What could be more rewarding than becoming a mom? But when friends say, "Congratulations on your new addition," do you think of the extra pounds you may have added during pregnancy instead of your newborn? If so, you may be among those new moms who are secretly thinking, "I want my body back!"

A straightforward way to think about your postpartum self is that it took nine months for your body to grow the baby, so give yourself at least nine months to recover, though if you eat well and exercise, you will see a faster return and feel better. According to a 1995 study by Clapp & Little, women who were assigned to a postpartum exercise program reported that it took an average of 16 days after they started to exercise (starting about two weeks after delivery) until they felt in control of their lives again. This was less than half the time reported by matched control subjects who were assigned not to exercise postpartum.

It is not always easy to discern the myths from the facts surrounding safe and effective methods for diet and exercise during lactation. With everyone from Aunt Mildred to opinionated authors giving you advice, you need to arm yourself with the most current research facts.

The good news is that several studies have shown that women who breastfeed lost more weight and/or fat from the lower body than those who did not. (Hammer, Babcock & Fisher, 1976; Janey, Zhang & Sowers, 1997, Kramer, Stunkard, Marshall, McKinney & Liebschutz, 1993). Pregnancy enhances fat deposits, however, especially in the lower body – it's there because fat is essential for producing breast milk. Breastfeeding moms tend to hold on to five to 15 pounds of extra weight until they wean, again, your body does this to ensure there's adequate nutrition for your baby. A study showed that breastfeeding mothers who consumed an average of 1,800 calories per day during 10 weeks of dieting maintained milk production while their infants thrived at a rate similar to those of healthy non-dieting women. (Dusdieker, et al., 1994). More severely limited food intake, however, may reveal a threshold below which lactation may be compromised.

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