American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses the recommendation by the Institute of Medicine that pregnant mothers gain weight between 11 to 16 kg during the course of pregnancy. While it is not possible to avoid gaining baby weight during pregnancy, it is definitely within your reach to lose baby weight postpartum.
In this write-up, we will look at how breastfeeding helps you shed some pounds you gained during pregnancy, and what diet plan for breastfeeding mothers to lose weight is recommended.
Why breastfeeding helps you shed weight?
While some of the women lose weight automatically, others struggle. However, breastfeeding has been shown to shed weight, primarily because of the reason that almost 500 calories are burned while producing breast milk. This calorie deficit is the primary reason for weight loss while breastfeeding. Multiple research studies have shown that breastfeeding is helpful in long-term weight loss. 1, 2, 3
Apart from this, longer breastfeeding has been associated with reduced risks of many diseases like breast cancer, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. 4
How Much Weight You Lose Breastfeeding
It depends on a number of other factors like stress in your life, your diet and physical activity, etc. One study of US women showed that the weight loss is moderate at about 3.2 pounds (1.5kg) compared with the mothers who formula-fed their babies. 5
Another study established a clear link between breastfeeding and long-term weight loss. It reported that ten years after pregnancy, breastfeeding women were 3.4 kg less weight than those who never breastfed. 6
But losing weight while breastfeeding is not something you can take for granted. When your body needs 500 more calories every day to produce milk, you will feel hungrier. This coupled with sleep deprivation can sometimes get out of hand and lead to overindulgence and satisfied food cravings.
Healthy Ways to Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
- Take it slow. While you are desperate to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes, it is going to be a slow process. It is healthy to shed one pound a week while breastfeeding.
- Eat healthy. Try to eat a balanced diet that has a minimum of 1800 calories. It should include fats, carbs and proteins. Try oatmeal in breakfast which is an excellent breakfast for breastfeeding moms trying to lose weight. This will keep your insulin in check and control your food cravings during the day.
- Substitute snacks. Do not stock your shelves with Doritos and chips. Eat healthy snacks like nuts and popcorn.
- Eat frequent meals. If you will give a too-long gap between meals, your milk production will be affected. Your body will pull energy from your stores and you will feel starving. And we all rush to Girl Scouts cookies and comfort foods in such a situation. Hardly a situation you need to get into while trying to lose weight when breastfeeding. Therefore, eat 5-6 times a day.
- No quick fixes. If you cut back on your calories drastically, it will directly affect milk production. Your first thought should be enough milk for your baby and weight loss while breastfeeding should be a second thought.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation has been linked with weight gain in many medical studies. Try to adjust your sleep cycles with those of your baby.
- Get moving. Start with a normal walk of 15 minutes and gradually increase it to about 40 minutes.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water is essential for your normal body functioning as well as it helps you lose weight by making you feel full and energized.
Postpartum weight loss is a reality and very achievable. The results might not be the same for everyone.
How many calories do you need when you’re breastfeeding?
Your body uses between 300 to 500 calories when you are breastfeeding, depending on if you are nursing your baby exclusively or your baby is on other milk sources and diet too. If your baby is exclusively on mother feed, then you burn an additional 450 to 500 calories than your normal calorie expenditure every day.
We do not recommend being over-obsessive with calorie counters but we do believe that you should be mindful of the additional nutritional needs of your body while nursing. If your body weight increases within the recommended limit set by your doctor, then you do not need to increase or decrease your diet. However, it is always a good idea to consult your doctor or healthcare practitioner about your calorie needs as a nursing mother.
Simple diet plan for breastfeeding mothers to lose weight
Human milk is a perfect combination of fat, protein, and carbs in an ideal proportion. However, this perfection is not dependent on precisely the foods and drinks a nursing mother will take. Even malnourished women continue to supply nutrient-rich milk to their nursing babies because their bodies tap into stored nutrients for perfectly balanced milk production.
However, since you know that your body can make nutritious milk even when fed a less-than-ideal diet, it doesn’t mean that you should ignore your diet as a nursing mother. Otherwise, your body’s own nutrient reserves will be depleted which should not be the goal in any case because of the short-term risk and long-term consequences for your own health.
