Does breastfeeding really make you lose weight?

Question

I’ve heard a lot of woman who breastfeed lose a lot of weight from not taking in enough calories from going out. Has this been anyone else’s experience or did it not phase you at all?

Answer

12 months of breastfeeding and I'm heavier now than the day I gave birth 😬 Breastfeeding is wonderful but everyone's body is going to do something different. For some they may lose weight, others will gain, and then some won't be affected at all weight wise!

Answer

I gained weight. I’m just soooo hungry all the time

Answer

With my first baby I lost weight super fast but I was eating a bit healthier and exercising occasionally too. With my second I'm much more exhausted and I'm eating a lot more junk.. chocolate, ice cream.. anything really 🥲 and I'm so hungry all the time. The weight is going down but very slowly. But I eat like twice as much as my husband and don't exercise at all and I'm still slowly losing weight so it's def because of the breastfeeding.

Answer

I can’t drop weight until afterwards, then I have a very easy time dieting to lose weight.

Answer

I’m a first time mom of a 1 and a half month old girl, and currently breast feeding, and I am a BBW to begin with, but I have lost about 40 pounds since I’ve had my baby, not really doing much diet and exercise, eating healthy but yes I do believe it can help, not speaking for everyone else but it has in my case.

Answer

I'm 4 months pp with my first baby and I lost of the baby weight plus more BUT its probaly from being depressed, sleepless nights, anxiety and not having enough calories. I am very hungry and thirsty ALL THE TIME!

Answer

It has definitely helped me! I don’t eat a ton of junk though. I think it’s also a combination of I make my food and I have to eat quickly otherwise my 9 month old thinks she should still be eating. Lol

Answer

It kinda depends. You burn an extra 450-500 calories a day just from breastfeeding alone. But you also are super hungry & have some serious sugar cravings. So just like everything else, diet and activity play a huge part. I lost 20 lbs quickly but the last 10 have been stalled because I’m just not eating right tbh. I’m working on cutting back on giving into the cravings for the remainder

Answer

Not me 😂 I mean I got down to exactly prepregnancy weight, but could not lose a single pound more until I weaned him at 15 months. (I needed to lose some weight as I was in the 200's) after weaning I lost weight quickly though with low carb. Low carb however isn't recommended for breastfeeding.
Hoping I at least get to prepregnancy size again, but not getting my hopes up. I had plenty to lose being overweight last pregnancy.

Answer

Definitely not due to not eating out. At least not in my case. It took about 6months for me to lose the majority or baby weight- exclusively breastfed feeding. Not sure how much it helped me lose weight as I eat pretty healthy so I think I would’ve lost it either way. Not sure though

Does breastfeeding really make you lose weight?

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