Breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories a day. This means that even though you are probably eating more to sustain breastfeeding, you can still lose weight. On average, if you're taking in the recommended amount of calories each day and breastfeeding exclusively, you should lose about 1 pound every week or two.
On average, exclusively breastfeeding mothers may see a loss of 1-2 pounds a month and over time, breastfeeding moms tend to lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed (Dewey, Heinig & Nommsen, 1993).
A slow, gradual weight loss of 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month is a safe goal for breastfeeding moms who wish to lose weight. Women who eat less than 1,800 calories per day may reduce the amount of milk their bodies make.
Most women lose around 13 pounds (6 kg) right after childbirth, which includes the baby's weight, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. When it comes to fat loss, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may lose about 1 pound (0.5 kg) a week.
You're burning MORE calories that you would if you if you were nursing, because you're producing way more milk than your baby would otherwise eat.
Breastfeeding. It takes about 500 extra calories a day to make breast milk. You get those extra calories from the foods that you eat every day and the fat that is already stored in your body. Using up those fat stores helps you to lose weight gained in pregnancy faster.
It is it a myth that breastfeeding burns up lots of calories making milk. You will burn some stored body fat, but your body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding. Many women don't lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing.
Calorie Burn and Weight Loss
But breastfeeding will help to contract your uterus and shrink it back down to its pre-pregnancy size much more quickly. Breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories a day. This means that even though you are probably eating more to sustain breastfeeding, you can still lose weight.
Overall maternal adaptations during lactation include increased basal metabolic rates and mobilization of fat stores [22–24]. Maternal fuel metabolism is altered markedly, with a 15 %–25 % increase in energy expenditure for milk production [24, 25].
The truth is that breastfeeding doesn't affect breast shape or volume. Instead, the ligaments that support a woman's breasts stretch as breasts get heavier during pregnancy. After pregnancy, even if a woman doesn't breastfeed, this stretching of the ligaments might contribute to sagging breasts.
Some mothers tend to gain weight after the WHO-recommended, six-month exclusive breastfeeding period. “Once her baby starts complementary feeds, the calories expended by the mother reduce but her appetite is still ravenous because her stomach size has expanded,” says Dr. Joshi.
The baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, and other fluids leave your body, and over the next six weeks, you will continue to lose weight as other fluids in your body return to pre-pregnancy levels. (Mckinley et al., 2018) I remember getting on the scale shortly after giving birth, and I was down almost 11 pounds!
Both oxytocin and prolactin contribute to feelings of calm, love, relaxation, closeness and contentment. As breastfeeding ends, both prolactin and oxytocin levels will lower – and so may your mood and sense of wellbeing. It may last a few days, or it may go on for longer.
Other tips for postpartum weight loss include breastfeeding and regular exercise. Due to excess fluid loss, people typically lose 8-20 pounds within the first two weeks after birth.
Most women lose half of their baby weight by 6 weeks after childbirth (postpartum). The rest most often comes off over the next several months. A healthy diet with daily exercise will help you shed the pounds. Breastfeeding can also help with postpartum weight loss.
How much weight do you lose after giving birth? Once baby has been delivered (along with their accompanying placenta and amniotic fluid), most women lose an average of 10 to 13 pounds.
For example, if you breastfeed three times per day and produce 5 ounces of milk during each feeding, you are producing 15 ounces of milk per day. When producing 15 ounces of milk per day, you will burn an estimated 396 calories per day.
Most women shed around 13 pounds after giving birth, whether they delivered vaginally or via C-section. The majority of that comes, of course, from your baby — since most new bundles weigh between 5 ½ and 8 ¾ pounds.
The increased caloric need for women who are breastfeeding is about 450 to 500 calories per day. Women who are not trying to lose weight following pregnancy should supplement the above DGA calories per day by 450 to 500 calories.