'Busy Mom' Alyson Hannigan Credits Breastfeeding for Weightloss

Kevin Perkins/Pacific Coast News

When it comes to returning to pre-baby form, like millions of other moms How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan credits breastfeeding. The 35-year-old actress is so impressed, in a new video for PEOPLE TV, she jokes that nursing even factors into her long-term weight maintenance plans.

“I know it’s a cliché, but I was eating just ridiculous amounts of food but still losing weight,” she notes. “I think I should just keep breastfeeding until she’s 18.” She adds,

“Is that weird? [If I] just keep pumping? No, I’m not going to do that. That was a joke. Please don’t send letters!”

Since returning to the set of the hit CBS show Alyson has developed a newfound appreciation for the push and pull of working motherhood. “I am a busy mom….it’s amazing how you have to sort of juggle things more than you did before the baby,” she says.

At the same time, she’s cognizant of how unique her own circumstances are — and grateful for them, as well.

“We have a nursery on set. My baby gets to come with me every day, and her daddy is there. I’m really fortunate to be able to bring her to work.”

Fans of HIMYM‘s Marshall and Lily shouldn’t get their hopes up that the fictional characters will also become parents, however, Alyson adds. “The show revolves around the five of them in a bar,” she notes. “[A baby] kind of would cramp the style.”

Alyson and her husband of nearly six years Alexis Denisof are parents to Satyana, 6 months.

– Missy

Comments

Of course they all say breastfeeding is how they lost the weight…well I breastfed and guess what my son is almost 3 and I still have 20 or so pounds of pregnancy weight on me. I do not believe that breastfeeding alone will make you lose the weight….

On another note I love Alyson and I love How I Met Your Mother and her little girl is super cute!

- April on September 29th, 2009

I’m confused. Does breastfeeding help people lose weight or not? All these celebrities claim it does, but the real people I know don’t seem to experience that. The two women I know who are currently nursing have not lost their baby weight one year out. I, on the other hand, had to stop nursing early on and have lost all my baby weight six months out. I’m just curious about others’ experiences. Not sure the celebrity model is reliable.

- Summer on September 29th, 2009

I think breastfeeding CAN help you lose weight but doesn’t necessarily mean that it always does. I’m sure it depends on the person and their body. Alyson strikes me as the type that has always been pretty petite so even if she wasn’t breastfeeding, I could see the weight coming off of her pretty easily. Also I do think some celebrities have said that to lose the weight they start working out soon after the baby is born. So I think some of them may not lose all of it just to breastfeeding.

- Laura on September 29th, 2009

I found that I lost weight when breastfeeding, of course its not going to really work if your taking in double your calorie intake!! but I found that I could have some nice treats and not notice it, when before they would have gone straight on the tummy!

- amy on September 29th, 2009

Nursing was responsible for about half of my weightloss. This drop occurred within the first month or so of nursing. To tone up, I just ate healthy and did good old fashioned exercise.

I’m sure, like anything, results vary between women.

- Liliana on September 29th, 2009

I lost all my baby weight from breastfeeding, but once I stopped it came back and it took me 2 years to lose the last 10 lbs that snuck back on after I was finished breastfeeding. You burn something like 500 calories a day from breastfeeding….that’s like running on the treadmill for 5 hours!

- Becky on September 29th, 2009

I lost some while breastfeeding, but all of it came back the minute I stopped. I still have about 8 pounds to lose and my son is almost 2!
I’d like to know how these celebs maintain so well after they lose it.

- Julie on September 29th, 2009

I’m sure it varies from woman to woman, but for me I lost a ton of weight from breastfeeding. It took a couple months post partum for the weight to come off, but about 6 months after giving birth to my son, I was the thinnest I’d been in years.
I also ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and I was always hungry. I can only attain that to breastfeeding, as I hardly exercise. As I started to wean him, I noticed my metabolism slowing down, and my appetite decreasing, so I started to be more aware of what I ate. Now I am at a steady weight that I have managed to maintain, thanks to breastfeeding 2 babies and I weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with my first.

