According to the recent study conducted by the New York State Department of Health campaign, breastfeeding can actually help in burning more than 500 calories per day, which justifies the connection between breastfeeding and weight loss. The campaign also published its findings in the American Journal of Medicine, which reveals that this method of losing weight can actually translate into health benefits that include a reduced risk of diabetes- something that is very common post pregnancy.

The Obvious Problem

After you give birth, all you want to do is to lose the pregnancy weight as soon as you can. However, for producing healthy and nutritious breast milk, it is also important for the new mothers to increase their caloric intake by almost up to 2500 calories per day. Despite these physical requirements, you can still manage to lose weight as you breastfeed your baby.

The very first thought that lingers on a woman’s mind post delivery is getting back in shape once again. Breastfeeding and weight loss is one of the most talked about benefits post pregnancy, but there are very few women who actually understand how to go about it.

Natural Weight Loss and Breastfeeding

For all lactating moms, just eating regular meals and trying to limit the high caloric intake will help in losing weight. However, you must make sure that you are not eating too much or for two (the concept of eating for the baby to produce healthy milk). Remember that the body already has some extra nutrition stored up since the time of pregnancy. The added fat in the body is actually reserved for the breastfeeding period later on. This form of fat is biologically designed to be expelled from the body through lactation.

Hormones produced in the body during lactation target the fat that is accumulated in the thighs and buttocks- the two most vulnerable locations for women during pregnancy. If a new mom eats only for herself in limited portions, she would lose weight naturally and easily.

Immediately after pregnancy, a woman tends to lose weight following the birth and the loss of her birth fluids and placenta. At this stage, it is not really necessary to try to lose any more weight in the first month. After that, a breastfeeding mom would lose approximately 2 pounds per month on an average.

Benefits of breastfeeding and weight loss

Breastfeeding is certainly good for both the baby and the mother. There are several reasons why breastfeeding is good for a new mom, and weight loss is just one of the many reasons. The breastfeeding and weight loss connection is great news for moms, and now, many women have been taking further interest in feeding their baby to lose weight.

The natural milk producing abilities in a woman require a lot of energy- approximately 250 to 500 calories or above. As the body needs higher amounts of calories for breastfeeding, a mother’s body fat is stored at the time of pregnancy so that the mom has a natural source of fuel for making milk for her child. This actually creates a great opportunity for mothers to lose weight rapidly by burning this stored fat through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding and weight loss has a strong and established link, and many studies have proven it over the years.