Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Not only is breastfeeding good for babies, but most women also benefit from burning extra calories to reduce the weight gain during pregnancy. However, weight loss while breastfeeding needs to be done with caution. On the other hand, by eating the right foods, exercising and taking good care of yourself, you can support your postpartum weight loss. Breastfeeding and nursing are time-consuming tasks that may lead you to think that weight loss is not possible. However, with just a few changes in your daily routine, you can find a safe and affordable weight loss method that fits your schedule and your baby's needs. Just remember that your body needs to maintain an extra weight (2.25-4.5 kg) while you breastfeed. This way, you won't be able to return to your pre-pregnancy weight until the end of breastfeeding.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Eat regular meals and eat healthy snacks

1. 

   
   
   Try eating every 3 hours. It sounds counterintuitive, but eating regularly to lose weight is very important. While breastfeeding, you should eat no less than 1500-1800 calories per day and most women need much more than this. Fasting is not a good idea, and can be dangerous if you are recovering from birth and are breastfeeding. Consuming too few calories is also counterproductive for weight loss goals.
   • Breastfeeding burns an additional 300-500 calories per day and has been shown to help with general postpartum weight loss in most women, even without calorie restriction. You should eat enough to meet this caloric requirement, in addition to the calories in a healthy diet.
   • Research has not shown a significant association between reduced maternal caloric intake with breast milk production. However, eating too few calories can increase health risks and increase feelings of fatigue.
   • Eating meals and snacks regularly will help reduce hunger, making it easier to control what you eat. If you let yourself go hungry, you will be more likely to find the most convenient food available instead of the healthiest option.
   • When you don't get enough calories, your body goes into a “starvation mode”, also known as thermogenesis adaptive to reduce energy expenditure, including burning calories. This can affect weight loss.

2. 

   
   
   Bring a healthy snack with you. Eating a snack that includes nuts, apple slices, or carrots between meals is a great way to reduce hunger. Whether working from home or outside, a nursing mother doesn't have a lot of time. So prepare healthy snacks in advance when you have free time.
   • Keep healthy snacks within easy reach while you're breastfeeding. Breastfeeding forces you to sit still for a while, and when you rest, reach for some snacks.
   • Keep long-lasting snacks, such as nuts or dried fruit, in a baby bag or diaper bag, or keep them in your car for easy access while out and about.
   • Wash all fruits and vegetables. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables under running water immediately before eating, cutting or cooking. No need to use commercially available soaps or washing products.

3. 

   
   
   Aim to lose weight slowly. You should wait at least 2 months after giving birth before you start losing weight. However, during these 2 months, you should be able to eat healthy and avoid junk food as much as possible. After 2 months, you should try to lose weight slowly and steadily, rather than losing it all at once. A reasonable goal is to lose about 0.7 kg per week.
   • Avoid trendy diets, weight loss toxins, promises of rapid weight loss, fat burning pills, weight loss pills and natural supplements. These can be risky for anyone and are especially risky for a nursing woman.
   • Research shows that losing weight too quickly puts additional stress on the cardiovascular system. Childbirth and breastfeeding put enough pressure on your body, so you should avoid adding it.
   • When you lose weight fast, your body usually burns muscle and loses water weight instead of burning fat. This makes it much more difficult to maintain your weight loss than if you were to lose weight over the long term.

4. 

   Deliberately. Not all women lose weight after giving birth equally while breastfeeding. Think of your weight loss plan as a long-term, healthy lifestyle, not a temporary goal. Don't lose your will if your weight doesn't lose exactly as you hoped.
   • You can lose weight quickly in the first few weeks after giving birth, but keep in mind that not all weight will lose that fast.
   • Don't expect quick weight loss results. It may take a year or more to lose the weight your body gained during pregnancy. Unless you're a celebrity with your own personal trainer, dietitian and in-house babysitter, losing weight will take time.
   • Some women find it very difficult to lose weight while breastfeeding but lose significant weight after their baby weaned. This can be attributed to lack of sleep and poor living habits leading to overeating.
   • The body also secretes the hormone prolactin during pregnancy and breastfeeding to stimulate milk production. Some studies suggest that high levels of the hormone prolactin can inhibit metabolism.
   • When evaluating your weight loss goal, keep in mind that your body will usually carry about 1.35 kg more breast tissue while you are breastfeeding.
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Part 2 of 4: Making healthy choices

1. 