- Y on September 29th, 2009

I believe that like all wight loss/gain it depends on your metabolism. Some women lose wight after birth regardless if they breastfeed, while for some it takes a lot of work -exercise and a healthy diet.
I have friends who eat double the amount I do and don’t watch what they eat and don’t gain any weight, while I gain if I eat one chocolate bar extra:-(

- Sanja on September 29th, 2009

I had the same experience as the post “Y” above. So, April, it does happen this way for some people.

I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight less than 6 weeks after my daughter was born. I ate and ate and ate, and still couldn’t keep the weight on. I ate without regard to calories or fat intake. By the time my daughter was 6 months, I was 8 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. Since then I have managed to maintain, although I am still nursing or pumping 7 times a day, and my daughter is 11 months old.

I am also naturally petite, so it may be related to how my body works naturally.

- Jen on September 29th, 2009

I agree that it depends on the woman, and even the pregnancy. I lost my pregnancy weight and then some with my first after my first two babies, mainly by breastfeeding, within the first 2 or 3 months. (My exercise mostly consisted of occasional long walks, so that may have helped a little, but not much, I’m sure.) My third baby is a little over 5 months, I gained almost exactly the same amount of weight with each pregnancy (about 40 pounds), I still take the occasional walk, and I still have about 5 pounds to go. Who knows!!!

- Shelby on September 29th, 2009

i lost all of my pregnancy weight by my six-week check up (about 18 lbs). however, muscle weighs more than fat, and i am definitely softer than when i used to jog 5 times a week and do pilates. i have a 7 month old, and even though i fit into all of my clothes, i definitely need to exercise more regularly. i also feel like my body is hanging onto an extra bit of fat because i’m breastfeeding. well, at any rate, a healthy diet and exercise are always important no matter your body shape.

- e on September 29th, 2009

I have twins and so I burned twice the amount of calories breastfeeding them (about 1000 a day in the beginning!) I was 5 pounds UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6 week post-pardem check up.

I have friends that have had a hard time losing weight breastfeeding, though. Their bodies respond by holding onto the weight until after they finish breastfeeding.

- urbanadventurertales on September 29th, 2009

I’m 9 weeks post-partum, gained 30 pounds during pregnancy and am now 14 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I completely credit breastfeeding as I’m still eating quite a bit. I have, in the last two weeks, begun watching my caloric intake in order to eat more healthily (or is it healthfully) so I can make the best breastmilk possible for my daughter nutritionally speaking but I’m not making any extra effort to lose weight…it is just falling off.

- s on September 29th, 2009

Hmm…for me the jury’s still out on breastfeeding helps you lose weight. My daughter is now 6 months old and I still have about 6-8 lbs left to lose. I breastfeed exclusively and I honestly don’t eat crazy amounts of food, but enough.

In fact, prior to gettting pregnant I was active, did Triathlons and other small 10Ks. I even exercised throughout my entire pregnancy with swimming, walking, and stationary bike until four days before the baby was born. And four months post-partum I did an Olympic Distance Triathlon. But yet, I’m still not at pre-baby weight. What gives?

Everyone’s different, everyone’s body is different, and everybody’s metabolism is different. I wouldn’t generalize and say breastfeeding is great for weight loss, cos it doesn’t for everyone.

- madeline on September 29th, 2009

I just don’t believe that breastfeeding ALONE will take all of the weight off. MY OPINION ONLY.

- April on September 29th, 2009

I think you can only attribute breastfeeding to weightloss if you can personally compare it to not breastfeeding! I have no idea if I would have had more or less trouble losing the weight after my kids as I breastfed both of them. No grounds for comparison, so who knows?
I think it just depends on the person. I do think that regardless of whether you return to your pre-pregnancy weight or not, you will inevitable be a different shape. So I guess we all have to do a little work to get back to where we want to be!

