Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by
So you’re breastfeeding, trying to lose those last 10 pounds of baby weight, and you’re wondering how to do it without going insane. I hear you! I’ve been there. If you are used to cooking several meals a day and suddenly are expected to cook one meal for yourself, your family, and your little one…well…it’s not easy. Even if you are nursing it is not necessary to gain a lot of excess weight, and when you do you will most likely have to work off that weight after your baby is born. If you plan on breastfeeding, losing weight can be part of your new lifestyle and so it is important to make healthy food choices that are right for you and your new baby.
The hormones and nutrients that are released into your blood stream during breastfeeding are responsible for weight loss. Breastfeeding has a negative impact on your weight gain because it prevents you from gaining weight yet keeps you from losing it. Weight loss is one of the biggest challenges for breastfeeding mothers, especially when they are trying to lose weight. After all, if you want to take control of your weight, then this is the way to go. Here is why: I’m going to talk about Meal Plan For Weight Loss While Breastfeeding, make sure you read this article.
Meal Plan For Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

You’re not finished eating for two quite yet. Here’s how to get the right nutrition to provide your baby with a healthy liquid lunch (and breakfast, and dinner, and snacks … )
Tired of avoiding sushi, deli sandwiches and cheese plates? Then you’ll be happy to hear that you’ll have more menu choices while breastfeeding than you did during pregnancy.
That said, you’ll still be aiming for plenty of nutrient-dense foods and steering clear of less healthy ones. The good news: Lots of your favorites are back on the menu.READ MORE
Why Is My Baby in aFencing Position?
How many calories do you need when you’re breastfeeding?
Your body generally burns around 300 to 500 extra calories a day while you’re breastfeeding depending on whether you’re nursing exclusively or not. If you are, it’s typically up to 450 to 500.
So while you don’t need to be hyper-vigilant about counting calories and consuming more, definitely keep your extra nutritional needs while nursing in mind. If you stayed within your doctor’s recommended weight gain during pregnancy, you shouldn’t have to take in any more or less than that, but check with your practitioner if you’re not sure.
What to eat when you’re breastfeeding
The basic fat-protein-carb combo of human milk isn’t directly dependent on what foods and drinks you put into your body. Even women who aren’t well-fed can feed their babies well since the body will tap into its own nutrient stores to fuel milk production.
Just because you can make milk on a less-than-adequate diet doesn’t mean you should. The goal when you’re nursing should never be to deplete your body’s store of nutrients. That’s too risky for your short- and long-term health, and it will short-change you on much-needed energy as well as potentially interfere with your milk supply.
Eating well when you’re nursing means getting a variety of nutritious foods. And since a varied diet changes the taste and smell of your milk, it will expose your baby to many different flavors too (so the carrots or salsa you’re eating today may have your baby reaching for those foods in the future).
Here’s what to aim to consume each day to ensure you’re getting what you need:
- Protein-filled foods. Aim for a minimum of three servings daily, which can include eggs, yogurt, nut butter, cheese, meat, lentils, beans, tofu, etc.
- Whole grains. You’ll want three or more servings of fiber-filled complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, brown rice and barley per day to keep you energized.
- Vegetables and fruits. Load up on four to five servings daily, especially those leafy green and yellow veggies.
- High-fat foods. You should aim to eat as much as you did during pregnancy. Avocados, low-mercury fish, nuts and seeds contain good-for-you fats and belong in your diet.
You’ll also need to keep particular nutrients in mind, including:
- Calcium. You need between 1,000 and 1,500 mg — and getting enough is especially important since breastfeeding draws from your calcium reserves. Good sources include cheese, yogurt and milk as well as collard greens, sardines, tofu and chia seeds.
- Iron. Try to get in one or more servings of an iron-rich food each day, like beef, chicken, eggs, beans or fortified cereal.
- Vitamin C. Fruits and veggies like bell peppers, citrus, broccoli and berries come loaded with this important antioxidant.
