Diet for breastfeeding moms for weight loss

Diet for nursing mothers to lose weight is quite a difficult problem, since during the period of breastfeeding a woman needs to take care of the health and full development of the child to a greater extent than about the slimness of her own figure. Nevertheless, the desire of many nursing mothers to combine this important process with the restoration of former graceful forms causes respect and deserves a detailed answer to the problematic question. In order to solve the problem of losing weight, you need to understand the reasons for the appearance of extra pounds.

Reasons for weight gain

If a pregnant woman does not gain weight, firstly, it is not physiological, and secondly, it indicates hidden pathologies in the body of the expectant mother. Pregnancy provokes the activation of estrogen production, which creates "reserves" of fat in the abdominal area - the stomach, waist, upper thighs. Such measures provide cushioning of the fetus from various external damage and injuries. There is a theory that fat reserves subsequently create the necessary caloric content in breast milk. There is also a version that the expectant mother gains weight due to genetic memory of those ancient times when food was in short supply and it was necessary to stock up on energy and fat layers for future use.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ]

Why does weight loss after childbirth occur slowly?

Even if a diet for nursing mothers to lose weight is created by a nutritionist and the woman begins to strictly follow it, this does not guarantee the neutralization of kilograms and the return of the previous proportions in a month.

In addition to extra pounds, there is also the problem of skin and muscle stretch marks, which need time to return to their former shape and elasticity. If we consider that the weight was gained gradually throughout the entire period of bearing a child, that is, nine months, then it is logical to assume that the normal process of losing weight should also take at least 7-9 months. Weight loss in this way will be physiological for the entire body, adequate to the period of restoration of hormonal balance and general metabolism.

How can you combine the mission of feeding your baby with keeping your diet to a minimum of calories?

The first aid in such cases is to dispel the myths that the nutrition of a nursing woman should be more abundant and caloric than the usual menu. There should be such a quantity of food as to ensure full breastfeeding and create an energy reserve in the mother's body.

Nutritionists have long since come to the consensus that nutrition should first of all be varied, fractional and balanced. It is better to exclude animal fats, since they can provoke weight gain, in addition, fatty mother's milk is poorly absorbed by the unprepared digestive tract of the baby. It is not difficult to follow the fractional nutrition, you need to eat as many times as the number of feedings is provided for the child, that is, at least five times a day.

Regular soups, the variety of which is great, help to maintain the necessary caloric content of milk and not to gain weight. Soups fill the stomach, providing a normal digestion process due to the liquid consistency, in addition, they create the necessary volume of liquid for lactation, and the caloric content of such dishes is very small.

A diet for nursing mothers to lose weight requires a sufficient amount of liquid. It is good to drink at least half a glass of regular purified water before each meal. Water "starts" the digestion process, preparing the stomach for food, creates a feeling of fullness. In addition, this method prevents constipation, which is often observed in nursing women.

The habit of "eating up" the remains of vegetable puree, cereals, in a word, uneaten complementary food can lead to an increase in calories in the daily diet. Some women justify such actions either by saving money or by the fact that they are making up for the lack of vitamins and nutrients in their own menu. This is inappropriate, since it is this habit that leads to a slow but sure gain of extra pounds.

A diet for nursing mothers to lose weight is a balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which should be in approximately equal proportions with a slight preference for proteins. It is protein (meat) food that promotes rapid saturation, provides the body with the necessary energy boost and contains much fewer calories than carbohydrate or fatty foods.

The recommended combination of various products for one day looks like this:

• Protein – 250-300 g;
• Fats (preferably vegetable origin) – 100 g;
• Carbohydrates – 200-250 g;
• At least one and a half liters of liquid;
• Calcium (curd products, cheeses) – 200-250 g;
• Phosphorus (sea fish) – 200 g;
• Vitamin complex (juices with pulp, boiled vegetables, fresh fruits, except citrus fruits and bright red fruits) – up to 500 g.

There is a formula for calculating the protein intake rate in a diet for weight loss for a nursing woman. You need to weigh yourself and calculate the amount of protein food as follows: 2-3 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of weight. For example, a nursing mother weighs 60 kilograms, therefore, there should be at least 120 to 180 grams of protein. If a nursing mother wants to neutralize excess weight and return to her previous proportions, then she should slightly reduce the amount of carbohydrates, and replenish their minimization with proteins. For example, the carbohydrate rate is 250 g, if you reduce them to 150 g, then there should be 100 g more proteins, accordingly, based on a woman's 60-kilogram weight, there can be 280 grams of proteins.

Also, a diet for nursing mothers for weight loss involves eating a lot of plant fiber, but not raw (it can cause flatulence and colic in the baby), but boiled, baked or stewed. Cabbage, which has proven itself as a product that promotes weight loss, is not suitable for a nursing mother's menu. Regular cabbage should be replaced with cauliflower, broccoli or Brussels sprouts. These types of cabbage contain a large number of microelements and vitamins, are also low in calories, but their fiber is less coarse and does not irritate the digestive tract.

Keeping special records – a food diary – helps to follow the rules of fractional and reasonable nutrition. This action is useful not only to track the dynamics of your own weight loss, but you can keep records for yourself and your child at the same time. With this simple technique, you can ensure that your diet is not monotonous, plan your meals in advance, and therefore buy food.

A diet for nursing mothers to lose weight should be within 2000 calories per day and can be as follows:

• Morning. 15-20 grams of cheese, one cracker or 50 grams of oatmeal, an apple. Alternatively, you can cook a boiled egg for breakfast and add a banana. Another option is 50 grams of boiled fish and a cracker.
• Day. 100-150 grams of boiled potatoes, 20-25 grams of cheese, a salad of boiled cauliflower and greens (no more than 100 grams), an apple. Option two - 150-200 grams of boiled meat, 100 grams of chopped lettuce leaves, a banana. Another option - 150 grams of boiled or stewed sea fish, a crouton, an apple. These options can be alternated with a variety of lean soups cooked in water with the inclusion of vegetables and boiled meat or fish. Soups can be consumed in portions of up to 500 milliliters.
• Evening (no later than 6 p.m.). Boiled cauliflower or Brussels sprouts (150-200 grams), sprinkled with grated cheese (20 grams). Another option is a portion of boiled potatoes (150 grams) with cheese or 200 grams of boiled meat with lettuce. Another option is durum wheat pasta (150 grams), sprinkled with grated cheese and lettuce. It is good to alternate the proposed dishes with a piece of liver, stewed in milk or grilled (100-150 grams).

In order for the diet for nursing mothers to lose weight to be varied, meat and fish dishes should be alternated with porridges (buckwheat, rice, millet or oatmeal). The volume of porridge portions can be increased by 50 grams. In order to comply with the rule of fractional nutrition, in between the three main meals, you can drink liquids (water, juices, compotes), dividing the required volume of 2 liters into an equal amount, for example, 10 times. Thus, the liquid is drunk in the volume of a glass of 200 milliliters half an hour before breakfast, in the breaks between breakfast and lunch, half an hour before lunch, and so on. The remaining volume can be drunk half an hour after dinner at 18.00 until the last night feeding.