- Jude on September 30th, 2009

Breastfeeding will burn about 500 to 700 calories a day, so if you make sure you eat less than 2500 calories a day, you will lose weight.
And also you have to continue (here in Holland most women stop after a few months), the real weightloss will not start immediatly. I gained almost 70 lbs in my pregnancy and now (10 months postpartum and still breastfeeding) I lost all of that and some pounds extra, I haven’t been this thin (6 feet and 135 lbs) since highschool.

- Julia on September 30th, 2009

April- Then how do you explan comments like Urbanadventuretales’s?

- CelebBabyLover on September 30th, 2009

I lost heaps of weight breastfeeding and I ate like a pig and did no exercise (too tired!) I ate chocolate, icecream… everything basically! I ate good food too, but quite a bit of junk too. I think some people do lose while breastfeeding, and some don’t… I was one of the lucky ones!

- Vanessa on September 30th, 2009

I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. I exclusively breastfeed, I’m still 30 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I both exercise (not to the crazy extent of gym-ing for 5 hours every day of the week, but where I can) and eat a regular diet. My son is 12 months old.

So it wasn’t my weight loss miracle at all! But everyone is different, my comment surely proves it!

- Nikki on September 30th, 2009

I think that breast feeding really does have an effect on weight loss. My daughter is almost 7 months old and I have lost all the pregnancy weight (30 lbs) plus 15 more. I exclusively nursed for about the first 6 months and pumped at work. I quit pumping at work when she was 6 months and know only nurse her at night or when I am home because my supply has diminished. I credit breast feeding for weight loss because I haven’t worked out. It could be just from being busy with a new baby and working but I have a lot of trouble losing weight normally so I think it is the breast feeding. I am sure it’s different for everyone but my friends have also had the same experience.

- TDC on September 30th, 2009

Breastfeeding worked for me. I never dieted, just ate normally. In the beginning I was ravenous! By my son’s first birthday I was at a weight I hadn’t been since high school! The weight for this second child is coming off a little more slowly, but I’m not getting to exercise much at all, except for walking, so I have to credit it to nursing.

- crg on September 30th, 2009

I love how because someone didn’t lose weight while nursing it’s not true. Everyone’s different, sheesh.

- Rebecca on September 30th, 2009

I find it irresponsible that so many celebrity mothers claim breastfeeding is the exclusive reason for their weight loss. Would it kill them to admit that they work out? I see one of them running every morning with her trainer – and claiming in the media that it was all breastfeeding. What’s so shameful about being a REAL HUMAN BEING and needing exercise to get back in shape?

- martina on September 30th, 2009

Wow, Satyana looks just like her daddy! Such a cutie : ) As for the “rapid” weight loss, we all must remember that Alyson is naturally very thin (remember her during her “Buffy” days?). Breastfeeding alone is not going to make you a size 2 if you were a 10 before pregnancy! Let’s be realistic ladies.

- Patrice on September 30th, 2009

Julia: 6ft tall and 135lbs is NEVER healthy. If you are that thin from breastfeeding, it is possible that you are malnourished to some extent (it does happen). I’m not at all trying to be confrontational, just concerned.

- Patrice on September 30th, 2009

“I think you can only attribute breastfeeding to weightloss if you can personally compare it to not breastfeeding! ” – Totally agree! Honestly, if you’re back to your pre pregnancy weight, or even lower at your 6 week check up you probably would have been almost there even without breastfeeding. Maybe not as low but I’d bet pretty close. It boils down to eating habits and physical activity and really just how your body is. My sister’s best friend left the hospital after having her baby wearing her normal pre pregnancy clothes.

- kris on September 30th, 2009

Aww, she’s a chunky one for sure. So cute!!

- Shelly on September 30th, 2009

I breastfeed and I lost all the weight I gained during pregnancy (about 35 pounds) within 6 weeks.
I did notice when my daughter was between 18-22 months and the breastfeeding sessions started to slow down significantly that the weight started to creep back on. I’ve gained about 6-8 pounds in the last year.
I’ve also had friends that didn’t lose a lot of weight until after they finished breastfeeding, I’m hoping that will happen when I wean! I think some women keep some weight on while they are breastfeeding as a “back-up” for the baby.

