I see a lot of threads for different weight "decades", so I'm wondering if anyone else is stuck in the 220s like me! It's so frustrating to be stuck here when I was 165 just a few years ago and thought I had this problem licked! That's what eating too much during a pregnancy will do for you, I guess!

I'm really having a tough time getting out of the 220s. Just when I think I'm making progress, the scale jumps around again regardless of how consistent I am with my efforts. Ack! I guess I need to drop my calories lower but I worry about doing that because I'm still nursing. I'd like to wean (my little boy is nearly two), but I don't want to push it too hard. I'm of the "don't offer/don't refuse" school of weaning.

Anyway, anyone else trying to get past 220?

I am not yet into the 220's - but close 3 pounds away. But about your nursing, I was a lactation educator a few jobs ago so here is some insight - (input from a mom not to be mistaken for medical advice, which you would have to chat with you OB/GYN for). The "recommendation" is an additional 100 calories while you are nursing. Not a requirement - just a recommendation. If you have to decrease your calories, make sure you are taking in quality calories with enough protein. Maybe shifting your carb/protein ratio will help see a budge on the scale. Remember if your baby is eating solids, which at that age I guess he is, the nursing is beneficial but not the babies sole nutritional source. Keep well hydrated and if you see a drop in your milk production, re-evaluate and make a change. Even women in third world countries who are starving still produce enough milk to provide nutrition to their children. Good luck1

I am stuck in the 2-teens. But I just keep on poking along. I keep trying and that has made me feel good about myself.

Holy Moly! I am always in awe at women who are able to bf - esp. for so long! My son didn't latch and I had to exclusively pump. I lasted 10 weeks. That's it... just 10 weeks.

But for those 10 weeks, I was HUNGRY. Not that fat-girl-I-feel-like-could-eat hungry, but grumbling-tummy-HUNGRY. I read somewhere that your body holds onto a good extra 5lbs when you are bf-ing for spare energy. I could believe it. I dropped all but the last 5 baby lbs very quickly. (of course, then I gained it all back again being too tired to cook real meals and eating mac 'n' cheese most nights for dinner, but that is besides the point)

Ive been stuck in the 220s since October of last year! Ive only maintained. My family and friends tell me not to worry. My 8 yr old son was diagnosed with Leukemia ALL in October and I could have eatten my way through all of those hospital stays and chemo, but I didnt. I didnt lose or gain so I guess that is good! He just started maintenance chemo and we only go to Childrens in Pittsburgh once a month now instead of once a week. I feel a little pressure lifting now and think Im ready to do it now. Im thrilled I stumbled upon this site at this time. I need it to get me back in the game and out of the 220s! I used to be 275lbs, today Im 224lbs...ready to get into the teens.

EiRish - thanks for the advice. I've read so much about nursing over the last two years that I've actually considered working toward becoming a lactation consultant myself! I don't think I'm going to do it because it would be a huge career change, but it's definitely something I'm interested in. Good luck getting out of the 230s -- you can do it! I see we're the same height!

SCraver -- I was CRAZY hungry in the beginning of nursing, and it still makes me eat more than usual. Of course, since Henry's nearly two he doesn't nurse as often (thank goodness) so it doesn't affect me as much as it did in those first few weeks. I had a LOT of problems with him latching on too, but I finally got through it. It was a few weeks of horrendous pain, bleeding, blisters, etc. but it finally got worked out. I've always been in awe of women who could deal with all that pumping -- that's hard! By the way, congrats on your 5K. When I lost the 110 pounds in 07, I was VERY into running. I even ran a half marathon and became my husband's assistant cross country coach! I still try to throw some running into my walks but I'm really out of shape. I have a goal of running a full marathon the year I turn 40 (it's only a year and a half away!)

jetta -- it's amazing that you didn't gain while your son was being diagnosed with leukemia. That's a stressful situation that I can't even begin to imagine handling. I used to be 275 pounds too, then I got down to 165, then with pregnancy I got back up to 245! Now I'm around 225 and I really want to get back down to those size 8 jeans I managed to squeeze into when I was 165. More importantly, I want to be able to run 10+ miles again!

