Posted by evens

Having a baby is a joyous occasion that every woman can identify with. Once the baby is delivered, the mother is often left with a massive change in her figure and excess weight gain. Hence women who just had their babies delivered are often eager and keen to lose those extra pounds and regain their pre-pregnancy figures. Usually after giving birth, a weight loss of ten or so pounds are common for women. To lose the rest of the weight thereafter is a big struggle for many women. For example, for women who are breastfeeding, they have to be careful of dieting as they have to take care of their nutritional intake to support both the baby and herself. Here are some breastfeeding and dieting tips that can help mothers in their dieting efforts :

1. Breastfeeding and Dieting Calorie Intake Doctors and experts often recommends an additional 500 calories in a breastfeeding mother’s diet. However, recent studies have shown that this may not be necessary. What’s important is that the diet of breastfeeding and dieting mothers is to 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. She should consult her dietitian and doctor to work out a diet plan based on her needs.

2. Breastfeeding And Dieting Fluid Intake This is very important for any breastfeeding mother. A breastfeeding mother who does not take in enough fluids will not be able to make sufficient breast milk for her baby as well as not able to burn the fat effectively to lose weight . The best fluids to take for a nursing mother are water and milk.

3. Avoid Fast Weight Loss Any super fast or rapid weight loss program is not the best way to lose weight for anyone. And this is especially more true for breastfeeding mothers. It has been shown that in such fast weight loss programs, what the person lose is usually muscles and tissue rather than fats. The loss of these tissues will cause a build up of toxins in the dieter. These toxins in a nursing mother may be secreted in the breast milk causing harm to the baby. A breastfeeding and dieting mother can safely lose one to two pounds a week. Not a lot of weight? But if accumulated over a couple of months, most women will see all the extra pregnancy weight disappear.

4. Getting Professional Advice

Of course, the most important thing for a breastfeeding and dieting mother is to seek the advice of her doctor and the baby’s pediatrician. The health of every mom and baby is different and have individual needs. Only their doctor can identify these needs and recommend the best possible course for addressing the needs.

Bottom line is that the mom and baby get all the nourishment they need to provide for the baby’s healthy growth and the mom’s health.

Copyright:  Penny Theron