the time and when I stopped I kept eating like a pig because I like to eat. Just cut back a little on your calories and you won't. I got back down to a normal weight in no time though.

Hello! I breastfeed both of my children until they were about 15 to 18 months. I didn't gain any weight.

you will have to watch how much you eat afterwards. Breastfeeding uses about 500 calories per day so you'll just have to consume that much less. But with a 17 month old, I imagine you'll be running A LOT! :) it's not bad. My son has been weaned for 1.5 years and i'm still 10 lbs below my prepregnancy weight.

If you continue to eat the way you did while breastfeeding, you will gain weight. Once you have her weaned you will need to cut down on your caloric intake. It's not to easy either. You are used to gobbeling up more food to help feed your child and at this point it has become a habit. Just keep an eye on what you eat and make a daily journal of what you need to eat. Good Luck.