We can do this together, guys! My "official" weigh-in day is tomorrow, so I'll check back in and report whether I lost anything this week.

Thankyou, its nice to know that Im not the only one stuck and feeling all of these emotions! Im so happy I found this!

I'm -just- inside the 220s... I wanna be 210 by August. I feel very FRUMPY at this weight... And embarrassed cause all my pants are splitting along the seams because of my big butt and oversized belly. Lucky for me I have a sewing machine! But I wanna buy some new clothes and I don't wanna have to look in the Plus Sizes section to do it!

My scale showed 221.2 this morning, so I'm hoping to be out of the 220s by my next weigh-in next Friday! I won't beat myself up about it if I'm not, but it sure would be nice!

My last weigh-in showed me 221.2 on the scale, so we weigh the exact same! Of course, I'm being a procrastinator about my exercising, so I doubt I'll see a loss next Saturday when I step on the scale again. (I only weigh once a month... And that's only because I force myself to weigh in.)

Misfit, it's cool that we weigh the same! I should only weigh myself once a month. That would make me far less wacko about it. But instead I weigh myself every morning and count my Friday weigh-in as "official." I should probably stop that nonsense! I mean, it worked for me before, but I'm finding weight loss MUCH more difficult now than I did three years ago. I suppose it's because of what pregnancy did to my body, plus my advancing age (I'm 38), plus the fact that taking care of a toddler all day makes me do a lot of stress eating and very little exercising!!

I need to get outside and do a walk/run right now but it looks like it's going to rain, so I'm trying to figure out an alternative. Luckily, my husband is home to take care of the little one, so I actually have options! Of course, instead I'm sitting on my butt looking at the internet!

Lisa! I'm so glad to see you here! I think of you every time I go out walking/running, because it was you who inspired me to know I could do it! I'm not into the 220s yet, but I look forward to following you on this journey again!

I breastfed all of my children for about two years, and I had five children, so I breast fed for almost ten years straight. So now, with my youngest daughter at six years old, I'm just starting to get used to having a period again - sucks, BTW. And I hit my lowest weight since I was 16 - about 130 - when I was breast feeding my second child. I was not a calorie counter then, and so I just made sure my son was latching on and seemed to be getting something and that he was growing well. He's now a healthy 14YO, and I actually think that he was better for my being careful about what I ate nutritionally. (And I don't think he will ever have a weight problem, though who can tell? I just know that my breastfed babies tended to be on the pudgy side, but thinned out at about two and have not had weight issues since. Studies have indicated that breast feeding helps children maintain healthier weights throughout life.)

I'm at 221.6 - I can't wait to say goodbye to the 220s

As a former long term breastfeeder (My 4 year old weaned last year, my oldest nursed for 4 years, and my middle for 2), my advice would be to go ahead and drop you calories. I think if you're already significantly over weight, it's no big deal to drop assuming your supply is good and you keep yourself hydrated. The 500 calories a day over maintenance is good if you're trying to maintain, but if you're trying to lose weight and not having problems with supply, and you're not ravenously hungry, there's no reason to eat 500 over what would be your normal weight loss range.

Oh, that's so nice to read! I'm glad we can do this journey together! It's frustrating sometimes that I have to do this over again, but at least I'm not starting from scratch this time. Last time I could barely walk to the mailbox and at least now I can run a little. I ran a 10k back in March and managed to run the whole thing, but VERY slowly. Now I'm just doing a run/walk mix (just got home from doing a one-hour run/walk, actually).

I always say, if I could lose 110 pounds and run a half marathon at 35 after a lifetime of being sedentary and obese, then ANYONE can do ANYTHING! And that includes me doing it a second time! I have to keep telling myself that.

I cant believe it! I hit 219 today!!! I hope its stays, being a Holiday weekend! I wont count it until tuesday to make sure I made it through the Holiday food curse...

I go between 215 and 225 CONSTANTLY. When I hit 215, I just automatically go up, no matter what. I can't figure it out. I just want to see 199. That's not too much to ask, is it?! AARHHRHHRHAHHAHAHAHAHAH
Sorry. Frustrated.