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If breastfeeding is not a magic formula to lose our pregnancy pounds, it promotes elimination by making us burn calories with each liter of milk drunk by the baby… Explanations with Camille Chivé, nurse and lactation consultant.
The benefits of breastfeeding: a reminder
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the baby is 6 months old. Breast milk provides all the nutrients your baby needs to thrive. It also helps to strengthen the bond between mom and toddler. If the first days of breastfeeding, with the flow of milk, and the establishment of the rhythm of the feedings, require you to find your balance, do not hesitate to turn to your your midwife and / or lactation consultant. (IBCLC certified or holder of a DU in lactation) who will help you set up serene breastfeeding.
Lose Weight While Breastfeeding: Is It Possible?
Let it be said, breastfeeding is not a “miracle” solution to regain your pre-baby healthy weight from the first days, or even after a few weeks of feedings. “However, according to the results of studies published in a Cochrane Library review, mothers who exclusively breastfed for 6 months see significantly greater weight loss than those who partially breastfed or did not breastfeed their child.“, Explains Camille Chivé, nurse & consultant in lactation IBCLC (La ParenThèse Lactée). But it all depends, of course, on the weight gain observed during pregnancy, which can be very variable from one mother to another and which depends in particular on the metabolism and lifestyle of each woman.
Does breastfeeding make you lose weight?
«Lactation leads to an increased demand for nutrients and energy. The reserves made during pregnancy are then mobilized to partially meet this demand.“, Explains Camille Chivé. The famous curves of pregnancy, made up of fat stored during the 9 months of pregnancy, are used in the manufacture of breast milk and are used for your baby.
Breastfeeding and weight loss
But be careful, breastfeeding does not necessarily lead to significant weight loss and it is not for the sole purpose of losing weight that we are breastfeeding a baby! “In a review of the literature on changes in body composition during breastfeeding, Butte and Hopkinson report an average weight loss of 0-6 kg per month in the first few months of breastfeeding.“, Notes Camille Chivé. It all also depends of your nutritional environment and physical exercise practiced alongside breastfeeding: such as brisk walking or swimming in the early stages.
Breastfeeding and weight gain
Are you breastfeeding your baby and yet the pounds are stagnant on the scale? Don’t panic, it can take time and depend on other factors, such as your diet.
Why does breastfeeding make you fat?
Indeed, breastfeeding, combined with the baby’s first short nights, generates fatigue, cravings and pumping strokes. For comfort, and for lack of time, it is possible that you tend to turn to a diet too high in sugar and fat, which can make you gain unwanted pounds.
To avoid regaining weight after childbirth, it is therefore necessary to provide balanced menus, with sufficient energy intake and well calibrated. By adopting the batch cooking method, for example, which consists of preparing all of your meals for the week in advance at once, all you have to do is assemble your small homemade dishes when you sit down to eat.
Getting fresh air, taking your first short walks in a stroller or baby carrier, also allows you to get your body going and promote the gentle resumption of physical exercise. And this has a regulating effect on your morale, your sleep and your general tone!
How to lose weight while breastfeeding?
Throughout breastfeeding, it is advisable to eat everything, without depriving yourself, but in a balanced way and with varied intakes.
Can we go on a diet while breastfeeding?
According to the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS): “There is no evidence to advise a mother to eat or avoid special foods because she is breastfeeding“. All foods, excluding alcoholic beverages, can therefore be consumed in moderation.
According to the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a weight loss of up to 2 kilos per month in the postpartum period does not affect the milk production and the growth of the child at provided that the caloric intake is not less than 1800 kcal / day. You will understand, now is not the time to start a strict diet. But you can still start to put in place some new eating habits to eat healthy after childbirth.
Breastfeeding and calorie loss
According to the Leche League website, breastfeeding increases the mother’s energy expenditure. Between 0 and 2 months postpartum, these increase to 595 kcal / day and 670 kcal / day between 3 and 6 months.
Food rebalancing and breastfeeding
How to lose weight after pregnancy?
To gently lose the first few pounds of pregnancy when you breastfeed, start with a varied diet. This includes the consumption of fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, legumes, vegetable matter… Allied to good hydration!
During breastfeeding, it is indeed recommended to drink between 1,5 and 2 liters of water per day. This contribution can of course go through the consumption of herbal teas and broths on demand. Hydrating is also a good reflex in case of cravings, to limit the cravings for sweets. Also avoid eating prepared dishes of industrial type, which are saturated with fat and salt, dishes in sauce, fried foods, pastries and sodas which increase calories.
Eat well when breastfeeding
The more balanced your plates, the more you will limit nibbling between meals ! Good nutritional balance per meal: one serving of vegetables, one serving of starchy foods, one serving of egg, poultry or fish, a dairy product and a good quality vegetable oil. Prefer gentle cooking of the ingredients, with steam, to preserve their vitamins and minerals.
As breastfeeding tends to whet your appetite, beware of cravings loaded with sugar and fat. These are calorie bombs ! You can instead split your meals or provide healthy snacks: a banana, a small handful of almonds, a square of dark chocolate or a toast of wholemeal bread with almond puree to fill you up and limit “crunching”.
How Long To Lose Pregnancy Weight?
Losing weight after childbirth
Generally, after childbirth, doctors agree thatit takes a short year to regain your pre-pregnancy figure, provided you move and eat well. While breastfeeding is a gentle way to help you shed pregnancy pounds, your weight shouldn’t become an obsession. Above all, you have to stay tuned to your needs and those of your baby.
After weaning, you will have plenty of time to consider dieting if necessary and to fully return to exercise to lose weight if you have not already resumed. For this, do not hesitate to be accompanied by a dietician nutritionist or a sports coach.