Does Breastfeeding Make You Lose Weight?

Many mothers ask this question: "Does breastfeeding actually help you lose weight?" Breastfeeding is not something new. For thousands of years, nursing infants in their mother's wombs provided them with many benefits. Among these benefits are the necessary nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals that were often lacking in their mother's diet. In fact, breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of certain diseases and increase energy and health, among other things.

Many researchers have looked at how breastfeeding can help control weight gain. Many of these studies have come up with a mixed bag of results. Not all of them, however, contradict each other. Some research has shown that babies who were breastfed for six months lost an average of five to ten pounds per month. Other studies, however, have shown that babies who were breastfed for more than six months actually gained an average of fifteen to twenty pounds per month!

The fact that babies who were breastfed for six months or more actually lost a significant amount of weight may be attributed to the fact that breastfeeding moms were feeding their babies much fewer calories than they were taking in. It's important to note, though, that the short-term findings mentioned above were looking only at those breastfed for six months or more. More recent research has shown that breastfeeding can actually help moms meet their recommended daily caloric intake by as much as twenty-five percent! This means that breastfeeding can actually help control one's weight loss much more effectively than many of the fad diets that are out there today!

One thing that does stand out when it comes to breastfeeding and weight loss is that breast milk contains certain calories that are absolutely vital to human life. These are not calories that you would typically think of as fat. In fact, the majority of lactose (the primary sugar in breast milk) is converted into fat during digestion! However, you will lose weight by eating less when you choose to breastfeed your baby!

It's also been established that breastfeeding reduces your stress levels, which can lead to more energy, better concentration, and more happiness overall. All of these things are associated with losing weight. Additionally, research has shown that breastfeeding babies often develop lower birth weights than do babies who are given formula. Lowering the body fat percentage of your newborn through breastfeeding has long been thought to help in future prevention of health problems later on.

Does breastfeeding make you lose weight? Recent studies have shown that breastfeeding does indeed promote weight loss! The reason why breast milk tends to be so effective at helping you lose weight is because it contains certain nutrients that speed up your body's natural process of burning calories. In addition to having these nutrients, your baby will also receive plenty of other vitamins, minerals, and antibodies from the mother while breastfeeding. As a result, the amount of calories he/she consumes after birth is much lower than it would be if you fed your child bottle-feeding.

In addition to helping you lose weight through breastfeeding, studies have shown that women who breastfeed exclusively experience much greater levels of happiness and emotional well-being. Furthermore, the psychological benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the few drawbacks that may occur if you choose not to breastfeed. If you are unsure whether or not you will want to breastfeed your baby, many physicians will encourage you to do so until you are sure that you and your baby will benefit from it.

In short, breastfeeding definitely makes you lose weight. It's even possible to use breastfeeding as a weight loss strategy! Just be sure that you give your child enough bottle-feeding time. Bottle-feeding babies should only be introduced to solid foods after their second week of life; at this point they will have developed the skills of eating and drinking on their own. As long as you avoid overfeeding, your baby will develop at his/her own pace, so you can expect small, safe weight loss gains as long as you are consistent with your feeding schedule.