Do You Lose Weight When U Breastfeed

Breastfeeding has many wonderful benefits – but is weight loss one of them? We surveyed almost 500 women to see what the majority of women have experienced – if you are wondering, “Will breastfeeding help me lose weight?” you are in the right place!

Sure, there are women who lose weight like crazy while breastfeeding – but for every woman like that, there’s one who can’t lose a pound – or even gains weight – while breastfeeding.

Because I see so many moms asking about how to lose weight while breastfeeding – and more often than not, mothers just beside themselves because the weight isn’t coming off as promised – I decided to do a little poll in my breastfeeding Facebook group.

How Many Calories To Eat While Breastfeeding

I was curious to see how many moms actually found it easier to lose weight while breastfeeding – and to see what the majority of women experienced.

Here are the questions I asked, along with the percentages of women who answered each one. We had about 470 women respond total:

The majority of the women polled lost weight after giving birth – which is to expect, since most women will drop between 10-15 pounds immediately following birth – but then struggled to lose weight after that. I am not sure that I would attribute this all to breastfeeding.

Exclusive Pumping Vs Breastfeeding (nursing)

However, after losing that weight, they struggled to lose any weight. Although this is not a scientific study (obviously), I am led to believe that many women don’t actually lose weight while breastfeeding a general rule.

The next largest percentage at 23% was women who did, indeed, lost weight due to breastfeeding. However, I’m not sure I would say this is the rule.

For me, I always lose weight immediately following birthand for about two weeks afterward – and I end up weighing less than I did before I got pregnant! But after that first couple of weeks, the scale won’t go up or down. So for me, it seems that breastfeeding exclusively at least helped keep the weight at bay.

Breastfeeding And Weight Loss: Know The Facts

Can breastfeeding help you lose weight? It absolutely can. However, it’s not as clear cut as many people expect (and are disappointed to discover). When combined with a healthy diet, moderate exercise, and frequnet breastfeeding, you have the best chance of it affecting breast milk.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that sometimes your body just needs to hold onto that extra weight while nursing for one reason or another.

If you are looking for a great resource for healthy eating while breastfeeding, you don’t want to miss our breastfeeding cookbook and meal plan. It’s designed to provide you with the nutrients and calories you need to maintain milk supply while helping you lose weight and recover from pregnancy. It’s $19.99 for a limited time!

Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Both Mom And Baby

Katie Clark is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has helped thousands of mothers and families around the globe navigate breastfeeding challenges and questions since 2015. She has a passion for creating research-based, helpful breastfeeding education and helping parents find a way to make breastfeeding work for them. Katie is a mom of three little boys and lives in the great state of Colorado. She also has a degree in Communications with an emphasis in print journalism.Here are the best tips on how to lose weight while breastfeeding without losing your supply and how I lost 35 pounds following the Noom program!

When I stepped on the scale at the doctor’s office, I would just close my eyes, as if turning a literal blind eye to my weight gain would make it all magically disappear.

But deep down I knew I weighed more than I ever had because I started that pregnancy bigger than I had ever been.

Great Reasons To Breastfeed Your Baby

At my six-week postpartum appointment, I had lost 20 pounds and weighed 205, but I still had another 35 pounds that I wanted to lose.

I had tried so many different weight loss methods in the past, and none of them worked long term. So I decided to try something completely different.

If you want to lose weight while breastfeeding without killing yourself in the gym with an unrealistic exercise program, buying special diet food, or losing your milk supply then follow the tips below:

Top 10 Superfoods For Breastfeeding Moms

But here is where Noom is different: They provide short, interactive articles every day that change your relationship with food and how you handle stress, negative emotions, and setbacks.

The articles made the biggest difference for me in my weight loss journey this time. I learned that I don’t have to give up the foods I love to lose weight and I can eat treats, as long as I stay within my calorie limit for the day.

When I hit plateaus in my weight loss journey (which I did) I learned how to push past them instead of throwing in the towel or switching to another weight loss program or fad diets at the first sign of stagnation.

Breastfeeding Diet Myths

Water is essential for any breastfeeding mom so make sure you drink a lot. Healthline recommends moms aim for 96 ounces a day. This is one of the most important tips for how to lose weight while breasting without changing your milk production.

I never liked water before I became a mom, but now I can’t get enough of it. However, that doesn’t mean I always remember to drink water.

To make it easier, I like to keep a mug full of fresh water and ice so whenever I see it I remember to take a sip. I love that it has a lid and straw too so I can take it wherever I go without fear of it spilling.

Tips To Help You Lose Weight Safely While Breastfeeding

According to KellyMom, 1500-1800 calories is an acceptable amount for nursing moms to eat every day if they are trying to lose weight.

The science of weight loss says you have to burn more calories than you take in, plain and simple. This causes the body to pull energy from fat stores and not just from the calories you ate that day.

That’s why signing up with Noom was so important for me because it helped me keep track of my calories throughout the day. It ensured I always consumed enough calories and didn’t hit extra calories over 1800.

Truthful Tips For Healthy Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

And Noom is the only one who re-shaped my thinking about food and how to lose weight. Tracking your food only goes so far if you don’t know how to make the most of your daily calorie limit.

I have. And I find that I can restrict my food for only so long before I end up giving in to my cravings, binging on the “forbidden” food and then feeling terrible about myself.

Letting yourself go too long without food isn’t good for your milk supply and could lead to fog eating (a.k.a. a hangry rummage through the pantry grabbing anything in sight that’s edible.)

Can't Lose Weight While Breastfeeding? (3 Reasons Why)

Restricting too much can also put your body into starvation mode. Your body may start hoarding fat which can make it nearly impossible to lose weight while breastfeeding.

One misconception a lot of moms have is that in order to lose weight while breastfeeding, they need to be in the gym 40-60 minutes 5-6 days a week.

After my second baby, I was killing myself doing intense workouts 5-6 days a week. My body got burnt out and I dreaded anytime I had to exercise.

How Much To Eat While Breastfeeding

This time around, I set aside 20-30 minutes 3 days a week to do my favorite workouts (resistance training or dance cardio) and I actually look forward to my workout days!

It’s important to maintain a healthy diet while breastfeeding so you and your baby get all the nutrients you need. Try to plan meals with lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats. Select items from each of the food groups including colorful fruits and vegetables and keep healthy snacks on hand.

If a meal I cook regularly has more calories per serving than I want to eat, I’ll either have a smaller portion, make an adjustment to another meal to compensate, or switch out some of the ingredients to save calories (like using cauliflower rice instead of white rice, for example).

Postpartum Weight Loss: How To Lose Weight After Baby

If you’d like to get a FREE 4-week sample of the meal plan I used to lose 35 pounds, just sign up for my newsletter below and I’ll send it to you as a bonus!

Even if you’re doing everything right to lose weight while breastfeeding, there’s still a chance you may not see the scale budge much. Here are a few areas to consider when you’re ready to throw in the towel.

Prolactin is necessary to make breast milk, but it also affects your body’s ability to metabolize fat. Basically, it makes your body hold onto fat so that you don’t use up all of your resources needed to produce milk. This could be why a breastfeeding mother can never lose those last few extra pounds until she’s done nursing.

Reasons You May Not Be Losing Weight While Breastfeeding L Dieting When Breastfeeding

Some women naturally gain more weight during pregnancy than others. Some women can lose weight quicker than others. Our genetics play a big role in how we lose weight, and our body’s natural “happy weight.”

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