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Most women have a goal to lose at least 10 pounds while they are breastfeeding their new baby. Some women want to lose more than 10 pounds, depending on how much was gained during pregnancy, but I think 10 lbs is actually a realistic goal for breastfeeding mamas. Katie Pickett, a certified Pre/Post Natal Fitness Specialist, has listened to the concerns and struggles breastfeeding mamas are enduring and has created this breastfeeding-specific diet program.
I am very passionate about helping mamas lose weight while breastfeeding because I’ve been able to do it. Let’s go over these 5 steps you can take to lose 10 lbs while breastfeeding. If these don’t work, feel free to see what other mamas have said about the program.
Here’s the quick list of the 5 tips for losing 10 lbs while breastfeeding, then I will go into detail on each one:
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Switching to a Nutrient-Dense Diet
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Eating Enough Protein
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Fasted Cardio/Walking
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High-Fiber Snacks
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Strength Workouts
Okay, let’s get into each of these, so you can start making some changes to drop those 10 lbs! Remember, your milk supply won’t be in jeopardy if you reduce your calories. It will be in jeopardy if you lose NUTRIENTS needed to make breast milk, but these tips will help you keep that from happening all together.
A Nutrient Dense Diet:
This means that you are switching your food choices to foods that have lots of nutrients like fruits, vegetables, lean protein and complex carbs like quinoa. These foods provide a lot of nutrients per calorie, rather than more empty calorie foods that are usually fast and easy to grab. Great, nutrient-dense foods for breastfeeding are lots of fruits and veggies (basically anything you love), sweet potatoes, oatmeal, eggs and my favorite protein powder. These are foods you want to fill your day eating. At least 80% of EVERY meal or snack should be nutrient-dense and super healthy. The results are a healthy milk supply, lots of nutrients for baby and mama, and filling up on less calories (usually). This helps with weight loss almost immediately if you can stick to the 80% rule.
In my years of helping mamas lose weight while breastfeeding, there was a protein powder missing that was specifically designed for breastfeeding mamas to combat these sugar cravings and fully nourish mamas. I am a firm believer in nutrition for milk supply, and I found Milk Dust. Milk Dust is literally your best friend for lactation and weight loss. It has a milk-boosting herb blend, plenty of protein, sugar-craving-busting herbs like Tumeric, Cinnamon Bark Root and minerals like Chromium which have all been used to balance blood sugar. In addition to all these fabulous items, there are hand-picked specific vitamins like Folate (L-Methylfolate) because folate is still important during lactation! Almost just as important as in pregnancy, Milk Dust also hand-picks vitamin B12 for energy, and super foods like Chlorella, Spirulina, Spinach, Blueberries and more. The protein powder is free of soy, gluten, dairy and corn. It is NON-GMO, Vegan and plant-based!! I highly recommend you check it out if you are craving sugar. It is only sweetened with Stevia, Monk Fruit and Organic Cane Juice, which means there is very little sugar, but it is very sweet, so you still get to drink something like a milkshake!
There is no other clean, super nutrient-dense protein powders that are specifically made for postpartum healing, nourishment, lactation and weight loss. There are thousands of mamas using this to nourish themselves while also losing weight!
Eating Enough Protein:
I highly recommend protein shakes for breastfeeding mamas purely because the protein I LOVE is nutrient-dense, clean and safe for baby, and you can blend it fast with frozen berries and veggies to get in A LOT of nutrients in a short amount of time. You can basically make these shakes one-handed! Protein is going to help you maintain your muscle, promote cell rejuvenation and healing for postpartum. and support overall healthy functioning! Super important!
The Best Protein Powder to Lose the Baby Weight And Increase Your Milk Supply
Fasted Cardio/Walking:
Walking first thing in the morning, before breakfast is not going to hurt your milk supply in any way if you are eating healthy the rest of the day. Walking or jogging in a fasted state will help your body tap into the fat cells, so you can burn 10 lbs of FAT rather than losing muscle too. If you wake up starving, have a protein shake with minimal berries. Blend it with spinach and ice to make it super low in carbs, so your body will still tap into fat cells as the energy source when you head out for your walk or run. Getting out first thing in the morning also sets you up for such a GREAT day!
High Fiber Snacks:
High-fiber snacks usually have high-water content as well, which are going to make you feel more full and satisfied with your healthy snack. This includes foods like apples (they have both soluble and insoluble fiber), oranges, cucumbers, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, berries or celery sticks. Combine these foods with just a little bit of protein like a hummus, light string cheese, a few almonds, PB2 powder (a lighter peanut butter), or even some semi-sweet chocolate chips and you can feel super full on lots of nutrients and less calories.
Strength Workouts:
Cardio is your ticket to losing weight, but adding some strength workouts into your walking or jogging routine will help add a consistent fat-burn throughout the day. This isn’t much, so if you skip one workout, cardio or strength, don’t skip cardio to lose 10 lbs. Once you drop the 10 lbs, you can be more lenient with your cardio and add in more strength to maintain some muscle or tone. If you can do strength/hit workouts, this is even better because you can burn up your stored carbohydrates, so you can burn more fat instead of carbs throughout the day!
These five steps to lose 10 lbs while breastfeeding will really help if you can stick to step one as close to 80% as possible. The key is your diet, focus on that first, then add in your workouts and exercise. Making sure you are intentional with your eating, rather than just grabbing what you are craving can make a big difference in not only your weight loss, but how you and baby both feel!
