Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I just stopped breastfeeding after a year, suddenly gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks! I want to lose at least 15 to get down to my goal weight.....my hormones are probably out of whack. Just wondering if any other women experienced this and when will my body regulate? I have been paleo 80% of the time for about 3 years now. This was a bit shocking to gain weight like this....to shock my body into losing weight, should I cut out all fruit and nuts? I quit all dairy (was having some raw kefir and a tiny bit of cheese).

flag	asked Aug 29 2011 at 20:02 Heather McCormack 316●1●2

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Well done for breastfeeding to a year! No advice as I'm still breastfeeding my 2.5 year old and finding it hard to lose while breastfeeding (hoping when he weans the weight will start to come off). – Efaitch Aug 29 2011 at 20:41

Efaitch: 2.5 years...that's awesome! That's gonna be a healthy kid. – Travis Culp♦ Aug 29 2011 at 22:11

Mine is 21 months old and still breastfeeding. I gained 8 pounds in the first 2-3 months after he was born and I already had 20 pounds to lose. I started doing paleo on and off and lost 16 pounds in a year and lost the remaining pounds this summer with LC and IF. I dont understand why dairy, especially when fermented, should not be part of your diet, if you are grain free. I sometimes consume up to 2 cups of HC per day. Everything is slathered in butter and I eat a lot of cottage cheese. Kefir can only do good things for you, if you want my opinion. – coffeeandcream Aug 29 2011 at 23:28

Btw I never eat fruit, but I eat a lot of frozen blueberries with lots of HC :) I would not have lost weight eating fruit, it was like cryptonite for me and was a major trigger to carb cravings. Now I just don´t see the point in eating them anymore, I always opt for cream instead ;)And I can´t eat nuts in any appreciable amount, I get really bad cramps, sort of like after eating wheat. Nuts and fruit contain carbs that would stall my weight loss or even make me gain I suspect. I can now maintain by eating LC most of the time. Hope this helps and good luck. – coffeeandcream Aug 29 2011 at 23:35

Happy Now · Answer 1 · 2011-08-29 22:02:56Z UTC

I would think 10 pounds in 2 weeks has to be hormonal. Both starting lactation and ending it are big transitions. Give yourself a few months for things to even out before panicking here.

Cutting fruit for a while might not be a bad idea just to see which direction things go.

If breastfeeding did seem to help with the baby weight, isn't too draining for you emotionally, and the little one is still game, you could try relactating. There's no harm in extended breastfeeding.

Dragonfly · Answer 2 · 2011-08-29 23:54:27Z UTC

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Make sure your Vitamin D is sufficient. A lot of the moms I work with are deficient and this can really mess up hormone regulation and fat loss.

answered Aug 29 2011 at 23:54

Dragonfly
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Also sufficient Magnesium is helpful. – Dragonfly Aug 29 2011 at 23:55

Cassandra · Answer 3 · 2011-08-30 03:33:51Z UTC

Your hormones can take several months to stabilize again. Be patient and kind to yourself - you've accomplished an amazing feat in breastfeeding your child for a full year! For me, my metabolism definitely slowed when I was breastfeeding, and it didn't matter how I ate - the weight was coming off SO slowly despite eating strictly Paleo. I didn't start seeing any real results until I started doing high intensity interval training (which was hard to do while I was BFing because it HURT to jump - even with 2 sports bras). Then it was the perfect marriage because the Paleo diet fueled me the right way to work out. Since starting the HIIT, I've lost 17 lbs in 2 months. I eat fruit (mostly berries, nectarines, and oranges) but I don't eat nuts (they don't digest well for me), and I used heavy cream and butter liberally.

twochickadeez · Answer 4 · 2012-06-02 22:03:04Z UTC

It could be hormonal, but it could also be that you are used to being able to consume more calories because of the calories expended making milk. I didn't really have to watch what I ate while I was BFing, but I definitely did afterward.

BaconHealsChic · Answer 5 · 2011-08-29 23:08:15Z UTC

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It took a long time for my hormones to re-regulate but I think it should be so much better for you on paleo. I would recommend some intermittent fasting if you feel up to it.

answered Aug 29 2011 at 23:08

BaconHealsChic
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Heather McCormack · Answer 6 · 2011-08-31 00:37:53Z UTC

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Thank you everyone for the feedback, I will try to stay motivated and go 100% Paleo for a time and see if my body regulates itself and perhaps I can start shedding the weight. Pretty scary to gain so much in a short time!

answered Aug 31 2011 at 0:37

Heather McCormack
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Are you eating any gluten? Gluten causes me to have crazy weight fluctuations. – Howardlover Aug 31 2011 at 16:24

Domtx008 · Answer 7 · 2012-06-02 19:54:27Z UTC

Did you wean abruptly? Did you also experience depression? it seems very common that abrupt weaning can lead to wacky hormone changes that cause stress, which manifests as weight gain or depression. This is just coming from anecdotal evidence so you might want to look into it with your doctor

Help-need to lose baby weight!

7 Answers