Losing Weight While Nursing
Motherhood is a wonderful phase. The demands of a new baby are tremendous and in all that taking care of, the new mom can get ‘neglected’. Of all things to get back as usual, fitting in to old favorite clothes is the top-most thing on her mind.
It can be quite frustrating to be not able to find time for oneself and getting back in shape can seem like a humungous task. Well, with a little mental note few efforts can help one long way.
Calorie needs of a nursing mother are high. She needs to take 300-500 additional calories to ensure constant milk supply. Dieting can cause depletion of milk supply and your baby will be at loss of the most important nourishment it requires.
Nursing is a calorie intensive activity. Breastfeeding in itself requires calories and so you can burn 400-700 kcal in a day while nursing the baby. So, cheer up. The more you feed the baby the more you are burning those baby fat calories piled up during pregnancy.
Do Not Diet. Dieting is not suggested for at least first 6 months post delivery while you are breastfeeding your baby. But, you need to eat healthy. The diet for nursing mothers should include low fat, high fiber, high calcium foods. Get your calories from proteins and milk products and not junk food and fat.
Exercise. To get back in shape it is best that you start to move around more. Start with walking, plain easy walking. Few minutes a day to longer and more frequent. Walk with the baby, walk while giving the baby a nap, just move more to fidget those muscles and shed those calories.
To get a more customized plan it is important that you consult a diet expert. You will be given a plan appropriate for your needs.
