Losing Weight Slowly While Breastfeeding

This article was co-authored by Lora Luczywo, IBCLC. Lora Luczywo is an International board certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) based in Los Angeles, California. Lora has over 10 years of lactation consulting experience. She completed her lactation education at the University of California, San Diego and earned her clinical competency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and Torrance Memorial Medical Center. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Arizona.

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Breastfeeding is not only great for your baby, but for most women it also has the advantage of burning some extra calories, which can help to shed extra pounds gained during pregnancy. Losing weight while breastfeeding should be approached with care and caution. However, by eating the right types of foods, exercising, and taking good care of yourself, you can help support your postpartum weight loss.

What's The Deal With Breastfeeding And Weight Loss

This article was co-authored by Lora Luczywo, IBCLC. Lora Luczywo is an International board certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) based in Los Angeles, California. Lora has over 10 years of lactation consulting experience. She completed her lactation education at the University of California, San Diego and earned her clinical competency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and Torrance Memorial Medical Center. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Arizona. This article has been viewed 463, 743 times.

To lose weight while breastfeeding, eat small meals regularly so you get the nutrients you need without overeating. When making your meals, go for foods high in protein and iron, like leafy vegetables and lean meats, which will help you avoid the empty calories in processed foods. Stock up on healthy snacks, like apples or nuts, so that when you feel hungry you have something tasty to snack on. Besides eating healthy, try to focus on the good moments with your baby rather than the challenging ones, since stressing about problems can increase your appetite and make your body store more fat. Additionally, take up a cardio exercise regimen you can do with your baby, such as power walking, to encourage weight loss. For tips on how to support weight loss through sleep, read on!In today’s post you’ll find, not only tips for losing weight while breastfeeding, but how nursing mothers can lose weight without affecting milk supply.

As well as what to eat to lose weight while breastfeeding because for the past seven weeks I wrote down everything I ate to lose 20 lbs while breastfeeding without exercising.

Weight Gain After Stopping Breastfeeding: Reasons & Tips To Avoid

Before I share with you my breastfeeding weight loss tips and breastfeeding meal plan to lose weight I want to share a little bit about my journey.

You see, after my first baby I lost every pound I gained during pregnancy (60 lbs) by the time she was 9 months old.

I was 205 lbs when I went in to get induced for Hailee. After a month I had lost 20 lbs which is the weight of the baby, the placenta, extra fluid, etc. Not actual body fat loss.

My Experience Intermittent Fasting While Breastfeeding— 6'1”, 20 Lb Weight Loss, No Issues With Milk Supply (3m Pp To 6 M Pp)

Then there I sat, month after month at 185 lbs. I had been exclusively breastfeeding but the scale wouldn’t budge so I realized I was going to have to put some effort in this time to lose the baby weight.

I used these tips below to lose 20 lbs in 7 weeks without exercising and you can too! I wrote down everything I ate so stick around to the end to get my free breastfeeding meal plan for weight loss.

On average, while breastfeeding you burn an extra 500 calories a day. That’s equivalent to how many calories you’d burn going for a 45 minute run.

Can Breastfeeding Women Lose Weight?

If you’re finding yourself in the doesn’t category like I was then use these tips below. And don’t forget to snag my free breastfeeding meal plan for weight loss at the end of this post.

Losing weight is simply taking in less calories than you burn in a day. 100% of the credit for my weight loss while breastfeeding goes to writing down what I ate and counting my calories everyday.

Breastfeeding moms burn a total of about 2200 calories a day. It’s recommended they consume at least 1800 to maintain their milk supply.

Why Your Breastfed Baby Is Not Gaining Weight

I kept my calorie intake between 1800-1900 and I lost 20lbs in 7 weeks while breastfeeding and maintained a healthy milk supply. This is because I was eating less calories than my body burnt everyday.

I use measuring cups like these daily to measure out my servings. You may even want a second set so you’re not constantly washing them. Moms hardly have time for that.

I don’t recommend estimating your servings because minor errors throughout the day can easily put you in a calorie surplus. Especially with high calorie foods like butter, nuts, and hummus etc.

Breastfeeding Caloric Requirements & Postpartum Weightloss

Not only did this help me with weight loss but it was nice to build a freezer stash of breastmilk my husband could feed her whenever I had a doctors appointment, wanted to run errands alone, or just have a break.

Plus a lot of the time your body is trying to tell you that you’re thirsty but you interpret that feeling as hunger. To lose weight while breastfeeding I always try to drink a small glass of water before eating to prevent myself from over eating.

Water has 0 calories so you can drink as much as you want. Try to avoid soda and sugary drinks that can use up your daily calories fast and leave you feeling hungry.

How To Safely Lose Weight While Breastfeeding 2024?

You may notice in my breastfeeding meal plan that I had dessert every night. I felt like this was key to my success.

So many women try to lose weight while breastfeeding by eating 100% healthy 24/7 but they get burnt out and quit because they feel so deprived of the foods they love.

I took the 80/20 approach. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables most of the time and allowing myself some dessert after dinner as long as I stayed under 1900 calories for the day.

Healthy Ways To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

Between taking care of two kids, work, and being overweight, I just didn’t have it in me to exercise. Which is fine because I did lose 20 lbs while breastfeeding without exercising and you can too.

But exercise is so good for you and will help you lose weight, so I had to include it in this list of breastfeeding weight loss tips.

I plan on continuing my weight loss journey counting calories and adding in some exercise from now on. So stay tuned for part two of this post coming soon.

Are You Not Losing Weight Breastfeeding? Here's Why

I lost 20 lbs while breastfeeding without exercise in 7 weeks. I plan on using these tips above to lose another 20 lbs while breastfeeding with exercise so stay tuned for part two of this post coming soon.

There you have it ladies. That is how I lost the baby weight so far. When it comes down to it, it’s very simple. Calories in need to be less than calories out.

Please note that I am not a nutritionist or dietician. This is just what I ate everyday for 7 weeks and lost 20 lbs while breastfeeding without affecting my milk supply.

Simple Tips To Help Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

Hi! I’m Sierrah. Welcome to Another Mommy Blogger. Subscribe now and follow me on Facebook and Pinterest to get all my mommy tips for making life easier on this journey called motherhood.

Hi! I’m Sierrah. Welcome to Another Mommy Blogger. Subscribe now and follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for all my mommy tips to make life easier on this journey called motherhood.Coming from a dietitian and breastfeeding mama of two, I’m giving you 5 Tips for losing weight while breastfeeding – without affecting your milk supply!

If you are currently breastfeeding a baby, I’m sure you’ve heard about all the great benefits of it. Beyond the close bond between moms and babies, mothers who breastfeed often recover from childbirth more quickly and easily,  have reduced rates of breast and ovarian cancer later in life, and some studies have also found that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

How To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

As an added bonus, breastfeeding burns more calories – about 500 above a woman’s normal daily metabolic rate. This last reason is why most women hear that breastfeeding helps you return to your pre-pregnancy weight much faster than those who do not breastfeed.

Does this mean you have a free ticket to eat whatever you want, then? Not necessarily. I often joke with my family that since I am breastfeeding it means I get to have an extra cookie.  But in reality, this

What it means.  Even though the quantity of calories burned per day may increase, the quality of the diet must also be good in order to successfully lose weight safely. Meaning, those 500 extra calories can’t come from Oreos every day.

Losing Weight While Breastfeeding

So how do we lose weight while continuing to have a successful breastfeeding journey? I am working on this right now myself.  My baby boy is