How I Lost 30 lbs by 6 Weeks Postpartum and Kept My Milk Supply

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Keeping both you and your baby healthy while breastfeeding requires a proper meal plan and some guidance. If you would like a step-by-step program to help you lose the baby weight by 6 weeks safely, check out all our courses, programs, challenges, & recipe book.

One of the most popular posts on this blog is about how I lost the baby weight by 6 weeks with baby number 3. That was 4 years ago, and I recently gave birth to my fourth baby just two months ago.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to lose the baby weight by 6 weeks again this time around because I gained a little more weight with this pregnancy.

It wasn’t a whole lot more, just about 5lbs, but a lot of that was due to being pregnant during a pandemic, and being stuck at home much more than I prefer!

The good news is that I’m showing you how to lose the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum, right here, right now.

When school was canceled, gyms were canceled and the weather got super hot here in FL, I just couldn’t be as active as I normally am. With that, I gained around 30 lbs this pregnancy, when I normally gain around 25 lbs.

I was also very lean, and training for my first 10k race when I got pregnant, so that makes a difference too.

At 6 weeks postpartum, I lost about 30lbs, and I was back in my pre-pregnancy pants. Weight is just a number, and my body still isn’t back to where it was, but my overall weight bounced right back!

This was 10 days postpartum vs 4 weeks postpartum, where I had lost a lot of the weight by then too!

 

 

 

 

 

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Before I get into exactly how I lost the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum, I want to note a few things I think are important:

• Losing the baby fast isn’t the main goal
• Focusing on nutrition is a HUGE part of healthy weight loss
• Allowing yourself to be hungry isn’t the best idea in the first few weeks
• I established my milk supply FIRST before I started slowly focusing on my diet

I do not want anyone jumping into any major diet changes just after having a baby, especially if your milk supply hasn’t fully developed yet.

Here is my 6-week transformation, and I will get into my safe and easy tips for losing the baby weight after pregnancy.

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Safe and Easy Tips To Lose Baby Weight After Pregnancy:

Establish your milk supply FIRST (right away!):

If you are breastfeeding, you want to make sure your milk supply is your first priority. I made sure my milk came in quickly (by day 4!) before I even thought about losing weight.

I packed these bars in my hospital bag, so I knew I would have milk-boosting snacks while at the hospital.

I also brought a sample pack of my lactation protein powder to drink there too, to make sure my body was getting the essential nutrients and milk-boosting herbs it needed to produce milk fast.

Once you are positive your milk supply is set, then you can start focusing on your nutrition.

Do not fill up right away on sugary lactation cookies and recipes.

These often just give you a huge calorie/carb/sugar boost, which will temporarily help your milk supply, but also affect your nutrient levels.

Use healthy foods to help you establish your milk supply like:

• sweet potatoes
• oatmeal
• chia seeds
• cashews and almonds
• spinach
• eggs

This will set you up for success when you start wanting to lose weight.

Clean up your nutrition:

The first thing I do when I want to lose weight is clean up my nutrition. I take out cheese and dairy. Cheese is usually something I go overboard on very quickly because I like it on EVERYTHING!

I also take out extra sweets like candies and cookies that my kids love to eat. By taking out foods that are less nutrient-dense, you can fill that space with more nutrient-dense options.

Here are some healthy swaps I make to lose the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum:

• Nuts instead of kids’ crackers and snack foods
• Fruit instead of granola bars
• Protein bars instead of sandwiches or bread
• Smoothies for fast meals instead of left-overs

Simple swaps like these can make a world of a difference, and they are often small enough that after a few days, you won’t even notice you are making them.

You may also like: Here’s The Fastest Way To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding That Doesn’t Affect Your Milk Supply

I Intermittent Fast When It Feels Natural:

Only when I’m pregnant do I eat breakfast. I find myself hungry all the time, and I can’t fast during pregnancy.

Once I am postpartum, intermittent fasting feels natural to me again. I like coffee in the morning, and my smoothie as a late morning meal, rather than first thing.

I’ve done intermittent fasting since I was a barista years ago, so it works really well for my body.

You may also like: How and Why To Intermittent Fast For Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

If you have never tried to intermittent fast, make sure you have your milk supply established first. Then, slowly start with a 12-hour fasting window.

This might be from 8 pm at night to 8 am the next morning. From there, increase your fasting window a couple of hours at a time until you are around 16 hours.

If you notice a drop in milk supply, shorten the window a few hours again until your body adjusts.

You may find that you never adjust or feel good fasting. This may not be the best direction for your body, so don’t force yourself to do it.

I just know that it works really well for me, and I find I have a TON of energy all day when fasting.

I also make sure I break my fast with a healthy, milk-boosting smoothie or meal.

The 10 Healthiest Lactation Snacks for Milk Makin’ Mamas

I walk a lot to lose baby weight postpartum:

 

 

 

 

 

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I don’t worry about exercising before I am 6 weeks postpartum, but I do walk more and more. I find that walking is very healing for the body after birth, and it is a great way to get outside and keep your mood up.

Getting in the natural vitamin D from outside can help prevent depression, and it can help you stay positive and energetic.

I wear my newborns a lot, and take my boys to the park or on bike rides, so we can all get out together. I find that we all feel so much better after being outside, and I can start getting back to normal after pregnancy and birth.

Adding in more steps will encourage you to move more, rather than just sit and hold the baby all day. A newborn can make life very sedentary, so I try to change that and stay active.

I choose fiber and protein-rich foods:

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Postpartum Cure ® (@thepostpartumcure)

In order to combat breastfeeding hunger, I choose foods high in fiber and protein. This helps me stay full for a long time!

My smoothies are the main way I do this because they are full of fiber from whatever frozen fruit I choose, and my protein powder adds all the protein and nutrients I need for milk supply and healing!

If you follow me on Instagram, I try to post all my fat-burning lactation smoothie recipes that literally burn the fat and boost the milk supply!

I follow my 10-Day Reset to lose the baby weight by 6 weeks:

I did a 10-day reset challenge just a few weeks ago, where I invite other moms to join me in my 10-day reset. We follow the guidelines together, I also give a winner $100 and free Milk Dust!

This is basically a clean-eating challenge for breastfeeding moms that only lasts `10 days. It is a GREAT way to jump-start your weight loss or help you lose the last few pounds.

It is also my way of teaching breastfeeding mamas the power of nutrition for weight loss. Nutrition is the KEY to keeping up your milk supply while losing weight.

If you just reduce calories, you could lose your milk supply. By focusing on UPPING your nutrients, your body has everything it needs to produce lots of milk, while still letting go of fat.

If you haven’t signed up yet, I highly recommend you grab my free, 10-day reset plan, so you can get started, AND stay tuned for another challenge to join!

I’m so excited to launch the new Baby Got Abs program coming soon!

This program will help you see your abs again after the baby. If you are struggling to finally lose the mommy pooch, and your diastasis recti are healing, this program targets loose skin and belly fat after pregnancy. Join the waitlist to get 50% off when the program launches!

There you have how I lost 30lbs after my fourth pregnancy and how you can lose the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum.

Postpartum weight loss is unique for everyone, especially if you are breastfeeding, but these tips should help you no matter where you are in your postpartum weight loss journey.

I’ve found that the sooner I lose weight, the better I feel as a mom. I have more energy, I feel better, and I can get back to my workout routine sooner.

The sooner I get to working out again, the better I deal with the exhaustion that comes with having a newborn.

If you haven’t yet, check out all our courses, programs, challenges, & recipe book!