To all the moms on GAG,... i'm just curious to know if breastfeeding really helps to lose weight after giving birth?

[Anonymous]

so tell me moms here on GAG... does breastfeeding really helps to lose weight after giving birth? and also how long did it take for you to get back in shape? just curious

[misscoffeehead]

Breastfeeding doesn't make you loose weight.. It takes a year for your body to go back to normal. Mums would think about loosing the weight after having the little one switch from breast milk to bottled milk. You tend to eat more then you use to eat because you need to produce breast milk for the baby, so your not ideally loosing weight at all. I was lucky, the little one popped out and my stomach has gone 80 out of 100 back to normal.. I still do some ab work outs to get back to that 100% back to normal look. But every women is different..

[whattothink]

I haven't ever given birth, but my aunt used to work with pregnant women all the time. Breastfeeding only requires like ann extra 300 calories a day I believe. Not a lot, so it may help, but not the only thing you should do. I have also read that it can take up to a year to get your body back. I would advise going slow if you are breastfeeding to make sure you are providing for the child first and working on your body second. You can always lose weight, but only one shot to make sure you are providing the proper nutrition for your baby.

[Asker]

what? a year to get back into shape? omg... thanks for your opinion.. i appreciate that

[whattothink]

Well it depends on how long you plan to breastfeed. Like I said you need to make sure you are getting the proper nutrition and not over doing anything so you produce the best milk for your baby. But when you go through birth your body goes through A LOT of changes. Give it time to adjust. You have just created a life after all, which is so much better than being skinny any day (granted I may be biased since I may never be able to have kids).

[Asker]

(refering to the last line).. i'm sorry to hear that

[whattothink]

Eh it's ok. I do know that since I will have trouble if I do get pregnant ever I plan on doing everything I can to provide for the little thing in utero and while breastfeeding. But then again I think proper nutrition is the only way to prevent/cure a lot of things. But even my SIL who runs a minimum of 10 miles a day stopped at 6 months preggo (went to walking 5) and didn't begin running again until the kid was around 6 months old. I asked her why and she pretty much said the same thing about creating a life was better than being skinny.

[Asker]

oh okay.. thanks again:)

[whattothink]

You can always spend time on reputable message boards to get advice. But I do know for a fact that even on weight watchers they prefer you to not limit your points while breastfeeding (or they give you a lot extra) so you can accomodate the extra calories you need.

[BlueEyedHipsta]

apparently it burns about 200 calories a day

[Asker]

okay