20m still nursing; when will I lose weight?

Encouragement/Solidarity

I have a question about losing weight while nursing and meal planning with different nutritional needs. My kiddo is 20 months old, she nurses twice a day and is a great eater.

I have questions about how to think of meal planning when her nutritional needs (higher carb/fat) are different than my own (higher protein). Trigger warning for a talk about postpartum/nursing weight gain and trying to find a new balance.

Before I was pregnant I followed The Prenatal Nutrition Library and started eating full fat dairy, etc. I learned about the importance of having sufficient fat intake for nutrient absorption. I've been following Intuitive Eating nutritionists like Kids Eat in Color, etc, since before TTC. I was a professional dancer and have some food issues that I wanted to "fix" before bringing a kid into the world.

I gained a healthy, appropriate amount of weight, around 30 pounds. After losing the initial 20 pounds (baby, water weight, blood volume, whatever), I've hung onto the last 10 and probably added another 5. When nursing exclusively, I made *just enough* and ate more to keep my supply up. When introducing food, I followed 101 Before One, making lots of those meals. She had her first 101 foods between 6-9 months lol. I still eat those meals, along with some from feeding little bellies, some from NYT Cooking, some family recipes, some ordering in from restaurants.

I have not attempted to lose weight. Nor have I attempted to wean, and honestly I really don't want to wean. She shows no signs of stopping, either. However, she's almost 2, and I'd honestly like to lose these 15 pounds at some point. I also don't want to go back to super restrictive eating, I don't want to crash diet, and I certainly don't have the time or energy to make different meals for myself. I'd like to find a nice healthy balance where I lose the "baby weight" but maintain a healthier, intuitive eating attitude about it. At the same time, I'm cooking with full fat dairy and making meals that are much more carb heavy than I would if I didn't have a toddler (crazy that their macro requirements hover around 150g carbs, 30g fat and 15g protein per day). I can't say that I mind eating this way, but I miss my pre-pregnancy body.

If you've found the right balance, do you have any tips? When did you stop using full fat dairy for everything... when they're 2? I'd be happy continuing to give her whole milk, but using skim/reduced fat items when cooking. Or did you just keep using full fat products forever? Did you have extra protein around to add to your meals, and watch your carb intake compared to theirs? Make the same food but portion it out differently for yourself vs your kid?

And... is there even a point in trying to lose weight while I'm still nursing?

I'd love a healthy perspective on this. Thank you!

Posted Dec 10, 2025, 2:57 PM UTC

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