Does Pumping Help You Lose Weight?

Breastfeeding can sometimes help you lose weight after pregnancy, but the amount you lose varies from person to person. This weight loss method won’t work for everyone because it requires many calories daily to produce breast milk.

Breastfeeding can burn 500 to 700 calories per day on average. So, theoretically, it is possible to lose weight through pumping. But you must follow your doctor’s orders before returning to diets and exercise after childbirth.

According to one piece of research, breastfeeding women lost “significantly more” weight than formula-feeding women from one to twelve months postpartum.

Another investigation discovered that breastfeeding or pumping might have long-term advantages. Those who breastfed for more than 12 weeks postpartum lost 7.5 pounds more than those who did not breastfeed ten years later.

Continue reading to learn how pumping breast milk helps with weight loss.

Can you lose weight by exclusively pumping?

Breastfeeding can help you lose weight and return to your pre-pregnancy body faster. Exclusive breast pumping lets you be away from your baby for an extended period. But you will need to eat a substantial amount of food to produce enough milk to sustain your baby.

It’s also easier for others to feed your baby because it no longer has to be present to feed them. But it’s important to understand that this benefit isn’t guaranteed.

It will be a tall task if you want to lose weight through exclusive breast pumping. Because if you only pump, you can expect to pump 8 to 10 times per day at first, and you will need to consume more calories to produce more milk.

You may be able to pump less frequently as time goes on. More routine pumping will result in faster weight loss if you follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

How does pumping make you lose weight?

While breastfeeding burns 500-700 calories more per day to fuel milk production, this may not always contribute to postpartum weight loss; many factors, such as pre-pregnancy weight, diet, physical activity level, and so on, will impact weight loss after birth.

According to a different study by Dewey, Heinig&Nommsen, breastfeeding mothers lose1-2 pounds per month on average, and breastfeeding mothers lose more weight over time than non-breastfeeding mothers.

Pumping vs. breastfeeding: Which is better for weight loss?

When it comes to postpartum weight loss, almost all women ask, which is better for weight loss: breast pumping or breastfeeding? Well, that is what we answered in this article section.

Breastfeeding: it has been shown that you can burn almost 200-600 calories daily by breastfeeding daily. But to return to your pre-pregnancy body, you will need to burn much more calories than that because you will not only be burning calories to produce milk, but you will also need to intake more calories.
Pumping: Breast pumping is the most efficient way to lose weight, as you can milk yourself multiple times with the pumps to burn double the number of calories compared to breastfeeding. This breastfeeding method is the most convenient for the mother as she can milk herself anytime and keep the milk stored.

So, we can see that breast pumping is the most efficient way to lose weight compared to breastfeeding because you can produce more milk through pumps more times a day.

How much weight do you lose by pumping?

Weight loss while also breastfeeding is largely determined by the diet you follow. You can lose some weight gained during pregnancy by exclusively pumping your breasts. The more milk you produce, the more weight you can potentially lose in the long run.

Most breastfeeding mothers are advised to follow a diet plan. A breastfeeding mother should lose 500g to 1 kg of weight in the first year after giving birth.

Pumping mothers can burn an additional 200-600 calories per day. But you’ll need to eat more to regain lost calories and maintain energy levels.

How to use pumps to lose weight?

Exclusive pumping can help with postpartum weight loss as the process burns over 200–500 calories every time you pump. Pumping is the most effective way to breastfeed a baby, as the baby will still receive the milk if you’re not around.

Even though you can, in theory, lose weight while pumping, you will need some additional assistance as you will not be able to shed enough weight solely through pumping. You will need to follow strict diet plans and do the exercises recommended by doctors to lose the amount of weight that will make you look like you were pre-pregnancy.

How to lose weight by pumping breast milk?

Many new mothers mistakenly believe that breastfeeding aids in postpartum weight loss. However, while breastfeeding burns many calories, it also requires about 500 more calories per day than a pre-pregnancy diet.

