Some tips on how to lose weight while breastfeeding include eating high-fiber foods, chewing your food well, and drinking lots of water to increase satiety (the feeling of fullness) and promote weight loss.

Engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming, yoga, Pilates, and cycling, is essential to losing weight while breastfeeding. Make sure you are cleared by your doctor or midwife before engaging in any new exercise plan.

Weight loss while breastfeeding should be gradual, as restrictive diets will generally not provide all of the necessary nutrients for newborn health and for sustaining milk supply.

7 tips for weight loss while breastfeeding

Some tips on how to lose weight while breastfeeding include:

1. Breastfeeding/pumping

The simple act of breastfeeding/pumping for 3 months or more helps with weight loss, because milk production requires the body to burn more calories, leading to weight loss.

Lactation can also stimulate feelings of hunger, however, as well as cravings for foods high in sugar and fat. Maintaining a well-balanced diet is therefore essential to losing weight while breastfeeding.

2. Eating fiber-rich foods

Foods that are high in fiber, such as fresh fruit, brown rice, whole grain bread, beans, kale, lettuce, squash, and carrots, help with weight loss during lactation because they decrease hunger by prolonging digestion. This can help prevent overeating during the day.

Read about high-fiber foods.

3. Engaging in physical exercise

Engaging in moderate physical exercise 4 times a week, in the form of walking, swimming, yoga, Pilates, and cycling, for example, is important in promoting weight loss while breastfeeding.

Physical activity can also help with weight loss in other ways, such as through improved mood, sleep, and general sense of health and well-being. Exercise can reduce anxiety and stress, which are factors related to increased hunger and cravings.

Make sure you are cleared by your doctor or midwife before resuming exercise following childbirth. The usual recommendation is to wait 6-8 weeks following delivery to begin exercising. A consultation with an exercise physiologist is ideal prior to returning to exercise.

See postpartum workout.

4. Avoiding ultra-processed foods

Another tip on how to lose weight while breastfeeding is avoiding ultra-processed foods, as these foods typically contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and calories, making it difficult to lose weight.

Some examples of ultra-processed foods include ice cream, fast food, hot dogs, prosciutto, instant noodles, cereal bars, and soda.

5. Chewing your food well

Chewing your food well can help you to eat slowly and prolong meal time, allowing your stomach to send signals to the brain when it is full. This can help prevent overeating and promote weight loss while breastfeeding.

Eating meals at the table and avoiding distractions like TV, cell phones, and reading the newspaper can help you to focus on eating slowly and chewing your food well.

6. Drinking water

Drinking lots of water can help with weight loss while breastfeeding because the body often confuses thirst with hunger. Drinking 64 to 100 ounces (2 to 3 liters) of water per day is important not only for milk production but also to occupy volume in the stomach, decreasing the urge to eat throughout the day.

In addition, drinking enough water helps to relieve bloating and swelling by improving intestinal function and promoting elimination of retained fluids.

7. Consulting a registered dietitian

It is important to consult a registered dietitian in the event that you are unable to lose weight with the above tips. A registered dietitian can perform a full evaluation of your diet and create a more individualized plan to help you lose weight.