Safe Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

I have been going to WW since my youngest was 2 months old. He's now 7.5 months and I've lost 20 lbs. It's been slow but I've also indulged along the way (for Christmas, Thanksgiving, my 30th birthday, etc). I"m now back to the weight I was before I got pregnant with my daughter 3.5 years ago and I'm still going!

Weight Watchers!! I have a son the same age as your little one, and I have been on Weight Watchers for about 3 months now while breastfeeding. I am 15 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant (I, too, was overweight prior to getting pregnant). Weight Watchers is great - it's a healthy lifestyle change, not a fad diet, and they take into account the fact that you're breastfeeding. They want you to lose weight more slowly than if you weren't breastfeeding so as to not compromise your milk supply. Check it out - it works and it's safe. Good luck!

My sister-in-law and I both simply cut-out all refined sugars (especially any sweet treats, but you have to watch it -it's also in all kinds of packaged foods from pancake mix to flavored yogurt). We both had great luck and it was a lot easier than calorie counting or exercising.

J.
www.UrbanSuburbanFamily.squarespace.com

I agree with eating healthy. You will cut out bad calories by simply doing that. The more prepackaged foods you can replace with natural organic foods the better. The calories you are intaking will be easier for your body to process and less of it will get "stuck on". Organic is important so you are also no taking in bad pesticides, but I know they are expensive. So you can look online to find out which fruits and veggies are better to buy organic and which ones you don't necessarily have to. (For example, some have a thick skin like avocado or bananas, so you can buy regular)

Also cutting down on salt and sugar, especially avoiding things with high fructose corn syrup, which is really bad for us. And drink lots of water in between to help process things out and help keep you feeling full! Good luck!

Instead of "dieting," eat healthy. Don't keep junk food in your house (cookies, chips, candy, ice cream, etc.). Drink lots of water - 1/2 of your weight in ounces each day spread out throughout the day. Eat lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Eat lots of good grain (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat). Limit white flour and avoid processed foods as much as possible. Limit sugar, too. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Avoid soda (even diet). Snack on raw nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts). Eat your biggest meal of the day at lunch, your second biggest at breakfast, and your smallest at dinner. Eat small portions of lean meat, like chicken. You meat should only be 20% of your meal. A good grain should be another 20% of your meal. The remaining 60% should be vegetables. Make your portion sizes a little smaller than you are used to. Eat slowly and chew very thoroughly. This will give your brain time to register when you are full.

If you do all that and get some exercise every day (even just walking), you should be able to loose weight without feeling hungry.

Good luck!

-J.

My son is 8 months and I'm breastfeeding and a SAHM. I'm doing Weight Watchers and have lost about 5-6 pounds so far. I'm just doing the online version, not going to meetings, and when you're BF you get extra points because you need the extra nutrients. Weight Watchers says that a breastfeeding mother should only lose about a pound a week. I think more than that means that toxins can be released into your breastmilk and could possibly mess with your milk supply too.
As far as snacks go, try to only keep healthy ones in the house (carrots, hummus, etc). I know if there is milk chocolate in the house, I'm eating it, and fast!!
I also like the Kashi TLC cereal/grain bars, and WW has yummy ice-cream desserts that are only 2 points so I feel like I'm getting some good stuff too. I haven't felt deprived at all or hungry.
Good luck - I know it's tough, but we can do it!

i agree if you dont have it in the house you can't eat it. i started working out lightly after my son was 2 months then more intensely as i felt better. i never really lost much more weight until after i stopped breastfeeding my son at 13 months. then after we was weaned it was like all the extra stuff just fell off. don't worry to much if you dont lose a ton while still breastfeeding some peoples bodies just dont work that way. mine is one of them. lol. i didnt eat junk while breast feeding but i didnt diet either. after i was done needing to provide for my son i started really pushing myself but still i only ate smaller meals rather then less meals and snacking on the right things can actually help you lose weight. i made sure i ate when my son ate so breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. it is easier when they are on table food. i wouldnt feed my son bad things so i wouldnt feed myself bad things. good luck with your weight loss. i gained 60 lbs with my son and lost all but 18 before getting pregnant again. i was finally on the right track of weight loss when we got pregnant again and halfway through this time have only gained 12. so my eating and workout habits are sticking with me.

