Losing Weight While Nursing

D.,

Congratulations on your decision to extend breastfeeding. While many women will experience weight loss during nursing, many will also not. The best thing you can do for yourself is to drink plenty of water. For supply issues, or to help avoid them, a great trick is to eat oatmeal each morning. Oats are known to help boost milk production.

As for eating habits, the best thing i can tell you is in all honesty, if it comes in a box, don't eat it. There are exceptions such as good quality cereals, oatmeal (of course) and a few others. But, if you're really looking to improve your health, and in turn ensure the health of your little one, eat fresh foods, frozen veggies and fruit out of season are good choices as well. Avoid canned foods, anything with Partially Hydrogenated oils, mono and di-glycerides (check your breads for this... Alvarado Street and Good for Life(?) are great options). Steam your veggies. Unless you're eating a lot of dairy, don't increase your intake. It could have a negative effect on the baby. Take your work outs slow. Maybe find a postpartum class at a local fitness center. Or just walk around the neighborhood with your little ones. The weather is getting nice and it's a great way to help boost your metabolism, and your immunity.

I wish you luck on your way to better health.

Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

Here's an awesome list of non-dairy sources of calcium.

One calcium-rich food found in just about every supermarket is hummus. Hummus contains calcium and magnesium, so the calcium is easily absorbed. The primary components of hummus are Chick peas (150 mg
od calcium) + sesame seeds (1160 mg of calcium). Hummus contains ten times as much calcium as human breast milk.

The calcium contained in leafy green vegetables is more easily absorbed than the calcium in milk, and plant proteins do not result in calcium loss the same way as animal proteins do.

Calcium content of foods per 100-gram portion (100 grams equals about 3.5 ounces):

01. Human Breast Milk 33 mg

02. Almonds 234 mg
03. Amaranth 267 mg
04. Apricots (dried) 67 mg
05. Artichokes 51 mg
06. Beans (can: pinto, black) 135 mg
07. Beet greens (cooked) 99 mg
08. Blackeye Peas 55 mg
09. Bran 70 mg
10. Broccoli (raw) 48 mg
11. Brussel Sprouts 36 mg
12. Buckwheat 114 mg
13. Cabbage (raw) 49 mg
14. Carrot (raw) 37 mg
15. Cashew nuts 38 mg
16. Cauliflower (cooked) 42 mg
17. Swiss Chard (raw) 88 mg
18. Chickpeas (garbanzos) 150 mg
19. Collards (raw leaves) 250 mg
20. Cress (raw) 81 mg
21. Dandelion Greens 187 mg
22. Endive 81 mg
23. Escarole 81 mg
24. Figs (dried) 126 mg
25. Filberts (Hazelnuts) 209 mg
26. Kale (raw leaves) 249 mg
27. Kale (cooked leaves) 187 mg
28. Leeks 52 mg
29. Lettuce (lt. green) 35 mg
30. Lettuce (dark green) 68 mg
31. Molasses (dark-213 cal.) 684 mg
32. Mustard Greens (raw) 183 mg
33. Mustard Greens (cooked) 138 mg
34. Okra (raw or cooked) 92 mg
35. Olives 61 mg
36. Oranges (Florida) 43 mg
37. Parsley 203 mg
38. Peanuts (roasted & salted) 74 mg
39. Peas (boiled) 56 mg
40. Pistachio Nuts 131 mg
41. Potato Chips 40 mg
42. Raisins 62 mg
43. Rhubarb (cooked) 78 mg
44. Sauerkraut 36 mg
45. Sesame Seeds 1160 mg
46. Squash (Butternut) 40 mg
47. Soybeans 60 mg
48. Sugar (brown) 85 mg
49. Tofu 128 mg
50. Spinach (raw) 93 mg
51. Sunflower Seeds 120 mg
52. Sweet Potatoes (baked) 40 mg
53. Turnips (cooked) 35 mg
54. Turnip Greens (raw) 246 mg
55. Turnip Greens (boiled) 184 mg
56. Water Cress 151 mg

Hi D.

You certainly should be able to start working on losing some weight and keep your milk supply up. You don't want to drastically cut calories, but focusing on a healthy lifestyle will help you to cut the weight now and keep it off later if you stick with the new lifestyle. Eating lots of nutrient rich low fat foods should help to make your milk supply even better for your daughter too. Include plenty of whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies. This is a super time of year since everything is going to be coming into season and will be easy to get and super yummy. You might try chopping up some veggies and fruits to have easily accessible to grab for quick snacking - you pretty much don't need to worry about eating too many fresh raw produce items. Plus they are very hydrating too and as someone else mentioned, drinking plenty of water is critical to keeping up your milk. Plus, just eating lots of healthy grains, veggies and fruits will help your daughter to learn these flavors through your milk and help her to be more inclined to also enjoy them as she begins eating foods and developing healthy eating habits for life too.

