Can I lose weight while breastfeeding? Will it affect my baby?

During the breastfeeding period, many postpartum mothers can't wait to get back in shape. So, can mothers lose weight during this stage of breastfeeding? What is the impact of postpartum mothers losing weight during breastfeeding on their babies? What is the most scientific way to lose weight during breastfeeding?

Can I lose weight while breastfeeding?

Can you lose weight during breastfeeding? This is a question that mothers are very concerned about. On the one hand, during the birthing process, mothers will consume a lot of energy and blood, which will greatly reduce their resistance and physical fitness. They need to be properly conditioned and recuperated after delivery to recover their health as soon as possible. On the other hand, whether the mother's nutrition intake is sufficient or not has a great impact on the quality and quantity of breast milk. Therefore, mothers who hope to lose weight quickly and regain their graceful figure are very worried. Can you lose weight during breastfeeding? In fact, you can still lose weight during breastfeeding, as long as you master the right method.

Losing weight during breastfeeding is not just about determining when to start losing weight based on your own physical recovery. If your physical recovery is good and there are no contraindications to exercise after a routine health checkup, you can generally do some simple exercises one week after delivery. If you can combine it with a reasonable diet, a healthy breastfeeding nutrition diet and appropriate exercise, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort in losing weight during breastfeeding.

It should be noted that you should not rush to lose weight during breastfeeding. You should proceed step by step and persevere according to your body's recovery. This is very important for the health of both mother and baby. If you lose weight quickly, it may prolong the body's recovery and bring various sequelae to the mother's body.

How to lose weight during postpartum breastfeeding

First, the timing of weight loss. You must get your doctor’s consent before losing weight. It is usually done 6 to 8 weeks after delivery, because the body needs some time to repair itself and ensure a normal supply of milk.

Second, the speed of weight loss. According to the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, losing 0.5 kg per week during breastfeeding is appropriate and will not have an adverse effect on the baby's development.

Third, the way to lose weight, of course, cannot be through dieting, let alone using drugs. It can only be done by changing your eating habits and finding a sport that suits you to do long-term. As the amount of exercise increases and the amount of intake decreases, your weight will naturally decrease.

Fourth, daily diet: when breastfeeding, new mothers need an additional 500 calories per day to provide nutrition for feeding. When babies start to eat solid food, new mothers need an additional 250 calories per day. When breastfeeding is no longer carried out, no additional calories are needed. Therefore, supplementing protein foods after delivery is extremely important for the recovery of the new mother's body and ensuring sufficient secretion of breast milk. Therefore, it is recommended to choose foods with high protein content and low fat content such as fish, lean meat or skinless poultry.

Fifth, exercise moderately. Breastfeeding mothers can start with simple exercises, such as walking.

Master the above five skills, even breastfeeding mothers can have a proud figure!

Tips for postpartum mothers to lose weight during breastfeeding

Many breastfeeding mothers want to regain their slim figure before giving birth. On the premise of ensuring the health of the baby and the breastfeeding mother, the following are a few tips worth learning from.

Ways to lose weight during breastfeeding: Try to stick to three meals a day and eat three meals a day (if you lose too much weight, you can adjust your meal intake appropriately).

Second way to lose weight during breastfeeding: The main foods are: fatty fish, shrimp, squid, octopus, etc. (meat, lean fish and immature fish should be removed), appropriate intake of vegetables, seaweed, soybeans (soy products such as tofu, natto and miso).

Breastfeeding weight loss 3: limit the consumption of dairy products, sweets, greasy food, coarse rice and cakes. Drink 1200 ml of water every day.

Experts remind breastfeeding mothers to be cautious when losing weight

1. It is best for breastfeeding mothers to limit their weight loss activities to slow walking and light stretching exercises: Proper fitness activities can help new mothers quickly regain their body shape. However, doing some strenuous bodybuilding exercises shortly after giving birth may slow down the recovery of the uterus and cause bleeding. Slightly more intense exercise will slow down the recovery of the surgical section or episiotomy of new mothers, because during pregnancy, the hormones in the body change, which softens the connective tissue, and some joints are particularly vulnerable to injury in the weeks after giving birth. If the new mother has a caesarean section, the situation is even more dangerous.

2. Breastfeeding mothers need to drink plenty of water to lose weight: If the activity level increases, new mothers must drink more water to prevent dehydration, especially during breastfeeding, usually at least 8 glasses of water a day. If the new mother's urine or the baby's urine is dark yellow, or if the baby does not wet 7-8 diapers or defecate 4-5 times in 24 hours, it means that the new mother drinks too little water.

3. Breastfeeding mothers should pay attention to their diet when losing weight: New mothers do not need to go on a special diet when exercising, but it is more important than ever to eat healthier at this time.

Dietary principles for breastfeeding mothers to lose weight

1. The first thing is to drink: drink water or low-fat milk, and drink less or no sugary drinks.

2. The second thing is eating: eat more fruits and vegetables of various colors such as yellow, green, red, orange, etc. It is also important to eat more fiber foods, and try to eat more coarse grains.