The Baby Chub--question for the mamas out there

[Aquari]

Hi!

 

My son is 13 months old and we're still nursing a little during the day. Just wondering if any of you mamas strength trained while nursing and if you have any tips to share. I've heard it can be hard to shed fat until you wean. Is that true?

[Reyna]

I didn't find it hard to lose fat while nursing my first. I DID find it hard not to eat everything in sight though (this was before I went primal though).

 

So far my second is 3 weeks old and I'm finding that, once again, I want to eat everything-especially candy and other sweet stuff. Family members have brought food (most of which isn't primal *sigh*) but even though I'm scarfing it down my weight is staying the same. We finally finished everything (I couldn't bear to throw it out) and getting back on primal, I'm curious to see if I'll still be starving on the higher-fat/protein.

 

I'm leaning toward nursing helping you lose fat, IF you can control your cravings. It is extra calories a day after all.

[Aquari]

I didn't find it hard to lose fat while nursing my first. I DID find it hard not to eat everything in sight though (this was before I went primal though).

 

So far my second is 3 weeks old and I'm finding that, once again, I want to eat everything-especially candy and other sweet stuff. Family members have brought food (most of which isn't primal *sigh*) but even though I'm scarfing it down my weight is staying the same. We finally finished everything (I couldn't bear to throw it out) and getting back on primal, I'm curious to see if I'll still be starving on the higher-fat/protein.

 

I'm leaning toward nursing helping you lose fat, IF you can control your cravings. It is extra calories a day after all.

 

Congrats on your new baby! And thanks for your response. That's good to know.

 

I tried to do light cardio throughout pregnancy, but I was pretty inconsistent. Since he was born, I haven't really exercised at ALL and I've definitely found eating well to be challenging. I was overweight when I got pregnant and am still hovering about 10 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight right now. Frankly, with the lifestyle I've been maintaining, I'm suprised it isn't more. I DO think nursing might have played a part of being able to get to this point, with virtually no exercise.

 

Anyway, I was just wondering. This blog I've been reading (fit mama, real food) is written by a fitness enthusiast, first time mom (soon to be mother of two) and she started trying to lose weight very soon after her baby was born (something I want to do next time). She includes photos and talks about her training (not tons of strength training, but some) and the foods she eats and it all SEEMS pretty good. However, she said (and you can tell from the pictures) that there was just that last 10 or so pounds that WOULD NOT come off and then it just starting melting off when he weaned.

 

Since then, I've asked and heard similar things from friends as what you're describing (being super hungry while nursing, wanting junk food more than usual, etc) and I just started to wonder: maybe there's a reason for that? Maybe our bodies are trying to maintain a certain body fat buffer above our usual "healthy" range while nursing to ensure our milk supplies are adequate?

 

This doesn't REALLY bother me. It's something I could accept and wait through (though I do think next time I'd at least try to stick to a Paleo diet, like you're saying--seems it would benefit the milk more, anyway), but since I'm getting started with weight loss and still nursing, I wasn't sure if I should try to wean him completely now or if anyone had successfully achieved fat loss while nursing.

 

Also, for future post-baby workouts, I'm interested to hear from other women who strength trained while nursing and whether or not it affected their supply.

 

And, Reyna, I'm curious to hear all about how your post-baby training and diet are going, if you're willing to share.

 

Lovin' this community. =)

[Reyna]

That would make sense. Ah...the female body and its one-track mind set on procreation. *sigh* Well, I guess if it wasn't designed to hang on to every single fat cell we might have died out centuries ago (but seriously, could someone explain to my genes that there's a 24-hour market just down the road and starvation is the least of my worries??, LOL!!)

 

I wouldn't worry about rushing to wean your kiddo. You'll know when the time is right, or what works for you guys but I don't think you HAVE to wean to lose weight. I can remember being stressed and not eating with Munchkin and my milk supply getting low, then going crazy when I did remember to eat consistently. Maybe its a balance between what you eat (getting enough fat or calories or...something) and maintaining a fat buffer. No idea.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with nursing and Tadpole. With Munchkin I was still eating S.A.D. and had trouble remembering to take care of myself (Hubby worked long hours and was gone on business often so there were days it was just me and Munchkin). I mostly ate sandwiches and other handheld type food-basically anything I could gobble down while holding a fussy baby. I lost the pregnancy weight but that was it. 