In this article, we discussed healthy habits and practices which will aid in reducing the amount of fat in a new mom’s body to make her look like she did before pregnancy. You will gain significant weight by following this list of healthy habits and breastfeeding tips.

The list of good habits to help lose weight is as follows:

Regular pumping: To lose weight by breastfeeding, you must pump multiple times a day to burn enough calories exclusively.
Feed on demand: You will undoubtedly lose weight if you begin to exercise more frequently. On the other hand, your body must understand that even though some fat deposits are vanishing, it still needs to produce milk.
Drinking plenty of water: Drinking plenty of water daily is one of the healthiest things for your body, whether or not you’re trying to lose weight. It is especially important for nursing mothers.

Eat a balanced diet: When breastfeeding, you will need to add 300 to 500 calories daily to your diet, bringing your total daily intake to around 2,200 to 2500 calories.
Enough sleep: Sleep is very important for post-pregnancy weight loss as exercise and diet, but it is not easy to get enough sleep when breastfeeding a newborn. The value of sleep, on the other hand, cannot be overstated.
A moderate exercise routine: Keeping your diet under control is only half the battle. You’ll also need to exercise to lose weight while breastfeeding.

Do you lose weight when you stop pumping?

Although the likelihood of weight gain after stopping breastfeeding varies from woman to woman, no concrete study proves it. While some women gain weight after weaning their babies, this is not the case for all women.

When you stop pumping yourself, you can expect to lose less weight. Because breastfeeding burns many calories, you may not lose as much weight as you did while breastfeeding when you stopped.

The moment you stop breastfeeding, your body stops burning those extra calories. Stopping breastfeeding will not guarantee an increase in weight loss, but it can cause it if you’re not careful with your diet and lifestyle.

How to lose weight without losing your milk supply?

You can think of dieting or exercising, but that might badly affect your milk production, which can later harm your health and the babies.

It would help if you created to have a calorie to lose weight, but not taking in enough calories can be severely detrimental to health. It would help if you had enough nutrients to keep you healthy and not leave you tired and low energy.

Here, we will show you some healthy practices you can adopt to lose weight while breastfeeding while still producing enough milk.

Avoid eating too little: Breastfeeding mothers should limit their calorie intake to 1500-1800 per day. Eating just right allows you to get enough nutrients while avoiding producing too little milk.
Consume protein-rich foods: Replacing processed foods with those high in protein and fiber can help you feel fuller for longer.

Stay hydrated: Drinking enough unsweetened beverages, such as water, is essential for your milk supply. It can also assist in losing weight by keeping you full and energized.
Sleep whenever possible: Sleep deprivation can lead to increased hunger and cravings. Plan at least a few 30-minute naps for yourself while your baby sleeps to compensate for your lack of sleep.

Does pumping help lose weight like breastfeeding?

While you will automatically lose around 5 kg after giving birth, you may not so easily lose the fat that made your body it’s home. In this case, breastfeeding and pumping can be useful for burning calories daily.

But one method is better than the other in weight loss. To lose weight through lactation, you need to produce milk; simply breastfeeding will not cut it.

If you want to speed up the weight loss process through breastmilk, you will need to milk yourself numerous times a day; This is why it is always best to opt for exclusive breast pumping in situations like this. Exclusive breast pumping is when you milk yourself through pumps and do not feed directly from the breasts.

Through this method, you can produce milk many times a day and burn more calories. So, we can say that pumping will result in better weight loss.

Summary

To summarize, breastfeeding and pumping help women lose weight, but they are not a miracle cure. Losing baby weight takes time and effort, but breastfeeding can help.

Because every woman’s body is different, it’s difficult to predict how much weight you’ll lose while breastfeeding. However, most women burn 500–700 calories daily while nursing and a similar amount while breast pumping.

But it would be best to remember to eat lots of nutritious food. Breastfeeding and milk production requires a lot of calories and nutrients, so if you don’t eat properly, it will harm your health as well as the health of the baby.