Breastfeeding while you’re dieting

Should you diet while you’re breastfeeding? You should if you’re very much overweight, but you need to ensure that you’re eating well, so that your baby gets all the nutrition he needs.

It’s often recommended that breastfeeding mothers need an additional 500 calories. Recent research has shown that this may not be required. The important thing for breastfeeding and dieting women is that they get enough of the food groups and the essential nutrients to support both their baby and themselves. A woman should be able to eat a normal calorie diet and successfully breastfeed at the same time as she loses weight.

Keep your fluids up

For both breastfeeding and dieting a woman needs to make sure she is getting enough fluids. A woman who does not take in enough fluids will not be able to make breast milk and will not be able to burn the fat to lose weight effectively. A breastfeeding woman needs to drink both water and milk for the best success in these areas.

Don’t lose too much weigh too quickly

It is well known that rapid weight loss is not the best way to lose weight and this is especially true with breastfeeding and dieting. When a person loses weight too fast they are usually losing muscle and tissue rather than fat. The loss of these tissues will cause a build up of toxins in the dieter and in the case of a nursing mother these toxins may be secreted in the breast milk causing harm to the baby. A breastfeeding and dieting mother should try to only lose one to two pounds a week. This may not seem like a lot of weight but over a couple of months most women will see all the extra pregnancy weight disappear.

The most important thing for a breastfeeding and dieting woman is to seek the advice of her doctor and the baby’s pediatrician. Every mom and baby has individual needs and a doctor can identify these needs and recommend the best possible course for addressing the needs. What is most important for the mom and baby is that they both get all the nourishment they need to provide for the most important times in their lives.

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