Rebecca Romijn gave birth to twins in December and says she gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy. Thanks to breastfeeding, she says:
“I think within the first three weeks, I took off like 35 pounds without doing anything! Breastfeeding is the very best diet I’ve been on. It’s amazing. It’s like you have to eat 5,000 extra calories a day or you can’t produce enough food for them. So, that’s been fun as well.”
Now, I’ve never breastfed twins, but I can tell you that the weight did not magically drop off my body as she is claiming!
I remember that shortly before I had my first son, I told my friend that I was definitely breastfeeding because I heard it was the secret to postpartum weight loss. Apparently, my body did not get that message. I’m one of those lucky women who (I think) has a body that actually hangs on to a few several extra pounds as long as I’m breastfeeding.
Lucky me, right?
For some reason, these stories about the weight loss powers of breastfeeding really irritate me. I want one of them to step forward and scream “it’s not magic! It doesn’t work for everyone!”
So if you are newly pregnant or about to give birth, please keep that thought in mind. Breastfeeding does NOT a diet make!
How about you? Anyone else have an issue with extra poundage while breastfeeding? (or am I alone and going crazy, which is also entirely possible!)
Picture source: People
{ 23 comments }
I didn’t lose much weight until I stopped breastfeeding altogether. it definitely did NOT work as a weight-loss tool for me.
I think some celebs use it as an explanation so that the public won’t know just how much they’re doing to lose the baby weight. There is such pressure on Hollywood moms now to lose the weight immediately, and it’s ridiculous! And unhealthy!
I don’t know anyone, personally, who lost a ton of weight while nursing. I’m skeptical.
I breastfed my son and didn’t lose “the last 10 lbs” until I stopped. Now, I’m breastfeeding my daughter and am struggling with those “last 10 lbs”…she’s only 4 months old so I’m trying to give myself a break. But, seriously, how do those celebrities do it in 6 weeks?!?
Amy – BiteTheRabbits last blog post..A New Day
I guess I got lucky. Normally I have to eat at most 1000 calories a day to stay at the very top edge of normal. While I was breastfeeding I went down to my pre-married weight. As soon as I stopped, back to starving myself. I’m hoping I’ll be as lucky with #2 (due in 8 weeks!)
I completely agree with you. As I can’t personally relate to this method, I have multiple friends who are months away from having their first kids, so I will definitely pass on to them. It’s never magic, there’s got to be something more to it!
Joe Fiers last blog post..Swine Flu: Any Need For Concern?
I completely agree with you. As I can’t personally relate to this method, I have multiple friends who are months away from having their first kids, so I will definitely pass on to them. It’s never magic, there’s got to be something more to it!
Joe Fiers last blog post..Swine Flu: Any Need For Concern?
BTW I love your blog!
Like you and some of the others here. The weight didn’t really start coming off until I was basically done breastfeeding.
Jenns last blog post..10 Breast cancer myths (from msn.com)
The weight still hasn’t come off!!!!!!! And my 3rd baby is 18 months old. I did breastfeed.
Jennifer Allwoods last blog post..The Pink Chandelier
OK, I’m going to get egged for this. Usually I’m not one to defend celebs, but since I did personally have twins and I too gained 60 pounds, I feel like I can “weigh” in. I have to defend because apparently Rebecca and I have similar metabolism. Those 60 pounds were gone from me by 6 months. I was active by walking (and a double stroller is darn heavy) and I started running when the girls were about 4 months, which I’m sure helped. It’s true, you DO need an extra 1000 calories for breastfeeding twins, and it’s not that easy–again, spare me the eggs! Seriously, to take the time to eat all that extra food when caring for two newborns? You want sleep more than food. The downside for me, and perhaps Rebecca, is that when my weight comes off, my milk supply dwindles too. I’ve always wanted to BF to a year, but if I can’t keep the weight on I can’t make the milk! I’d rather hold on to those 10 pounds for a few more months rather than get back in my jeans. That’s where I find myself now, once again, with a 3-month-old. I’m carrying an extra 15 lbs, but I’m fine with it so long as I can keep nursing. That’s the trade off. Would you rather lose the weight and not nurse, or keep a little weight so you can breastfeed?
Kara from Mama Sweats last blog post..Another Milestone: My Blog Birthday!
Oh AMEN to this one sister!! Breastfeeding does not help me lose weight. In fact my body seems to think that it needs daily Ben & Jerry’s to produce high quality cream for the babes;) I’m one of those who can’t budge the last 10 or so pounds until I wean.
charlottes last blog post..How to Live to be 100 (Or Until the Bus Hits You)
I’m still breastfeeding my 14 month old son. For the first year, I had to give up all dairy because my son was allergice to milk products, and I couldn’t let any through my breastmilk. You would think I would lose a ton of weight- wrong. I’m still holding on to the last 20 lbs from my pregnancy. I workout and chase a fast moving toddler. People keep telling me that when I stop breastfeeding, I’ll lose the weight.
