Seeking Advice on Losing Weight While Breastfeeding and Nutrition

HI J.
I BF too. My son is 9 months now. I started taking Stroller Strides Classes when was 7 weeks old.(it is a mainly outdoor fitness program for pre and postnatal moms and their babies).

At first it took about a month and a half of exercising to have the weight budge but then in another month and a half or so I lost my last ten pounds. I feel great, it is fun and I can take my baby with me. You can look at www.strollerstrides.com to see if there is one near you. Good luck! :)

A.

When I get into that rut with too many carbs I tell myself to only have whole grains (rice, buckwheat groats kasha style, quinoa tabouli, etc) and no "flour"- ezekiel bread is a "flourless" whole grain sprouted bread so it's still an option. I realize when I impose this rule on myself that I cut out a lot of the junk. The other thing is, never have your carbs "naked"- always consume with either a healthy fat or fiber, because fat and fiber slow down absorption making you feel fuller longer and not spiking blood sugar so much, so you are less likely to crave more right away.

Either keep salad greens washed and ready as soon as you get them home, or buy prewashed and always have some hard boiled eggs handy... A salad with avocado chunks, hard boiled egg, grated cheese, and then swirls of balsamic vinegar and ev olive oil with choice herbs (I love dill!) is quick enough if the greens and egg are ready. Other delicious salads are the ones with basil, tomato and chunks of fresh mozzarella with previous dressing but use oregano instead of dill. A favorite breakfast salad is pineapple chunks with a handful of chopped dates and I toss it with lots of organic shredded coconut and some dried mint.

Other ideas... grilled cheese on Ezekiel bread with organic butter & cheese, frittatas, soups made in a big batch once a week, ezekiel tortilla quesadillas, dates dipped in virgin coconut oil for a snack (out of this world! and virgin coconut oil is a fat that helps you lose fat).... get some raw foods cook books/dvds, they are great for getting new ideas. Avoid soy, it is a known goitrogen (depresses thyroid function, and you need your thyroid functioning optimally if you are trying to get to your ideal weight). When it gets to be zucchini time of year we have a special gadget called a saladacco or spiral slicer which costs about $25 and turns your zucchini into angel hair pasta! This is a great way to eat your veggies and cut out carbs- dress it up with your favorite pasta trimmings like pesto or even alfredo.

Hopefully a couple of these ideas will be inspiring to your palate!

I lost some of my baby weight after a couple months, but I will tell you that I couldn't lose nearly close to all of the weight until my daughter was 8 months old. I would walk and exercise, but I stayed the same no matter what I ate or how much I exercised. It was so frustrating. This fall especially I was walking or running 3 miles a day at least three days a week, and nothing! Finally one day I just started losing the weight. This was after months of exercising. I now weight 10 pounds less than I did before I was pregnant.

I guess what I am trying to say is: don't get discouraged if it doesn't come off right away, or for many MANY months. They say "9 months on, 9 months off" for a reason in my opinion. It will happen, but your body needs time!

As for me, I just try to eat moderately healthy, colorful, varied diet. It is hard; I LOOOOVE food of many kinds lol. Good luck and be patient :)

Hi,
here's an easy idea;
Don't eat anything with sugar in it. Of any kind; fructose, sucralose, splenda, equal. Anything.
Go shopping and buy the food you know is good. Beans ! Great protein. Get enough for a few days. Then enough for another few days. Don't overwhelm yourself with big, long term goals. One day at a time. You will feel better in a short time.
And walking is great. Keep it up until you feel more motivated.
Think of yourself as a healthy person. Soon you will be !
Good luck !

Sounds like you know what to do, and just need to do it! Cut out all the carbs that are useless bulk. Stick to veggies and fruits, soaked legumes, the animal protein and dairy that you will eat, and sprouted-grain bread, tortillas, and pasta (Ezekiel brand, Alvarado Street Bakery, Berlin Natural Bakery all sell sprouted breads/products - I get them at my supermarket or health food store). Organic brown or basmati rice is good, too. No sugar, white flour, white rice, or other useless-nutrition foods! No processed foods! This diet will have all you need for yourself and for your breastfeeding baby.
Walking while pushing a stroller IS good exercise. Don't look to lose quickly, just slightly change your lifestyle. As your baby grows, you'll be pushing more and more weight, and she'll be drinking more and more milk. ideal arrangement for weight loss!
Just a suggestion for a healthy lunch that's easy-
Buy a box of pre-washed organic baby greens, mix in grape tomatoes, organic cheese (pre-shredded is avialable) and hard boiled egg. You could even toss on some pine nuts. Add olive oil and your favorite vinegar to dress. Everything is bought ready-to-eat except the eggs, which are easy to boil in bulk once every few days. Good source of protein (eggs/cheese), healthy fats (olive oil, pine nuts - sometimes I like avocado on it as well, but this adds some time to the prep), antioxidants, iron & vitamin C (tomatoes, greens). Less than 3 minutes of prep! You could even make it while holding a baby...

Hi J.
Have you found a solution to eating well and loosing weight while breastfeeding?
My daughter is 3 however I remember as clear as day how i felt when she was a new born. Thank goodness for the help of those around me because I did not like nor did I have the energy to cook!!! I also Breastfed my daughter , which helped a great deal with taking off some of the weight. Also adding nutrient dense whole foods that require little to no preparation helped to maintain energy. Check out www.naturalsoulutions.wholefoodfarmacy.com
There are great tasting whole foods that you can eat at home or throw in your bag to go when you are traveling with the baby!

Hello J.,
I was just reading your post and i thought i would share with you a program that a friend of mine tried out after she had her baby. I don't know exactly how much it was but i do know that it showed amazing results. She live far from me so i don't get to see her that much but when we finally met up for a ladies weekend i didnt realize who she was. She told me to go to this site called www.healthyweightafter40.com She said dont let the name of the site discourage me they take any age range. If you decide to check it out let me know how everything works for you. I wish you the best!!!!

You need to focus on eating more low glycemic foods. You can have good carbs (foods high in carbs and also high in fiber) Thinks like lentils, beans, chick peas (I love them roasted), nice low fat yogurt, Dannon Light and Fit is the best I have found. If you eat bread - eat the low carb bread. Even "whole wheat bread" tenda to be VERY high in carbs and not enough fiber to compensate.

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