Nowadays, intermittent fasting has been known by more and more people, meanwhile, its preeminent result on weight loss and body health has been winning wide attention from people with different kinds of jobs and being at different life stages some of whom are even in the period of breastfeeding. It’s quite understandable for breastfeeding women do not to wait to lose weight since no one can stand constant weight gain for almost one year.
However, for those breasting women, even though they have longed for fasting for a long time, they can still not make up their mind, because they do not know whether fasting is suitable for them or their babies or not. So, if you are also a member of this group, you cannot miss this article.
Can I Do Intermittent Fasting While Breastfeeding?
Firstly, it can be understood that why you, being in breastfeeding, are desperately eager for fasting, because in pregnancy, you have become much fatter than before, and in order to ensure your little baby can have a much better nutrition intake, and be strong enough, you have to give up weight loss.
However, the increasing weight might cause health problems to occur to you and it doesn’t look good. A new mama should never look like that. To change this situation, intermittent fasting is quite worth doing because of its natural features for the human body and easiness to do it.
Don’t rush, though.
Even though your desire for weight loss can be totally understood, but considering that different people have different health conditions, it is recommended that you should consult your doctor first. In most cases, the doctor you are turning to will give you a proper suggestion, based on your health condition and their professional knowledge about lactation and nutrition.
Generally speaking, all-breastfeeding mothers are not suggested to do intermittent fasting. During this period, the nutrition that a baby can get is all from the mother, and breast milk can meet the baby’s requirement for development via all kinds of healthy nutrition.
Although no food limits are set by intermittent fasting during the eating window, the fasting window will possibly still stop the mother from having enough milk generated. Moreover, it’s increasingly difficult to beat the hunger because the baby will eat at any time.
But that does not mean that you cannot start fasting at all. Under the condition that you are at the end of breastfeeding, or breast milk is not the only source of nutrition for your baby, you can prepare for intermittent fasting.
How to Efficiently Do Intermittent Fasting while Breastfeeding?
If you are in the above stage and make up your mind to lose weight via intermittent fasting, there are some suggestions for you to efficiently let intermittent fasting take effect.
Choose a shorter fasting window at first
For a green hand of intermittent fasting, it is a tough or even impossible task to fast for a long period of time at the very beginning. It is suggested to start from a shorter fasting window plan such as 10:14 that requires you to fast for 10 hours while eating for the rest of 14 hours a day. As such an eating plan works perfectly on you, you’ll be allowed to optimize your fasting plan like 12:12, 14:10, etc.
Conform to your fasting plan, but stop being too strict
Now that an intermittent fasting plan has been determined, it’s your turn to conform to it. Even though intermittent fasting is allowed by your doctor, there will possibly be some issues taking place on you due to the effect of baby-raising, breastfeeding, or hormones. Therefore, there’s no need to be too strict with yourself. Once you feel uncomfortable after intermittent fasting, you can call it an end at any time.
Be flexible
This tip means that you can sometimes break your fast if you feel very hungry or uncomfortable. If you don’t expect your plan not to be broken, you can choose to eat some fresh vegetables or fruits instead of high-fat foods. After all, it is unnecessary for you to over-control yourself because the leading job is to breastfeed a baby during the special period.
Drink much water
Water can not only benefit your health but also gives you a feeling of fulfillment, which makes water the best drink working with intermittent fasting. Even some professional intermittent fasters do water fasting. During the period of fasting, you are suggested to drink a lot of water, but it is not recommended to do that at midnight since your sleep will possibly be affected.
Relieve stress and try to have a good sleep
Stress and inadequate sleep not only affect your effect of losing weight but influence your mood, even damaging your health as well. So, you should try your best to relieve your stress and go to bed as early as possible. Fortunately, intermittent fasting boosts sleep and if you stick to it during your breastfeeding period, you’ll naturally have a good sleep.
Can’t-Miss Tips for Intermittent Fasting While Breastfeeding
Besides the above steps, there are still some useful tips for intermittent fasting.
Plan your meal ahead of time
Planning a meal ahead of time to work with intermittent fasting is very important because when you are full, you can arrange your meal according to your eating window rationally, while you are extremely hungry, some foods disturbing your eating plan will be possibly eaten by you randomly.
Take PGX before meals
PGX is a soluble fiber from natural sources that help regulate blood sugar, reduces food addiction, and helps with appetite control. With the help of it, you can control your appetite, and decrease the intake of foods successfully in the end.
Do some exercise
Doing exercise can not only be good for health but helps lose weight, especially when you are fasting. In addition, the toxins in your body will be ejected with your sweat, thus leaving you fresh skin.
Quickly forgive yourself when you mess up
Sometimes you may feel upset, for you cannot see any change in your body after a period of fasting. But do not let it setback your confidence, and your way of keeping fasting, because it is common for everyone, not alone your breastfeeding period. And all you should do is forgive yourself and keep fasting continuously.
Bottom Line
- Women are allowed to do intermittent fasting during the breastfeeding period as long as that’s allowed by their doctors and their babies are staying at a period when breast milk isn’t the only nutrition source.
- Some useful tips introduced in the article above are beneficial to increase the efficiency of intermittent fasting for breastfeeding women.
- How to Do Intermittent Fasting Based on a Shift Work Schedule
- Do Nuts Break a Fast and a List of Nuts on Calories
- 5 Steps Starter Pack to Combine Mindful Eating with Intermittent Fasting
- Mindful eating
- Warrior Diet