Exercising is good too - just don't go too crazy too fast. This time of year is also great to get outside and push those little ones for nice walks in your neighborhood, at the park, at the zoo...anywhere that holds your interest an theirs. My first 2 are 17 months apart and we got a zoo pass. It's fabulous. I don't care about needing to go and stay all day since we can go as often as we want. We usually go for 1.5-3 hours depending on our feeling for the day. There is a lot of varied terrain so you can really get a workout - plenty of good hills. And pushing the stroller gives you a bit of extra resistence. The kids love being outside and don't get bored as they are happy to see and learn about all the animals - it's a great learning experience. There is a playground in the children's area which is divided for younger and older children. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and rest and watch animals while you nurse/give a bottle. I have also done yoga with mine. We started a Mommy and Me class when my first was about 6 months. I continued through my second pregnancy and returned 6 weeks after birth. I'm about 35 weeks pregnant again and haven't stopped since returning with my now 2 year old. It's just once a week, but is a gradual and healthy exercise option and the kids love to play with their friends while I exercise. They are integrated into some exercises but are old enough now (3.5 & 2) that they just enjoy being with friends to play. It's easy to modify poses to meet your needs and level so it's good for most anyone. It's also nice for meeting others and getting the kids some interaction time too. As it gets into summer, swimming would also be an excellent activity if you can get someone else to take over the kids for a while. You can start with using a kickboard and just doing a few laps and gradually work up to more laps and doing full strokes. You can even do some toning exercises while playing with your little ones in the shallow end of the pool - stand in the water and do leg lifts of various directions and such while letting your older one jump in the pool or swim around with you or sit in a floaty. You could even pop him in a floaty and use that as your kickboard to "motorboat" him around the pool by kicking and holding on to his float.

I've definitely lost most of my pregnancy weight while nursing - it should be an advantage for you as nursing does consume a lot of calories. But I, as well as many of my friends, held on to a few pounds until we finished nursing. We had a second little burst once we finished. Your body does need a certain amount of fat for milk production and so it holds on to some just in case of a "drought." Plus I think the breast tissue and milk itself add a bit of weight that you lose once you are finished.

Hi D.!! I am currently nursing my 3 month old daughter. I try to do short work outs (such as a video or some of the ones you can get on demand) in the morning. I also try to walk as much as possible, and drink plenty of water. My milk supply has not been affected at all and I have lost all of pregnancy weight. As far as dieting, I don't know if it would be a good idea to diet while nursing. But, if you eat several small healthy meals through out the day and try not to eat too much junk food, you should be just fine :) Good luck!

I have read that breastfeeding alone burns over 500 calories a day in itself. If you just watch what you eat and take a brisk walk with your baby in the stroller everyday, you could probably lose a pound a day for a while. It would eventually taper off to maybe a half-pound a day, but that's still really great! Good Luck!

Hi D.. I just wanted to respond to your concerns about loosing weight and breastfeeding. I also breast fed until my daughter was one and I lost all my pregnancy weight and I know alot of it came off from just breastfeeding. I also did alot of walking which is low impact and gets you out of the house!!! I also wanted to let you know I recently became a consultant with an awesome health and wellness co which has alot of great products to help you reach your weighloss goals. The products are all natural, vegan certified etc....The protein shakes are great for breastfeeding moms and help you get to your goals, we have natural detox supplements which also help prepare you to loose weight and we have natural metabolism boosters. My sponsor lost over 80 pounds just following the system. If you would like more info you can visit www.arbonne.com to check out the products. I am offering a special anything you see at my cost until end of March which is tomorrow. If you need further info please contact L. at ###-###-####.....thanks...

Hi D.,
I nursed my son until he was 6 mo. old and started exercising again when he was just 4 weeks. I never had trouble with my milk supply. Since you're just beginning your exercise routine, I would suggest walking. You can walk anywhere, anytime. I love to strap my son in his Bjorn or stroller and walk to the park, shops, or coffee shop. If that's not possible for you, just walk around the block. Anything will help in the beginning. I really love to walk with my friends and their children. That often keeps me motivated on the days I 'd rather be on the couch!

As far as diet, try not to make any drastic changes because that might effect your milk. You can make small changes and still nurse. A great idea is to try one new thing a week, like cutting down on soda, changing to low-fat dairy, or changing from high fat snacks like chips to fruit or veggies.

Good luck with your efforts! Email me any time if you need support or encouragement!

I wouldn't restrict calories right now, but when I was breastfeeding, I did the Weight Watchers CORE plan, which is basically eat when you are hungry, just make sure it is a CORE food. CORE foods are all natural things: veggies, whole grains, fruit, etc. It was really great for me because I was starving constantly while BF.

Good luck!

A lot of moms lose a lot of wieght just by breastfeeding, unfortunately I was not one of them! As long as you are not losing the wieght by cutting calories drastically, you should not affect your milk. If you excersice sensibly and make good dietary choices you can still successfully breastfeed. Be sure to get your protien and calcium, don't eat a lot of junk or sugar (which is not great for baby either) I would definately not try any "fad diets" while nursing though.

