Ways to Lose Weight while Breastfeeding - Tips & After Delivery Facts

You must have heard all the elders in your family tell you, breastfeed to lose weight. Is it true? Do you really want to lose weight while breastfeeding? Breastfeeding is very essential for your baby. Concentrate on that, rather than worrying about shedding extra kilos. Well let’s see what happens when you breastfeed for 3 or 6 months to your newborn baby here.  

Everyone want to know What exactly happens during breastfeeding? During breastfeeding, the fat cells stored in the body during pregnancy combined with the energy derived from the food that you eat are used for milk production. The extra calories that you consume when you breastfeed are also used up to produce milk.

What should new mothers do to Lose Weight Naturally?

Weight loss during breastfeeding is a hugely discussed issue. Some moms go to the extent of taking pills and substitutes for weight loss. That is not advisable. You must allow it to happen naturally, rather than rely on fat burners and diet pills. 

Our blogger Janaki Srinivasan shares how to lose weight during breasfeeding 3 or 6 month old baby. Read on to know more..

How to Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

If you are anxious about losing weight during breastfeeding. Following are the some weight loss tips you need to align with.. 

1. Daily Exercise: The best way to lose weight has always been through exercise and post-delivery period is no exception. However, you need to wait for about 6 to 8 weeks to get into a regime. Remember to consult your doctor in case you are planning for something rigorous. And also, don’t forget to take a healthy carb about half an hour before it. This can ensure that your milk supply is not reduced
2. Watch the Calories: Make sure that your daily calorie intake doesn’t go below 1,800 calories. Focus on making healthy choices like whole grain, fruits and vegetables. You can avoid sugar, soft drinks, fried foods, cheese and whole milk if you are particularly looking to lose weight. Gradually as the baby grows and starts on solids, you can restrict your calories too!
3. Don’t be Discouraged: For some, the weight loss may be faster than the rest. Don’t get discouraged if yours happens slowly. If you cannot avoid eating when the hunger pang strikes, modify your lifestyle to include walks, for instance, to shed those off extra kilos
4. Look for Smart Substitutes:It is hard to keep away from food when you are breastfeeding. So what do you do? Make smart food choices, of course! Instead of a packaged cereal, choose Oats, for instance. Choose brown rice instead of white. Go for whole grain bread, soups and salads. For snacks you could opt for crackers with peanut butter, nuts and smoothies. The options are varied. You just need to make some intelligent choices and let the magic unfold
5. Keep Healthy Options Within Reach: It is not enough to know what to eat. It is equally important to keep them within reach so that the temptation to go astray is minimal. For instance, cut up some vegetables and stock them in the refrigerator cook and freeze healthy meals, stock up on fruits regularly
6. Eat Less; Eat Frequently: Make sure you know when to eat. Spread you calorie intake through the day so that you don’t feel starved at one point or over-fed at another. Moreover, if there is a long gap between meals, your body will use up the reserve and that may play havoc with insulin production and thyroid levels. Too much hunger can also tempt you to go for unhealthy snacks. So, plan ahead
7. Don’t Stress Over Weight Loss: It’s not easy to shed kilos post-delivery and it definitely doesn’t happen in a jiffy. You have to hang in on there and not stress over it too much. The first few weeks post-delivery are crazy and you have to get a hang over several things. Concentrate on those first. After about 6 weeks, you can start thinking about weight loss. Don’t feel bad if you don’t fit into your old clothes right away; no one does

After Delivery Weight Loss Facts 

Immediately after delivery, women tend to shed about 6.8 kgs., but after that the weight loss is very slow, about 0.49—0.9 kilogram a month for the first 6 months, and even slower after that. In this way, they gradually lose the extra kilos they put up during pregnancy. If you notice that a breastfeeding mom is losing weight rapidly, the only reason could be that she is concentrating more on getting her pre-pregnancy body back and is avoiding the extra calories that are necessary for milk production. This is not advisable.

There are several myths regarding breastfeeding. While some feel that the excess weight gained during pregnancy miraculously vanishes, others are of the opinion that it is tough to get back to your old self. And the truth is somewhere in between. It is true that breastfeeding approximately helps to do away with 850 calories/day, but it is also true that breastfeeding makes you hungrier. This coupled with sleep deprivation that a new baby brings with it, gives you hunger pangs and you crave and reach out for carbohydrates. And we all know that carbohydrates definitely will not help you lose weight. Read How to Lose Weight after Pregnancy

Also suggested, consult your doctor as well for a healthy diet to assist weight loss.

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