Women who have delivered their baby are usually eager to regain their pre pregnancy figure and lose the extra weight. The joy of having a child is wonderful but the change in figure and weight gain is a hard thing for any woman to deal with. Women usually have an initial weight loss of ten or so pounds immediately after the baby is born but will then face a struggle to get the remaining pounds lost. For women who are breastfeeding there is a concern over dieting and keeping the nutritional levels necessary to support both the infant and mother. There are several breastfeeding and dieting tips that can help a woman achieve her dietary goals.

Calorie Intake For Breastfeeding And Dieting

Some experts recommend that breastfeeding mothers need an additional 500 calories in their diets. 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.

Fluid Intake For Breastfeeding And Dieting

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.

Avoid Rapid Weight Loss

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.

Seek Advice

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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