atkins for nursing moms

[redgus]

hi,
i am contemplating trying atkins, i hear you get results pretty quick. has anyone done it while nursing? i wonder how safe it is, and will i be a able to keep up my supply?
thanks,
diana

[Jeanne]

Diana,
I'm doing Atkins now but I am not nursing exclusively any more. Nursing has really tapered down to nothing more than an ounce or two in the morning and before bed. It's more of a comfort thing for my second. I don't know anything about what it could do to your supply or how it would affect the milk nutritionally but I would have to assume that it would not be wise. There's no balance on this diet so you won't be ingesting what you need for your milk to be balanced. But I could be wrong as I'm not that versed in all things BF. I would not have done Atkins while I was nursing exclusively.

I am loosing this baby weight at a good pace now though. I am not one of the lucky people who dropped all their weight from nursing. But from what I hear, most women do manage to drop it just from nursing and eating healthy.

How old is your baby?

[kransden]

The induction phase, is where you will lose the most weight. Is not a healthy balanced diet. I do not suggest it for nursing at all. It is hard on your body which is already over taxed. You could have kidney damage. It is very unlikely, but why risk it? If you wanted to do the third phase go ahead. It is basically - eat lots of veggies, meat and moderate amounts of healthy carbs. Sweet potatoes instead of baked, lentils instead of white pasta etc. Limit your sugars.

Here is a nice sample menu of what I used to eat:

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with sliced ham, tomatoes and and milk

Lunch
spinach salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, onions, macadamia nuts and a vinagar and oil based dressing

Dinner
Grilled steak w/mushrooms, asparagus with a modified cheese sauce (less carbs and more cheese for calcium), yellow squash, and lentils, sweet potatoes or brown rice.

Notice you are getting 2 dairy serving a day, a variety of color in your foods, good carbs and the meats are lean. My big problem is having time to make healthy meals, but all these thing are actually pretty fast to make. Good Luck!

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[redgus]

thank you both ladies for answering. my sweet emma is only ten weeks old and on further reflection i decided to postpone atkins until after i stop nursing. i am going back to work in two weeks and we'll have to see how she likes the bottle. it is very difficult to lose any weight since i am hungry all the time. i wonder how some nursing moms manage to drop the weight while nursing. must have excellent genes. i may try your suggestion, though, katie. lots of luck.

[AJsMom]

Diana,

Definitely don't do the diet while nursing. Remember, you are essentially sharing your body and your diet with your baby at this point. As already mentioned, it is taxing on the body (esp. kidneys, you are in ketosis (ketones not so good for baby) and losing weight quickly can release more toxins into your breastmilk (since you will be burning body fat and the fat is where toxins are stored). I suggest exercise and a healthy, balanced diet for now. You should not expect to lose baby weight quickly- the rule of thumb in weight loss is to lose no more than 1 pound a week, especially while nursing. Also, it took a while to gain the weight, so it will take a while to get it off!

No matter what you do, take a multivitamin (no one's food intake is perfect!), make sure to get 1200 mg calcium a day, and drink lots of water to maintain a healthy milk supply.

Kristen

[COElizabeth]

Don't assume that you won't be able to lose the weight while BF. You might not, but 10 weeks is still really early! I gained 49 pounds and lost it all plus 5 more while nursing, but it took quite a while. I think I was not down to my pre-pregnancy weight until about 9 months post-partum. At 10 weeks I still had a LONG way to go! Also, that hungry-all-the-time feeling will subside some.

I know that the Atkins diet specifically mentions that phase 1 should not be used by pregnant or nursing moms. Of course, trying to eat a more healthful diet certainly wouldn't hurt. I might have lost the weight faster if I had been more careful about what I ate - I basically ate whatever I wanted, and I have a sweet tooth. But I also didn't really want to lose the weight too quickly, because as a pp mentioned, rapid weight loss will release a lot of stored poisons into your milk (because your body stores pesticides and such in your fat). I think I could have safely lost a bit more quickly, but I definitely wouldn't have wanted to have the rapid weight loss that is typical of phase 1 of Atkins.

Best wishes and congrats on your baby. Emma was my first choice for a girl's name!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I did the research about Atkins and pregnancy and nursing because I had lost 70 pounds on Atkins prior to getting pregnant. I decided to go to maintenance level while pregnant, but my research led me to decide that induction level would be okay while nursing.

Here are some links to read:

Ketones not harmful to the baby per Dr Hale:
http://neonatal.ama.ttuhsc.edu/discus/messages/53/187.html?1052170264

toxins released from fat loss not found in breastmilk:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVOctNov97p115.html

So I decided that in my opinion it would be okay to be on Atkins induction level while breastfeeding.

However, I have not been able to stay on it. I'm just too hungry all the time and my usual Atkins snacks were not working for me at all. So I will wait until later to lose weight. I know from last time that my body holds onto weight while breastfeeding, so I can be patient.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[redgus]

thank you for the links,karen. i have tried atkins before myself but found it difficult to stay on for very long. however, lately there has been a veritable explosion of low carb products, so maybe it will be easier. even though i am a little torn between doing what is best for emma and losing weight, there is no doubt in my mind that her wellbeing comes first. i guess i'll keep researching my options and keep coming back to this forum for ideas and encouragement.