I am not a nursing mom and ate as much as I wanted when my son was nursing — which is why I got to where I am now.

If you wanted to chance doing this diet, having a child who does not depend wholly on a ready supply of breast milk is a good candidate to experiment on. The child could simply eat more of the solid food. I imagine you would find out pretty quickly — with one or two fast days – if your supply was affected and if the breast milk flavor or quality was changed.

I’m breastfeeding a 16 month old and plan to nurse until she is at least 2. We nurse mostly just mornings and before bed, but sometimes also in the afternoon. My supply hasn’t changed so far, though I get very dehydrated if I don’t drink water basically constantly on fast days. However, I have been VERY emotional on fast days, to the point that I’m considering going off the diet because I just feel too out of control (like I am 13 again, or something). I’m going to keep at it for another couple of weeks to see if things improve. Also, after two weeks I have had no weight loss. So, that’s how I feel!

Hi, I’m breastfeeding my son who just turned 2. I have re-started this diet this week after recently putting back on some of the 4-5 stone I lost after gaining it in my pregnancy with him. I did various diets before including a few months of 5:2/4:3 while breastfeeding him.

It’s controversial for some reason, but clearly there is no actual problem with a breastfeeding woman losing weight – in fact that’s the natural consequence of breastfeeding and is biologically prepared for when you lay fat down during pregnancy (it’s not to keep, it’s to use while you’re bf-ing and may have more limited access to food).

I did a lot of research before dieting. I read a study which showed that the nutritional value of breastmilk is practically identical whether from mothers with a rich western diet or from mothers from the third world with a much poorer diet. I concluded that losing my excess weight was biologically natural and expected and would not be harmful to my baby or to me.

I can’t understand a word of Piper’s post, but I’d be interested to understand what people’s concerns are, if they have any, and what the concerns are based on, ie, what leads you to think there is something to fear from nursing mothers losing weight – is it on the basis of any scientific research, or any reliable information, or is it just ‘conventional wisdom’ that you’ve never actually questioned or researched? Thanks.

Excellent explanation 2fast2furious.
I have long pondered piper’s attack on rlb14.

As you say, women gain fat during pregnancy so that they have reserves to feed the baby, even if there is not enough food available.

Once breastfeeding is well established and the bub is on solids…I would say over one year… if mum is still carrying excess fat she should be able to start 5:2. There is nothing drastic about it. Breastfeeding mums are very aware of their supply and their baby’s needs and can very quickly change back if they find any adverse effects.

For the same reason most of us are overweight, well fed modern women still put on the bank of fat (as they should) during pregnancy. But as they don’t suffer periods of low availability of food, they may end up heavier.

Establish breastfeeding first. Introduce your bub to good healthy home cooked foods some time after 5 1/2 months and, when you are in the second year of breastfeeding and don’t seem to be returning to a more reasonable weight, give 5:2 a go.

The last thing mothers need is a poor self image and being attacked by unthinking people.
PVE