- Jesse on September 30th, 2009

We’re all sharing anecdotal info here but science has proven that breastfeeding *CAN* help lose weight since the body has to burn 500 calories or more each day to make the milk. Note the emphasis on CAN. Science doesn’t say it works on every single mother. Only that it CAN.

I agree with a previous poster that it’s funny how if something doesn’t work for 1 person, then everyone who says otherwise is a liar!

I gained 40 lbs with baby #1 and at least for me, I 100% credit breastfeeding for my weight loss. I didn’t work out at all after having the baby and 14 months later, I was below my pre-pregnancy weight. With baby #2, I also gained 40 lbs and am only 5-7 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight at 14 months post-partum. My eating habits are far worse now than with baby #1 and that’s why the weight loss is slower this time around. Now that I’m 3 years older and my metabolism is slowing isn’t helping things.

Anyways, outside the whole weight loss thing, breastfeeding is best for baby. I’m glad Alyson is nursing. She is helping to normalize what was once considered an ordinary, common practice amongst mothers.

Oh and yes, her baby is adorable in that picture. =)

- Anna on September 30th, 2009

Losing “the weight” is only half the battle. It’s how you lose it – are you losing fat or muscle? Are you regaining your shape? What a lot of the celebrities “forget” to mention is that they go back to their regular (and rather rigorous) exercise routine. But I am really glad that celebrity moms like Halle Berry, JLo and Gwen Stefani are very open about having to WORK to get their bodies back.

From my personal experience, yeah the “weight” was gone 3 months postpartum. I was back to my pre-preggo 118 lb. The shape didn’t come back until I started working out. There is no way I’d be able to wear tight dresses & jeans with that saggy stomach.

- martina on September 30th, 2009

Excuse me Patrice, I made a mistake (we count in kilo’s where I am from, I thought 2 lbs were 1 kilo), my weight is 148 lbs.

But enough about all the weight-things, breastfeeding is so much fun and healthy for your baby and yourself, that should be the main reason for doing it!

- Julia on September 30th, 2009

Yes, we really need to make a differentiation between losing weight and getting into shape! Though I lost tons of WEIGHT from breastfeeding twins, I was not toned until I started working out again. And then I actually gained weight back in muscle.

- urbanadventurertales on September 30th, 2009

Martina, I couldn’t agree more! T gained 16 pounds during pregnancy and had lost all of them by my 2 week checkup! However, i didn’t feel like I was back to myself until I really started back excercising! Too much wiggling!!!

- jenny on September 30th, 2009

martina — She never said she got back into shape from breast-feeding – she said she lost weight. Actually, she never said she got back into shape at all, so why would she mention exercise at all? Maybe she’s not working out. Working out is not something she should hide if asked about, but it isn’t something rare and special enough that it HAS to be mentioned. You sound like you think she is deceiving to people by not talking about if she exercises or not.

- holden on September 30th, 2009

Holden please, tell me of celeb women that don’t have a personnal trainer? I dont believe for one second that she doesnt work out! Whats it matter if Martins mentioned excersice?

- jenny on September 30th, 2009

Must be nice to be able to do nothing other than breastfeeding after having a baby. When I had Abigail I didn’t get to breastfeed as she passed afterwards and I exercised/ate healthier and have lost way more than I gained!

I’m sorry for talking about her so much today, just I am having a bad day today.

- Jessi on September 30th, 2009

By the way I really like Alyson and Satyana, just had to say that.

