2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
As pregnancy is synonymous with weight gain, the post-pregnancy period often becomes a long-term race to lose those accumulated pounds. Did you know that breastfeeding facilitates weight loss in the mother?
When you breastfeed, you need to take in about 500 more calories a day, but your body burns 940 calories for every liter of milk it makes. Weight loss, about a kilo per month, will be slow, but continuous.
Diet or exercise while breastfeeding?
Consequently, it is not recommended to follow a severe diet or exercise a lot during the first six weeks after birth. These first weeks should be used to rebuild your strength and your nutrient reserves, not to mention that breastfeeding and your new life as a mother also require adaptation. (Read: 10 tips to recover after childbirth)
In a day, expect to give 8 to 12 feeds! So it takes time and energy. Most of this energy will come directly from the fat reserves that you will have accumulated during pregnancy. You didn't get fat for nothing, nature has planned everything!
Theweight loss will happen gradually, maybe not fast enough for you. So if you decide to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight, be sure to consume at least 1,500 calories a day or your milk supply will suffer. Remember that even without a special diet – but without excess either! – you will lose a kilo per month, so after 5-6 months you will have already lost more than five kilos, which is more than many weight loss diets! And since your weight loss is gradual, your body will regain its shape without stress and without increased loss of elasticity. Eat your fill of he althy foods, drink plenty of water, and exercise, starting with walking, cycling, and swimming.
When you exercise, wear a bra that provides good support for your breasts which are heavier than before. physical activity will not affect your milk supply or quality! On the contrary, since if you get back in shape, your morale and your he alth will be better! Physical activity should be done after breastfeeding, it will be more comfortable for you.
