Ask a Professional – Richmond News

Q: I WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT BREASTFEEDING, CALORIES AND WEIGHT LOSS?

A: Everyone has a different relationship with their body and with their own fitness and weight loss. This becomes even more apparent after you have had children and have pregnancy weight to lose. The good news is that it is possible to lose
weight when breastfeeding providing your following a diet plan that is based on healthy eating principles and light exercise and is free from caffeine and any weight loss accelerants. Some mums want to lose the weight straight away and
many others don’t even think about losing weight for more than a year after their baby is born (and many don’t think about for many years later). There is no right or wrong time to start thinking about pregnancy weight loss – unless
you have a medical problem where weight loss is essential. Start when you’re ready and when you do, keep these factors in mind.
Make sure you do not restrict your calories. Your body uses approximately 500 calories a day to create milk so it needs extra calories to produce milk for your baby.

• There is no one size fits all calorie need each day – it depends on your own individual needs and what your BMR is. We can help you with that.
• Ensure that you are having lots of nutrients from all food groups to help your milk – aim for lean proteins, dairy, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, omega 3’s, eggs, lots of water and eat regular snacks in between meals.
• A healthy weight loss is between 500g – 1kg a week so don’t get carried away with numbers that are not realistic.
• Try and avoid processed foods and processed/sugary snacks which won’t give your body good nutrients and will send your blood sugar and cravings up and down.
• Try light and gentle exercise and fit in what you can when you can. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do too much.

Slow and steady wins the race.