- Omega-3s. Plan on eating two to three servings of foods with omega-3 fatty acids a week to promote baby’s brain growth. That’s at least 8 ounces a week of low-mercury fish like wild salmon and sardines; you can also get omega-3s in DHA-enriched eggs.
- Choline. Your daily needs actually increase post-pregnancy from 450 to 550 mg. Getting this critical nutrient while breastfeeding supports your little one’s cognitive functioning.
And even now that baby’s here, continue taking your prenatal vitamin daily while breastfeeding to cover your bases.
How much water to drink
Aim to drink more water than usual a day, so at least 8 cups along with fluids from fruits, vegetables and other sources. Especially in the weeks after birth, it will help your body recover.
To ensure you’re getting enough, a good rule of thumb is to drink a cup of water at every nursing session. In all, you’ll need about 128 ounces of fluids a day from all sources (so don’t worry, you don’t have to down 16 glasses of water daily while you’re breastfeeding). Your exact needs will depend on different factors like how often you’re breastfeeding, your activity levels and even the weather.
Keep in mind that your milk supply won’t be affected unless you’re seriously dehydrated, but your urine will become darker and scanter. Not drinking enough can also set you up for health issues including urinary tract infections (UTIs), constipation and fatigue. So just be sure to drink whenever you’re thirsty, which will likely be often when you’re breastfeeding!
Foods to avoid while breastfeeding
When you’re breastfeeding, there’s a lot more that’s on the menu than off — with a few caveats. Here are the drinks and foods to avoid while you’re breastfeeding:
- Excessive caffeine. One or two cups of coffee or tea a day, amounting to 300 milligrams or less, are safe while you’re breastfeeding (and during those early, sleep-deprived months, that might be just what you need to keep going). More than that, however, may lead to you and your baby feeling jittery, irritable and sleepless. Other sources of caffeine include tea, soda and chocolate.
- High-mercury fish. The same EPA guidelines on fish safety that apply to pregnant women also apply to breastfeeding women: Avoid high-mercury fish including shark, orange roughy, swordfish, marlin, big eye tuna, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) and King mackerel. Limit tuna to 8 to 12 ounces a week of canned light tuna or no more than 4 ounces a week of white albacore tuna.
- Some herbal supplements. Few studies have been done on the safety of herbal supplements, so little is known about how they affect a nursing baby. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t evaluate them for safety or efficacy. To stay safe, ask your doctor before taking any herbal remedy, and think twice before drinking herbal tea or breastfeeding brews. For now, stick to reliable brands in varieties that are considered safe during lactation (orange spice, peppermint, raspberry, red bush, chamomile and rosehip). Read labels carefully to check for the exclusion of other herbs.
What foods that you avoided during pregnancy are okay to eat again while breastfeeding?
Raw fish (including sushi and oysters), unpasteurized soft cheeses, cold cuts that are actually cold and pink (or even red) meat are all back on the menu now that you’re no longer pregnant, and aren’t on the “foods to avoid while breastfeeding” list. You can also have the occasional alcoholic drink.
Alcohol and breastfeeding
Looking forward to pouring an occasional glass of wine at the end of a long day? Although some alcohol does find its way into your breast milk, it’s considerably less than what you drink. Wine, beer and hard liquor can be safe to drink while you’re nursing (in moderation, of course). A few tips:
- Nurse first, drink later. Aim to sip right after you’ve nursed rather than before, if possible. You want to wait two hours after having one drink to allow the alcohol time to metabolize. (“Pumping and dumping” doesn’t speed up the process, so it’s not necessary.)
- Aim to limit yourself to a few drinks a week at most. Moderation is key. Heavy drinking may cause drowsiness, weakness and excessive weight gain in infants, can change the taste of your milk and decrease how much baby nurses, can impair your own functioning so you are less able to care for your baby, and can weaken your let-down reflex.
- Test yourself. Not sure whether your milk is alcohol-free at the moment? Test it using Milkscreen test strips. If it comes back positive, raid your freezer for some stored breast milk instead.