All-in-all, I think it is different for everyone. However, I don’t think it is right for celebrities to call breastfeeding a ‘diet’ or ‘weightloss secret.’
With my first baby, I dropped weight fast while nursing, the second- not so much. But with the first, I would have sworn by the “beast feeding diet” because it really was working
My doctor told me that women who are naturally thinner tend to not lose while nursing because they bodies hold onto more- I have no idea if that is true though
Hannahs last blog post..Daily Plate
I’m with you! I didnt loose weight while nursing either! I didnt start loosing weight until after i was done nursing a good year later! My doc said some loose and some hold onto the weight. he said your body can still think its pregnant…
so not fair!
mommymomos last blog post..W/W Soccer!
Well, I dunno about magical breast-feeding weight loss, but I actually lost about 50 pounds while pregnant (keeping in mind that I was fairly overweight to begin with and was a gestational diabetic. My doctor had me on a strict 1,800 calorie a day diet while I was pregnant and told me “I don’t want you to gain any weight during this pregnancy” and I said “You mean you want me to lose 30-40 pounds while pregnant?” “Um, yes.”)
I was 237 when I got pregnant and 188 the day after my daughter was born. I lost another 15 pounds or so in the six months that I was breastfeeding before my daughter started biting me and I gave it up…
On the other hand, I didn’t change my habits full time and went back to eating normally once I didn’t have to fret about my blood sugar… so within about 18 months, I’d gained almost all of the weight back. It was until last year that I decided to go ahead and change my habits full time that I’ve really lost weight on a more permanent basis.
I don’t think there’s any magic pill, but if your metabolism is ramped up to begin with (with all the workouts and not-eating that starlets do to START with) pregnancy and breast-feeding certainly isn’t likely to make things WORSE for them.
Lynn Cs last blog post..Big Fat Zero
I just stopped breastfeeding my 18 month old a couple of months ago, and now the weight has finally all come off. I was exercising while nursing, but honestly, my breasts were so humongous that I couldn’t really run until I quit. The combination of weaning and running again put me back at my normal weight within 6 weeks or so.
I thought that this might be the case, that my body was holding onto the weight for some survival reason, but NO ONE ever said that. This is the first I’ve read of other moms saying, yep it happened to me too. The pressure to lose weight is enormous, it’s such a relief to hear about other women having the same experience. I wish I’d read these comments a year ago!
Uh yeah girlfriend…you saw me scarf down that steak taco salad for lunch (THANK YOU again BTW)…what a treat! Still breastfeeding and still haven’t lost all the baby weight after 11 months, ugh. So let’s go crazy together
Jamie
I guess it depends on how long you nurse for and how exclusively. I nursed mine for 17 mos, and lost a ton of weight – all 40 lbs I gained. If I controlled my hunger better I’m sure I would have lost evern more.
Mom On The Runs last blog post..Officially A Runner
Breastfeeding never did anything for me as far as weight loss goes.
Nope. My body is greedy and won’t give up the extra weight until I at least cut back severely. Since I have a winter baby, I decided to go through winter #2 BFing my son, and I’m also in NoCal, which means we’re all hippies in my mom group anyway, and I’d be the weird one to wean at just a year. Soooo, I have still yet to lose that last bit, *sigh*. However, out of 3 kids, my two older ones have a really gross cough and the 16 month old is FINE. So there you go, yay breastfeeding. (Boo sticky baby weight.)
Worked for me! I *think* that too many mother’s think that it will magically come off with breastfeeding alone, but if you’re still eating too many calories (as most people do), then it wont. And if you inactive, then it wont. Breastfeeding will help if you do it right because BF burns at least 500 calories/day. It’s simple math! You just have to make sure not to eat back the 500 calories in order to lose the wieght. Make sense??
Some fat might stick around for breastfeeding (like 5lbs or so) but c’mon! It’s worth it ladies! What’s really important? Why did we have babies?
I did lose my baby weight while breastfeeding, very slowly! Finally I was back to prepregnancy weight, and gained 10lb. Why you ask…..because I found that if I didn’t eat a diet with enough fat, my milk production would dip down. As my baby got bigger and was breastfeeding larger amounts, I had to eat more to keep my milk production up. GO FIGURE! So, everytime I would try to keep my calories up with low fat foods….my milk production would go DOWN.
In the end I think it was a forced period of rest for my body……or else I would have put it in high gear for weight loss, when it was important to breastfeed and recover.
I decided to go through winter #2 BFing my son, and I’m also in NoCal, which means we’re all hippies in my mom group anyway, and I’d be the weird one to wean at just a year. Soooo, I have still yet to lose that last bit, *sigh*.
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I’m sure you’re not alone and you’re not crazy.
That said, I definitely think breastfeeding helped me to lose a lot of weight right after baby. There are always those extra few stubborn pounds that stick around until I start exercising regularly and eating healthfully, but I really do think breastfeeding helped me with the initial weight loss.
Stephanies last blog post..Big Sis/Lil Sis
I have also stil my baby wheigt. I have no time for looking at myself. That sucks…
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