I am scared dieting will affect my nursing

tzatza

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 5:44 pm

I had a baby 3 months ago and I am nursing. I need to lose good 30 lbs at least. I feel so fat:(. I am afraid if I diet it will affect my milk supply. Any pearls of wisdom? TIA

ShakleeMom

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 5:59 pm

Well, it will. It will diminish the fatty particles of your milk, essentially putting your baby on a diet too. however, you can keep a nutritious supply of milk by constantly having soups, and healthy proteins.

tzatza

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:09 pm

Thanks. I am also curious what is the average amount of time it takes a woman to lose pregnancy weight while nursing? Especially if it is not the first child.

ShakleeMom

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:14 pm

Most people lose rapidly while breastfeeding, but others actually gain. I never figured out why some women gain. I think it’s because they are exhausted and overwhelmed and can’t prepare for themselves properly.

octopus

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:17 pm

completely disagree, shakleemom. I gain weight when I'm nursing. My body holds onto the fat. When I stop, ten pounds drop faster than you can say "potato." Very Happy

boruchhashem

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:52 pm

gaining in nursing is usually die to not getting proper sleep. the body needs that too to lose weight. you can try to take lactation success, which I took while nursing and losing weight.

flowerpower

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:54 pm

I did weight watchers, I had to add fifteen points to nursing. It helped me figure out the right foods and I knew I was eating just right to loose and get my baby nourished. I still had to "kill" myself to loose a certain amount of weight-not that many even. Not everyone looses that easily while some dissapear while nursing.

Last edited by flowerpower on Thu, Sep 25 2008, 6:58 pm; edited 1 time in total

mommalah

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 7:52 pm

I always gain while nursing. I am convinced that it is due to sleep deprivation and have the same experience as the previous poster who said as soon as she stops nursing the pounds just melt away...But my dd is almost 16 months and showing no signs of letting up......I'm gonna be pudgy for awhile...........

pinkbubbles

Thu, Sep 25 2008, 9:20 pm

I would imagine that as long as you add the right number of calories for nursing (like 300 extra a day I think it is?) and you're eating a healthy varied diet, your baby should not be deprived of anything.

pomegranate

Fri, Sep 26 2008, 11:20 am

I was also afraid of that. I have a six week old baby and I started going on startfresh. the baby seemed somewhat unsatisfied when I only ate protein, fruits and vegetables. So I started adding a little starch- like a medium size potatoe for lunch and a half a spelt bread or some whole grain pretzels for breakfast. and baruch hashem he is happier now.

rachel19977

Sat, Sep 27 2008, 12:37 pm

Hmm I can lose a few after 3 months of baby... but Start Fresh and WW aren't where I live...

gold21

Sat, Oct 04 2008, 9:11 pm

You don't have to go on a crash diet to lose weight when you are nursing. You don't have to have a yogurt for breakfast, a salad for lunch. and a cup of tea for supper.

Just watch your weight! Don't nosh, don't over-eat, exercise a bit, don't eat fried/oily foods, etc.

That should not affect your milk negatively.

I dunno, I am gradually losing weight now and my 7 wk old is rather chunky (as newborns go)!

rachel19977

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 1:30 am

gold21 wrote:

What do you generally eat every day?

BeershevaBubby

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 1:38 am

In the 16 months from when I had my son until the next time I got on the scale at 11 weeks pregnant, I had gained a total of 4 kilo... I nursed full time for 10 months and now we're down to only a few times a day/night.

amother

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 4:50 am

Is it possible to not consume the extra calories they recommend while nursing and so that can cause you to lose weight? Or does nursing increase your appetite and hence you take in the extra calories throughout the day no matter what?

mimivan

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 6:09 am

I lose a lot of weight while nursing...but nursing burns alot of calories.

I didn't know that a low fat diet dimishes the fat in the milk. I thought if the mother wasn't consuming enough, it would come from her bones and her own body to make sure the baby gets enough.

Often I don't have time to eat either.

rachel19977

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 6:29 am

ahhh some people lose weight and some just get fat and some just can't lose weight for all the time they are nursing (happend to me 2x) and some gain weight if they are taking birth control!

I'm just going to have to stock up on more oatmeal and eat that when I feel the need to eat after nursing!

gold21

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 3:48 pm

Nursing makes it more challenging for me to lose weight, but certainly not impossible. Rachel, I dunno what I eat, nothing specific. Cereal and soy milk for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch. grilled chicken and veggies for supper: that type of idea. I'm losing weight pretty slowly, and would probably lose a lot faster if I wasnt nursing.