Eating MWLP and breastfeeding, extreme weight gain

[reaburnlow]

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.

[GeoffreyLevens]

I have not seen this addressed. But I do know that pregnancy and childbirth are tremendously stressful on your body, like running marathons back to back, or being a ditch digger i.e. it's a lot of WORK. It could be that the effects of that plus nursing is more physical work. The Mirena is, at least in theory, a very local application of progestin but progestin can cause weight gain (and bloating). If you are/were very sensitive to it that could have been a trigger. But bottom line, I think probably a good idea to see a doctor and get an endocrine work up.

Or you can order your own tests from LEF.org here

http://www.lifeextension.com/Vitamins-S ... lood-Tests

Then you'd only need to pay for a doctor if anything is out of normal range. You could just get Thyroid Simulating Hormone (TSH) test as a first cut. That may tell you all you need to know if it is off (if it is likely it would be on the high side past normal range indicating low thyroid function). If you did need to see a doctor you could then go to 1st appointment with test results in hand and likely save time and money at that end.

If thyroid is normal range, then time to think about it. There are other hormone issues that could be causing weight gain but it starts to get more complex and probably a good idea to have a professional sort it out for you. That is the simplest approach anyway if you can manage to afford it. Your health is priceless!

[GeoffreyLevens]

If you talk w/ a doctor's office first, many may charge less for "cash pay" than they do when billing insurance. Call around a bit, if one office does not do this, another might.