Does breastfeeding really help you lose weight?

Question

I want to breastfeed this time with my second baby and I’ve heard it speeds up the process for losing the weight. Is this true?

Answer

Not always. Some women swear by it... but other women like myself have a really hard time loosing weight while breastfeeding. I breast fed both my kiddos for a year and couldn’t loose the weight to save my life. My SIL also breast fed all her 4 kiddos for 1-2 years each and said she didn’t start loosing the weight until after breastfeeding was done with each child. I honestly think it just depends on your body and genetics! You could try it, however I wouldn’t rely on it to help loose weight as it could go either way! Best of luck to you mama❤️

Answer

I have no idea that’s what they say! I lost 35lbd after birth so I couldn’t really say. You have to eat a lot when you breastfeed so idk lol.

Answer

For some yes. My sister breastfed all three of her kids but held on the all the weight, I didn’t breastfeed and I dropped the weight quickly. It depends on your metabolism and what you are eat, sleep amount, and stress

Answer

My body held onto weight while I breastfed. It was a gradual weight loss for me and I was still 10lbs above pre-pregnancy weight when I got pregnant this time. Granted I also was in a high stress position during my son’s first year so that didn’t help with weight loss, healthy eating habits and staying consistently physically active. Maybe this time it will be different.

Answer

Nope. Prolactin, which is a milk hormone, is increased during breastfeeding. Prolactin is also a fat metabolism inhibitor, meaning it decreases your body's ability to metabolize fat. Some women swear it helps lose weight while others struggle.

Answer

Both my mom friends swear by it to help them loose weight. I’m planning on BF anyways and just see it as another perk along with the other thousand😋

Answer

Didn’t help me lose weight. I gained weight. And the longer I nursed, the worse it got. I was on bc from the very beginning though and I’m choosing to stay off of it for at least 6 months this time to see if it contributes to the problem. I also ate crazy so I’m not doing that this time either. Going to see if the results are different. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure I have good production though and my dietary needs may have to adjusted to better suit that which may could cause some weight gain. I had a teeny baby but boy I had good fattening milk bc he got chunky quick and I was glad he was so healthy

Answer

100% yes for me. The weight poured off me. I actually had trouble keeping weight on while I was breastfeeding.

Answer

Depends, some women’s bodies react well to breastfeeding hormones. I, and many other women, pack on pounds during breastfeeding even with a healthy diet and exercise. I actually don’t gain much weight in pregnancy, and usually lose weight while pregnant, then once I breastfeed I’ll start gaining weight out of nowhere, literally, hormonal weight gain, not over eating because of extra breastfeeding calories or last night snacks like people will say. If you research it, breastfeeding helps your UTERUS bounce back. For some women, it helps them lose weight, for others it makes them gain 🤷🏼‍♀️ baby is all that matters to me so I’m at peace with it.

Answer

Yes I believe it does well for me it definitely did. I gained 15 kgs during pregnancy but lost 20 kgs after while breastfeeding. The weight came off pretty fast and I actually ate more after giving birth then during pregnancy. Hopefully it will be the same this time around.

Does breastfeeding really help you lose weight?

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