Can you diet while breastfeeding?

I am due to give birth in July. I want to breastfeed for sure. But after doing some research, I see just how much of my diet will affect milk supply. I’m also getting married next October and have a good 50-60 pounds I want to lose and planned on dieting/exercising to do so. Can anyone recommend meals/advice on what they did to maintain a good milk supply but also enabled them to lose weight?

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I ate healthy and didn’t cut calories. Nursing burned them.

Just eat healthy and you will loose weight and that is healthy for the baby

Just eat healthy… 3 meals per day fruits veg protein. Breastfeeding will help you drop weight

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Weight loss is 80% of what you eat, so just eat healthy but don’t over eat

I lost 40 lbs within 3-4 weeks of breastfeeding. Eat healthy but don’t diet. High protein, high fat. If you want a program I believe the only program OBs recommend is weight watchers

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So when I was nursing my daughter she had an allergic reaction to a vaccine and to be safe they had me cut dairy, soy, gluten, nuts, and pretty much anything else that could’ve potentially caused a bad reaction. So i could eat veggies, meat and fruit, but had to be very careful what I put on everything, I lost a lot of weight but was able to continue nursing without a problem, she was 2m old when this happened and I had to stay on that diet until she was about 9ms

Just eat healthy and drink lots of water. Definitely keep up your good fats and protein intake and try not to consume lots of sugar and carbs. Eat small amounts frequently. Changing your diet in a healthy way will not hurt milk production or your baby.

Breastfeeding helps you lose weight so that would be a good start on your weight loss journey. Just try to have a balance diet that includes protein and veggies and snacks that is very important.

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The most important thing for me breastfeeding was to drink tons of water & that helped produce lots of milk. I had to pump at work too.

Everyone wants a miracle cure, but it’s always the same: fruits, vegetables, whole grains & lean protein. Think of eating vegan or vegetarian and just add a little bit of meat. Buy organic as much as possible, especially important for meats so you’re not eating growth hormones that make you fatter or pesticides which settle in breast tissue. Also get organic milk and cheese for the same reasons, and strawberries are heavily pesticides, so go organic for those too.

Eat brown rice, brown 100% whole grain bread & whole grain or vegetable pasta. Cut as much carbs & sugar as you can stand. Plan your plates around colorful vegetables and watch portion sizes. Eat less cheese (Americans put it on EVERYTHING). Think of cheese in small portions as dessert, like Europeans.

Quinoa, tofu, tempeh, and beans or lentils are high in protein & good for you. Toss tofu in anything to absorb flavor. No one likes plain tofu unless you have a supplier of the really good stuff from Asia. I mix crumbled tofu with sun dried tomatoes and Italian seasonings to use instead of ricotta in lasagna. You can also use thin sliced eggplant, zucchini or yellow squash in place of whole wheat lasagna noodles.

In recipes I double vegetables and halve the carbs. You can always add chopped spinach or frozen mixed vegetables to many recipes.

Easy dishes: mix thawed frozen mixed vegetables with reduced calorie mayo & Dijon mustard for a cool summer side dish. Mix frozen mixed vegetables with chopped onion, tomato sauce & cooked ground beef. Put in a pie shell or oiled pie pan. Top with mashed potatoes sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake 30 minutes. Or use chicken and cream-of-anything soup (undiluted) with the veggies. Add other vegetables on hand (peppers, celery, mushrooms, spinach or other greens, broccoli or cauliflower),

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Please know theres a chance breastfeeding may cause you to gain weight instead of losing weight regardless of what you eat. So please don’t go in believing the lies they tell you about how it helps with losing weight.

But you do have to maintain what you eat or you can risk a drop in your milk production so don’t go crazy and do something like completely cutting carbs out.

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I am 2 weeks postpartum tomorrow and i am back to my prepregnancy weight. I lost 30lbs in those 2 weeks just from breastfeeding alone. I fit into my prepregnancy clothes a week postpartum. My son is a little piggy. I just eat healthy and i eat quite a bit and of course drinking tons of water to keep up with my milk

Yes you can. I am on a 1200 calorie diet. I was 200lb when pregnant in April. Now I’m 150.

