Does Breastfeeding Speed Weight Loss?
For years, McCrory says, there has been controversy about whether women lose weight more quickly when they breastfeed. But studies by McCrory and her colleagues at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Davis, show that women who breastfeed do lose weight more quickly. “It’s mostly an energy thing,” explains McCrory. “When you breastfeed, you draw on the body’s fat stores.” The biggest difference in weight loss between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding happens between three and six months after childbirth, McCrory says. But she adds that long-term studies are beginning to show that the advantage disappears over time. The myth persists that exercise and dieting will dry up a woman’s milk supply. McCrory and her colleagues at UC Davis have investigated this area for years and have found no evidence to support it. In fact, their findings show that a combination of dieting and exercise — including strength training — does not affect the quality or quantity of milk a
