Is it true that if you breast feed that you will lose weight?

Question

Surely you cannot lose weight simply by breast feeding?

Answer 1

You *can* lose weight simply by breastfeeding if you eat the same amount of food you did before you were pregnant. It's just like losing weight at any time in your life--if you use more calories than you eat, you lose weight. Breastfeeding takes 300-500 calories a day to produce the milk, so, yes, you can. However, if you eat 1000 extra calories a day because you're breastfeeding, you will gain weight.

Answer 2

It's true that you use extra calories when breastfeeding, yes. And you do need to eat a little extra each day (about 500) to stay healthy while you're doing it.

Here's the thing:
You know how you try and try to lose weight and even when you exercise and eat right, you can lose weight everywhere but your butt and thighs? Well, your system has a "lock" on those areas, because those are your breastfeeding stores. When you are breastfeeding, it gets "unlocked"-- you can burn those areas like you never could before. So now is the time, even if you never have before, to do the exercise and healthy eating as much as possible. If you do the regular fitness regimen, yes, you will probably be able to lose more weight than you would normally.

Whatever you do, don't starve yourself or eat less than 2000 calories per day. That won't be good for you or your baby. Your metabolism will slow down and you won't be able to lose the weight. And you won't have the energy for the exercise.

Pushing a stroller and walking fast or jogging is great exercise! Good luck

Answer 3

Most women do, but not all. I actually lost 75lbs in addition to my pregnancy weight (40 lbs) for a total of 115lbs. This was in the 12 months after I gave birth, I breast fed for 10 of those months, I attribute my successful weight loss to Good diet and breastfeeding. I am not sure that I would have lost so much if I had not breastfed.

Answer 4

It will definately help more than not breastfeeding because it burns way more calories. I have 10 friends who all recently gave birth in the last year and all of them with breastfeeding got down to original weight or lighter within 6 months after giving birth. So statistrically yes, but not always.

Answer 5

Yes you can. Breast-feeding actually burns alot of calories (like in the thousand realm) so that's how alot of pregnant mothers lose their baby weight.

Answer 6

many women i know lost a lot if not all of their baby weight while breast feeding. i don't know the exact dynamics of it, but for some reason breastfeeding does help you lose the baby weight.

Answer 7

breast feeding makes the stomach muscles contract is good for you and baby but your only gonna lose so much weight after the baby comes you have to work to get the rest off

Answer 8

You do burn 500 calories doing it, but you are suppose to eat a little more to make up for those calories. It does "assist" in losing weight but you really have to do it the old fashion way with diet and excercise to get it all off.

Answer 9

do you know that when your pregnant you are to eat 300 more calories than normal and with breastfeeding, its 500 more. it really takes up a lot of calories and most do lose weight. however, when your breastfeeding starts slowing down and your not yet exercising but eating the same amount of food, you will start regaining that weight that you had just lost.
this is exactly what happened to me...both kids =)

Answer 10

Yes! You burn calories that way. Of course your not going to drop 20 lbs with just feeding but yes, you will lose some.