 

With Tadpole I am eating primal/paleo (meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, and dairy in that order more or less) and Hubby is working from home (mostly) so I am able to actually cook and sit down and eat (at least supper). Today was the first day back on primal, so far I haven't noticed any changes-I greatly enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast though and wasn't hungry all morning. Lunch was a salad with cheese, chicken and ham. I think I should have made it bigger, or added more fat, because I was pretty hungry by 4pm. Supper was a big slice of roast with mushroom sauce, roast root veggies, and green beans. I thought I had quite a big plate but at the moment (3 hours later) if someone handed me a platter of food and a shovel I'd have it cleaned in 5 minutes. Again, I have to wonder if I didn't eat enough fat. It will take some tweaking to figure out what's missing. The biggest thing will be eating enough that my supply isn't affected, but not letting myself become a total pig. : )

 

Exercise-I'll probably focus on weights right now. Its easy to do a couple incline push-ups or squats while waiting for something to cook, or the toddler to put on shoes/ect. I'm hoping to synchronize naps so there will be at least 20 minutes where both Munchkin and Tadpole are sleeping at the same time and I could become friends with the barbells I have at home. As for cardio, not sure. Maybe walks on nice days?

[Aquari]

That would make sense. Ah...the female body and its one-track mind set on procreation. *sigh* Well, I guess if it wasn't designed to hang on to every single fat cell we might have died out centuries ago (but seriously, could someone explain to my genes that there's a 24-hour market just down the road and starvation is the least of my worries??, LOL!!)

 

 

LOL!

[Aquari]

Oh. And your plan sounds good, too. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of what you do. I am really struggling with changing my diet. I definitely eat WAY too many carbs. I was basically living off bread, fruit, and dairy (with a little meat thrown in sometimes). Yikes. No wonder. Can't believe I didn't know before now.

[Reyna]

I know!  I look back on the amount of food I'd eat with Munchkin and STILL be hungry and just cringe.

 

Once I started primal I found that if I was still hungry or craving sweets after a meal if I ate something fatty (handful of nuts, spoonful of coconut butter, slice of bacon) then I'd feel satisfied. Only thing I could think of was that the meal didn't have enough fat in it to satisfy. Last night after I posted I had a handful of frozen cherries mixed in with full-fat Greek yogurt. Couple of bites and my eat-everything cravings disappeared, so...seems to still work.

 

However, it is noon and the most exercise I have done is hold a baby. While sitting. Hmmmmmm I've LOOKED at my nifty new kettlebells...does that count?

[Aquari]

 Last night after I posted I had a handful of frozen cherries mixed in with full-fat Greek yogurt. Couple of bites and my eat-everything cravings disappeared, so...seems to still work.

 

However, it is noon and the most exercise I have done is hold a baby. While sitting. Hmmmmmm I've LOOKED at my nifty new kettlebells...does that count?

 

OK! I WANT to go about 80% paleo, eventually. I'm trying to be as strict as I can about it for now while I await results, but...if all goes well and I get to where I'm happy, I know there will be days when I want a fajita in a whole wheat tortilla wrap or something. =) I like yogurt, too, but I can't find any that are full fat/not packed with sugar.

 

What kind do you get?

 

And...holding baby, nursing, and recovering from birth is big work, so don't get TOO down on yourself! =)

[Reyna]

I get the Greek Gods brand, original or non-flavored. The ingredients are cream, pectin, and the bacteria. Then I add honey and/or fruit to make different treats. Its...well, not ice cream but kinda like ice cream. I'm not sure what my diet would be called, I jump between paleo and primal. I eat full-fat dairy and occasionally along with the meat and veggies and fruits and nuts. I don't eat dairy or rice a lot but if I tried to forbid dairy in this house Hubby and Munchkin would run away, darn cheese-aholics.