Eventually, if you continue to ignore your diet for breastfeeding, it will also interfere with the milk supply for your baby.
What to eat on a breastfeeding weight loss meal plan
The basic principle of eating well as a nursing mother is simple: eat a variety of nutritious foods every day. An additional benefit will be that your child will be exposed to a diversity of flavors because a variety of diets will seep flavors and tastes into your milk. If your child likes carrots as a grown-up, the flavors they might have tasted in your milk will have a role.
Here are a few simple rules for a diet plan for breastfeeding mothers to lose weight:
- Eat plenty of protein as a nursing mother. Try to eat 2-3 protein servings every day. The sources of good and healthy protein include poultry, eggs, fish, meat, dairy, beans, seeds, and nuts.
- Aim to include at least 3 vegetable servings in your diet every day. Try to eat as many colorful vegetables as possible including green and yellow vegetables.
- Have at least two fruit servings per day.
- Carbs should primarily come from whole grains like whole wheat bread, cereal, pasta, and oatmeal.
- Stay hydrated while breastfeeding. However, do not overdo it because overdrinking fluids doesn’t directly influence the milk supply.
- As an expecting mother, you were forced to follow dietary restrictions however, those do not apply to breastfeeding moms.
- It is possible to stay a vegetarian while being a nursing mom. However, you need to make sure that you are getting enough iron and zinc from vegetarian sources. Some good sources of iron and zinc are dried fruit, seeds, nuts, dairy, and dried beans. If you are following a more strict vegan diet where you avoid all animal-sourced products, then remember to supplement your diet with vitamin b12 supplements because this essential vitamin is not found naturally in any vegetarian-sourced diet.
Foods to avoid while breastfeeding
As a breastfeeding mom, your food menu is more liberal than when you were expecting. However, there are certain caveats and off-menu foods to avoid while breastfeeding.:
Excessive caffeine
If you don’t want to have an irritable, jittery, and sleepless child, then restricting your tea or coffee intake to under 300 mg a day is recommended while breastfeeding. One or two cups of coffee or tea a day should be fine. Anything more than that, you will enter the testing zone which may suit your baby and may not.
High-mercury fish
One food recommendation that stays the same for pregnant and nursing moms is avoiding high-mercury fish like king mackerel, shark, swordfish, marlin, and big eye tuna. You should limit your weekly tuna intake to under 12 ounces per week. If it is white albacore tuna, then 4 ounces is the maximum recommendation.
Some herbal supplements
The safety of herbal supplements is not established because of a lack of extensive studies. Food and Drug Administration also does not evaluate the claims, efficacy, or safety of herbal supplements. Therefore, stay well away from any breastfeeding brews or herbal teas.
If you consider any herbal supplements during lactation other than generally safe ones like raspberry, peppermint, chamomile, rosehip, and red bush, always consult your doctor. It is also vital to read labels carefully so that you can rule out any undesired herbs in a supplement.
Foods avoided during pregnancy but okay to eat while breastfeeding
Some foods that were previously on the “foods to avoid while breastfeeding” list may be eaten by nursing moms. Now that you are nursing and no longer pregnant, foods like sushi, oysters, raw fish, soft cheeses, and cold cuts are all back on the menu. You are even allowed to have an occasional drink but read more about alcohol while breastfeeding below.
Alcohol and breastfeeding
A little bit of alcohol can find its way into milk production but definitely less than what you drink. So if you want to have a bit of beer, wine or even hard liquor at the end of a tiring day, it is safe while you are nursing (though never forget the word moderation). Here are a few tips for consuming alcohol while breastfeeding:
Nurse first, drink later. It is recommended to nurse before you drink. If you have had a drink, wait for a couple of hours for the metabolization of alcohol.
Stay in moderation. Your limit should be a maximum of a few drinks a week. Heavy drinking is not suitable for you or the baby because it can cause the baby to gain weight, drowsy and weak. The milk taste can also change which might affect the nursing quantity for the baby. And it may also impair your own sobriety which means you will be less alert for taking care of the baby.
Test your milk using Milkscreen test strips for alcohol amount. If the test is positive, you need to reduce your alcohol intake while nursing or completely stop it.
