It's common for new moms to wonder whether or not it's okay to diet while breastfeeding. After all, the food you consume affects your baby, and if you don't consume enough food, it could affect the amount of milk your body produces. The fact is, you need to maintain a higher calorie intake while you're breastfeeding so that you and your baby remain healthy. But, that doesn't mean that you have to wait until your little one is eating solid foods to get rid of your extra baby weight.   

Keep It Simple

It's okay if you don't have a lot of time or energy to devote to dieting -- a lot of new moms don't. So, don't worry about counting every calorie you consume. Instead, take a relaxed approach to dieting. Aim for between 1,800 and 2,000 calories per day if you aren't exercising, and eat up to 2,400 calories each day if you are exercising. Breastfeeding alone burns approximately 850 calories per day, so don't worry if you accidentally eat more calories than you intended to one day. Your body needs them. In order to maintain your calorie goals without counting every single calorie each day, spend one day per week prepping snacks and small meals for the week. This way, you have a general idea of how many calories you're eating, but you don't have to track your calorie intake daily.

Go Slow

Unless your doctor says that you can start dieting early, you should wait until your baby is about two months old before you start cutting calories. During the first few months of breastfeeding, your body is still adapting to the physical demands associated with producing milk. The last thing you want to do is disrupt the process. Once your doctor gives you the okay to begin dieting, cut your calories slowly. Dropping your calorie intake too quickly can affect your milk supply. So, gradually cut your calories each week, and if you're losing more than one pound per week after the first six weeks of dieting, you should consider increasing your calorie intake slightly. You can increase the amount of calories you consume easily by adding an additional healthy snack or a shake made with protein powder to your daily eating routine.

Watch the Clock

When you're breastfeeding and you go too long between meals your hormones kick into gear. Your body starts pulling energy from its reserves, and when this happens, your level of prolactin lowers, which affects the amount of milk your body makes. So. not only do you feel tired and like you're starving, you might not be producing enough milk for your baby. Because of this, it's important for breastfeeding moms to eat frequently. However, this doesn't mean you should eat whatever you want whenever you want. If you want to lose weight, watch the clock. Every two hours, eat a small, healthy snack or meal. If you don't have time to prepare food, mix protein powder with milk or water to make a quick shake. Not only are protein shakes easy to make, the added protein in the powder gives you a little bit more energy.

It is possible to diet while you're breastfeeding without affecting your milk supply. All you need to do is reduce your calorie intake slowly, eat frequently, and watch your weight so that you don't shed pounds too fast. By eating healthy foods and including clean protein powder shakes in your diet, you'll be able to shed your baby weight in no time.