   Choose nutritious foods. Choose foods rich in iron, protein, and calcium over empty calories or foods high in fat and sugar. Protein-rich foods are especially important because they keep you fuller for longer. Try to avoid foods that go through a lot of processing or simple carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, cookies, and sweets. This will help you lose weight without affecting your nutritional health.
   • Food sources of iron include whole grains, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits.
   • Eggs and dairy products, lean meats, soy products and meat substitutes, beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains all contain protein.
   • For calcium, try to increase your dairy products or green leafy vegetables. In addition, calcium-fortified products such as fruit juices, cereals, soy milk, yogurt, and tofu can be found.

2. 

   Avoid highly processed foods, foods high in fat, sugar, and caffeine. Healthy diets not only help with weight loss, but also improve the nutritional value of breast milk. Junk or unhealthy foods and fast foods only increase empty calories, not a sustainable source of energy for you to take care of yourself and take care of your baby.
   • Avoiding added salt, sugar and additives in processed foods is better for your overall health.
   • Reduce fat intake to 20-25% or less of total calories. Replace calories from fat with foods that are low in fat and high in protein.
   • Be wary of the sugars hidden in fruit juices and sodas because they only add calories with no nutritional value. Many sodas also contain caffeine, which should be limited to less than 2-3 cups per day. Consuming more may affect your baby's and your sleeping habits.

3. 

   Track your progress. There are many creative charts out there that help keep track of what you gain while losing weight. Weight loss charts can help you track how much weight you have lost daily, weekly, monthly or even annually.
   • Create your own chart using Excel Spreadsheet program. This program helps to keep track of the information that is most relevant to you.
   • Download a weight loss chart. With a little online search you can see many different types of weight loss charts. Many charts are available for free download and print.
   • There are many other types of body charts available online. Get inspiration from what others have done to create your own chart.
   • If you choose to record daily charts, you should choose the same time each day to weigh and record. Remember that body weight is usually lowest in the morning.
   • Once you start tracking your weight, it's easy to get obsessed with it. Try to take limited chart notes. Avoid weighing in more than once a day, and don't get frustrated by fluctuations of weight up and down.

4. 

   Try to reduce your stress. Stress while raising a baby is difficult to handle, but try to avoid it as much as you can. Stress can affect your weight loss plan. When you're stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which increases your appetite and makes you eat more. Stress also causes the body to accumulate more "visceral fat" in the abdomen, exactly where you want to lose weight the most.
   • To reduce stress, write down your feelings and frustrations during the day so that they don't keep you up at night. Keep a journal of your motherhood, breastfeeding experiences and weight loss efforts.
   • Talk about your feelings. Share your thoughts with your husband or a trusted friend / relative. Discuss challenges while nursing with other mothers (online or in person).
   • Try to focus on the happy moments with your baby instead of thinking about the difficulties of being a mother. Remember that the period when your baby is breastfed is very short.
   • Ask for help. If you feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of breastfeeding and motherhood, seek help from those around you. Make sure your husband is willing to share the burden on his shoulders. You can ask grandparents to take care of older children or help prepare meals.
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Part 3 of 4: Stay moving

1. 

   Do Cardio regularly. Simple exercises like walking can provide quick and effective weight management, including abdominal weight control. There are many fun ways to stay active, even while nursing your baby.
   • Go for a brisk walk or jog while pushing your baby in a stroller around the property. This is a relaxing way for you to exercise while your baby can breathe fresh air.
   • Go for a brisk walk or jog while pushing your baby in a stroller around the house. This is a relaxing way for you to exercise while your baby can breathe fresh air.
   • If you do not like pushing a stroller, you may consider buying a baby carrier to use when carrying your baby out for a walk.
   • Do cardio exercises. If you know that other mothers in the neighborhood are also raising children, you can invite them to walk together. This is a great way to get out and socialize - something that can be difficult to do while at home caring for your baby.
   • Everything needs in moderation. Don't exercise until you're tired. On the other hand, the high-intensity exercises are still very good during breastfeeding (after the approval of the postpartum doctor, of course).

2. 