Weight Watchers has a wonderful weight loss program for nursing mothers. They give you guidelines to help you eat healthy foods, exercise, and drink plenty of water. I am nursing my second child right now and doing the Weight Watchers plan online. I am almost down to the weight I was before I got pregnant with my first child (a weight I never got to between children) and my milk production is just fine. You can either do Weight Watchers online or go to meetings. The lactation consultants I have spoken to about it were supportive of Weight Watchers as a program for nursing mothers. Good luck!

I've been exclusively nursing my baby for 7 months (just recently introduced solids) and the weight keeps coming off. I don't exercise very regularly and I swear I eat like a horse. I lost my prego weight & now weigh less than I did before I got pregnant & I know its b/c of nursing. As far as decreased milk production, just recently in the past 2 weeks I've noticed a decrease in my milk supply and I'm not sure it its due to the weight loss or the introduction of solids. If I were you I would gradually introduce exercise, now that it's getting nice outside, take the babe for a walk in the stroller for 20 min to 1/2 hour 3-5 times a week or more if possible. I wouldn't suggest a "vigorous" exercise program - we need to conserve as much energy as possible! Just the walking everyday will give you a nice energy boost. Make sure to increase your FRESH fruit & veggie intake - and whole grains. Try the Kashi line they make great snack Bars and Whole Grain crackers good for you and good to snack on! Good luck & let me know if you would like to chat some more!

Hi D.,

I had the same problem..I was nursing and could not get the weight off. The best thing to do is to start excerising regularly. I did this with my second child and it worked alot batter. Make sure you keep yourself well hydrated with water or gatorade. Start off slow and work your way up to rigorous excerising.

Also, I know how hungry us Moms get...nursing doesnt help neither does that sleep deprivation thing but try and drink a glass of water or gatorade, wait 15 mins and then eat if you are still hungry but a small snack. It is hard but most hunger is actually dehydration and this can be true especially with breastfeeding.

I know that Weight Watchers accommidates breastfeeding Moms if you wanted to look into that too. Goood Luck!
S. F

Here's the best way to look at it... nursing mom's do need more calories than non-nursers. What you need to keep in mind is the type of calories you're consuming. Your body will naturally feed the baby (via your milk) the good stuff before your own body. So it's important to be sure ALL of what you eat is good for you. You "should" lose weight while nursing if you are eating right. Stay away from junk, soda, smoking, fast food and stick to healthy choices.

You should really check out WeightWatchers.com. I wasnot breastfeeding when I did it but I do know that in your profile they will ask you and take it under consideration. It really works. It doesn't starve you and it teaches you what you should eat and how. I lost 40lbs. I love it. It also isn't as expensive as going to meetings. Any questions just let me know i've been counting pts. for a while. It is great.

Hi D.,

I have nursed all of my kids until they were at least 18 mths to 2 years. Weight has also been an issue with me as well. From personal experience, I never tried to diet while I nursed. BUT I did exercise...regularly. I found it really didn't affect my milk production. What I did found was I needed to drink more fluids to help keep up my supply. As for losing weight, it kept me in pretty good shape, but the weight didn't come off until I had stopped nursing. In all of my experience though, I have never heard that eating healthy while nursing was a bad thing. As a nursing mom, you may need to eat more of the healthier kinds of things to help with the nursing nutrients. Raw veggies I found can be very filling and satisfying. I also found getting plugged into La Leche League too helped me with alot of questions like yours. Hope that helps you some! Best of luck!

I exercised vigoriously while nursering both kids it didn't affect my supply if anything it made it more because I was drinking much need water, you will need lots of water for nursing,at least 8 glasses a day that will make the weight fly off! also calcium and vitamin d for weight loss and your bones and teeth 1200mg a day unless you plan on drinking a gallon of milk a day that it not gonna help weight loss. Calcium is very important but you have to take it with vitamin d or your body won't break it down, start of slow with the exercise because you will get tired from it intially long stroller walks so the trick just as well I did lots of cardio that took the weigh off quick with me but I had to wear a nursing bra with a sports bra over top to keep my boobs from bouncing and hurting. The endorphines from that will make you and the baby feel happier as they get everything through your milk and it will give you more energy after you get through the 1st week, I napped after the gym when the baby napped with the 1st, either give yourself time it doesn't happen over nite I am 6 months post partum and still have 20 more lbs to go. It will come off I promise. Eat a balanced diet, try to avoid any fast foods they aren't good for you at all or the baby. Eat filling stuff in the morning like oatmeal as you won't be straving all day. You don't have to diet just be selective on your food choices, healty stuff, yogurt, fruit fresh veggies etc, stay away from diet labeled food as the artifical sweetners are bad for you and make hungrier. And lemon herbal tea also helps to suppress appetite, but you'll want decaf for the baby. Congrats! on your new addition be patient with yourself it's take time it will come off!

Breastfeeding can help you lose weight. I did weight watchers while nursing, they have a special program for nursing moms. Plus I walked 4 miles 5 times a week and I carried my daughter in a baby sling until she was too heavy. I lost weight so quick!!! You could also just try to eat healthy. Eat the things you are supposed toe at for nursing. Fruits, veggies, lean meats and stay away from lots of suger and alcohol. Good luck!