How To Lose Belly Fat While Breastfeeding
Losing belly fat while breastfeeding can be a challenge. You want to make sure that you are eating the right foods so that you can lose weight and not affect your milk supply. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best foods to eat for a flat tummy postpartum, as well as some of the worst foods you should avoid. We will also provide tips on how to reduce bloating and get rid of belly fat quickly!
**This post might contain affiliate links to items I own and love and feel will benefit you immensely. See full disclosure here.**
Why it Matters That You Are Breastfeeding While You Lose Belly Fat?
Losing belly fat in the right ways while breastfeeding is important for a few reasons.
First and foremost, you want to make sure that you do not affect your milk supply. Often when people try to lose weight they lose their milk supply, but that doesn’t have to be the case!
Secondly, you want to be able to lose weight in a healthy way so that you do not put any unnecessary stress on your body. Your body just went through so much stress bringing a person into the world! Now it needs to heal and recover (which usually takes up to a full year) while also dealing with the stress of keeping that loud and sleepless adorable tiny human alive! We don’t want your body any more stressed out right now.
Lastly, it is important to note that some of the foods you eat can affect your milk supply. So you may want to add in or decrease certain things that help you lose belly fat, but keep your milk supply in mind.
RELATED: 6 Powerful Tips to Lose Baby Weight While Breastfeeding
Postpartum Weight Loss While Breastfeeding
There is one struggle that so many moms have postpartum, knowing how to lose the baby weight safely while breastfeeding. Can you even do that? How can you diet and breastfeed? How can you lose the excess weight and not lose your milk supply?
What about losing the baby weight while INCREASING your milky supply?
For years I’ve been asked by my mom clients these same questions in different ways again and again. So as a certified online health coach, fitness trainer, maternal nutrition specialist, and mom of 3, I decided to compile the proven successful postpartum diet and exercise plan that I created for my breastfeeding mom clients into a program that now anyone can have access to!
It’s called the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan and it is built for you! To teach you everything you need to know to be successful at postpartum weight loss while breastfeeding and learning to make more milk!
Check out my 28 day plan now to help you regain strength postpartum with short effective workouts, increase your milk supply with loads of delicious recipes, and finally lose that excess baby weight at the same time!
What are the Best Foods to Eat for a Flat Tummy Postpartum?
There are a few different food groups that you want to focus on when trying to lose belly fat while breastfeeding.
Protein helps you lose belly fat while breastfeeding.
First, you want to make sure that you are eating plenty of protein. Protein helps to keep you full, as well as helps your body to repair and heal itself. Not to mention getting enough protein directly affects your breast milk supply. Some great sources of protein that help you burn belly fat are:
- lean meats
- chicken
- fish
- legumes
- eggs.
Healthy fats help you lose belly fat postpartum.
You also want to make sure that you eat plenty of healthy fats. Guess what, eating fat does not make you fat! Within reason of course. But adding a bit (think a teaspoon or tablespoon) of healthy fat to each meal helps you absorb more of the vitamins from it! Especially with vegetables.
Healthy fats help your body to burn fat! They also help to keep you full and help your body to absorb vitamins and minerals. It is also important to eat healthy fats so that you can increase the fat in your breastmilk for your baby. Some great sources of healthy fats are:
- avocados
- nuts and seeds
- nut butters
- unrefined coconut oil
- avocado oil
- vigin olive oil
An amazing snack to add into your breastfeeding weight loss diet plan are called lactation bites. Sometimes they are referred to as energy balls or energy bites as well. If they have the term lactation in them it just means they also include specific galactagogues to increase breast milk supply.
You can buy highly effective (at increasing milk supply) premade lactation energy bites or you can make your own lactation bites!
Eating enough fiber can help you lose belly fat while breastfeeding.
You also want to make sure that you are eating plenty of fiber. Fiber helps to keep you regular (which can help with bloating), as well as helps to keep you full. It also helps your body to absorb vitamins and minerals. Some great sources of fiber are:
- vegetables
- fruits
- whole grains
- legumes
- flaxseed meal
- chia seeds
- cocoa powder
Foods to Avoid to Lose Belly Fat While Breastfeeding
Nutrition is the biggest component to losing the excess belly fat postpartum. My best tips I use to lose the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum are mostly diet based. Getting enough sleep and getting in exercise are second, but very important too.
Now that we have discussed some of the best foods to eat for a flat tummy postpartum, let’s talk about some of the worst foods to avoid that can hinder postpartum weight loss and excess fat loss.
Sugar can cause more belly fat while breastfeeding.
You want to avoid eating too much sugar because it can lead to weight gain, as well as cavities. It is also important to note that some mothers find that their babies are more fussy when they eat sugary foods because it can affect their mood. So if you are looking for ways to soothe a fussy baby, you may want to cut back on the sugar!
Sugar is really terrible for you, and unfortunately it is hidden in many of our foods. So even if you aren’t adding sugar to your recipes and drinks, there’s a good chance they are already there.
The 21 Day Sugar Detox Plan teaches you exactly how to locate all the hidden sugars in your diet and how to gently wean off of them in a sustainable way.
I found the 21 Day Sugar Detox Plan really helpful while breastfeeding because breastfeeding causes many of us to crave sugar or chocolate. And so does sleep deprivation, it’s a losing battle as a new mom.
Another thing I found very helpful in keeping the sugar out of my diet is by using a protein powder for my lactation smoothie every morning for breakfast that helps curb sugar cravings. Both Shakeology and Milk Dust helped me so much with that!
Shakeology is my daily go-to protein powder as it is the most nutritionally dense and really helps my digestion, but I always keep a lactation protein powder that increases milk supply like Milk Dust on hand to to supplement for when I need a little help with my milk supply.
Milk products can hinder belly fat loss while breastfeeding.
You also want to avoid eating too many dairy products because they can cause inflammation in the body. Dairy products can also contribute to weight gain and belly fat.
Think of breast milk, how by nature you want to make sure it’s rich in fat so that it can rapidly grow your tiny baby’s brain and body. Cow milk is no different, except that in addition many of us can’t digest it well, so it’s not an ideal choice when trying to lose belly fat
So if you are looking to lose belly fat while breastfeeding, you may want to cut back on the dairy products!
Some great substitutes for dairy products are:
- coconut milk
- almond milk
- pea milk
The Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan is so helpful in guiding you in exactly how to eat to lose weight and thus the excess belly fat while breastfeeding. You get 56 milk boosting and slimming recipes, a 28 day workout plan, and so much more! Plus guidance through exactly how to lose weight without losing your milk supply.
You also want to avoid drinking alcohol while breastfeeding to lose belly fat.
Alcohol can dehydrate you, as well as affect your quality of sleep. It can also pass through your breastmilk to your baby and make them fussy or irritable. We now know that the rate at which alcohol passes into breastmilk is extremely minimal, but either way, it sure doesn’t help you lose the belly fat.
Alcohol seems to put extra fat right into your gut more than anything else!
So while you may be tempted to have a glass of wine at the end of the day, it’s best to avoid much alcohol while breastfeeding and trying to lose extra belly fat.
Wrapping Up How to Lose Belly Fat While Breastfeeding
If you are looking for ways to lose belly fat while breastfeeding, be sure to include plenty of fiber in your diet, avoid sugar and dairy, and drink plenty of water.
The best thing you can do to lose the baby weight while breastfeeding is to follow a diet and exercise plan designed specifically for breastfeeding mothers like The Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan!
This 28 day program is filled with recipes, guidance, and short effective workouts to get you exactly where you want to be while still keeping a high milk supply!
Do you have any other tips for how to lose belly fat while breastfeeding? Share them with us in the comments below.
