While you are breastfeeding, it is better to lose your extra weight slowly, eating healthy food and adding in some exercise. It's safe for breastfeeding mums to lose up to about half a kilo per week. 1. Don't use crash or fad diets, where you lose weight quickly, either during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
A slow, gradual weight loss of 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month is a safe goal for breastfeeding moms who wish to lose weight. Women who eat less than 1,800 calories per day may reduce the amount of milk their bodies make.
On average, exclusively breastfeeding mothers may see a loss of 1-2 pounds a month and over time, breastfeeding moms tend to lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed (Dewey, Heinig & Nommsen, 1993).
Keep weight loss at less than 1.5 pounds per week
Most moms can safely lose up to 1.5 pounds per week or 6 pounds per month after the second month and not affect milk supply or baby's well being.
Focus on eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid processed foods, sugary snacks, and empty calories, which can lead to accumulating more weight and a decrease in milk production.
Overall maternal adaptations during lactation include increased basal metabolic rates and mobilization of fat stores [22–24]. Maternal fuel metabolism is altered markedly, with a 15 %–25 % increase in energy expenditure for milk production [24, 25].
Some mothers tend to gain weight after the WHO-recommended, six-month exclusive breastfeeding period. “Once her baby starts complementary feeds, the calories expended by the mother reduce but her appetite is still ravenous because her stomach size has expanded,” says Dr. Joshi.
Most women lose around 13 pounds (6 kg) right after childbirth, which includes the baby's weight, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. When it comes to fat loss, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may lose about 1 pound (0.5 kg) a week.
Prolactin is the queen hormone responsible for producing your boob juice and it doesn't just make milk. It can also increase your appetite and actually slow down fat metabolism. This means that – not only is your body saying “Eat all the things!” – it's also saying “Store all the fat!”
Pumping milk burns the same amount of calories that nursing burns. Pumping milk burns anywhere from 200 to 600 calories per day. This will also vary from mother to mother, pumping session to pumping session, and the number of pumping sessions per day.
Most women lose half of their baby weight by 6 weeks after childbirth (postpartum). The rest most often comes off over the next several months. A healthy diet with daily exercise will help you shed the pounds. Breastfeeding can also help with postpartum weight loss.
You can eat at a calorie deficit while breastfeeding, but you must account for the calories spent making milk. Your body uses between 300-500 (roughly) calories a day making breastmilk, and if you are also eating too few calories, it can cause your body to hold onto fat as a result.
The benefits of direct breastfeeding included slower weight gain and lower BMI scores at 3 months, according to a Canadian study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Still, even pumped breast milk was superior to none at all, in line with past research.
To help you in losing weight while breastfeeding, try to work yourself up to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, which is about 20 to 30 minutes a day of walking. You can also resume things like yoga or tai chi, especially if you were practicing before baby.
Thanks to biological and behavioral changes, it's totally normal to gain weight when you stop breastfeeding. "It's really common that women will stop breastfeeding and their weight goes up," G. Thomas Ruiz, M.D., an ob/gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF.
While nursing, you should not consume less than 1500-1800 calories per day, and most women should stay at the high end of this range. Some mothers will require much more than this, but studies show that going below this number may put supply at risk.
Some have even found it harder to lose weight while breastfeeding. Eating more calories than recommended, not getting enough exercise, and retaining water weight are some reasons it could be harder to lose weight while breastfeeding.
An additional 330 to 400 kilocalories (kcal) per day is recommended for well-nourished breastfeeding mothers, compared with the amount they were consuming before pregnancy (approximately 2,000 to 2,800 kcal per day for breastfeeding women verses 1,600 to 2,400 kcal per day for moderately active, non-pregnant women who ...
On average, exclusively breastfeeding mothers may see a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per month. For those struggling to lose those extra pregnancy pounds, breastfeeding isn't the answer. Instead, the focus should be on a healthy diet and exercise.
"Intermittent fasting for weight loss while breastfeeding will not harm the baby as long as you continue regular feedings," says Bruce K. Young, MD, an internationally known leader and innovator in obstetrics and gynecology.