Breastfeeding and Weight Loss: Why Your Body May Not Be Changing Yet
Many women enter postpartum thinking that breastfeeding will automatically make the weight fall off.
And why do we think this? Because of comments like these…“Breastfeeding burns SO many calories, it’ll be easy to bounce back.” and “Oh, you’re breastfeeding?? You’re going to lose the baby weight so fast!”.
But what happens when you realize that your experience feels different than that? You’re doing everything “right”. You’re working out, breastfeeding and trying to take care of yourself the best that you can, and your body STILL doesn’t look like the 12-week postpartum transformations you see online.
If that’s been your experience, I want you to know something right away: what you’re experiencing is incredibly normal.
Fitness during breastfeeding is not the same physiological environment as any other training season. Your body is putting a ton of effort into a few other more important things than fat loss…things like: healing, regulating hormones, and producing milk for another human. And because those take priority, that changes how fat loss and body recomposition work during this stage of life!
does breastfeeding actually help with weight loss?
It’s a fair question, to be honest, and on the surface, it seems like that should make sense. Milk production requires energy. In fact, breastfeeding can use roughly 400 to 500 calories per day depending on supply, feeding frequency, and individual metabolism. Because of that, it’s easy to assume that breastfeeding should naturally lead to fat loss.
But when we look at the research, the story is not quite that simple. A large 2025 review ,that looked at 33 different studies and nearly 80,000 women, found that the evidence linking breastfeeding to postpartum weight loss is actually inconsistent. Some women did experience weight loss while breastfeeding, while others maintained their weight or even held onto additional body fat during this time.
One reason the research can be difficult to interpret is because most studies measure only body weight, not body composition. Body weight is only one metric, and it definitely doesn’t show the whole picture when you’re trying to figure out what’s actually going on inside your body. Changes in muscle, fluid shifts, healing tissues, and metabolic recovery all play a role in the postpartum period, and those changes do not always show up clearly on the scale.
So while breastfeeding does increase energy demands, it does not automatically mean that fat loss will happen quickly or predictably. Every woman’s body responds differently depending on hormones, sleep, stress, nutrition, and overall recovery during the postpartum phase.
why the scale can be misleading while breastfeeding
We’ve established that breastfeeding does in fact use about 400-500 additional calories per day, but now we also need to talk about how smart our bodies are at adapting to what we NEED during this stage of life.
Instead of simply burning through fat stores, your body often compensates by increasing hunger, conserving energy, and prioritizing milk supply. This is a protective physiological response…it knows that you’re feeding another human and that other human relies on you! Your body’s number one goal right now is to support feeding your baby, not to aggressively lose body fat. Because of this, many women notice that while they are breastfeeding they may feel hungrier, more fatigued, or like their body is holding onto a little extra body fat (hint: because it is!). That is not a sign that something is wrong. It is your metabolism doing exactly what it is designed to do during this stage.
Now, let’s talk about the scale. A lot of times, the conversation around postpartum fitness is more geared towards “returning” to your previous body weight and attaining a specific number again. The number on the scale has implied importance in a lot of postpartum fitness lingo/marketing, but body weight ALONE does not tell us what is really happening.
The scale does not show whether you are:
rebuilding muscle,
restoring core function,
healing tissues,
or improving strength.
It cannot differentiate between fat, muscle, fluid shifts, or the natural changes that occur as your body recovers from pregnancy and birth! This is why many women feel stronger, more stable, and more capable in their postpartum workouts long before they see visible physical changes. Your body may be rebuilding metabolism, restoring muscle, and improving coordination even if the scale has not moved yet. This rebuilding process is an incredibly important part of long-term body recomposition and honestly, so much more important than an ambiguous number.
early postpartum is a rebuild phase…and why strength training matters more than fat loss
One of the biggest mindset shifts that can help during early postpartum is understanding that this season is not primarily a fat loss phase - it is a rebuild phase. And that’s not to say that there won’t be other seasons where maybe fat loss is more of the focus, and that’s totally okay! There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose fat, but knowing what stage of life or season is going to support that goal the best can be so much more beneficial than trying to fight what you’re body is naturally trying to do.
Your body has just gone through pregnancy, labor, birth, massive hormonal shifts, sleep disruption, and now the ongoing energy demands of breastfeeding (for those this applies to). Again, your body is heavily prioritizing healing tissues, regulating hormones, supporting milk production, and helping your nervous system adjust to a completely new rhythm of life, and because of that, visible fat loss just is not the main focus.
