Breastfeeding Diet

Read the book "Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding." I found it very helpful.

Oh, and I have it if you want it.

Good Luck,
J.

PS I actually GAIN weight while breastfeeding!

Try Weight Watchers it has special instructions for pregnant and lactating mothers.

Weight watchers is the only lifestyle (DIET, hate the word) for breastfeeding mothers and it really works. There are two plan and both are very easy for busy moms.

Lost 40lbs!

Good luck!

Hi L.,
I have a four month old little girl too! I am breastfeeding too. I went back to the gym 6 weeks after she was born (after my doc checkup). I will do a regular work out and just make sure I am getting enough calories for her too. I think your body will let you know if you are over doing it. I lost even more weight than I gained and started feeling bad, so I just started to eat more.. You will know what is too much. But I think you can get back to exercising and watching what you eat at this stage as long as you listen to your body.

It is different for everyone, but I have found that when my babies are taking more calories (around 7 months) the pounds fall off faster. I start them later on solids than most (7 mo.) to reduce incidence of allergies, so they are taking in lots of calories from just me. Your natural size will affect this as well. People who are naturally petite will look as if they haven't even had a baby a week later! For many it will take over a year to be "back to normal". How ever it works for you, you are doing a great thing for your baby!

Well I know what you are going through. When I had my first daughter I was worried about my weight and scared that it would never come off. Well first off it take at least eight to ten months to lose your baby weight. With my first it took eight months and I was back to my normal weight. AS for diet just try to eat a balaced diet, no spicy food, it can give your baby heartburn and indigestion. Not too much salt and lots of fruits and vegi's. The best way to get more calories is to eat five to eight small meals a day, small means half of what you would normally eat. the more time you eat the more calories, try to stay away from junk food, even though they are high in calories they won't do anything for you. All in all don't stress about your weight, if this is your first then you will be back to your normal self by this time next year. It takes time, I'm on my third and she is 13months and I still have 30lbs to lose, with my first it was gone before she turned one.

Linsday-
I had the same problem. My son is now almost a year old but at about 4 months old I was getting frustrated with my weight loss or lack of. Well, one day I saw a Weight Watchers commercial and decided to look into it. I attended a meeting (there are mommy and me meeting where you can bring your son)to check it out and joined that day. It is a very easy program to follow you actually eat your own food and everything has a point value and you are give your points based on weight, height, activity level and breastfeeding. It was so successful for me. I lost an average of 2.5 lbs a week...some weeks more, some less and now weight less then I did before having my son!!! It is an awsome feeling! I definitely recommend Weight Watchers, it works!!! You can visit their website for more info and feel free to contact me for more info or support. Good luck!!! You can do it!!

I take an excercise class at the community center located at 35th Ave. and Pinnacle Peak. You get to bring your baby and they offer it once or twice a week. It is really fun and is a great workout! I also try to take baby for a walk every single day.

As far as food is concerned, I do eat more, but I really try to make sure they are good calories... fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc... That really seemed to help a lot.

Weight Watchers has a great program for Breastfeeding moms. Working out is always the best. Walking with baby, getting a treadmill or stationary bike, or one of Denise Austin work out DVDs any of those I am sure you will find a healthy way to continue breastfeeding and still loose weight!

Baby Boot Camp!! Check out the website, www.babybootcamp.com. It is a stroller fitness program for post partum mommies! You get to bring your baby with you. It really is the best program out there as all of the instructors are required to be nationally certified! It is like getting a personal trainer for a fraction of the cost. Your first class is free, so you can always check it out! Good Luck.

K.

L. G -

I tried to breastfeed for as long as I could - unfortunately not long enough. So...the weight started coming back on. It wasn't until someone asked me how far along I was (even though they knew I had a two month old!) - I knew it was time to hit the gym.
I would definately suggest trying that. I have a membership to Pure Fitness and I would definately reommend them. They will even help you go over a meal plan that is designed just for you - plus they offer personally training.
And hey, If you need a workout buddy - let me know. Sometimes the extra support helps.
Good luck!

Before i got prego i did weight watchers. then i got prego they kicked me out and said see you after baby comes.. my baby just turned 1 month today..I plan to return soon. i was told they have a plan for breastfeeding moms. If WW worked for me pre pregancy it should work for me again.

Hi L....congrats on the new baby!!! Since you are breastfeeding I wouldn't recommend going on a diet just yet. Just focus on eating as heathy as you can for now. After I had my daughter I got many baby/mommee workout videos. They were really fun and there are so many out there to choose from. They're so convienient, since its so hard to find the time you once had to work out. Don't be so hard on yourself...take it one day at a time. Before you know it you'll be chasing your little one all around the house and the pounds will seem to drop without effort!! Take care and best of luck to you. :)

I started out very petite (I do exercise and eat well, but I'm also very small-framed) and didn't lose much weight until about 4 months after my baby was born. I had a c-section, so I wasn't very active initially, but at 4 weeks post-partum, I started taking walks with my baby in her stroller.

Baby's 9 months old now and I have 3 lbs. left to lose. It wasn't too tough for me--I've always eaten healthy and have made exercise a habit for over 15 years.

If that's not the case for you, a program like Weight Watchers might help. You don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change! It's already happened, what with a new baby, but learning how to eat properly despite the challenge of time and a little person who needs a lot of attention can be tough.

Exercise is my "me time." I work out 30-60 minutes per day, 6 days a week. I use DVDs at home, and also go to the gym twice a week. If you can't do anything else, you can at least start taking walks.

I'm still breastfeeding, though my appetite has decreased since she started eating more solids. Breastfeeding isn't an excuse to eat whatever you want. Instead, you might try to focus on eating well to nourish yourself and your baby.

The key is to form good habits. That will help you lose weight now and keep it off in the future.

Weight Watchers has a great program for breatfeeding moms. Even if you don't chose to go to meetings or pay to continue, the lessons on portion control and selecting lighter options for common sides and high calorie food items will really add up if you add them to your diet. The best advice I can give overall is to add lots of veggies to your meals so that you can fill up on low-cal items, and it will help you to take in the additional nutrients you need when breastfeeding. Add frozen veggies to soups, make taco salads with cabbage, romaine lettuce and tomato as the bulk of the salad. Saute broccoli and zucchini and eat this before you eat your main course.

Don’t get too discouraged, I had the same problem but I was told by a nurse that the weight tends to not come off until after 3 months. I think for me once my son was 4 months old the weight just melted off and I am now the same size I was prior to pregnancy and he is 6 months old. I would just try and eat a healthy diet and add a few extra calories. I have found that recently I get hungry like I did during pregnancy and so I am eating a little more but not gaining any weight. Good Luck to you.