Breastfeeding and Weight Loss 

So you’ve decided to breast feed–congrats! It’s great for your little one, cheaper than formula, you’ll get great bonding experience–and bonus! It’ll help you drop pounds faster. 

So what kind of workouts can you do while breastfeeding? What should your nutrition look like when you’re breastfeeding? How can you safely lose weight while breastfeeding?

 

Working out and breastfeeding

Yup–you can workout! Working out will help you shed pounds faster, plus it will help give you energy to take care of your new little one. How much can/should you workout? I don’t recommend working out for more than an hour a day for the average person–since it leads to burn out and overuse injuries. You should even be able to workout vigorously–without it affecting your supply. As always, consult a doctor if you have any questions and wait until you are 6 weeks postpartum to begin any vigorous exercise. 

 

Truth about Breastfeeding and Weight Loss

Breastfeeding burns a ton of calories! It’ll help you get back into your pre pregnancy clothes faster. Yay! How many calories? About 300-500/day. That is a lot! Some people notice an increase in appetite while breastfeeding–making it harder for them to lose weight. If that’s you, try to track your calories and eat foods that are high in volume, but low in calories like fruits, vegetables, broth based soups, etc. 

How many calories should you eat a day to lose weight while breastfeeding? You don’t want to go on an extreme diet and cut your calories too low–you are providing nutrition for your little one! All of the research that I’ve done has said you shouldn’t go below 1500 calories/day. I’ve kept mine pretty close to 1800-2000/day and I’ve managed to lose 50 pounds in less than 4 months–and my little chunker is thriving at 18 pounds and 28 inches. If you’re tracking your calories in myfitnesspal.com you can see the deficit that you’re creating from your workouts and how much you’re eating–so you can safely lose 1-2 pounds a week. To lose 1 pound a week you want to have a 500 calorie deficit/day, 2 pounds a week 1000 calorie deficit/day. 

Taking care of a baby is hard–but you need to take care of you too! Focus on eating healthy foods and moving your body–you’ll feel so much better–and fit into your pre pregnancy clothes faster! 

 

Please note: There is no set rule on weight loss and breastfeeding. This is the information that I have gathered from my research. If you are having supply issues and think it’s diet and /or exercise related please contact your physician!

 

Did this help you? If so, I would really appreciate it if you comment below and share on Facebook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Ngom’s Blog
Email: Clientcare@fitwithrachel.com

“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” Tony Robbins

PS. If you’re not at your goal weight & need support to get there, this group is what you need.

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