What does matter during this phase is rebuilding strength, coordination, and stability. This is where intentional strength training becomes incredibly valuable. Strength training helps restore muscle, improve core and pelvic floor function, support joint stability, and rebuild the metabolic foundation that allows body recomposition to happen later. And trust me, having that solid foundation is so incredibly helpful if you do choose to work on body composition at a later time!
This is also why many women notice their strength returning before their body visually changes. You may feel more stable in your core, notice improved endurance during workouts, or feel stronger during daily movements long before the scale or mirror reflects those changes. That is not a sign that your workouts are not working. It is expected physiology! And feeling more stable in your core and noticing improved function throughout your day are huge markers that you’re doing EXACTLY what you’re body needs.
There is a season for everything, and being patient in the one that you’re in by giving your body what it needs and helping to rebuild core strength, stability and movement quality first is going to allow the next phase to be so much more effective if you choose to enter into a body recomposition or fat loss phase. Sometimes the best thing for you isn’t the flashiest or the most sensational, but with a little time, patience and perseverance, dang is it worth it!
when you might start to see fat loss and body recomposition happen postpartum
We’ve established that noticeable body recomposition and fat loss are not typical in those early postpartum months, but now let’s talk about when we CAN expect to start seeing noticeable changes.
Oftentimes, those noticeable changes are going to show up a bit later, when a few critical things have started to shift, including:
Sleep - when your sleep starts to show more improvements and becomes more restful
Hormones - at some point they will begin to stabilize, this makes a huge difference physiologically!
Feeding demands - this also may change as your baby grows and your body will notice.
Essentially, when your body has had more time to heal, recover, and adapt to training again, this is when many women start to notice the results of the consistency they built earlier. Unfortunately, every mother (and baby) is on their own timeline with these things. There is no perfect recipe or timeline I can leave you with because it is so individual.
But just know this, even if the reflection in the mirror or the number on the scale do not change right away, the work you put in during those early months was not wasted! Strength training was rebuilding muscle. Your core and pelvic floor were regaining coordination and their ability to work together again. Your metabolism was adapting to the different demands of early postpartum again and movement in general.
This is why the consistency you build early postpartum matters so much. Showing up for your workouts, focusing on strength, and supporting your body through recovery is what sets the stage for body recomposition later. When your body is ready for that next phase, the foundation you have built allows those changes to happen in a much more sustainable way.
the mindset shift that changes everything
The mindset around postpartum fitness can make a huge difference in how this entire experience feels. It is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of comparing your body to the “12 week transformations” you see online or feeling like you should already be “back to where you were before” pregnancy. But postpartum recovery does not follow a strict timeline, and every woman’s body moves through this season differently.
Your timeline does not need to be twelve weeks. For many women, it is much longer…and that is okay!
Instead of thinking about postpartum as a race to get your body back, it can be so much more helpful to view it as a season of rebuilding. A time where you restore strength, reconnect with your core and pelvic floor, and support your body through a huge transition. When you take this long term approach, the pressure starts to lift. You are no longer chasing a quick transformation. You are building a body that is strong, resilient, and capable for the decades ahead.
And honestly, we aren’t the same person that we were before having our baby, so why would we want that old body back anyways? We aren’t going back in time and getting something back. Instead, we are moving forward, growing and developing and creating this new version of ourselves…our body should reflect that! There’s no going back, only forward - the view is better from here anyways!
Mind Body Core
One of the hardest parts of postpartum recovery is knowing what exactly to do and how to safely progress. Many women either feel stuck repeating the same rehab exercises for months, trying to piecemeal workouts together from the influencers they follow online, or they jump into workouts that are too advanced before their core and pelvic floor are truly ready.
That gap is exactly why I created the Mind Body Core App.
Inside MBC, you’ll find step-by-step guidance for rebuilding strength during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. The programs are designed and created by a pelvic floor physical therapist and focus on the exact things we talked about in this blog post: reconnecting with your core, rebuilding muscle, improving stability, and progressing your strength in a way that supports your body long term.
Instead of guessing what workout comes next, you’ll have a clear plan that grows with you as your body gets stronger.
If you’re ready for workouts that support your postpartum recovery, help rebuild strength, and meet you where you are right now, you can explore everything inside Mind Body Core below. And remember, with the MBC membership, you get access to EVERYTHING inside the app!