I agree with Nelly!

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Everybody's different. I've had girlfriends who held on to a little weight and some like me got slimmed down right away. I was always at pre pregnacy weight within 6 weeks of each of my 3 babies. By far most women I know who stayed the heaviest after having a baby were bottle feeding.

In fact I gained weight after weaning and my energy dipped and I'm a lot more tense. I loved prolactin and it did wonders for me.

I don't like this new sexpot Nelly. I was a big fan before. I have no beef with being all sulty or singing sexy stuff but in all this over expousure she's been trashing feminism and acting kinda snooty. So now if she's calling people liars just because they didn't share the same experince as her, well I've lost a lot of repect for her.

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I didn't lose while breastfeeding. I actually gained weight. But I have terrible metabolism.

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Yes, it seems everyone has a different experience, just like with pregnancy. I was fortunate to lose weight quickly--actually struggled to maintain a decent weight--within months after Baby a was born. I had never been so hungry in my life. It was astonishing.

But some girlfriends have really held on to their pregnancy weight the whole time they nursed. Who knows, maybe they weren't eating well. But it seemed more like a metabolism thing.

Baby A has almost weaned herself. We're down to just first thing in the morning. Have to admit I miss the "nursing diet—anything, whenever I wanted it"...and I miss prolactin, too! That rush of calm and love is the best.

- L

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I lost my weight thanks to an elim diet. I didn't really finally lose while eating typicall until after I stopped breastfeeding. Even with just one 2 minute feeding before bedtime I was still ate like a ravenous beast. When I stopped, I felt my hunger drop significantly.

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Burning all those extra calories nursing worked for me. I was so surprised at how the weight fell off in the months following my daughter's birth. Unfortunately the skin never really sprang back! (I'm ten pounds less than when I got pregnant, but everything is quite droopy.) A year later, the momentum is tapering as I nurse less so that's a little frustrating since I'm used to eating so much.

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breastfeeding hormones (oxytocin) tighten your uterus back up + definitely help you shed pregnancy related pounds. especially if you're eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water + exercising. i lost all the baby weight in under 3 months, with LOTS of walking the baby around several times a day + night.

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I'm not losing weight while breastfeeding, but even harder is how exhausted it makes me. I do not have the energy levels I had pre-pregnancy, even after a solid 7 hours of sleep. Before my wee boy I was very active and got a lot of exercise but there's no way I can keep that up and still produce enough milk for him. I can see the difference in my milk supply if I push myself too hard.

Let's face it, most mums I know will do anything for their kids. So we breastfeed through infections, through discomfort, and through exhaustion. None of these negatives are enough to make me quit breastfeeding, my boy is worth the low energy, but I wish that the breastfeeding propaganda machine would be a bit more honest about how hard it can be to breastfeed and give us credit for what we do for our babies, rather than claiming it'll help every woman with weightloss (I'm sure it helps some, just not me).

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I totally agree with you. I lost so much weight when nursing, and ate like a man. I adore breastfeeding, and that is one of the reasons! I lost down to what I weighed in high school, and I had a terrible time readjusting when I stopped and ended up putting on weight. One reason I am excitedto be pregnant again is this nice side effect!

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I usually lose weight right after the baby is born, and througout the breastfeeding as the only food the baby gets period, but once I start wening, that's when I usually gain weight.

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I have no idea who that Nelly person is but if she breastfed for 2 years, it must not have been that terrible for her. I intend to breastfeed for at least one year (at 4 months so far and this is my third baby), but IMO anything after that is a bonus for the little one! And I did lose all my baby weight after 2-3 months with all my kids. I think I lost it faster because I breastfed, but I also think I would have lost it either way. Lack of energy? I can't imagine that anyone with a new baby has tons of energy! All my kids are exhausting! I'm just glad I am not making bottles at 3 am on top of it all!

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With both of my children breastfeeding definitely helped me lose all my pg weight and then some. I nursed my daughter for 18 months and I could eat anything and couldn't put on weight. Now that she is recently weaned, I've gained a few pounds. The sucky part is that I had a year and a half of shaping my eating habits. Not that I ate all kinds of horrible foods, but just large portions. Now I have to train myself to eat smaller portions.

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Some of the women in the nursing group I attend did not lose weight as quickly to start out with because your activity level is often low when you're breastfeeding. If you're always sitting down to nuse the baby, it can be hard to lose, depending on your metabolism of course. Those women often started to drop pounds once their babies started eating less frequently and more quickly. I did not have any problems losing weight, and I am pretty sure I weigh less than I did at my lowest point (I also lost almost 10 pounds in my first trimester because I was so sick, but I weigh even less now than I did then).

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When I was pregnant my metabolism ramped up, my body temp was 98.6-98.9 I had energy and I felt great. I also had some severe food aversions and had to eat regularly. I ate tonnes of fruit (the only thing that didn't make me sick), yogurt and other protein as much as I could (per Brewer's Diet). I also didn't eat much junk food.

However, since I had the baby my metabolism has slowed, my body temperature has gone back to my normal 97.4 and I am starving ALL the time. I also am not eating that well, lots of carbs because they are easy. I have gone off fruit and am eating less veggies (though I am trying to reform and eat more veggies). The lack on money and crazy schedule that means grocery shopping is erratic at best doesn't help. (And raman noodles don't go bad ;) )

I do not own a scale, but 2 days after I gave birth my stomache was flat. Now I have a lot of pudge. I imagine I have gained 20-30 lbs mostly in the last 4 months.

I am hoping now that it isn't so hot I can get out more and walk and that I can get my diet under control. However sleep deprivation and stress have been linked to weight gain and baby still doesn't sleep longer than 3 hours and I am finding parenting a little stressful.

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I agree with Nelly. I breastfedd for 2.5 yrs and didn't lose any weight. 6 months later I am still producing milk!!!! I will have to go to the Dr to get medication to stop the milk. I had the same issue with my daughter.
I think it has stopped me from losing weight. I guess we will see.

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I lost all my pregnancy weight in the first 3 months with child #1 and within 5 months with child #2. I have a rather slow metabolism and I never work out...and I eat/drink all the time since still nursing #2, but the baby weight came off and stayed off. I think the body is working hard 24/7 to maintain the milk supply..i wonder how many of you did lose the baby weight but gained it in breast/milk weight??

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Nursing my daughter did help me to lose weight. The female body burns roughly 500 calories merely producing the breastmilk. I, too, was constantly thirsty (another effect of nursing), so that also aided in the weight-loss. This was very important to me, since I had to have a C-section. From the experience of my first one, I knew the weight would not come off as easily. Also, I was able to use the money I didn't have to spend on formula for yoga classes.

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Everyone is different. But, I don't care if it made me gain 50 lbs, I would still breastfeed because I CAN and I know it is the best choice for my baby.


I lost all my baby weight (all 3 times) within a few months, with good diet and exercise. There was no easy out for me. I breastfed my first two till 20 months, and am nursing my 7 mo old now and hope to for at least 20 mo.

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I lost all my pregnancy weight and then some within two months (and I wasn't heavy before I got pregnant). I completely attribute it to breastfeeding because I didn't even start exercising again until my child was a few months old.

Obviously every person is different but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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I agree with Nelly. I bottle fed all 4 of my kids and lost more weight quicker than any of the woman I know of that breastfed.

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