I had a really hard time losing weight while breastfeeding. Instead of shedding pounds, I often gained them. While some women seem to slim down while nursing, I found myself finishing the last cupcake and picking food off my children’s plates.

Breastfeeding made me very hungry.

After discussing it with my doctor and getting the go-ahead, I tried intermittent fasting while breastfeeding my fourth (and final) baby. That decision changed everything for me.

Intermittent fasting (IF) suited me. I didn’t lose huge amounts of weight quickly — which isn’t healthy or easy to sustain — but I reversed the trend I’d experienced after previous pregnancies and steadily lost weight while nursing.

Through IF while breastfeeding, I eventually reached a weight below where I was before I had children — and I was still nursing.

This article describes my experience and the results I achieved using intermittent fasting to lose baby weight.

UPDATE May 2019: After two years of intermittent fasting, I stopped. Although much of the experience was positive, I no longer believe IF is the best overall approach for long-term mental and physical health. For more details, see why I changed my approach.

My experience with intermittent fasting and breastfeeding

After every birth I resolved to lose the baby weight and the extra pounds from earlier pregnancies, but I always struggled while breastfeeding. On several occasions I actually gained weight during this time.

Because breastfeeding was important and rewarding for me, I didn’t want my weight to interfere with my decision to continue. Still, after my fourth child in December 2016 I was at my heaviest non-pregnant weight and determined to finally overcome this pattern.

With my doctor’s permission I joined a gym, worked with a personal trainer, and tried to eat healthier — but the scale stayed the same for a long time. It was discouraging.

While researching healthy eating, I discovered intermittent fasting. It felt like a revelation — IF offers many potential health benefits, including fat loss and improved metabolic markers.

I wanted to try it, but found little practical information about intermittent fasting while breastfeeding. I didn’t want to jeopardize my milk supply or quality, yet I also didn’t want to wait a year to address my weight.

I reminded myself that women have successfully breastfed through periods of limited food historically. I reasoned that a few extra hours of daily fasting would probably have minimal impact on an established supply.

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Is it safe to fast while breastfeeding?

Always check with your own doctor, but for me the answer was yes.

At my baby’s three-month visit I asked the pediatrician about intermittent fasting while breastfeeding. By then my milk supply was established and our routine was steady.

My pediatrician pays close attention to maternal nutrition and stays current with research, so she was a good person to consult. I expected caution, but she supported my plan to do daily 16-hour fasts.

I explained I would eat between noon and 8:00 p.m., focus on hydration, and choose healthy foods. She had no objections but reminded me to watch the baby’s reaction to milk, noting that ketosis can sometimes change milk flavor.

Excited and reassured, I began the next day.

Managing intermittent fasting while breastfeeding

I woke around 7:00 a.m. and kept busy caring for my kids to avoid eating before noon. As any parent knows, staying occupied with morning tasks helps prevent snacking.

After the morning routine we went to the gym; by the time the kids were checked into childcare, I worked out and got everyone home, it was nearly noon. At that point I was ready for a substantial meal.

I ate three meals between noon and 7:00 p.m., finishing all eating by 8:00 p.m. By day four this schedule felt normal — I wasn’t hungry in the mornings anymore. For me, adjusting to an eight-hour eating window while breastfeeding was manageable.

In fact, I found that lighter mornings often made me more energetic and productive with the kids and household tasks.

RELATED: Tips for Intermittent Fasting While Breastfeeding

My results

1) Milk supply

My primary concern was whether IF would reduce my milk. Fortunately, my supply remained steady. I continued producing plenty of milk and noticed no change in nursing during my gradual weight loss.

I kept well hydrated and prioritized fluids throughout the day.

On occasion, during periods of faster weight loss a few months into IF, I noticed a small, temporary dip in supply. I attribute that to rapid weight loss (more than about two pounds a week) rather than fasting itself. I continued nursing through my toddler stage and felt my child remained healthy and well nourished.

* UPDATE March 2019: I continued intermittent fasting while breastfeeding until my toddler weaned at about 22 months.

2) Weight loss

The pounds began to come off at roughly a pound per week. While slower weight loss isn’t headline-grabbing, it was sustainable — and I’ve kept the weight off more than a year after starting IF.

After the first few days I rarely felt hungry. Over time I lost about 35 pounds, returning to my pre-children weight. I experienced normal plateaus along the way, but by changing habits I avoided regaining lost weight.

3) Changing habits

The biggest benefit of IF for me was gaining control over my eating. Breastfeeding made me ravenously hungry at times, and I struggled with cravings. Intermittent fasting helped reset those habits.

Starting IF led to many changes in my eating habits — a natural, gradual shift that made the new patterns easy to sustain. That long-term change is why I’ve been able to keep the weight off.

I’ve always valued exercise, but you can’t out-exercise a poor diet. IF helped me be more mindful of true hunger cues and how food made me feel, rather than eating impulsively.

As I gained self-control, I read several nutrition books that reshaped my food choices and helped me build a healthier relationship with food.

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Here are a couple of my favorites:

• Food: What the Heck Should I Eat — Dr. Hyman reviews food groups and current research in an accessible way that helped me make better food choices.
• Intuitive Eating — This book changed how I view dieting and helped me develop a healthier relationship with food and my body.

With IF and continued learning about nutrition, I broke the cycle of gaining weight while breastfeeding and lost the weight I had gained through pregnancy.

Intermittent fasting while breastfeeding was the answer for me

Overall, IF is straightforward—no calorie counting or detailed tracking—and it helped me develop lasting healthy eating habits. It was a key tool for reclaiming my health and losing 35 pounds gained through pregnancy.

If intermittent fasting interests you while you’re breastfeeding, consult your doctor or pediatrician first to make sure it’s appropriate for your situation.

UPDATE May 2019: After two years of intermittent fasting, I stopped. While my experience was mostly positive, I now prefer a different long-term approach to mental and physical well-being. I changed my eating philosophy for overall sustainability and health.

More resources

• The IF Meal Plan That Helped me Lose Weight (with printable resources)
• Tips for Intermittent Fasting While Breastfeeding
• 3 Ways For Busy Moms to Get Motivated to Exercise