Why Can’t I Lose Weight While Breastfeeding and Its 6 Step Solution Plan

To lose weight while breastfeeding requires the modification of your diet which will encourage the continuous milk supply but cutting weight at the same time. The kind of diet you are eating is the key to losing weight while breastfeeding. There are several diet plans available, finding one that suits you can be of help.

around all the mothers face the problem why can’t I lose weight while breastfeeding? but its simple answer is that you are not doing well planning.

You should approach losing weight while breastfeeding with a lot of care. This is because it can affect your milk supply and your child will be affected in turn. However, it is possible to lose weight while breastfeeding. By taking good care of yourself and eating healthy foods, you can succeed to lose weight. You can make slight changes to your lifestyle and find a safe and convenient routine that can help you lose weight while breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding helps to burn calories. But also, it requires you to take in some more calories which will help with your pre-pregnancy diet. Losing the weight that was gained during the pregnancy period is a concern for many mothers around the globe. This is because the weight gain seems to come off too slowly. This happens even when the right diet and exercise are involved.

How quickly you can shed those extra kilos depend on several factors. There are several ways that you can lose those extra kilos. In this article, we will consider a six-step plan that you can use to lose weight while retaining your body’s milk production for your baby.

However, it is advisable to wait at least for 2 months after giving birth before you actively start attempting to lose weight. But during these 2 months, you should avoid all junk foods and eat only healthy and wholesome food. After this time, you can start losing weight but at a slow pace, rather than all at once. It is advisable to lose at least 1.5 pounds per week.

When you start losing weight, take the following factors into consideration:

• Avoid rapid weight loss, cleanses, trend diet plans, diet plan tablets, and other natural supplements to lose weight. All these things can harm your body and they might even affect your breastfeeding.
• Avoid diet crashing because your body will start to burn muscle water instead of fats. This will make it hard to lose weight as compared to losing weight over a period of time.
• According to research, if you lose weight rapidly, it is likely to affect your cardiovascular system. Giving birth and breastfeeding puts your body through a lot of pressure, you do not have to add any more stress you’re your body.

It is therefore paramount that you give your body time to shed those extra kilos. Every woman loses weight differently. It is advisable to view your weight loss as a long-time goal rather than an immediate goal.

Do not be stressed or discouraged if your weight loss plan takes longer than you expected. It is possible to shed some weight immediately after giving birth but all the weight will not be cut immediately.

Remember, Weight loss does not happen overnight.

To some women, it can take up to a year or even more before losing all the weight gained during pregnancy. According to studies, some women might not be able to lose weight during the breastfeeding period but shed all the weight gained after weaning the baby. This is caused by a number of factors such as overeating, lack of proper rest among other factors.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body produces prolactin which is a hormone responsible for milk production. Studies have indicated that sometimes this hormone can suppress the body metabolism process and this can hinder the weight loss process.

Steps to Lose Weight 

The following are the top 6 steps that you can take to shed the weight you gained during your pregnancy:

1.    Drink a Minimum of 8 Glasses of Water Every Day

Drinking a lot of water per day is healthy not only when you are trying to lose weight but also for your general well being. Water is especially vital for a breasting mother. Water helps your body to shed the extra kilos through:

• It helps the kidneys to remove the toxins easily to keep your body waste-free
• It helps in the normal body functions such as digestion, blood circulation, transportation of body nutrients from one part to another, regulation of body temperature and the production of milk.
• Water helps the body muscles to be flexible
• Water combines with the oils under the skin to form a protective layer against the harmful UV rays from the sun and a number of other toxins from the environment 
• Water helps you to feel fuller for a long time hence you will not be eating in between meals.

Researchers recommend that you should drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. In the morning before taking your breakfast, take 2 glasses of water preferably warm water with a lemon in it. The lemon will help to burn to activate the stomach walls in preparation for the digestion process. The acid in lemon also helps to burn the extra fats and you can achieve your weight loss goal easily. Spread the remaining 6 glasses during the day.

To be more specific you can choose alkaline water also because alkaline water will make your body function perfect. Here is the way to make your water alkaline.

2.    Exercise 

Drinking water alone will not help you to lose weight. To shed the extra weight gained during breastfeeding requires moderate exercise. Exercise is not only done in the gym or running every morning. As a breastfeeding mother, you might not be able to do that.

After giving birth, do not start exercising immediately. Wait for at least one and have to two months. Also, do not engage yourself in extreme exercises because they can affect your milk production.

There are basically two kinds of exercise that as a breastfeeding mother you should engage yourself in – weight-bearing and cardio exercise. The cardio exercise is good for your heart, circulation of blood and lungs. The weight-bearing exercise, on the other hand, will help your bones and muscles to become stronger.

When you start any kind of exercise, it is paramount to watch what you eat. It is advisable to increase your calorie intake so that your body will continue to produce milk as required. If you are engaging yourself in weight-bearing exercises, ensure that you take a lot of carbohydrates to supply the much-needed energy.

The good is that exercise does not have to be strenuous for you to get the desired results. You can a simple exercise like walking while pushing your baby stroller up a hill and it will do the trick.

3.    Breastfeed Regularly 

What? Can breastfeeding help me to lose weight? You might be wondering. Yes! When you are breastfeeding, you burn some calories. So, if you breastfeed often, you can burn a lot of calories for one day.

However, breastfeeding alone will not accomplish the desired result. So couple it with moderate exercise.  But, your body needs to know that although it’s burning some calories, it still needs to produce milk for the young one. For this reason, it is crucial to breastfeeding often while engaging in exercise.

