I realize I should be discussing this with a doctor, but I was denied medicaid when I moved from Utah to Texas, so I'm hoping someone here will know of some literature they could direct me to or has some kind of personal experience with this.
I started the McDougall program at 16 years old, I went down to a slim weight and stayed that way until I got pregnant at 23. No health problems or any issues eating this way. During my pregnancy I gained about 15 pounds, and was down to my pre-pregnancy weight by 6 weeks post partum.
I had mirena put in after giving birth, but had it removed a year later due to mood swings and pain. The midwife told me to breastfeed for at least 2 years, and longer if I wanted to.
About a year into breastfeeding I started gradually gaining weight. My daughter is now three (she only nurses before bed at this point) and I have gained 50 pounds. I also have fatigue, irritability, and anxiety.
I've been really baffled by my unexplained weight gain, I do cardio for at least 40 minutes daily, light weight lifting and pilates, and when I calculated my calories I can't be consuming more than 1500 calories a day, all from low-fat plant foods. I've been doing MWLP religiously for years, I avoid nuts and seeds, refined foods, and I don't eat fruit (I just don't like fruit). The only supplement I take is b12. I tried eating more green and yellow vegetables and less starch, been doing that for about two months now, but it hasn't had any effect.
I heard that hypothyroidism is common after pregnancy, and while researching it I found that a lot of women who do extended breastfeeding are experiencing the same issues as me, and the popular theory is that it's some kind of hormonal imbalance caused by breastfeeding for a long time. I've already started to wean my daughter to see if I can get my weight to budge, but I'm thoroughly confused because I've never heard any professional say that breastfeeding could have this kind of effect. I always just assumed that as long as I'm eating right then my hormones would be balanced, and I would stay at a normal healthy weight.
Have any of the plant based doctors addressed this or similar issues? Any help would be greatly appreciated.