On Diet
- Jane on a picnic
So, after a great pregnancy, easy labor, and an amazing first 8 weeks of my daughter's life, I'm ready to start tackling the 25 extra lbs still hanging on from my pregnancy. I'm breastfeeding, so it's super important that I not lose weight too quickly as rapid weight loss releases harmful toxins into breasmilk, and can jeopardize supply as well. It's a strange thing being the sole food source for a tiny, growing human being.
Babies have really interesting eating habits. Jane eats lots of tiny meals all throughout the day, but even at this tender young age she doesn't just eat when hungry - she also eats for comfort and to help her go to sleep. I've been a comfort eater my whole life and it's wild to see how this behavior is imprinted from birth. After Jane's first vaccination - probably the most traumatic thing that had ever happened in her life up to that moment - she didn't want just a hug from mama, she wanted to eat. When she's cranky and overtired, again, she wants to eat. See that picture on the left where she's smiling - yeah, that's how happy eating makes her.
I never thought of comfort eating as a primal behavior, something we instinctively do - I always figured I learned to use food for comfort from the neurotic New York foodie Jews that raised me - but clearly it's the other way around. We are hard wired for comfort eating and must consciously mature out of this behavior. I guess I'm still maturing...
Anyway, as we all know, exercise doesn't make you lose weight, it just makes you feel good and keeps you healthy. To lose weight I actually have to change what I'm eating. I've used various fasts, cleanses, and diets over the years to lose weight, but all of those seem too drastic to do while breastfeeding. A number of people have recommended weight watchers as they have a special program for nursing moms, but I'm not impressed with the results weight watchers gets. Like most diet programs, less than 5% of their members have maintained any weight loss after 2 years.
As a busy new mom I'd like something simpler than strict calorie counting. What do you think? What is your favorite way to safely lose weight?
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Comments
I always lost weight when I breastfed my babies, but then it might have had more to do with the added activity that occurs when little ones are about. Jane is BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for posting the picture. What a great shot.
Submitted by vajardin on 07.29.10 at 07:14.
jane is absolutely precious! what a beauty!
your post is really interesting...it's true that we all comfort eat from the beginning. in fact, this one of the things that lauren cordain writes in his book "the paleo diet"...except instead of saying "don't do it," he says "go ahead, comfort eat, but eat the stuff you were designed to eat."
i'm not sure if you'd be interested in the idea, but you may want to look into the paleo way of eating to kickstart weight loss (and just be generally healthier!). you probably have read some of the stuff i've written about it, but the basic premise is that you only eat foods that were available before the dawn of agriculture (which happened very recently in our evolutionary history) because our bodies are best able to process those foods, making us healthier and also helping us metabolize more efficiently. loren cordain's paleo diet i a great resource, or if you want a slightly less strict approach (but same basics), check out mark's daily apple.
Submitted by msh258 on 07.29.10 at 08:40.
hmmm...paleo...good idea msh!
I just spent the last hour on mark's daily apple - good stuff there. My main concern with paleo is not to go into ketosis. I think I'll check out cordain's book, thanks for the recommendation.
As for losing weight because of breastfeeding, it's true that milk production burns 500 calories a day but most women put on 20lbs of fat during pregnancy and that fat is there so that the body can produce breastmilk. As such it can be very difficult to shed those lbs while breastfeeding because they are there to ensure milk supply. So some women say it helps youlose weight and others say you won't drop those 20lbs until weaning.
Submitted by londontransplant on 07.29.10 at 10:23.
After my son was born I didn't think about dieting but I did stop eating like a crazy pregnant lady (except for extra calcium) and went for LOTS of long walks with baby in the stroller. That was the best way for him to sleep and I got out of the house and exercised. I also started back at the gym when he was 5 weeks old and put him in the gym daycare at 3 months.
good luck :)
Submitted by jan1965 on 07.29.10 at 11:08.
there's actually some info specifically about breastfeeding moms and raising kids primally on mark's daily apple. also, if you don't restrict veggies and fruits, it's highly unlikely you'd go into ketosis. i think it's a very intuitive approach to food...i love it!
Submitted by msh258 on 07.29.10 at 11:27.