weight gain, breastfeeding, periods???

hello everyone, I used to post here often when I was preggo but haven't for a while.  I had my second child on June 1st, so he is 7 months old now.  My pre preggo weight maintained around 165, at delivery I was 223, now 7 months later I am 177...I can't seem to lose these last 12 pounds no matter what I do...I have gone back to the gym, and I am always very active...has this happened to anyone?  I am thinking its because I can't really cut back on my food intake to much because I am exclusively breastfeeding.  So I usually consume anywhere from 1500 to 2000 calories per day, all healthy foods and rarely any junk.  any suggestions?  advice?  anyone go through this?  also just wondering when everyones period returned while nursing?  Its been 7 months since giving birth and I still havent had one. Although I would really like for it to come soon, as I do want one more child and ideally would like to maybe start trying this upcoming year so that they are close in age.  well thanks for listening.  hope everyone is doing well. : )  amy

I am breastfeeding still. I have not been able to lose 45 lbs! I have been exercising 3-5 days a week with a trainer, and eating healthy. Problem with me is that I am not able to eat enough calories. I talked to my nut and she told me to get back to basics. Then she asked me how many calories/ protein I was getting. I was not getting enough calories, and I was getting too many grams of protein. She told me that since I weigh a lot less than I did before surgery, my protein requirements have dropped. So since talking to my nut last week, I have dropped 5 lbs. Maybe talk to your NUT and see what they have to say. Also with the period, I have not had one yet and my son is going to be a year old in less than a month. I guess a lot of the weight staying on has to do with those hormones produced during breast feeding.

Seems like every experience is just so different that it is hard to answer.  With my first baby (pre WLS) I lost all of the 20 lbs that I gained during pregnancy in the first two weeks after she was born (but no matter what I did, I couldn't lose an ounce extra), I thought "wow, breastfeeding is amazing"... 7 months later I was back up to the weight I was at when I delivered (this is when I decided I needed surgery).  With this baby (he is 2.5 months old)  I'm 4 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight and doing relatively little to lose it.  During the holidays I ate a LOT of Christmas cookies and I've just recently started to watch what I eat. 
As for the periods, mine didn't come bac****il after I weaned her at 9 months.  I too wanted to start trying for #2 but couldn't really do anything without a cycle.  Good luck.