4.    Get Enough Rest 

Getting enough sleep while breastfeeding can be tricky. But that does not override the importance of sleep. Sleep is crucial because it is during the sleeping time that the body engages in body repair and regains its health.

When you sleep, the following things happen to your body:

• The body muscles relax
• The growth hormones are produced
• Blood pressure returns to its normal if during the day it had gone up due to stress
• The supply of blood to the vital organs is increased
• The heart rate and breathing stabilize 

In some studies, weight gain is attributed to a lack of sufficient sleep. When this is coupled with poor eating, weight gain is inevitable. It is recommended that you get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per day for optimum health. If your baby does not allow you to sleep well at night, ensure that you compensate the lost time during the day. When your baby sleeps, you sleep also. This will ensure that your body gets all the required time to repair and produce the required hormones for your general well being.

5.    Eat a Healthy Diet

During breastfeeding, it is crucial to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. Adding a sufficient amount of calories per day is crucial. This is because you burn calories during nursing and exercising. It is recommended that per day, you consume between 300 and 500 calories.

The following are some of the healthy foods that you should eat:

• Fruits and vegetables – this should be eaten fresh and in large amounts because they are the major source f the much-required calories. The best way to ensure that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables is to start your day with some vegetable and fruit smoothies. Besides that, during the day include fruits and vegetables in your meals. Some of the fruits that are good for calories include bananas, berries, apples, oranges, pineapple to mention just but a few. Also, eat raw vegetables as much as you can.
• Proteins – protein is important and you can obtain it from different sources. It is, however, advisable to eat lean proteins. Lean protein can be obtained from chicken, beans and fish.
• Fats – it might sound ridiculous to be told to include fat in your diet when you want to lose weight. But eating healthy fats can help you shed some weight. The common sources of unsaturated fats include avocado, olive oil, almonds, chia seeds, walnuts and coconut oil. 
• Meal planning – planning your meals ahead of time will go a long way to help you not to overeat. When you prepare your meals at the right time, you will not have time to eat in between meals and it will help you eat proper amounts and healthy foods.

6.    Keep Track of Your Progress 

It is crucial to keep a record of your weight loss process. There are numerous methods that you can use to track your effort to lose weight. You can keep a weight loss chart which can help you see your daily, weekly and monthly progress.

You can create a simple chart using spreadsheets. This is important because it helps you keep all the information that is relevant to your weight loss. Alternatively, you can download a weight loss chart. There are numerous weight loss charts available online which you can download and use to keep your record of weight loss.

When you decide to use the weight loss chart, ensure that you do the recording similar time daily. Avoid measuring your weight early in the morning because you weigh less during that time.

It is paramount that you measure your weight only once per day. This is because it might cause you to be frustrated if you do not see the desired result. Your weight is likely to keep fluctuating, do not lose heart.

Weight loss is not a one day process.

When Do You Lose Weight Most During Breastfeeding?

Losing weight gained during pregnancy is different for each mother. How quickly you will shed the weight depend on several factors. The time to start noticing the weight loss after birth is different also for each mother.

However, generally speaking, a breastfeeding mother starts to lose weight immediately after birth. The first 2 weeks, the weight is lost through fluids. The burning of extra fats starts after the second week.

According to research, a breastfeeding mother is likely to lose between 1 and 2 pounds every week. This is a healthy way to lose weight because it is not too much nor too low. Therefore, depending on the amount of weight you gained during pregnancy, it can take between 10 and 12 months before you can lose all the weight. However, some mothers might take more than a year to lose all the extra kilos they gained during pregnancy.

Losing Weight While Breastfeeding Calculator 

The goal of almost every mother after giving birth is the shed the extra weight gained during pregnancy and return to her former body before pregnancy. Since breastfeeding helps to burn some calories, it is crucial to take in more calories as compared to non-lactating mothers.

The weight loss should be gradual. The weight loss calculator helps to calculate the daily calorie intake that will help in the proper maintenance of the body.

A well-nourished pregnant woman is supposed to add 12 kg. Some of this weight is due to the developing baby and some are the additional calories that are stored to be used during the lactation period.

According to studies, a breastfeeding woman needs an intake of 670 calories each day. If she wants to lose weight gradually, then she should consume 500 calories per day.

The weight loss during breastfeeding can be calculated as:

The daily calorie intake required + energy cost of nursing – 15% constant factor.

How to Lose Weight While Breastfeeding Without Affecting the Milk Supply

When losing weight while breastfeeding, the nutritional factor and the calories you take cannot be overlooked. The following are some of the foods that you can eat that will help you lose weight but not affect your milk production:

(i)    High Omega 3 intake – foods that are high in Omega 3 include eggs, walnuts, salmon, spinach, basil and other fortified morning cereals.

(ii)    Complex carbohydrates – to lose weight, it is essential to eat whole grains and whole wheat products. Avoid eating food that is rich in empty calories such as white bread. Some of the whole grains that you should eat include brown rice, pasta, wheat, sweet potatoes, muffins, and vegetables.

(iii)    Food rich in iron – foods such as green leafy vegetables, beef, black beans, lentils, and spinach is high in iron.

(iv)    Foods rich in calcium – eat largely of food rich in calcium such as smoothies enriched with milk, cheese, banana, yogurt, and almond milk.

(v)    Fruits – it is advised that you should aim to eat a rainbow color of fruits each day. Also, eat large portions of raw vegetables if you want to lose weight but continue producing milk for your baby.

(vi)    Avoid quick fixes – the quick fix diets can limit your calorie intake and it is likely to get you gain more weight afterward. Most of the time, quick fix diets affect the supply of milk.