My “Happy Earth Day” blog entry elicited a number of enquiries about weight loss whilst breastfeeding, so here is some information on the subject.
Women who are not breastfeeding lose weight much more slowly than nursing mothers. Breastfeeding is a natural and safe way to lose weight with very little effort.
The first naturally occurring loss of weight follows the birth of the baby. Almost all mothers continue to lose a little more weight in the next few days, mostly through the lochia fluids.
Pregnancy and childbirth takes it’s toll, so it is very important for newly-delivered mothers to eat well no matter how they are feeding their babies. Small, frequent meals are usually more acceptable and digestible at this stage.
It takes a mother about six to eight weeks to establish milk production. This is a good time to simply eat and drink when you are hungry and thirsty. Nursing mothers do not need to eat or avoid any special foods or drinks in order to produce good milk, so just choose foods that you normally enjoy. The good news is that most breastfeeding mothers continue to lose weight until their babies are four to six months old, all without dieting! Better still, a lot of the weight comes off your hips and thighs. What a great reason to breastfeed!
As the saying goes, it takes nine months to put on pregnancy weight, so you can expect it to take at least nine months after the birth to come off. Breastfeeding speeds up weight loss, because milk production uses about 500 calories a day.
If your baby is at least six months old and you feel the need to be more pro-active in losing weight, then there are safe ways to do so.
The first step is to replace high-calorie, high-fat desserts with fresh fruit and do a little more exercise.
If you like the idea of joining a diet program, Weight Watchers has one especially for nursing mothers. Eating 1,800 calories a day will enable you to both lose weight and maintain an adequate milk supply. Most importantly, avoid any diet plans which specify eating less than 1,500 calories a day.
Aim to lose about a pound a week. Low-carbohydrate diets often result in more rapid weight loss, which can be a concern for nursing mothers. Not eating enough can affect both your milk supply and your own health. There is more information on this in the references below.
Further reading:
Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding, by Eileen Behan, RD.
I am breastfeeding my baby and I want to lose weight. Is a low carbohydrate diet safe for a breastfeeding mother?
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/lowcarb.html
Herbal weight loss products and breastfeeding http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-herbalweightloss.html
Weight Loss After Pregnancy
http://www.breastfeeding.com/for_moms/weight_loss_after.html
- Subcommittee on Nutrition during Lactation, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Nutrition During Lactation Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1991 p.15, 74, 140.
- Kramer, F. et al. Breastfeeding reduces maternal lower-body fat J Am Diet Assoc 1993;93(4):429-33.
- Dusdieker, L. et al. Is milk production impaired by dieting during lactation? Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59:833-40.
Posts