Breakfast/Lunch/dinner
2 cups vegetables
6-8 oz lean meat or 2 cups vegetable protein
1 cup starch or 1 serving pasta ( 2-3 times a week at most)

Snack (twice a day)
1 serving protein ( 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 cup cottage cheese, or cubed/sliced cheese)
1/2 cup fruit or 1 cup vegetables

You can replace any meal or snackwith a protein packed smoothie or meal shake!

Walk a mile every day at least or swim aerobics is good too!
I walk my pup!

Good luck, this all came from a nutritionist, record your food intake and only weigh yourself once a week, the scale is not a measure of your health!

The whole idea is to eat to lose, I lost 35 lbs with this method!

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Are you having a boy or girl? As I lost 60lbs with my son, breastfeeding will help you lost weight. As with my daughter not as much. But eating healthy and walking will help as well

Lol. I lost all my baby weight within two weeks of giving birth. Unfortunately with each of my kids, I have GAINED weight trying to maintain a milk supply. So here I am with a 15 mo old, weaned, trying to lose the 25 lbs I’ve gained in the last 14 months…

I’ve done, and am currently doing weight watchers and have had no issues nursing. I lost my pregnancy weight and then some with my first and nursed him to 16 months. I’m 5 months postpartum and am back at my pre pregnancy weight with no issues to breastfeeding supply.

Nursing will burn calories, just eat health clean meals no fried foods or fast foods, protein (chicken, fish, pork chops), some carb or starch and veggies

Breastfeeding & drinking 10 tonnes of water a day is all you need, maybe go walking once or twice a day to help speed up the process.
Breastfeeding alone can help drop the extra weight, as long as you’re eating properly/healthy, getting enough sleep & drinking water.

Also fenugreek, ginger & oats are all good to help boost milk supply, as well as breastfeeding supplements from the chemist.

She’s having a baby so as the getting sleep part of the question.

I think the problem with dieting while breastfeeding is it could affect supply. I wasn’t trying to diet but could see a direct correlation with how much/little I ate and how much/little I pumped. I could not eat enough to keep my supply up. I’m afraid if you attempt to operate under your usual caloric input, your body may not produce enough milk.

A lot of ppl say their weight fell off breastfeeding but believe me that’s not true for everyone… but it’s also not the best idea to try to diet, lose a lot of weight quickly while breastfeeding from my experience. Although you will want to put a significant amount of thought into what you are and are not eating while breastfeeding so that may naturally help you lose it as well. I would see a doctor or dietician etc. to make sure you do it safely for you and baby.

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Healthy mumma have breastfeeding friendly shakes and meal plans pretty sure.
Eat healthy and exercise once your OB says your able to.

I breastfed my lb I didn’t diet while breastfeed I didn’t watch what I had I just made sure I balanced the good and bad food and went for daily walks lost 3st in 8month x x

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Oatmeal is a great food for both breastfeeding and also for your health. Studies show it being great for weight loss and great for milk production

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You can yes but you have to switch from bad fats to good to keep a nice calorie count up… You need those calories for baby too they just don’t have to be the wrong kind!

Stick with whole, healthy foods, especially super foods and you’ll look and feel great. So healthy for baby too.

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I’m doing slimming world and you get an extra healthy extra if your breastfeeding. So you still getting all the goodness whilst losing weight x

I liked vegetable soups with meat or without. If you eat them you have hips of milk and your body isn’t grow. Everything without sugar. Non sugar diet is very healthy.

You need to be careful with a diet and breastfeeding you need to talk to a professional

You will lose weight whilst breatfeeding if you eat sensibly, its not a good idea to loose more than 500gm (1lb) per week though as toxins are stored in fat and may go into breastmilk.
As someone else said new mums have their own beauty.

I wouldn’t ‘diet’ as such. Maybe just cut out chocolate/sweets/crisps & eat more fruit & veg with meals. I think it’ll only harm baby if you starve yourself & you’ll end up feeling so weak! When I used to breastfeed at night I’d usually eat something to keep me awake… usually chocolate biscuits but you could eat something healthier for sure!

