Re: Please KEEP breastfeeding!

Please, please, please keep breastfeeding! There is nothing that you can do that is better for your baby. I breast fed my babies until about 1 year, and I only stopped because they were biting. Four months is not a long time to go, you can do it.
I can relate to the 230 lbs baby weight issue. That is where I found myself post baby weight. It is hard to move, want to exercise, and you so want to feel like your pre-baby self again. After my daughter turned one and stopped nursing I started a series of fasts and lost weight, and then I went back to eating junk food and gained back all but 15. I am attempting a 40 day weight loss right now with a eating change later. If you are serious about losing weight you are going to have to cut out Sugar and grains. If you can just make this step the first month then you will do good. You can fast while nursing, but from experience I would not recommend while nursing. Your body is in so much demand from the milk supply you produce for your baby it may just be too difficult, too stressful on your body. Give yourself a break, you are a new mom. Just wait until your baby is done nursing. Here is a recommendation for a four month "lifestyle" change plan for you to focus on one thing each month (new moms just don't need more stress than they already have and too many lifestyle changes can be too much). It is just a recommendation, I don't know your lifestyle, I just have experience with trying to lose baby weight, and although I haven't lost all of it yet, here is what is helping me now.
Month 1 - cut out refined sugar, grains, and processed foods like boxed cereals and crackers. replace with cut up veggies and dip and fruit. drink lots of water also. (if you have a difficult time giving up Sugar and grain check out the Candida Forum - you probably have an overgrowth). Don't feel too guilty if you give in, just get back on track.

Month 2 - exercise, walk at least 30 minutes every evening, don't try too much to fast if you don't exercise already. Example, don't exercise two hours every day for a week and then give up because it is too difficult. Walking is good for a new mom because your baby can join in a stroller.

Month 3 - have a date with your husband once a week for this month, and make time for conversation every day you don't have a date. This is expensive so a date ever week doesn't need to be continued after this month, just so the concept of a healthy marriage is in place. Having a baby is stressful on a marriage. Partly because you don't feel good about your body. I feel the same way, but remember that men are not as picky as we are about how we look (just as long as they get what they need). Your husband thinks you are beautiful.

Month 4- focus on easy healthy cooking. this one is because motherhood doesn't ever get any less busy. Get a recipe card holder book to collect recipes in (the best is the kind that can hold a large notecard). Get a minimum of 10-14 recipes that you can cook or learn how to cook easily (do moms have time for gourmet healthy). Plan to cook something healthy twice a week and maybe start menu planning so take out doesn't get taken in too much. Everyone knows they need to eat healthy, but they just need baby steps to get there.

Just focus on one thing each month, by the time month 4 is up you probably will have lost weight and feel better about yourself. Then you can fast to lose the rest of the weight. This is just a guideline and can be used loosely (for example, you can walk or exercise the first month). take it easy and don't be too hard on yourself, bringing a life into this world is no small feat.