What to watch your baby for while you’re breastfeeding
While most babies drink up breast milk no matter the flavor, a few have picky palates right from the start — detecting and rejecting even the smallest hint of garlic or strong spices. You’ll quickly tell which category fits your baby and modify your diet accordingly.
It’s not common and hasn’t been backed up yet by science, but some moms find certain foods cause gassiness and discomfort in their babies, with dairy and soy being the most common culprits. Some moms find that cutting out caffeine can also help reduce baby’s discomfort.
Keep in mind that these reactions are uncommon, so don’t assume that your baby will be sensitive to what you eat. Other factors (like feeding position) can contribute to gas. It’s most likely just newborn business as usual.
It takes between two and six hours from the time you eat a certain food until it affects the taste and aroma of your breast milk. So if your baby is gassy, spits up more, rejects the breast or is fussy a few hours after you eat a specific food, try ruling out other causes and then monitor for a pattern before you eliminate any foods.
Allergies in breastfed babies
Very few babies (2 to 3 in 100) are actually allergic to foods in their moms’ diets. The most common offender is cow’s milk, followed by soy, peanuts, eggs, wheat and other nuts. In addition to extreme fussiness and crying, babies who have a real food allergy will display other symptoms, including:
- Occasional-to-frequent vomiting
- Loose, watery (or mucousy) stools, possibly tinged with blood
- Lack of weight gain
- Eczema, hives, wheezing and/or nasal discharge or stuffiness
If you think your child might have a food allergy, and especially if you have a family history of allergies, talk to your doctor immediately because some allergies can be very serious. Depending on the severity of the reaction, he or she will likely recommend eliminating a potential problem food for two to three weeks to check if it’s truly the culprit.
8 Healthy Ways To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
Many new moms mistakenly believe that breastfeeding helps with weight loss after giving birth. However, while breastfeeding does burn a large number of calories, it also requires a daily intake of approximately 500 more calories than a pre-pregnancy diet.
This leads many moms to wonder, “What steps can I take to lose pregnancy weight while also ensuring that my baby gets the nutrients she needs to be happy and healthy?”
In this article, we’ll discuss healthy habits such as:
- Drinking plenty of water every day
- Getting as much sleep as you can
- Eating a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats
- Incorporating moderate exercise into your daily routine
While these tips may sound familiar to anyone who has tried to lose weight before, there are a number of additional considerations you’ll need to keep in mind while trying to lose weight and breastfeeding.
For this reason, the experts at Mustela have put together eight tips to help you achieve sustainable weight loss while maintaining your body’s ability to produce healthy, nutrient-rich milk. As a bonus, we’ll also show you how you can tighten your skin from the outside-in with a firming and toning product from Mustela.
1) Drink At Least 8 Cups Of Water Every Day

Drinking plenty of water every day is one of the best things you can do for the overall health of your body — whether you’re trying to lose weight or not. And it’s especially important for breastfeeding moms.
Water helps your body naturally shed unwanted pounds because water:
- Contributes to regular body functions like circulation, digestion, regulation of body temperature, transportation of nutrients, and milk production
- Assists your kidneys and makes it easier to keep your body toxin free
- Helps you feel fuller longer and prevents overeating
- Keeps your muscles working at 100%
- Combines with the oil on your skin to form a protective barrier against the sun’s harmful UV rays and other environmental toxins
We recommend drinking at least eight cups of water every day. Sound like too much to ask from a busy mom?
- Start by drinking two cups first thing in the morning
- Next, drink two cups each at lunch and dinner — that’s six cups
- Then, to get the last two cups, fill a water bottle with 16 ounces of water and sip on it throughout the day
If you’re “not a water drinker,” try an infusion bottle that will allow you to add a hint of fruit. Seltzer works just as well and is especially good for those of you who like to drink soda. Just make sure whichever drink you choose doesn’t have added sugar because it can make its way to your baby through your breast milk.
