The HCG Diet and Breastfeeding

The HCG diet has proven to be a very effective diet that some consider using it to lose pregnancy weight. Despite the fact that the HCG Diet is safe and effective for weight loss, there have been some debates whether it is wise for breastfeeding women to follow it.  

Many women believe that breastfeeding while on hcg injection is perfectly fine. They claim that HCG levels are still high even after giving birth, so it’s safe for nursing babies. They also believe that daily administration of HCG poses no threat to the nursing baby. Others believe that any foreign substance that gets in the body differs from those made by the body naturally. Still, many argue not about whether the HCG is injected into their system, but on the number of calories, they would be eating. The allotted calories per day can be hard enough to stick. This becomes even more challenging when one is breastfeeding. The result would be extreme hunger.  

Reasons not to do the HCG diet while breastfeeding 

There is no doubt that breastfeeding gives significant health benefits to both mother and child. It’s undoubtedly the most ideal way to nurture an infant. Breastfeeding promotes a faster weight loss for mom, burning about 500 extra calories per day to build and maintain milk supplies. Yet, many women find this is not enough and are desperately seeking ways to lose the weight they put on during pregnancy.  

Reason #1 

One reason it’s not recommended during breastfeeding is that when you lose fat, you are likely to lose toxins stored over a long period. Your body will release toxins from the fats and this can definitely get into the breast milk, which could be dangerous to the nursing baby.   

Persistent organic pollutants (POP) are absorbed into the body and stored in fat cells. During a rapid weight loss, these toxins are released into the bloodstreams and other organs and even on breast milk.  

Reason #2 

Another reason why the HCG diet is not recommended when breastfeeding is the very low-calorie diet. This calorie restriction is difficult to maintain on normal protocol. What more if you are breastfeeding? This is not a suitable calorie requirement for lactating mothers. It’s not enough to keep up with the milk supply and won’t provide enough energy to produce milk or maintain health during lactation. When you are nursing, you are actually recommended to increase your diet by 500 calories. 

Reason #3 

It is also crucial for breastfeeding mothers to follow a well-balanced diet. Otherwise, this can negatively affect the quality of milk she produces, and the baby won’t receive the right nutrition from the milk. 

Reason #4 

After giving birth, prolactin level remains very high for breastfeeding mothers. Prolactin hormones are produced in the pituitary gland and play a huge role in breast milk production. This hormone can interfere with HCG. In order to prevent harm to the newborn, wait until you have finished breastfeeding before beginning your HCG Diet.