Breastfeeding and weight loss. Where did the notion that a child sucking the life out of you 6 times a day equates to easy weight loss come from? I would like to know. And I would then like to smack the idiot for opening this can of worms that leads women to believe breastfeeding is THE way to lose weight. Watch out Hydroxycut…mama’s making milk!!!

[Note: diet pills are crap and I’m just enjoying my sarcasm…mmmkay?]

You know I never keep my big mouth shut on the realistic side of all things…well, life. So, here you go. The top 5 reasons breastfeeding does NOT make you skinny. 

1. You get HANGRY. To make the baby juice, your body needs extra fuel. Yes, you need the extra calories for milk production, but it can still be easy to go overboard. I know I have never run a long distance race, but I can imagine that the hunger of a growth spurt day rivals it. No joke. I’m in one right now. Bottom. Less. Pit. Calories still count. The hunger beast that is breastfeeding can quickly make those calories add up above weight loss levels. 

2. There is no snooze button.

Babies get hungry. They don’t care if it’s 2 am. Then 4 am. Then 6 am. And guess what? Daddy doesn’t have the booby. Lucky you. You get every overnight feeding. Like…all five of them I experienced last night. That can easily make for a sleepy mommy. I don’t know about you, but sleepy mommy = a mommy with more cravings. Sleepy mommy also = less motivated to workout mommy. It’s hard to stay on your A game when the exhaustion of all those feedings inevitably hits at times.

3. Freedom? What’s that? You’re on cutie patootie’s schedule. That quickly leads to workouts sometimes being hard to fit in or having to be cut short. And sometimes, the only option for food you have is a frozen meal because the kiddo decides he’s hungry just as you start prepping lunch.

4. I’m not letting go!

Despite what the rumors say, the body wants to hold onto some fat to have stores saved up to make the baby nectar. It doesn’t all just fall off automatically. Your body may actually fight you over it. I know I immediately dropped almost 5 pounds after I stopped nursing Makenzie.

5. You fell for it. You get caught up in the belief that you will effortlessly lose weight while breastfeeding. You get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. You make excuses easily, such as needing to eat more so this candy bar is A-OK! Sorry. Doesn’t quite work the way “they” would like you to think.

Disclaimer: I 100% believe in breastfeeding and that it is one of the best things you can do for your child, if possible. I wrote this post simply to say that it’s not a cure-all for post-baby weight loss woes, despite what some may think. I wanted to debunk that myth. It still takes discipline and consistency to make those physical changes. Breastfeeding should be embraced for all the other numerous benefits and not as a magic answer to post-partum weight loss. 

Question of the Evening – Is there a myth you wish to debunk? Any of the above surprise you?

Remember me telling you that today was going to be a rough one for me? Not having enough sleep coupled with a mildly sick potty training child and a fussy growth spurt? Well, it all worked out!

I didn’t go to the gym in the morning because I don’t like to push my kid’s possible illness onto others. I also don’t like getting pulled out of my workout…and I just knew that would happen if I tried to use the child care this morning. So, I waited to see how I would feel later in the day. Chomping at the bit would pretty accurately describe my desire to get to the gym. I needed that spin class. Workouts are genuinely my therapy.

After the 5:30 spin class I came home to dinner all ready to go. The crock pot saved my evening from turning into one huge rush fest! Earlier in the day I chopped all the veggies and prepped the crock pot to have dinner ready to go tonight. Surprisingly, chopping the veggies felt very therapeutic as well. And I had lots to chop for this easy, veggie-filled meal. What was on the menu? I’m glad you asked because you will want to make this recipe.

Slow Cooker 5 Layer Vegetable, Pesto, & White Bean Strata
(adapted from The Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook)

Ingredients

• 2 cans Great Northern or other white beans
• 1 cup Vegetable Broth
• 3-4 Tablespoons Pesto
• 2-3 golden potatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large zucchini or 2 medium zucchini
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 large slicing tomato

Slice the potatoes, onion, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes into thin, round slices. Keep each vegetable separate and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, add beans, vegetable broth, and pesto. Pulse to blend until smooth, creamy consistency. You may have to halve the beans, broth, and pesto and make two batches because it makes a lot.

In a slow cooker, layer one layer of vegetable, followed by some of the bean spread, and repeat until all vegetables layered. I did the following: potatoes, beans, onions, beans, eggplant, beans, zucchini, beans, tomato. Top with the remaining bean spread.

Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve hot. 

I wasn’t sure how this recipe would work out. Would it all turn to one pile of nasty mush or keep the layers and taste as flavorful as it sounded. Well, kind of a mix of the two. It didn’t really stay layered and created more of a hearty stew, but it tasted really good! And filled me right up. Yet another great recipe to add to the arsenal.Enjoy!

Question of the Evening – Chopping veggies - Love or hate?