Breastfeeding and Huel

I have a 10 week old baby and cannot shift the stone and a half I gained during pregnancy. I’m being sensible and not calorie restricting, just eating fruit and veg mainly (I’m vegan anyway). I have cut down on carbs and barely any sugar in my diet. Baby comes first and I know how important it is to hit restrict when breastfeeding. But seeing as though Huel is nutritionally complete, I was thinking of trying to replace two meals per day with a shake. Bearing in mind I’m hungry ALL THE TIME! (I’m eating enough calories but breastfeeding just makes me so hungry!)
Does anyone have any advice or experience? Thanks :slight_smile:

Definitely talk to your GP/doctor before incorporating Huel into your diet.

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She just said she’d never heard of it but recommended I didn’t do a ‘slim fast diet’ which huel is completely different. Hence why I’m asking advice here.

Let your doctor know that powdered food is a trend on the rise and that she should get ahead of it by investigating it. It is nothing like slim fast.

I would not do it 100% when nursing, but I would use it for convenience and to make sure I got the extra 500 calories breastfeeding uses. Also, don;t worry about the post baby weight at this time. Baby is still only really young. Just relax, and enjoy having a new baby.

Like Kizeree, I think I would use it for convenience, but I wouldn’t want to restrict calories in any way.

As a mother of two (now 15 and 12 years old!) I would say that shifting weight 10 weeks post partum is extremely difficult and possibly unwise. Your body has been through a lot and needs time to recover. Chances are, you won’t be sleeping well either, which has a profound effect on your metabolism. Also, another issue might be that a sudden change in diet can affect the baby (my youngest had colic - I was excruciatingly aware of the impact of the different foods I ate on him!)

There’s an old saying regarding weight gain/loss with pregnancy: 9 months up, 9 months down. And I have to say, there weren’t many friends with young children managed to lose much weight before 9 months after giving birth, regardless of whether they were breastfeeding or not, exercising lots or restricting calories.

Congratulations on your baby :slight_smile: Look after yourself, and give yourself some slack :slight_smile:

I agree with everything here particularly that at 10 weeks post partum shifting weight isn’t really a priority. However, having breastfed 3 babies, I remember how hard it is to get a decent meal somedays. It seems like you’re glued to the sofa with a baby permanently attached to your boob and Huel would be a great way to get a nutritious meal in you without resorting to peanut butter sandwiches (or chocolate!)

The other thing I would add is that Huel is made predominantly from oats and they are a natural galactagogue which means they stimulate milk supply. If you already have a generous milk supply I would caution against eating too many oats. When I was breastfeeding I couldn’t eat oats as the oversupply, when I did, was just ridiculous. Although it may seem that you can never have too much of a good thing, constant leaking is inconvenient at best and, too much milk can lead to blocked ducts and give you a risk of mastitis which is not pleasant and will necessitate antibiotics.

Lastly, big congratulations on your baby xxx

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Thanks everyone. I wasn’t wanting to calorie restrict, I was just wanting to replace two meals and was hoping that would help me lose weight/feel better as I wouldn’t be eating carb rich meals which my body only seems to want right now. They’re making me hella bloated too as I usually don’t eat this much bread and/or pasta!
I am enjoying my baby, of course I am! I just feel very self conscious and would feel much more confident going out if I felt better about myself. It’s frustrating as everyone claims that the weight will ‘fall off’ when breastfeeding. This is what’s getting to me. I have a friend that had a baby 5 weeks before me and is already lighter now than she was before baby and claims that she can’t stop losing weight no matter how much she eats because of breastfeeding. It’s really getting me down that it’s all she talks about, and in front of my husband so (although he’s very supportive) I’m sure he thinks I’m secret eating or something!!

The whole breastfeeding helps lose weight thing is a bit of a myth. Some do, some don’t. I never lost weight during it at all, and at one time I breastfed a newborn and a 2-year-old for 5 months.

If the Huel will help you consume calories without feeling ill, go for it. Try not to worry about how you look, you are perfect the way you are and i know that’s difficult to accept, I was there my self…5 times. Give it time.

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Gosh I wonder why she feels the need to talk about her weight so much, is it because she’s secretly dieting really hard?

Or, being more generous here, perhaps she’s got a twinge of pnd and can’t admit it so its easier to talk about her weight rather than how motherhood isn’t measuring up.

FWIW I never lost weight while breasteeding and am heavier now than I was at 40 weeks pregnant with number 2! (Baby number 3 is now 8 (8 years old, not 8 weeks or 8 months, 8 YEARS old :smiley: )
xx

This has made me feel much better. Thank you :smile:
I suppose on the plus side, I can eat what I want and not put on any weight. I seem to stay the same regardless of what I eat!

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