I have lost all of my pregnancy weight (a scant 15 lbs) and then another 20-something pounds- all from breastfeeding. I haven’t changed my diet or followed an exercise regimen. The first pre-pregnancy 15 lbs seemed to fall off pretty quickly and then I have continued to lose the rest slowly and keep losing.

My sister-in-law lost a lot of weight too.

Yep, you need to consume an extra 200-500 calories while pregnant and nursing. Nursing *does* help you lose weight faster, mainly because your body is doing what it’s naturally meant to do, and while yes, you are burning extra calories by breastfeeding, your body is also responding the way it should (for example, each time you nurse your uterus contracts and consequently shrinks back to its normal size). Essentially, by breastfeeding you are signaling your body to heal itself. That said, some women retain an extra ten-fifteen pounds while nursing that just melts off once they wean the baby. No way of really telling. I was one of the lucky ones, losing weight really gradually until at 9 months post partum I was below my pre-pregnancy weight. Since then I haven’t lost any more weight but I’ll take what I can.

I know that nursing burns calories…but don’t you have to EAT a lot of extra calories when you’re nursing as well? When I was breastfeeding my 3 kids I remember always being hungry!