My baby is 11 months.. she'll be 1 in a few weeks. Every attempt I've made to lose weight while nursing has been a failure. It's like my body just does not want to let go of the weight!
I have heard stories of women not losing until they stopped nursing, and then the weight just dropped off.
I really don't want that to be me! I want my baby to self-wean but if I truely can't lose weight while she is nursing then I might encourage her to wean, which I don't want too.. but I need to get this weight off.

I have lost all the weight shown on my ticker while nursing. But you have to be patient and be prepared for slower weight loss. Also, I made sure to eat when I was hungry. Any attempt at not eating when I was hungry devolved into a huge eating fest. Im a little below the weight I was when I got pregnant this last time and about 10 pounds away from my pre ever having a child weight. So, Im pretty happy. My toddler is still nursing and she just turned 2. It did get easier once she cut down her nursing sessions to wake up, nap, and before bed. I stopped feeling ravenous all the time.

If you decide to count calories, My Fitness pal has a breastfeeding entry in the food that subtracts 500 calories or less depending on the age of your baby and how much you nurse.

I nursed my first till she was just over 1 and I've been nursing my second who is almost 11 months now. I could not lose weight while nursing either time, in fact I gained a few pounds. Apparently that's just how it works for some women.

I dropped 20 lbs fairly easily after I weaned my first. My second has been cutting back on the nursing now and my weight is starting to drop as well. It's possible you're like some women (myself included) whose body just likes to hold onto the extra reserves while you are nursing.

It's hard to balance the demands of nursing (including the hijacking of our bodies in some ways) and your own personal needs. Good luck with what ever you decide to do!

I struggled to lose weight both times I nursed (22-24 months each).

I know that's not what you want to hear, but it was true for me. The funny thing is, I think I asked a very similar question to you here during my nursing years. I didn't want to believe it and felt like I was using that as an excuse not to try harder. Truthfully, it was just very, very difficult to lose weight when I nursed. My body did not want to let go.

my friend had the same problem. she could not lose weight until she was nursing. but once she stopped nursing her weight almost came back to normal. of course she had to lose 5 kilos herself, but all the other weight disappeared itself;-) be patient! good luck;-)

Did any of you guys have problems keeping your milk supply while you were dieting? Like everyone, I'm hoping to lose the baby weight after the birth but while nursing, but I'm worried that dieting would cause the milk to drop off? Or would that only happen if you did a really drastic diet?

I've lost 19kg (41 pounds I think it is) whilst breastfeeding my now 19 month old. I have struggled with losing ANY weight while breastfeeding for over six years but seem to have finally cracked it! I don't make any extra calorie allowances whereas in the past I've always added extra calories and have just kept an eye on my toddlers feeding and he is still feeding normally so all is good I decided since he is older if my milk dropped and he chose to wean then I'd be ok with it although I'd like to feed him until two years.

Should also add if my bub was under one I wouldn't have been so relaxed about less calories if you know what I mean

You may have to track things more carefully than before - say, if you are a calorie counter and you estimate the serving size of your sandwich and underestimate by 10%, that could be enough to stop your loss. Or you might have to exercise more, build more muscle. You CAN lose it though, just depends how hard you want to work during this particular period.

My plans are to go at it gently (like I'm doing during PG) for the first 6 months, before introduction of other foods. All bets are off at that point, since I'm OK with supply dropping somewhat from 6 mos onward.

That's good advice. Thanks!
That sounds like the right approach, go easy when you really need to keep nursing and then ramp it up later. Not like I'll be focused on my weight so much when I've got a brand new baby anyway, I'm sure.

I had a huge problem with my milk supply dropping when I cut calories. So I focused on completing the fitness programs instead. I may have ended up not losing weight for the first year, but I was definitely in much, much better shape by the end of it.

That sounds like a good plan, focusing on the fitness aspect. Kind of the same thing I'm doing to a lesser extent during pregnancy too- I can't cut calories to lose weight, but I can at least get into good healthy food and exercise habits now!

Hi Durian
Did you do anything special after you stopped nursing?
How long after nursing did it take to lose weight and why?
I think I'm in the same boat as I lost a few kg a few months after I stopped nursing but I can't really tell as I got pregnant very soon after that. Didn't change my diet, actually ate more fast food but I dropped some weight.

Could you please tell me what happened with you?

I nursed my son for about 4 months and had no trouble losing my baby weight. I guess because he had a large appetite because I wasn't really watching my calories. I feel bad that it is not that way for all. I agree that you have to be patient and give yourself time. YOur body has had a lot of changes. Right now you should focus on your baby.

I was always told that in order to have the amount of milk you needed it was important to drink a lot of water and good nutritious food. So as long as you are comfortable that the baby is getting enough calories I feel that you would be fine but I am not a dr.