Can I Diet While Breastfeeding ?

Really good responses so far... Just wanted to add that it can take some women a lot longer than 7 weeks to get back to normal size... but eat healthy (not diet, eat when you're hungry, but make good choices) and continue breastfeeding and the pounds will drop off. That said, even if you get back to prepregnancy weight you may still look/feel differently. Try to keep a positive body image- remember what your body just did!

Do breastfeeding mothers need extra calories or fluids?
By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC

Calories | Fluids

In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat to appetite - this is usually all you need to do to get the calories you need. When exclusively nursing a young baby, it is very common to feel hungry much of the time... listen to your body. Mothers of older babies may feel hungrier when baby temporarily increases his or her milk intake (for example, during a growth spurt)... again, listen to your body.

If you really want (or need) to count calories...
Studies have shown that most healthy breastfeeding women maintain an abundant milk supply while taking in 1800-2200 (or more) calories per day. Consuming less than 1500-1800 calories per day (most women should stay at the high end of this range) may put your milk supply at risk, as may a sudden drop in caloric intake.

An exclusively breastfeeding mother, on average, needs to take in 300-500 calories per day above what was needed to maintain pre-pregnancy weight. Since the recommended added calories during the last two trimesters of pregnancy is 300 calories/day, an exclusively breastfeeding mother will typically need either the same amount of calories she was getting at the end of pregnancy, or up to 200 additional calories per day. That's the equivalent of adding 1-2 healthy snacks per day.

If you are interested in mommy and baby exercise classes I highly recommend www.babybootcamp.com

Good luck

The question is dear B. what do you mean by "diet"? When you are breastfeeding you should be eating lean meats, lots of fruits and veggies and PLENTY of water...THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DIET TO ME! LOL! :0) Maybe you should look into a baby and me exercise group (DVD or what have you) you can't loose weight without eating so what is it that your eating and how often? Eat small nutritious snacks with plenty-o-water throughout the day to jump start your metabolism and take your little bundles for walks around the neighborhood everyday. To get back into my jeans I would hold my daughter up in the air, lie on my back and do sit-ups! Worked wonders and she LOVED IT! Haha! :0) Good luck to you!

Peace~Love~Light
V.

Umm, yeah again it has only been 7 wks., although I do know how you feel. It has been 3wks. for me and I'm on the scale almost daily and staring at my little pooch wondering when it will go away.
You know better than anyone else how long it will take to get back to your normal size. If I were to say anything, I would just say watch your choices closer rather than dieting. I know I'm horrible about getting the chocolate coffee drinks or eating the chips and salsa, etc.

Your body will come back, just give it more time :)

Give yourself a break! I only gained 20lbs with my little girl (i had food repulsion vs cravings so that was easy!) and worked out moderately while I was pregnant. Even still I barely fit into my jeans after 7 weeks.

Just eat healthy, nutritious foods that will go towards helping your little girl develop properly and healthily. The weight will come off you and still your pants won't fit quite right, but over time they will!! Be kind to yourself and trust you will get back to your fighting weight.

Motherhood sure can be a wild adventure through the amuzement park of priority finding. I will offer these 2 simple rules of thumb (one rule per hand) that are easy to develop and tailor to your own preferences.

1st thumb: Does it replenish? Everything that replenishes you will gather together for a long term investment of healthy well-being. All things that offer a temporary, quick fix generally fall in the depleting category which cannot bless you over the long haul.

2nd thumb: Is it going to trigger edifying endorphins? All things that trigger cortisol are best to avoid. All things that naturally bathe your system with endorphins are best to research and practice. Developing this kind of life approach will contribute significantly to reaching harmony with your body weight and self image rather than disharmony.

As you perfect this art, your kids will be taking notes and will be blessed. So, happy learning together! =)

You've gotten quite a bit of advice already, but I just wanted to give a little input and share my experience to give you hope.

I was sick most of my pregnancy (lost 7 pounds at first) and ended up gaining just about 25 pounds (32 if you count the weight I had to gain to get back up to my original weight). My son was 8 lbs 1 oz when he was born and I think I had about 14 pounds still to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Having had a c-section because my son was breech, it took a while for things to heal and my body to go back to "normal" (sagging breasts, a lumpy scar and stretch-marked thighs are things I've just come to accept as normal now). As I continued breastfeeding, the pounds eventually came off without me even really trying, but it was slow and it took almost a year! Now that my son is running around everywhere I'm down to being almost 9 pounds lighter than when I first got pregnant! It helps that my son is 1/4 of my weight (I'm under 100 pounds now) and it's like a work out any time I'm carrying him around.

I do eat less than when I was breastfeeding, of course, and I actually lost a lot of weight in the last few months when I started eating smaller more frequent meals. It was hard for me to eat well when my son was younger because he was so demanding, but if you can, try followings these ideas below and although it's not "dieting" it will help you shed those pounds faster and also help your milk supply.

1) Drink lots and lots of water.
2) Add more meat and veggies to your diet for protein and iron.
3) Eat smaller more frequent meals (about 5-6 small meals a day). This helps keep your milk supply going at a regular rate as well. It may take a few days of having to stop eating when you still feel hungry, but then you'll notice that you start feeling fuller sooner.
4) Get as much sleep as you can! Have people help you with chores and rest when the baby does. Stress and lack of sleep can make it harder for your body to lose weight. For us "controlling" types, it's a little harder to ask for help. I'm not sure of your personality, but I'm a little stubborn and independent and hate to ask for help, but when I do, I realize how nice it is!