View Full Version : All nursing moms...PLEASE help me!!!
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mama22boys
Tue, Jun-14-05, 13:26
Okay, I am started to get a bit frustrated.
I am nursing a 17 month old and have been at this WOE for 4 months. Things were going well at first, but nothing has happened in the last 6-8 weeks. I have had a few days where I didn't follow this WOE (brother's graduation, get together with old friends and went out to eat, etc) but overall I have stuck to it. Most of the day, most days I eat and follow LC. Trouble is, I can go 5-7 days eating well (probably taking in 25-30 net carbs) and see no change. Next day, I am frustrated so I might eat 1/2 apple with PB or a few bites of cereal or maybe even a cookie. I just get tired of feeling limited and seeing no results. I also fear that eating like this is too volatile, one slip up and you are out of ketosis (if ever I was there)
So, I am curious what the diets of you nursing mamas (especially older children) looks like. I don't count calories or track carbs real close. My DS still nurses a lot (maybe 5-7 times a day and then throughout the night). I feel like he is old enough for me to be losing weight, but am I being to hard on my body? Would higher levels of carbs help my weight lose? Should I watch calories and fat intake closer? My activity level varies...some days I am busting my hump chasing my boys, cleaning the house, working the garden, running errands and then top it off with a 30 minute bike ride. Other days, I may lounge a bit more, usually when I am feeling beat or more fatigued.
I was eating, feed my family now, and will plan to eat closer to my goal weight healthy, fiber filled carbs, heart healthy fats, whole foods, no AS, crap and junk, etc. But is this strict LC thing just too much right now? Could it be possible that my body is just resisting this?
so, with ALL that...Any advice???
I would appreciate anything.
jende
Tue, Jun-14-05, 15:52
I'm afraid to say I have no advice. However I thought I would tell you what happened to me while nursing. I was fine right after delivery but not producing milk. When I went through all the work that it takes to finally get things going as far as milk goes, I rapidly began to gain weight. In the first few months I ballooned up to 182 lbs (about a 20 lb weight gain). It was very freaky and I also had other strange symptoms too. Eventually the gain stopped and I was very careful with how much I ate. Then my weight just plateaued and no matter what I did, nothing changed. I found I could eat lots and not gain. I also tried eating less and didn't lose. Having more carbs and less fat or less carbs and more other stuff just didn't matter. The scale stayed like this for months till I weaned. A week after the last feeding was gone, I dropped 3 lbs and since then I have lost exactly 2 lbs a month, which seems to all come off the scale in the week before TOM. What I take from this is that for me to lose, my ovaries have to be working. I haven't changed eating habits or done any dieting because I have been having trouble with my hormones and digestion. So the weight is just coming off from my normal eating. It seemed hopeless while I was breastfeeding, and really it probably was. I don't want to discourage you, but it seems that some of us just can't seem to lose while breastfeeding. You did have some previous success before 6 weeks ago, so maybe you will start to lose again. You could try experimenting with different ways of eating and see if something works, but it may just be that your current hormone state right now is causing your plateau.
Also, your sleep and rest patterns make a difference to your health which effects your weight in the long term. If you are feeling fatigued, your body is telling you to rest. I know the rollercoaster of being busy with kids, having lots to do with energy bursts, and then sometimes feeling burnt out if I don't have anything to drive me. Sugar is a stimulant so that could be one of the reasons you are reaching for that odd cookie. If you are feeling overwhelmed with low carb, then how about trying something more balanced, eating frequently through the day to keep up your energy till you feel psyched up for lc again. Maybe you just need a change for awhile. We moms are so hard on ourselves, but it really is alot of work producing milk, keeping up with the kids and doing all those things in family life that some think are so trivial.
mama22boys
Wed, Jun-15-05, 18:47
Thank you Jende!
Your post was full of wise words and encouragement! I almost cried the first time I read it :cry: I guess that I am going through a lot of things right now and the whole unsuccessfullness (??) was really getting to me.
Your experience was very interesting. I am sure that hormones have a lot to do me also. I have virtually no 'drive' so to speak :blush: . Poor DH. Since both of my boys are/were quite the nurslings, I am sure that my body has just put that on the forefront. I guess I just have to keep at it and hope in the long run it works again. Maybe it just worked in the beginning because it was such a dramatic change???
jende
Thu, Jun-16-05, 15:33
I totally understand your frustration. While I was nursing I just didn't know why I wasn't having any success and I wanted to lose sooo badly. I felt like I was trying so hard. I also started to exercise pretty hard again just a couple months after delivery, still nothing. For the most part doctors have been useless in helping me, but I did get some good advice from mine. While I was gaining weight, she said to forget about losing and just concentrate on not gaining. I thought that sucks, but it did help me mentally. I didn't deprive myself of anything that I felt I needed, but I also ate very clean and I never felt like I was out of control with food. I did stop gaining but still no loss no matter what I did till I weaned. Very frustrating, but I'm glad I stuck it out because I have pretty bad adrenal fatigue now and it would probably be even worse had I dieted, or put myself on a rollercoaster of eating sweets between periods of being good, or drinking coffee, or whatever else it is that people do to get themselves going when their body just won't.
One thing I do to comfort myself because I'm still very frustrated with where I am now weight wise, is when I'm thinking that I'm so heavy at 175 (lets face it that's pretty heavy), I just remember that a few months ago I used to be 182 lbs. 175 is so much better than 182. Just look how far you have come. You've had some success and where you are now is better than where you started. I really believe that if a person is healthy and balanced and they are eating properly, they wouldn't have a problem with weight. This is why I am not really doing anything to try to lose now, rather I'm trying to get healthier. I know that my eating is fine (with the exception of possible hidden food allergies and mineral deficiencies), it's stress management and rest where I am weak and that is keeping my body from working the way it should. Try thinking of your weight as a potential symptom and look for other things that seem to be off (fatigue or the need for coffee to get going would be another symptom). We women really need to educate ourselves so we can reach optimum health.
Oops, I wrote alot :blush: . Take care of yourself, breastfeeding is a demanding time (I think more so than pregnancy). I really feel for moms who are working so hard and feel like nothing is going their way.
Hilary M
Fri, Jun-17-05, 08:08
I have a similar story to jende's. I am nursing my 5-month-old daughter, and it seems no matter how I eat, my weight stays constant at about 175. I went through weeks of carefully watching my carbs and calories — only to stay at 175. I went through weeks of eating every bit of junk food in sight — still at 175. It appears I neither gain nor lose while breastfeeding my daughter. Although, my experience may be different because she's still relying solely on milk for nutrition (no solids yet). Because of this I can't do Induction or go below about 100 carbs a day without my milk supply dwindling terribly.
I figure right now I just need to worry on getting her a good nutritional start in life, and I'll worry about myself later. The one thing I have done is to start working out three times a week at Curves (I do it over my lunch hour cause we all know there is NO time when you have a baby at home!) and I've lost almost 5 inches off my body in a month's time by working out. So I guess if I can't go all out on the diet, I can at least work out and drop a few inches.
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