Nutritionist/dietician post partum?

[alesus2]

I’m 9 weeks post partum. Originally 160-165 at 5’9”. Exercised before and throughout my whole pregnancy. I’m a physical therapist and my job is very physically demanding. I worked until the day I gave birth. I gained the majority of my weight in the third trimester despite my diet remaining the same as it was in my second trimester. I went up to 220 and then lost 25 pounds within 1-2 weeks after birth.

I have been exercising at minimum 5 days a week for 1-1/12 hours mostly focusing on strengthening. In addition I walk my dog 30 minutes everyday. I have been doing this for a month at this point. I have also changed my diet adding in more fruits and vegetables. Eating nuts/protein snacks throughout the day as I’m hungry. I’m hungry all the time and don’t have the time to overeat.

I am breastfeeding/pumping with a low milk supply. I have been following everyone’s threads on being discouraged with weight loss and realized I’m probably going to hold onto the weight as long as I breastfeed. I also understand I am still freshly post partum. I’m sitting at 200 right now despite all my efforts. However, I just had a physical and my cholesterol is a lot higher than it was last year. That was super discouraging to me since I have been eating healthier than pre pregnancy. Nutrition isn’t my strong suit, so I’m wondering if I’m actually not eating the right things or eating too little. I was thinking of seeing a nutritionist and was basically wondering if anyone had and had a good experience?

Also I wonder if anyone else had a physically active job and saw the weight start to come off when they went back? I still have a few more weeks off. Even with my exercising I’m not as active as I used to be with the time required to feed my baby.

Thank you to anyone who reads all this! I appreciate this community.

 

[jomary]

@alesus2 I was told to not even check cholesterol until done nursing for 6 months - 1 year bc the numbers will be crazy while you’re nursing

 

[addisciple]

@alesus2 If you can track using MyFitnessPal you will get a better idea of how much you’re actually eating.

A good rule of thumb is 1gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you’re at 200lb then 200grams this will help you retain any muscle when losing weight. 30% of your daily calories should come from fat and the rest from carbs. We need well rounded nutrition and shouldn’t be cutting anything out (unless allergies) as it’s not sustainable. It’s better to eat appropriate serving sizes.

Drink LOADS of water. I’m drinking 3-4L a day breast feeding. A lot of times we are actually thirsty and not hungry. Also the proteins and fats will keep you full for longer. Snacking on nuts can actually push you way over in calories as they are very calorically dense foods. I make it a rule not to eat but only drink when breast feeding. That way I’m not mindlessly eating.

Good luck!!

 

[alesus2]

@addisciple Omg I drink so much water haha. Always have. Thank you so much for this! I will try the app. Maybe I am getting more calories than I think I am.

 

[addisciple]

@alesus2 I was not tracking the first 7 weeks and was sort of just eating all the comfort food.
Once I started tracking I was shocked at how much I was eating. Upping my protein and fat actually helped me to eat less as I wasn’t as starving

 

[jluponeage]

@alesus2 So I’m not a dietitian but I’m a researcher who’s spent a lot of time in the metabolic space, and I definitely think getting in with an RD would be a good move in your situation. Given the amount of exercise you’re doing and the low milk supply, I’m inclined to think you’re undereating and/or not getting enough of something.

I also wouldn’t stress about a single high lipid panel - definitely focus on getting your fiber and keeping added sugar low, but some of these things can be a little volatile depending on your recent dietary habits and things, especially since we no longer do a fasting lipid panel. I’ve had a blip here and there with elevated LDL or triglycerides and it’s generally gone back to the normal range by the time I retested.

 

[alesus2]

@jluponeage Thank you!! This is very helpful.

 

[sherrybaker]

@alesus2 Not a nutritionist, but my understanding is that your body needs more cholesterol while being pregnant and while breastfeeding. Mine was higher as well at 3 months postpartum and my PCP said it's normal. Yours didn't say anything?

 

[alesus2]

@sherrybaker No, she just commented on the Kaiser app to diet and exercise haha. She probably forgot I had a baby and gave a comment based on the numbers.

 

[sherrybaker]

@alesus2 Couldn't hurt to check back. She's more aware about what you normally are like, so should be able to alleviate any concerns. You sound like you are doing everything right!

 

[daniel22]

@alesus2 I had a physically demanding job during pregnancy, worked out with weights and yoga during (minus 1st tri), gained more than the recommended amount of weight despite eating healthy. I went 10 days overdue and I think I gained 10 pounds in that last week and a half. My sister is a dietitian and I work in food service.
Immediately postpartum, I focused on nourishing my body to aide in healing and having a good milk supply. Your body made an entire human from scratch! Only once my son hit 1yr and I wasn't as concerned about my milk supply did I try to exercise more vigorously and watch what I eat more carefully. Over the past year and a half I've noticed a huge change in my body composition even though the scale hasn't moved in a year. I think your body is just going to do what it's going to do and hormones have a lot of power in this as well. For reference, I am still home, so I haven't gone back to work and am a lot less active than before. Also, in regards to cholesterol, mine was high too when I had a regular physical at around the 7 week mark. One year later it was back to normal. My Dr. said that pregnancy hormones can be to blame and it takes a while for them to get out of your system.

 

[alesus2]

@daniel22 Omg, yes. The last week alone I gained 5 pounds and gave birth at 39 weeks. Thank you very much for sharing your experience. I appreciate it