Losing weight: is breastfeeding really lose weight?

Do women who are breastfeeding more easily lose the pounds of pregnancy?Does breastfeeding help the young mother find her silhouette more quickly?Explanations on the links between breastfeeding and weight loss after childbirth.

If breastfeeding is not a magic formula to lose our pounds of pregnancy, it promotes elimination by making us burn calories at each liter of milk BU by baby...Explanations with Camille Chivé, nurse and lactation consultant.

Breastfeeding benefits: reminder

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of baby.Breast milk brings all the nutrients your baby needs to develop well.It also helps to strengthen the link between mother and toddler.If the first days of breastfeeding, with the rise of milk, and the implementation of the rate of feedings, ask to find its balance, do not hesitate to turn to your midwife and/or consultant in lactation(IBCLC certified or holder of a lactation) who will help you set up serene breastfeeding.

Losing weight while breastfeeding: is it possible?

Let it be said, breastfeeding is not a "miracle" solution to recover your weight in front baby from the first days, or even after a few weeks of feeding. "Néanmoins, selon les résultats d'études publiées dans une revue de la Cochrane Library, les mères ayant allaité exclusivement pendant 6 mois constatent une perte de poids significativement plus élevée que celles ayant allaité partiellement ou n'ayant pas allaité leur enfant", explique Camille Chivé, infirmière & Consultante en Lactation IBCLC (La ParenThèse Lactée).But it all depends, of course, on the weight gain observed during pregnancy, which can be very variable from one mother to another and which depends in particular on the metabolism and the life habits of each woman.

Does breastfeeding make you lose weight?

"Lactation leads to increased demand in nutrients and energy.The reserves made during pregnancy are then mobilized to respond in part to this request, "explains Camille Chivé.The famous curves of pregnancy, made up of fats stored during the 9 months of pregnancy, come into play in the manufacture of breast milk and are used for your baby.

Breastfeeding and weight loss

But beware, breastfeeding does not lead to significant weight loss and it is not in order to simply lose weight that a baby is breastfeeding!"In a review of the literature on changes in body composition during breastfeeding, Butte and Hopkinson report an average weight loss of 0.6 to 0.8 kg per month in the first months of breastfeeding," notes CamilleChive.It all also depends on your nutritional environment and the physical exercise practiced in parallel with breastfeeding: like fast walking or swimming in the early days.

Breastfeeding and weight gain

Are you breastfeeding your baby and yet the pounds stagnate on the scale?Do not panic, it can take time and depend on other factors, such as your diet.

Why is breastfeeding makes you fat?

Indeed, breastfeeding, allied with the first short nights of baby, generates fatigue, cravings and pump blows.To comfort yourself, and for lack of time, you may tend to turn to a diet too rich in sugar and fat, which can make you take unwanted pounds.

To avoid regaining weight after childbirth, it is therefore necessary to provide balanced menus, with sufficient and well calibrated energy intakes.By adopting the batching method, for example, which consists in preparing all your meals of the week in advance, you will only have to assemble your small homemade dishes when going to the table.

Take the air, make first small stroller or baby carrier walks, also allows you to restart your body and promote the smooth recovery of physical exercise.And this has a regulatory effect on your morale, your sleep and your general tone!

How to lose weight during breastfeeding?

Throughout breastfeeding, it is advisable to eat everything, without depriving oneself, but in a balanced way and with various contributions.

Can we do a diet during breastfeeding?

According to the High Authority for Health (HAS): "No data makes it possible to advise a mother to eat special foods or to avoid some on the pretext that she is breastfeeding".All foods, excluding alcoholic beverages, can therefore be consumed, in moderation.

According to the recommendations of the IOM (Institute of Medicine), weight loss up to 2 kilos per month in postpartum does not affect the production of milk and the growth of the child toCondition that calorie intakes are not less than 1800 kcal/ day.You will understand, the moment is badly chosen to embark on a strict diet.But you can nevertheless start to set up some new eating habits to feed you healthy after childbirth.

Breastfeeding and loss of calories

According to the Leche League website, breastfeeding increases the mother's energy expenditure.Between 0 and 2 months post-partum, these are increased to 595 kcal/ day and 670 kcal/ day between 3 and 6 months.

Food rebalancing and breastfeeding

How to lose weight after pregnancy?

To gently lose the first pounds of pregnancy when you are breastfeeding, first bet on a varied diet.This includes the consumption of fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, dairy products, meat, fish, egg, legumes, vegetable materials...Allied with good hydration!

During breastfeeding, it is indeed recommended to drink between 1.5 and 2 liters of water per day.This contribution can of course go through the consumption of herbal teas and broths on demand.Hydrateing is also a good reflex in the event of a cravings, to limit the desires of sweet.Also avoid eating prepared industrial dishes, which are saturated with fats and salt, sauce dishes, fries, pastries and sodas that make calories climb calories.

Feed well when you are breastfeeding

The more balanced your plates, the more you will limit the snacks between meals!The right nutritional balance per meal: a portion of vegetables, a portion of starchy foods, a portion of egg, poultry or fish, a dairy product and a good quality vegetable oil.Favor soft cooking of ingredients, steam, to keep their vitamins and minerals.

As breastfeeding tends to widen appetite, beware of the cravings loaded with sugar and lipids.These are calories bombs!You can rather split your meals or provide healthy snacks: a banana, a small handful of almonds, a square of dark chocolate or a tart of whole wholemeal bread to satisfy you and limit "crackles".

How long to lose your weight of pregnancy?

Lose weight after childbirth

As a rule, after childbirth, doctors agree that it takes a short year to find your silhouette before pregnancy, provided you move and eat well.If breastfeeding allows you to gently lose your pounds of pregnancy, your weight should not become an obsession.Above all, you have to listen to your needs and your baby.

After weaning, you will have all the time to consider a diet if necessary and to get back to sport to lose weight if you have not already taken over.To do this, do not hesitate to be accompanied by a nutritionist dietitian or a sports coach or coach.