Nursing mom looking to lose weight without jeopardizing baby

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smithfit523
smithfit523 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello.

I had a baby 5 months ago & am still nursing. I'm seeking advice on how I can lose weight without affecting my baby. I had a rough pregnancy & ended up gaining way more weight than I should have. I now have 50+ lbs to lose but I'm not sure how to go about this safely while still nursing. I was going to wait until I weaned the baby but seeing all the weight is starting to affect how I feel about myself.

Thank you.

Replies

  • faithrainbow1
    faithrainbow1 Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that as long as you do it gently, weight loss while nursing is just fine, especially if you've got quite a bit to lose. Set your goals at 0.5 to 1 lb per week. Be sure to drink lots of water and stay well hydrated. Make sure that your diet is well balanced and that you're getting healthy fats. If you want, you can look up foods that help promote milk supply and make sure to fit those into your calorie goals. It's been a little while for me but my memory is that foods like oatmeal, leafy greens, and nuts can be helpful. Good luck, and congratulations on your baby!
  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
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    (Totally a personal opinion of a woman who nursed 2 kids for 3 years and 2 years)

    Assuming you are "lightly active", I would just set your profile to maintain at Lightly Active. Measure out everything you eat to get in the habit of it and make sure you get enough 'nutrient-dense' foods. If, after a month, you haven't lost anything, switch to losing 0.5/lb a week. If you are losing at non-nursing maintenance, great. If you feel like you are still really hungry, you could add some of the nursing calories back to your calorie goal and still be at a deficit. There is no specific number of calories that all breastfeeders will use to produce milk but a commonly cited number is 500. Even a deficit of 250/day is like half a pound per week. You may be able to cut those back out after the baby eats more solid food.

    Congrats on 5 months of breastfeeding though!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    FreyasRebirth wrote: »
    (Totally a personal opinion of a woman who nursed 2 kids for 3 years and 2 years)

    Assuming you are "lightly active", I would just set your profile to maintain at Lightly Active. Measure out everything you eat to get in the habit of it and make sure you get enough 'nutrient-dense' foods. If, after a month, you haven't lost anything, switch to losing 0.5/lb a week. If you are losing at non-nursing maintenance, great. If you feel like you are still really hungry, you could add some of the nursing calories back to your calorie goal and still be at a deficit. There is no specific number of calories that all breastfeeders will use to produce milk but a commonly cited number is 500. Even a deficit of 250/day is like half a pound per week. You may be able to cut those back out after the baby eats more solid food.

    Congrats on 5 months of breastfeeding though!

    This is the second time I've read this suggestion (or something similar) and I have to say that I like this approach and would go this route. I nursed my daughter for 27 months. I remember how hungry and thirsty I would get. I feel like this is a gentle approach that could work well.
  • thedafftone
    thedafftone Posts: 13 Member
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    I lost my baby weight by eating at maintenance (or higher if I was extra hungry in the early weeks) and increasing my activity.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    My baby is almost 4 months and I dropped to 1500 calories (about a 500 cal def) on Jan 1st. I haven't noticed any decrease in my supply. I take an iron supplement when I remember.
    I gained about 60 lbs during pregnancy, and am down almost 25 post pregnancy--10 since the new year.

    if I noticed a decrease in my supply I would evaluate my behavior and my first course of action would be to pump more with my electric pump. And if that didn't work then I'd increase water intake, and then if that didn't work, I'd increase calories.
  • Karie2017
    Karie2017 Posts: 215 Member
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    I'm breastfeeding and pumping as well. I used this website to figure out how many calories I need and it's been working. My baby is almost 3 months old and I've lost 29lbs so far. I workout 5-6 days a week and eat healthier. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    If it's within your means a dietician and/or lactation consultant would be the best person/people to advise you on this.

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