Safe Ways To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

Calories are less likely to be stored as fat if you eat smaller, frequent meals throughout the day rather than opting to eat the traditional three larger meals every day. You may also substitute a meal with an approved dietary supplement like a protein shake if you like, or if you feel you don't have time to cook much.

Cardiovascular exercises are great for weight loss, but try and wait at least 8 weeks after giving birth before you attempt to add a cardio workout to your routine. Even if you do wait to start exercising, you should, as a new mother, start with a very easy to moderate exercise plan so that your body can slowly adjust. If you are okay with resistance training such as weight or circuit training, that might be enough in most cases. However, you can always increase the intensity of your walking by either improving your pace or increasing the time you walk every day. A good idea is to walk for 30 – 40 minutes daily, while incorporating your basic weight training routine 3 to 4 times per week.

Guidelines to Keep in Mind as You try to Lose your Postpartum Weight

Contrary to what you might think, fat is important in your diet – but choose the healthy fats that will offer you health benefits. You should go for mono- and polyunsaturated fats that can be found in olive oil, salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds. Try to avoid the saturated fats that are usually present in junk food; they can be transferred to your breast milk and thus be unhealthy for your baby.

 
Increase your fiber intake. Fresh fruits and veggies will do the trick, and you can have these with most of your meals throughout the day, or even as tasty snacks. Try to avoid foods like chips and soda drinks, and exchange them for low-fat milk and yogurt. Very interesting research has shown that an insufficient amount of calcium in the body can trigger a hormonal response that usually leads to weight gain, so eating calcium-rich foods should be high on your priority list as a breastfeeding mother.

Food allergies are a concern with first-time mothers and they often think that the baby’s discomfort comes from the food that they are given. The fact is that babies will more likely be sensitive to food that you give him or her directly, as opposed to the breast milk that they consume. Some babies may have sensitive digestive systems but this is not necessarily a cause of the makeup of your breast milk, or the food that you yourself consume. However, as a rule, stay away from the most common offender in allergies – cow’s milk. The main problem with this milk is the protein it contains – so try to stay with breastfeeding as much as possible. You don't need to drink milk to make milk — but you do need to focus on consuming a healthy, balanced diet that contains as many different vitamins and minerals as you can get in.