Hi S.,
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Let me know if you have any questions.
Good luck to you!
Victoria

Provided you are not doing drastic weightloss, cutting back a little if you are already overweight ie have some stores, is fine. Probably if you cut out the snacks and instead nibble on rice cakes and celery and drink water, that alone will lead to weight loss. Just stick to 3 meals a day without snacks and drink a lot of water. As your stomach contracts you won't be as hunger. Good luck.

i too am in the same boat you are in. I lost my prego weight but was over weight to begin with by 25lbs. I also bf my 9 month old once a night now. I walk on my treadmill 5x a week 30 min each day. and use the body by jake over the door tower for strength training. I have lost about 5lbs so far. over the past month. I do not get on the scale too often since i am starting to build muscle ( muscle weights more than fat). and do not want to be disipointed. but i do go by how my clothes are fitting thats the key.
My husband is a body builder so i follow his diet but only consume about a 1/4 of his calorie in take. my weakness is an ice cold coke,lol. so i am working on elimanating that. I will not do diet bc of the fake sweetner. so anyway on to diet.

breakfast-
bowl of cereal w banana or 2 egg whites 1 whole egg scrambled
w/ english muffin oj or whatever you like to drink

snack-
fruit or yogurt

lunch-
ham or turkey w/cheese roll up

snack-
veggie or cheese/crackers or a fiber bar ( kelloggs makes a really one)

dinner-
sinsible meal protine veggies (salad or steamed) carb ( baked potato or sweet potato)

watch for hiddin calories i make suger free kool ade with splenda 1/2 cup of the stuff. just because something says fat free does not mean its calorie free. fats dont make you fat its the calories that get you. if you have high cholesterol then watch your fats. there are some great protine bars out there called POWER CRUNCH bars (vitamin shoppe) carries them they tast like a candy bar. (kit kat) to be exact. drink lots of water figure one ounce per body lbs. 1oz=1lbs. and be sure to take a multi vitamin it will not hurt BM. good luck
p.s.if you are craving somthing don't deny yourself just have half of what you would normally have. denying yourself could take you off track. ;-)

After my youngest was born I did weight watchers. They have a program designed for nursing moms. I also walked a 4 miles, 4 days a week. I lost over 20 pounds in a few months. I am pregnant with my 3rd and have every intention of joining weight watchers again to lose the baby weight! I dont know much about meal replacments since I have never used them but before you try them I would ask your dr to make sure you would be getting enough nutrients and things to continue breastfeeding......Good luck!

Weight Watchers is a great weight loss plan for everyone! They also take into account the need for extra milk and food for milk production. Grazing is not a problem - many naturally slim people graze - as long as you are choosing the right foods to graze on. You really need to be eating healthy foods for the best milk production, anyway. DO NOT USE MEAL REPLACEMENTS!!!! You have to consider that everything you put into your mouth is what your baby is eating. Whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins are what you should be eating. Also, milk and water. Try keeping a food journal and tracking what you eat. If you stick to those types of foods most of the time you should be able to lose the weight.

Good luck!

I am in the same boat as you, except my daughter's 6 1/2 months. Over the past two months, I've been able to lose 14lbs and 5% body fat by excercising 5 days a week an hour at a time. Mix up your elliptical workouts with some resistance training. I know it sounds crazy to lift weights when you want to lose weight, but it really does make weight loss easier. If you don't have weights and can't join a gym, try doing planks, push-ups, dips, burpies, mountain climbers, squats and lunges. Those can all be done without weights. When you do any cardio you should keep your heart rate in the 60% zone, that way you burn fat.
As far as snacks: yogurt, nutrigrain bars, granola bars, hummus, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and dried cranberries, peanut butter, low-fat string cheese and fruit have worked the best for me. I totally agree with everyone else that says if it's not in the house you won't eat it. Before I started really watching what I ate, we had all sorts of junk in the house. I kept a food diary for a week and was shocked at all the junk I ate through out the day just because I was home.
It's a slow process losing weight while breastfeeding. I've done hours of research on the subject. And I learned that 2 lbs a week is the absolute most you should lose. You should never feel hungry while breastfeeding. Try to get on a schedule of eating a small meal (around 300 calories) 6 times a day. Drink tons and tons of water. This way your supply is maintained and you're not starving. Also, if you eat small meals through out the day, you won't be as likely to eat a giant meal at dinner.
Most important - keep on moving. You can do it!

Mummy magic weight loss tea is the safe and healthy way to lose baby weight while breastfeeding. It didn't affect my breast milk and I lost 35 lbs from my body.