   Prepare for an exercise session. There are many steps a nursing mother needs to take before exercising so that both mother and baby feel comfortable. Maintaining the body and breasts in the correct position for breastfeeding and milk production is a very important step.
   • Wear a supportive sports bra for vigorous activity. Supporting the breasts with a well-fitting bra reduces friction and discomfort in the nipples. Sports bras for breastfeeding women are available.
   • Drink plenty of water before and during exercise. Drinking 2-3 cups more water will help ensure the body does not lose water to avoid affecting the milk supply.
   • Try to breastfeed before exercising. This will help reduce fuss if you bring them with you. Exercising when breasts have not been devoured is also much more comfortable.
   • If you sweat a lot while exercising, clean your breasts before breast-feeding. Some babies don't like the salty taste.
   • If you are concerned about sagging breasts after breastfeeding, you can do chest exercises and lifestyle changes to prevent this (you should also know that breastfeeding is not the main cause. sagging breasts). You can find more information here: How to prevent sagging breasts after breastfeeding.

3. 

   Try strength training / weight training. It doesn't take too much muscle gain to reap the benefits of weight training. Just gaining muscle (more or less) can help burn extra calories, even while at rest. Increasing overall strength also helps with carrying your baby.
   • Use elastic bands or weights for resistance training and high intensity interval training.
   • Repeating light weights is just as effective at building muscle as exercising with heavy weights with less injury.
   • If you regularly lift weights or do exercises that cause repetitive hand movement, start slowly. If you find that your breasts are irritated or your milk glands are blocked, stop doing these exercises for a while.

4. 

   Exercise for toning your abdomen or core muscles. You don't need 1,000 crunches to see the benefits of abs training. Just squeezing the abdominal muscles every day also helps the abdominal muscles become toned.
   • In Pilates or Yoga there are many effective exercises that help tone the abdominal muscles. Yoga also has other benefits such as adjusting your posture after a day of pushing a stroller or carrying your baby.
   • Try a Plank or exercise where you need to stay in one position for a short time. Plank helps to train many muscle groups at the same time, including abs, side muscles, front muscles, back muscles, and even arm muscles.
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Part 4 of 4: Get enough rest

1. 

   Try to get enough sleep. Most of us need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. This is especially difficult for breastfeeding women because the baby often needs to breastfeed all night. However, keep in mind that adequate rest is essential if you want to lose weight.
   • If you're tired, it's easy to find quick energy in the form of carbohydrates or sugars. The brain's reward center is more active when you are tired and makes you search for bad snacks.
   • Research shows that sleeping too little can cause more people to eat larger servings, thereby increasing calorie intake. This quickly ruined your weight loss plan.
   • You're also less likely to be physically active when you don't get enough rest. Lack of sleep keeps you from exercising or going to the gym.
   • Consider pre-pumping and asking your husband to breastfeed 1-2 hours at night so you can get a little sleep.

2. 

   Try to take a nap during the day. This is especially true for mothers of young children. The old saying "sleep when you sleep" is useful advice. You can ask a relative or friend to watch the baby for a few hours to rest.
   • Don't spend all of your child's sleep doing chores. You should rest while your baby sleeps. Let someone else take on the chores. If you have an older child, you can create a chart and guide your child through simple, age-appropriate chores like washing dishes, vacuuming or taking out the trash.
   • Just sitting down and resting can also benefit your body. Remember that your body is working harder to make your baby's milk, so you need to be kind to it.
   • Napping has other benefits besides helping with weight loss.A new study shows that mothers who take naps are less tired and more likely to create positive interactions with their babies.

3. 

   Prioritize rest and sleep. Postpartum women are more likely to put others first. While taking care of your baby is important, you also need to take care of yourself. There are a few ways you can optimize your breastfeeding for sleep and rest.
   • Say “No” to other responsibilities at school and work. Avoid volunteering to participate in all activities at your older child's school or working part-time. Take time to rest and time to be physically active. Put yourself and rest first.
   • Avoid caffeine, especially late in the day. Caffeine can keep you awake and lose your chance to spend precious few hours sleeping.
   • Spend the afternoon as peaceful as possible. Try to avoid watching TV or using your computer or phone before going to bed.
   • Make your bedroom the perfect place to sleep by creating a quiet, dark, and cool environment. If necessary, a sleeping mask can be worn for maximum darkness.
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Advice

• Taking a multivitamin or supplement can support and meet the nutritional needs of you and your baby. Continue taking vitamins for women before pregnancy during lactation. If you go on a diet, your health care professional will recommend taking a daily vitamin B12 supplement.

Warning

• Consult with your doctor or pregnant health professional about a good time to start exercising. Depending on the nature of pregnancy and childbirth, it may take a while before you start exercising. If you have a normal birth and don't have complications, it's safe to start exercising as soon as you feel ready. If you have had a cesarean section, have had an enlarged vagina recently or have complications after giving birth, talk to your healthcare professional before starting an exercise program.