The Breastfeeding Myth

If there’s one thing that keeps us all going throughout the frankly terrifying body changes that accompany most pregnancies, it’s the knowledge that as soon as we give birth the weight will simply vanish. Melt away. And why is that ladies? Breastfeeding, of course! Everyone knows it causes weight loss. I mean, you can read about it all over the internet. Not that you’d bother, because it is, after all, common knowledge. But if you did choose to bother (and yes, I did), this is where you might go for a few handy examples -

• Average weight loss from breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding helps with weight loss
• Weight loss while breastfeeding
• Does breastfeeding cause faster weight loss post-partum

Pretty impressive huh? Except – what’s that now? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Probably should have mentioned. The first two are actually the same study, the third is more about how to reduce calories in order to lose weight while breastfeeding (pah!), and the last one slipped in by accident and is actually all about how breastfeeding mother’s actually hold onto weight for longer. AND THAT’S ALL I COULD FIND! Oh – and don’t get too excited about that first study either, as it shows the average weight loss from breastfeeding to be a miserly 4.4 pounds.

The idea of breastfeeding as a myth was first presented to me by my friend L. She’s a gym junkie from way back, and if there’s anyone I trust to be as anally obsessive about their body as what I am, then L’s the one. And she swears she could not lose the last few kilos until she stopped breastfeeding. It was the first I’d heard of the idea. Amazingly (when I now think about it) I’d never actually bothered to research the truth of the statement. The certainty that breastfeeding would melt away all the baby blubber has always been the one beacon of hope for me when I’ve thought about pregnancy and all it entails. I held onto that knowledge throughout my pregnancy, using it to lift my spirits whenever I felt especially awful.

And suddenly it had rudely been snatched away from me.

And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, I’m a big believer in the power of the hormonal system and deep-set survival instincts to control weight, and when you think about it, wouldn’t it stand to reason that a breastfeeding Mum needs extra fat stores in case of a sudden famine? I know from reading Julia Ross’ book The Diet Cure that women are (pregnant or not) more efficient at laying down fat and even creating new fat stores than what men are, and that part of the reason for that is in order to have back-up energy should the woman fall pregnant. So surely once your or my body realises that it is, in fact, relied upon in order to ensure the survival of the species then it would become all the more important to save some energy reserves. Am I crazy with this line of thinking?

I haven’t been able to find any online research to back it up, but I did speak briefly with Charles Poliquin yesterday, arguably the world’s leading hormone expert. And although I didn’t spout forth my entire theory, he did concur that breastfeeding – at least initially – results in weight retention. And with the results I’ve had in my business from using that man’s weight loss system, I’m more than happy to take him at his word.

So I guess the big question is – so what does it change, this idea that breastfeeding may not be the god-send we’ve all counted on it being? And I guess the answer really has to be nothing. We’ll keep training well, continue to eat right, and – when it all comes down to it – do what we should always have been doing, and focus on the delights of that brand new bundle of joy along with the certainty that we will eventually get there. Or at least that’s my plan. Sigh.

Body plus baby? Easy!*

Kat

*(We hope)

These are just my thoughts and musings, and they sure as heck make sense to me. I’ll be doing my best to find some research to back up or disprove what I’ve put forth here (and can most likely find both if I look hard enough and for long enough) but feel free to chime in if you know of any relevant science-based studies I’ve missed.

Are you currently on your own ‘body after bump’ journey? I’d love to hear from you. One of my main reasons for starting this blog (aside from keeping myself accountable) was to form a community of like-minded women. Women who refuse to become a dowdy mother figure and instead choose to embrace their new role with the exceptional health and energy that comes from being in control of their body from the inside out. If this is you then make sure you drop me a line in the comments section below!

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