Salma Hayek has an amazing rack – and I’m not talking about her ability to fill a sweater, er, movie role. They’re amazing because of their ability to feed a baby. It’s the real secret in Victoria’s Secret – breasts are not just fun bags. They also squirt milk. Which I suppose could also be considered fun in some circles. Hey, I don’t know what you do with your Friday nights.
But why am I talking about breastfeeding here on a health and fitness blog? (Besides the fact that it’s midnight and that always makes me random?) Because of the old adage that breastfeeding will help you lose weight.
Answering Other People’s Mail: Round Two
Dear Healthlink,
I had a baby 4 months ago. I ‘m breastfeeding, but I really need to lose weight. I need to return to work in about two months and if I don’t lose the weight I won’t have anything to wear and I can’t afford to but a new wardrobe. What can I do?
Healthlink gives a mostly appropriate answer despite being interspersed with little gems like “reduce your intake of all fats” (do they not know what breast milk is made out of??) and “Limit intake of breads” (how about starting with the ice cream or double fudge brownies?) but ends with “women who breastfeed will actually lose weight faster than those who don’t.”
Lactating = Lean?
Super-skinny celebs like Naomi Watts and Heidi Klum swear that breastfeeding was their key to losing their baby weight in like 0.3 seconds. Salma Hayek begs to differ:
“Yes, and I’m still working on it. I gained a lot of weight, I had gestational diabetes. The pregnancy was really difficult for me. I thought, as soon as this baby is out, I’m just going to lose the weight super fast, because I’m going to breast feed, and everybody tells you that if you breastfeed it’s going to come out like this, it’s a lie! It’s not true.”
“Except for a couple of exceptions, the only reason people lose weight like that when they’re breastfeeding, it’s because they’re not eating and they’re breastfeeding, and this is not good for the baby. You know how they tell you it takes nine months to get it, nine months to lose it? There are shortcuts, but it’s not good for the baby. So I’m taking my time. I’ve lost a lot, most of the weight, and I’m very proud of it because it’s been really hard work studying what kind of food to eat that’s healthy for me, healthy for the baby. But I’m still losing even if it’s slow, and I’ve been working out… and the rest is going to go when it’s time to go.”
Lactating = Ravenous
Mad props to Salma for telling it like it is. The only weight I ever lost breastfeeding was the 8 ounces of milk the little sucker ingested. And that always came back. In fact, my body seems to like to keep about 10 extra pounds of reserve stores while I’m nursing. Have I mentioned that I give birth to 10-pound babies? That double their weight before 6 months? Apparently my body likes to play it safe with the little butterballs. Or maybe I drank too much hormone-laced (cow) milk while pregnant. Anyhow.
This particular little gem always made me so mad. It’s hard enough that people expect you to lose the baby weight the way Paris loses chihuahuas but it really drives the stake in when people expect it to be easy for you. I know that some women lose weight while breast feeding. I also know that some women have eyelashes that touch their brows without mascara and cellulite-impervious butts.
How about you? Did breast feeding help you lose weight?
PS> Men & women without kids – feeling left out of the discussion? Want a chance to air your opinion on a random subject of my choosing? I haven’t forgotten you! Check out “When Dirty is a Compliment” and tell me whether or not you mind a little pee on your toilet seat. That’s still a bodily fluid:)
Breast feeding ranke as one of the worst experiences of my life! I was only able to tolerate it with my first child – and I think the weight came off because it was simply that – my first child!
Out of all my friends that breastfeed (except for you!!) the weight doesn’t really come off because they hear from the doctor that they should take in extra calories while breastfeeding. They ignore the whole part about only needing 500 extra calories which is what, a couple tablespoons of peanut butter?
I’ve never had children, but have seen many of my friends have this same struggle. But you know, I’ve always heard that breastfeeding burns tons of calories. Not true! It really only burns an extra 500 or so cals a day (I totally just looked it up). Maybe it’s a lie propagated by doctors in an attempt to get more women to breastfeed. I do know that there is a serious lack of education in our country, especially in lower income areas, on the importance of breastfeeding for the baby.
I’ve had three children. My first wasn’t breastfed (I got bad advice, her dad wasn’t supportive, I FAILED – I still have guilt, obviously). My second two, born 8 and 10 years later, were/are (my youngest will be 2 in 10 days and is still nursing).
I lost the weight the fastest with my first. I was also only 17 when she was born, and didn’t gain as much weight, so I can’t say any cause and effect there.
I lost all my weight reasonably quickly with both my boys, even though I gained 50 pounds with each (too much ice cream). I don’t know what effect, if any, breastfeeding had. Well, they might have been better sleepers if they were on formula, so I might have had the energy to leave the house and get some exercise, so maybe I would have lost it faster then, who knows?
I agree that it’s kind of bogus. Some women lose weight breastfeeding, some women’s bodies seem programmed to hold on to the weight for insurance. At this point I’ve been pg and/or breastfeeding nearly 5 years, so I have no idea what my body’s going to do when/if my youngest ever weans.
Breastfeeding did NOT help me lose weight. Not a single, solitary, lonely ounce. It DID give me interesting dreams, though.
One night I dreamed that my son, who was 4 months old at the time, was nursing, then he took himself off, looked at me and said “This is boring. When do I get to eat real food?” I said “Sweetie, you’re only 4 months old, you barely have any teeth!” And he said “But I want pizza!” and went back to nursing.
Yeah. Freaky.
as always Charlotte, you find the BEST pictures to go with your posts! I am cracking up!
Hooray for Salma telling the truth on this one. I don’t think BF did one darn thing for me weight wise. (at least in the negative direction) I like to think the last 10 lbs are still hanging on until I am done.(can’t be the brownies I am eating right?)
I always cringe when friends tell me how it just burns calories for them. My metabolism just doesn’t roll that way. (sigh)
I LOVE that little comic at the end.
Last week I saw a magazine headliner that said, “How Nichole Richie lost all her baby weight” I just had to laugh at that.
Breast feeding helped me loose weight only with my girls. With my boys it seemed like nothing would take the weight off until I weaned them and started exercising. But then again my boys were monster eaters and my body probably needed those fat stores for back up =)
I did lose weight while I breast feed, but I kept a food journal and only ate 300-500 over and exercises alot. It took a year to lose all of it and 4 more months to lose 20 more pounds once I weaned.
Candice
Good grief. Breast feeding didn’t help me loose any. It was only when my milk ran out at 3 months that I started loosing more. I think it was because I actually came out of the “I just had a baby” fog and could get out and exercise more.
Yep, breastfed 6 of the little buggars and always held onto the 10 lbs extra until after they weaned. I wasn’t very good about working out routinely while I had a little one so young, though. And I always felt like I could eat anything running past me.
I’ve heard many women talk about Weight Watchers and it’s effectiveness while breastfeeding. They have a nursing mother’s program. ‘Course that costs, too.
No matter how much weight you lose, the shirts won’t fit the same while you are BF’ing. Hit the thrift stores, baby. And enjoy your babe-ilicious new figure… it will only be temporary, I promise. (I’m back to my nearly A’s).
Lori
Lori – “eating anything that ran past me!” LOL! And totally how I felt too. Great advice about the thrift stores – I’m all about the cheap, baby!! PS> I’m back to my “nearly A’s” as well… sigh.
Oh, BTW Charlotte, I just found your blog courtesy of MommyWorkout.com and I’m a fan!
Thanks for the motivation!