As a breastfeeding mom you may notice that your pregnancy weight has already started to melt away. Now you find yourself ready to wean your baby from breast milk, but you may be worried about maintaining a healthy weight. According to Safer Child, Inc., breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories a day. Stop breastfeeding when you and your baby are ready, and replace breastfeeding with exercise so that you can continue to lose that baby weight.
Step 1
Start weaning your baby when you are both ready. BabyCenter says that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you breastfeed for an entire year. Listen to your body and monitor your baby's feeding habits to determine when you are both ready to stop breastfeeding.
Step 2
Reduce frequency of nursing times gradually. Remove one feeding per day every 3 to 4 weeks. Offer pumped breast milk, whole milk or formula to your baby instead. According to BabyCenter, this time period allows your child to adapt to change and your milk supply to slowly decrease.
Step 3
Decrease the amount of milk offered during each feeding. Reduce the length of each feeding session by 1 minute on each breast every week. Gradually reducing the length of each session helps to alleviate engorged breasts. Offer a small snack after breastfeeding to supply your baby with proper nutrition as you remove milk from her diet.
Step 4
Participate in daily cardiovascular exercise to lose weight and promote weight gain. Breastfeeding.com recommends that you engage in at least 20 minutes of exercise each day. You can complete your entire workout at once or split it up into a morning and evening session. Try activities such as walking, swimming, running or playing sports with friends.
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