There is almost no woman who doesn’t think about getting back to her old self after pregnancy.
Hence, they think about dieting while breastfeeding. This is because women gain weight during pregnancy (which is normal) and they want to get rid of the baby fat as soon as possible.
Nonetheless there are some guidelines that you should keep in mind.
Wait before going on a diet during breastfeeding
Even though you might want to get rid of the extra pounds as soon as possible, it is best not to do anything about it during the first couple of months after childbirth. This way your body will be able to offer a healthy milk supply and this won’t be affected by the caloric restrictions.
If you are thinking about having a diet when breastfeeding you should know that you burn 200-500 calories only with breastfeeding. This means that even if you aren’t actively trying to lose weight, you burn more calories than you would if you didn’t nurse.
No restrictions
In case you are dieting during breastfeeding, there is no reason to have any restrictions regarding breastfeeding. According to the research done in the field, the women who breastfeed frequently for more than six months are able to lose more weight.
Calorie intake
The women considering dieting when breastfeeding should have a daily calorie intake of 1500-1800 calories. It is best to stay at the high end of the range. In some cases women require even more. The studies show that if you have a lower calorie intake, your milk supply could be at risk.
Weight loss
In case you are thinking about weight loss during breastfeeding, you can lose 1.5 pounds per week or 6 pounds per month without affecting your milk supply, starting with the second month after childbirth. According to one of the studies a weight loss of 2.2 pounds per week on the short term is also safe.
Gradually decreasing the calories
When thinking about weight loss when breastfeeding you have to remember that if there is a sudden decrease of calories, it will affect the milk supply. This is easy to notice during an illness. Naturally the use of medication and dehydration can also affect the milk supply during sickness.
According to some of the professionals, when it comes to weight loss while breastfeeding, if the calorie intake drops by a certain number, the body will go into ‘starvation mode’ and so it will decrease the milk production. This is why the calorie intake should only be gradually decreased.
Quick fixes
The worst thing you might do in order to breastfeed and lose weight is to use a liquid diet, fad diet, low carb diet and so on. These aren’t recommended during breastfeeding and they could do more harm than good.
You have the possibility to go on a diet while breastfeeding but you have to make sure that you keep in mind the guidelines to ensure that both you and the baby will be healthy. You don’t have to lose all the weight in one month.
