Does Breastfeeding Help With Weight Loss?
And why do some women not lose weight?
Does Breastfeeding Help With Weight Loss?
And why do some women not lose weight while breastfeeding?
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our ongoing conversation about postpartum nutrition, hormones, and realistic expectations during motherhood. If you’re looking for deeper support around these topics, subscribe to Nourished Mama Collective - it’s free for all - and forward to anyone you think may benefit from topics like this!
Before getting pregnant, I heard countless times that breastfeeding helps with postpartum weight loss and that the weight would basically just fall off if I were nursing. It’s repeated so often that I assumed that would be my experience. It wasn’t.
I was honestly surprised when the scale barely budged after the first few weeks, even though I was exclusively breastfeeding. I’ve heard so many stories from women who struggled to return to their “normal” weight until after they stopped breastfeeding. I also know quite a few women who actually gained weight while nursing. And also women who really struggled to keep enough weight on while nursing. So… what’s the deal?
Breastfeeding can help with weight loss - but it’s not necessarily the norm. And for some women, it actually does the opposite.
From a purely physiological standpoint, breastfeeding does require energy (calories). Producing breast milk requires roughly 300–500 calories per day for most women. In theory, that demand can contribute to gradual weight loss over time.
But that’s only one piece of a much bigger picture.
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So why don’t some women lose weight while breastfeeding?
An increase in hunger and cravings. Breastfeeding can make you hungry, I know it did for me! And not necessarily just snacky - some women say they feel deeply, urgently hungry in a way they’ve never experienced before. It’s common for the body to ramp up your appetite to protect milk supply. If you’re consistently eating more than you’re burning (which is very easy to do when sleep-deprived), weight loss won’t happen.
Hormones play a huge role. Prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, may promote fat storage in some women. Estrogen is also lower while breastfeeding, which can make it harder to release stored fat. This hormonal balance isn’t bad - it’s protecting your body’s ability to produce milk.
Stress and sleep deprivation can impact you A LOT. Chronic sleep deprivation raises cortisol, which can blunt weight loss and encourage fat storage. It can also increase food cravings and reduce your ability to think clearly about food and make healthy choices.
Everyone’s body is different. Some women do lose weight effortlessly while breastfeeding. Others don’t see changes until they wean. We’re just different.
I completely understand the desire to feel normal in your body again and to fit into your clothes. But the goal of breastfeeding shouldn’t be to lose weight. For many of us, our bodies prioritize milk supply over losing weight - and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I noticed that it wasn’t until around 9 months, when Elio had started eating solids, and I was getting more sleep, that I felt more normal in my body. And looking back, I wish I had been more patient with that process.
Did you lose weight while breastfeeding? Or not until you stopped? Share in the comments!
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This is really helpful nuance on something that gets oversimplified so often. The hormonal angle you mentioned about prolactin and lower estrogen is something I hadn't fully considered before. Back when I was helping a freind navigate this, we kept hearing the "it just falls off" narrative and she felt broken when that didn't happen. Turns out her body was just prioritizing milk supply differntly.