Many women question whether they can diet or not while nursing. Losing pregnancy weight is a concern. The following is helpful information answering that question in detail.
Can I diet while nursing?
Question
Dear Lactation Consultant,
I have a two-month-old son who is breastfeeding and hopefully will continue to do so for at least a year. My diet has always consisted of tons of carbohydrates throughout the day. I would like to cut back on them to feel better about myself (sometimes after eating lots of carbohydrates it's hard for me to get up and move around because I feel so full) and to lose some of this after pregnancy weight. I am 5'3" and weigh 150 pounds. I am still about 25 pounds more than before my pregnancy. My question is will this affect my baby in any way while I am breastfeeding or my milk supply? I have heard mixed reactions from friends about dieting while breastfeeding but cannot find any information from an expert. Could you please help? Thank you.
Answer
What a good question! It is fine to diet while breastfeeding as long as you get at least 1800 calories per day, which should be easy to do if you are just cutting back on carbohydrates.