Breast feeding and dieting

[Ems2011]

I have been breast-feeding my baby for six months now but desperately trying to loose weight while I'm off work. I have started a new diet which you count the grams of fat per day and aim to get 40g fat per day. But is this going to affect the amount if milk or the quality of milk I produce? Still obviously getting plenty of fruit n veg if not more as they have little fat in them. Just don't want it to affect his milk, he's getting his food obviously too, x

I'm pretty sure dieting isn't recommended whilst breastfeeding. There was a thread the other week about how breastfeeding makes the weight drop of some people and makes others retain it. I fall inbtween; most of it's gone, but I have a little column and mum-tum down the front. I know it will go when I stop feeding dd at around 12 months (did last time).

Now obviously I don't know your eating habits, and forgive me if I sound patronising, but would it not be best just to cut out any surplus for now - cakes, choc, only eat until full - not bursting? Get cracking with the pram, then do a 'proper' diet when you've stopped?

AGain, could be wrong and talking completely out of my arse, but I think your breastmilk takes the best from you regardless - women who live in 3rd world countries breastfeed. So the baby might not suffer, you may not lose weight, but you may feel shit/lose calcium?

I'll stop now before someone who knows more about bf comes on and shoots me out of the water.

I'm dieting and breastfeeding!

Initially I was attending my children's center which ran a program called Life 4 life Mums where I was monitored by 2 dietitians who where well aware I was breastfeeding. While it was structured slightly differently to the 40grams of fat I would say that is about what I was having.

I think as long as the diet could be considered a healthy life style (eating all the food groups including fluid and your aiming for some moderate activity everyday) then you are fine. This is certainly the advice i have received from HCP and breastfeeding councilors

I have done weight watchers while BFing

have lost 21lb so far in 12 weeks

before weaning when DD was exclusively BF i got 14 extra points a day, but now she is weaning i get 7.

I get very hungry feeding but have found it fine (especially when i had 14 extra points a day!)... also all fruit is 0 points so i eat lots and lots (and lots) of fruit.

I'm EBFing and dieting, I'm doing weight watchers online. I've lost 11.5lb so far in 4 weeks, just got DD weighed today (she's 13wks) and she's still gaining weight okay, put on just under 2lb in 4.5 weeks. Were she not gaining well, I would stop the diet but so far so good. I also lost 2.5 stone prior to starting the diet but I was morbidly obese before I got pregnant so I can stand to lose quite a lot! My diet hasn't really changed from what I was eating before except now I eat yogurts as well!

You can diet while BF, weight watchers and slimming world both alow extra points while BF so not sure what type of diet you are following but you may need to eat more then someone not feeding.

There is no problem in dieting while feeding even women in aftica on very resiticeted diet's still manage to feed there baby's without any problem.

The one thing you shouldn't do is any of these really resitictive diet's as lossing fat fast can reliase toxines into your blood, not good for anyone really.

fhdl - 11.5lbs in 4 weeks?? I'm super jealous.

I'm EBFing and counting calories (eating a max of 1700 per day). The weight is coming off (very slowly). I found when I ate 1500 per day I was feeling dizzy.

What's everyones opinion re: fat vs calories? I thought counting calories rather than fat was the way to go?

thealphaparent - I do have over 10 stone to lose though!

Weight watchers point system is no longer based on calories, they allocate a point value to all foods based on its protein, carb, fat and fibre content.

that's interesting! Why the move from calories?

Calories is a bit of a rubish way to count food really. If you think about it, it's baise on how much energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 °C.

This isn't very reprosentive of how the body uses different types of energy. The weight watchers system tends to take this into account more then just counting calories, there are even foods that you can eat which are 0 points so you can eat as much of you like of those.

It was because of more recent research, this is the article from when the current plan launched www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1326447/Weight-Watchers-Pro-Points-plan-A-new-approach-dieting-success.html. Basically it now means a curly wurly and a banana no longer cost the same amount in points. Fruit is free!