2) Eat A Healthy Diet To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
We’ll give you some ideas about maintaining a healthy diet, but first, you need to make sure you’re getting enough calories. You’re already burning plenty of calories while breastfeeding, and when you throw in exercising, it could lead to problems if you’re not careful.
You will need to add an additional 300 to 500 calories per day to your diet when breastfeeding, bringing your total daily consumption to between 2,200 and 2,500 calories.
Following these guidelines for healthy eating will ensure you’re consuming the right kind of calories. After all, it’s completely normal to get extra hungry — and stay hungry! — while you’re breastfeeding.
Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables should make up a large portion of your caloric intake. A simple way to get a healthy dose of these foods is to start your day with a fruit and vegetable smoothie. A banana, some strawberries, and blueberries combined with almond milk and two handfuls of spinach make for a healthy and delicious breakfast.
Beyond that, try to include a serving of vegetables with both lunch and dinner to complete your day. If you get hungry between meals, munch on a carrot, an orange, an apple, or another raw vegetable instead of something processed.
Lean Protein
Protein can be obtained from a variety of different foods, but you should aim for “lean” protein. Lean protein can be found in foods like chicken, fish, beans, and protein powders. Adding a scoop of the latter to your morning smoothie can help round out your healthy breakfast.
For lunch and dinner, include a piece of chicken or fish, or a cup of your favorite beans, to gain the health benefits of these protein-packed foods.
Healthy Fats
It may seem counterintuitive to purposely add fat to your diet while trying to lose weight, but healthy fats are important for both you and your baby when you’re breastfeeding.
You can find these beneficial fats in foods such as:
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Olives
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocados
There are plenty of simple ways to work healthy fats into your diet. One way is by measuring a tablespoon of hemp seeds and a tablespoon of chia seeds into your morning smoothie. Fruits, vegetables, protein, and healthy fat in one easy-to-eat meal? You really can’t ask for a better breakfast.
For lunch, try adding some olives to your midday salad or topping it with an olive oil-based dressing. Come dinner time, cook your chicken or fish with a dollop of coconut oil. It tastes great and is good for you. And if you find yourself hungry between meals, try snacking on a handful of nuts to keep your energy up.
Meal Prepping
Planning your meals in advance is not only a good idea in relation to saving time, but it’s also a good idea for the sake of your health. When you plan and prepare your meals ahead of time, you won’t be tempted to eat more than you have.
Meal planning also cuts out the need to stop for something quick to eat because you’re too tired or don’t have enough time to cook. Your meal will already be prepared. With a future mindset in place with meal prepping, you are more likely to consume healthier calories.
3) Incorporate Moderate Exercise

Maintaining control of your diet is only half the battle. To lose weight while breastfeeding, you’ll also need to exercise.
When we think of exercise, we too often picture ourselves going to the gym or running long distances. With a breastfeeding infant, though, those activities can be all but impossible.
In fact, it’s important that you wait at least six to eight weeks before starting or restarting a serious exercise regimen. Extreme dieting and exercise can impact your body’s ability to produce healthy milk — so be careful.
Typically, postpartum exercise can be divided into two basic categories:
- Cardiovascular (cardio)
- Weight-bearing
Each type of activity has its own distinct benefit for your body. Cardio (anything that gets your pulse rate up for 15 to 20 minutes) is great for the health of your heart, lungs, and circulation. Weight-bearing exercise, on the other hand, helps strengthen your muscles and bones.
Once you begin a workout regimen, you may need to increase your calorie consumption to ensure that your body has the nutrients it needs to support milk production. If you’re planning a particularly strenuous workout, eat a healthy carb about a half-hour beforehand.
Thankfully, exercise doesn’t have to be difficult or intense to produce real results. Cardio can be as simple as going for a brisk walk while pushing your baby in a stroller. Walking is a low-impact exercise that can raise your heart rate without negatively impacting your knees or joints.
