@nith I gained weight the entire time I breastfed on demand. I ended up 50lbs heavier than when I got pregnant, 5lbs heavier than the day before I gave birth. I’m a SAHM, so I was able to breastfeed on demand for 18 months.
I tried restricting my calories when I was breastfeeding and it tanked my supply immediately so I stopped. And the HUNGER. Far beyond anything I experienced when pregnant. I would feel super territorial about food, for absolutely no reason. It was wild. My appetite didn’t calm down until my baby was around 1.
As soon as I started weaning, the weight came off super easy. I did half-hearted intermittent fasting, got my 10k steps in most days, and yoga a couple days a week at the Y because they have a daycare room.
I weaned slowly, but we’ve been completely done since Christmas, it’s been 18 months since I started, I’ve lost 65lbs, and my arms look better than they did when I played lacrosse in highschool. Turns out running after and carrying around a clingy toddler all day is a lot more physically demanding than my old job was!