Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
After giving birth, one of the top questions many women have is whether or not they can lose weight while breastfeeding their child. Unfortunately, this is one of those questions that has no broad answer that will apply to every woman. It will ultimately come down to the individual mother and her unique circumstances. Still, there are some things to be aware of if you do, or think you will, want to lose weight while breastfeeding.
The first thing to keep in mind if you are going to want to lose weight while breastfeeding is to prepare early. Your level of health and fitness before you become pregnant will play a huge part in your level of weight gain and the ability to lose it. Try to lead a healthy lifestyle before you ever become pregnant, especially if you know you will be trying to get pregnant in the future.
Ok, that sounds nice, but most people reading this article are probably already pregnant, right? There is still preparation you can undergo in order to increase the probability that you will lose weight while breastfeeding. While you are carrying your child, make sure to eat right and engage in some light exercise. It is important to consult with your medical team, and to stay in contact with them, so that you can monitor the progress of your diet and exercise.
Gaining weight during pregnancy is natural and necessary, but the amount gained will vary from person to person. Your medical team should provide a target weight for you to approach during each trimester. If you go way over this target, it is likely that you will have difficulty trying to lose weight while breastfeeding. Therefore, try to eat right and stay within the parameters determined by your medical team.
After you have given birth, it is best to focus on maintaining your well-balanced diet but also gradually to increase the amount of exercise that you do. This a solid approach to trying to lose weight while breastfeeding, as opposed to drastically reducing your calorie intake or rapidly increasing your amount of exercise. One reason to avoid dramatic changes in the level of exercise is that if you burn up too much fat too quickly, it can release toxins into the bloodstream. Of course, these toxins will then be transmitted to the baby via your milk.
Most studies agree that many women can lose weight while breastfeeding more quickly than not. There is the roughly 20% of women who will not be able to do so, and who, in fact, may even put on a bit more weight. The bottom line is that it is basically impossible to predict how your body will react. Even if you have had children before, every pregnancy will be different because your body has changed and gotten older (older moms have a tougher time taking off weight). Keeping this fact in mind, it is important to be flexible.
Many women are in a rush to lose their baby weight, but the fact of the matter is that the process is highly variable. Maintaining a good diet and solid exercise schedule are the best ways to gradually get back into the shape that you desire. Rest assured that this will work for you in the long run, even if you are unable to lose weight while breastfeeding.