Breastfeeding and Fat Loss Plateau

So it is 21 days into the month and I have about 9 days before my new goal deadline is up. I told myself that by July I would hit my goal of 120lbs and 20 percent body fat but as hard as I have been working, the body does not seem to be budging. I am a bit frustrated with myself at this point because usually I can tweak something and then things would move, but the past few weeks has been very much of a stalemate.

My daughter has turned 1 and I am still breastfeeding, and I am starting to think that maybe this last bit of weight isn’t really going to come off until I wean. This whole time I was thinking that I would gain weight once I stopped breastfeeding but now that I have done some research, I am starting to think otherwise. A lot of women report on the forums that they do not lose the last 5 lbs or even 10 lbs until they stop breastfeeding, that while breastfeeding their weight will not budge. Apparently our bodies, already finely tuned to protect us against starvation, is even more protective during breastfeeding due to our womanly hormones . A woman’s body will actually generate new fat cells during the last trimester of pregnancy in order to better prepare for the feeding of a baby! Knowing this makes me amazed at the what our bodies can do and makes me a little annoyed (that I might not reach my goal as I would like) at the same time.

I am not getting any signs from my daughter that she will be giving up the breast anytime soon. In fact, she has been teething a lot and has been needy of the breast for comfort when she wakes up at night. Of course, I am still going to to tighten up my eating a bit and keep on the course. I am exercising most days of the week and alternating my cardio, running, and resistance training. Exercise is sanity for me, but I might need to check my eating log a bit more.

It might take a while before I get that six pack!

Related Reading:

Postpartum Image and Weight Loss