A doctor is good to seek to do blood work and test what vitamin/minerals deficiencies you are low on. Then seek a nutritionist with that information. They will create a program specific to your needs and pair with proper and SAFE exercise. Eating healthy is tricky for Breastfeeding mothers because some herbs and greens will slow/stop milk production and some can increase it such as Turmeric is anti inflammatory- it may slow/stop, Fenugreek may increase milk supply, Spinach may slow healing a broken bone because it slow absorption of calcium (I forget, memory is foggy just woke up :sweat_smile:)

You burn more calories while breastfeeding - there’s your diet right there!

Eat mostly plant based whole foods. Drink tons of water and exercise & you’ll be sure to lose plenty while breast feeding

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If after birth 20lbs per month is too unrealistic to do healthily,
Deffo have a chat to do it healthily with your dr and once you’ve give birth see how you feel about losing the weight then,
You are currently growing a human xD xx

New mother’s are always beautiful, quit worrying about the weight, it will definitely come off when you start chasing a toddler around.

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Breastfeeding itself is the best diet ever. So this topic doesn’t even make any sense. You lose fastest weight after giving birth by breast feeding, no diet needed.

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Forks Over Knives program plus moderate exercise. Talk to your doctor.

Breastfeeding in and of itself can definitely help you lose weight and shrink your uterus back to normal.

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I just don’t get why people put this stuff on Facebook why not ask your doctor is that not what you pay your doctor for to tell you what you need to do everybody likes to wash your laundry on Facebook anymore I’m just getting sick of Facebook and all these whining women all it takes is ask your doctor

No you can’t diet just eat healthy

Eat right, no need to diet.

Maybe get a nutritionist and don’t ask random people on Facebook lol

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No need for u, to takediet, breastfeeding will lose ur weight!

Yeah there’s a shake with all the nutrients Boobie Superfoods and you’re supposed to eat healthy no matter what

You can eat much healthier and it’s both beneficial for you and the babes

Breastfeeding is a diet in my experience. I fed both mine, for 6 months and 12 months. I had to eat 2500 calories a day to keep my weight steady and my midwife was always whinging I was ‘skinny’

You need something like 2000 to 2200 calories a day breastfeeding your child breastfeed on demand 10 15 20 times a day all day everyday will definitely melt off if you’re sticking to under 2,200 high protein calories.

You can lose weight by cutting out sugar, baked goods, fried foods, beef, and pork without harming the baby.

Breastfeeding is the best easiest diet ever!!!
All you eat goes to baby first!!!

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I lost so much weight breastfeeding even though I nearly doubled what I was eating (because I was hungry all the time)

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I think eating alot or enough makes alot of breast milk, I feel like u going into a diet will decrease ur milk supply, I k u want to look good for ur wedding but babies food is way more important, In MY opinion

Breastfeeding will help. I was smaller than I was before I was pregnant within a month. Diets won’t work because you’ll be so hungry

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Breath feeding will help you lose weight, at least that’s what my OB told me. And as long as you eat fruits and veggies with some meat or no meat you should be fine. I would just ask your doctor if there are vitamins you can safely take to make sure your milk is as awesome as it could be but still in keeping on your weight loss goals.

Definitely talk to a dietitian or nutritionist.

Consult a nutritionist

Talk to ur doctor. Not facebook.

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Breastfeeding help you lose weight, but you should not limit it restrict yourself while breastfeeding. Your body and baby needs all the calories it can get.

Oatmeal really helps with supply and also make sure you stay hydrated. Don’t be afraid to eat, you can actually gain weight if you don’t eat enough. Just pick the healthier options. If you drink the proper amount of water it will help control your hunger

I was told by my doctor I was absolutely not allowed to diet or lose weight while breastfeeding.

And ask a doctor cause my milk starting drying up after exercising be very careful.

Breastfeeding actually consumes about 500 calories over what your normal calorie consumption is. If you breastfeed, you’re likely to drop weight if you don’t eat more than normal. To keep supply up, include oatmeal, fennel, etc and the most important thing is to drink enough water to produce milk.

Breast feeding burn calories. Alot of calories.

You don’t need to, as you’ll naturally shed most of the weight gained during pregnancy, but you can diet while breastfeeding, just don’t starve yourself and be careful with heavy exercises, also drink a fair amount of water.

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there is nothing that i could recommend in either case. you need to talk to someone from a gym or a nutritionist.