4) Get As Much Sleep As You Can

Sleep is just as vital to post-pregnancy weight loss as exercise and diet, but getting adequate sleep can be difficult when you’re breastfeeding a newborn. However, the importance of sleep cannot be overstated. Why? Because when you’re asleep, your body repairs itself and returns to a healthier state.
Here’s how your body becomes healthier while you sleep:
- Blood pressure returns to its normal level (if elevated during the day by stressors).
- Muscles relax.
- Blood supply to organs and muscles increases.
- Growth hormone is released.
- Breathing and heart rate stabilize and become more consistent.
And that’s just the tip of the healthy iceberg. In fact, weight gain has been linked to lack of sleep. To add insult to injury, hungry, sleep-deprived new moms tend to satisfy their cravings with simple carbohydrates, which often result in weight gain (not weight loss).
So even if you’re doing everything else on this list right but you fail to sleep enough each night, you may struggle to lose those last few pounds. For that reason, we recommend getting at least seven hours of sleep every night.
If your baby isn’t sleeping through the night just yet, make it a point to nap when she naps. This will give your body the time it needs to recover and stay as healthy as possible.
5) Apply A Firming & Toning Product

Part of the process of getting back to your pre-baby appearance is firming and toning your skin. Exercise has a lot to do with that goal, but you can help your body from the outside by applying a firming and toning product throughout the day. We recommend Mustela’s Body Firming Gel, Bust Firming Serum, and Stretch Marks Serum (to help prevent and reduce stubborn stretch marks).
These products are specially formulated to help reshape your body’s contours after childbirth by:
- Reinforcing skin elasticity.
- Promoting collagen production.
- Firming skin from within.
- Relieving dry, tight, sensitive skin.
Mustela’s firming and toning products help with the above through a combination of natural, hypoallergenic ingredients. Also, Mustela’s entire product line is free of parabens, phthalates, phenoxyethanol, bisphenols A and S, caffeine, and alcohol. That makes all of Mustela’s products safe for both you and your breastfeeding baby.
So feel free to apply a firming and toning product where you need it and when you need it, without worrying about the effect it will have on your baby.
6) Breastfeed Frequently
It’s OK to feed on demand. While it may seem like your little one is getting too much, they know what they need. Remember, you actually burn calories while nursing. So if you nurse on demand, you will burn even more calories throughout the day.
If you’re starting to exercise more, you’ll obviously lose some weight. However, your body will need to know that even though some of its fat deposits are disappearing, it still needs to produce milk. This is why breastfeeding on demand — or breastfeeding more frequently — while exercising is a great concept to put into practice.
7) Avoid Quick Fixes
With all the new dieting trends out there, it’s hard not to get sucked in. But you have to keep the most important thing in mind: your breast milk production. Many of these trends have a huge effect on your milk supply. If you’re breastfeeding, it has to be your top priority.
When you lose weight too fast, your milk supply decreases, so be cautious when presented with the opportunity for a quick-fix diet. The weight will eventually come off…in time. Just keep your eye on the prize. Remember: slow and steady wins the race!
8) Meet With A Nutritionist
Seeking out a nutritionist to lose weight while breastfeeding is a wise choice. After all, they are specialized in the area of dieting and nutrition. You should specify to the nutritionist what your goals are. If your goal is to lose weight while breastfeeding, your nutritionist will keep in mind that you’re eating for two.
The two of you can sit down together to build a plan specifically for you. Let that sink in for a minute — building a plan specifically for you. So seek out professional help for guidance in dieting and nutrition if you need to.
The Most Important Step To Losing Weight While Breastfeeding
The most important step to losing weight while breastfeeding is being patient. Don’t pressure yourself. Your body has just gone through some major changes.
Even though you’re likely very excited to get back into your skinny jeans, it’s best to give your body the time it needs to recover. It took nine months to put that weight on, so be reasonable with your expectations for getting it back off.
If you have any questions about losing weight, maintaining a healthy diet, or exercising postpartum, be sure to ask your doctor.