- Jessi on September 30th, 2009

Nursing worked for me. Within 6 weeks of having my twins I was nearly 15 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I was eating crazy amounts of food just to keep up with the demand for milk! As for actually being in shape, that’s another story…

- Natty G on September 30th, 2009

Jenny — Do you know her? Do you think all celebrities are the same? She had a baby six months ago and seems like a very involved mom. Alyson probably works pretty long hours on her show, so from interviews I’ve read with her I assume she spends the rest of her time with family. Wouldn’t all moms choose to do the same?
But that’s not the point – my comment focused on the fact that people are sounding like they think that she absolutely should’ve mentioned if she was exercising/not exercising as well as breastfeeding, and just because she didn’t she is of course lying about everything and just wants us to THINK she is that skinny effortlessly while in reality she spends no time at all with her child and is on the treadmill 24-7 (alright, a bit dramatic I know..). It makes me upset that people automatically nitpick.

- holden on September 30th, 2009

Patrice, that’s unfair. I am 6 ft tall and 135 lbs (that’s actually somewhat heavy for me, I’m usually 130) and I eat well and lead a very active life. To judge someone that quickly isn’t right.

- Kasee on September 30th, 2009

I was just going to point out that breastfeeding every 3 hours for a few months did not get me back to my pre-pregnancy weight (at all), but then Jessi put it all in perspective.

Let’s just say that celebrities have way more money, resources, & motivation to get back in shape than the rest of us–and even that doesn’t work for some of them.

- Tricia on September 30th, 2009

I did not breastfeed and lost the 26 pounds I gained during pregnancy within 2 weeks. I dont think one has to do with the other. I simply watched what I ate. I think the difference was I could not eat out because I was home with the baby so I ate healthy and ate less.

- K on October 1st, 2009

K- But some people on here have said that they ate like pigs…yet lost weight while breastfeeding!

- CelebBabyLover on October 1st, 2009

I breastfed one child exclusively and bottle-fed the other exclusively (long story).

When i breastfed I remained 6 kilos heavier than pre-preganancy until i weaned at 1 year (and the weight disappeared within 4 weeks with no exercise or change to diet). When i bottle-fed i was back to pre-preganancy weight within 4 weeks of having the baby.

I am merely one of MANY women who retain weight until the baby is weaned. I also lost a staggering amount of weight very quickly WITHOUT breastfeeding (doctor said prob water retention explained a proportion of my pregnancy weight gain and so it was quickly lost after birth).

I do think the breastfeeding = weightloss thing is probably oversold a bit to encourage women to breastfeed for longer.

- cait5 on October 1st, 2009

Breastfeeing has definitely NOT helped me lose weight. LOL I breastfed all three of my children (Until 15 mos., 18 mos. and 20 mos.) and am still breastfeeding my third (The 20 month old)and still have pregnancy weight to lose! LOTS OF IT!! I don’t know if it’s only a “celebrity” thing or not as NONE of my friends can say that breastfeeding helped them lose weight either!

- Leanna on October 1st, 2009

Julia: You’re sweet. You didn’t need to clarify though : )

Kasee: It’s not about my personal opinions OR judgement. The fact of the matter is, American health professionals give “healthy” weight ranges based on the BMI index. Even if you were only to follow them loosely, NO doctor would condone the weight of 135lbs for a woamn 6ft tall and call it healthy! It’s just a medical fact. Not my personal standpoint.

- Patrice on October 1st, 2009

I gained 51 pounds and i am 5’3′ and weighed 110 before getting pregnant. I credit losing the weight by breastfeeding and i have 6 more pounds to go before i am back to my normal weight.To tell you guys the truth i never exercised i just tried eating healthy.

- Janessa on October 1st, 2009

response to CelebBabyLover

I didnt say no one lost weight by breastfeeding. I simply said that each person’s situation is different. Some say they lost weight by breastfeeding but others, like myself, simply maintained a healthy diet and the weight dropped off quickly.

- K on October 1st, 2009

Patrice- I have to agree with Kasee. Obviously she and her doctor know her body better than anyone, and I would assume that she knows whether or not she’s healthy.

And by the way, I’m aware of the BMI scale. However, being under what is consider a “normal” BMI does not mean you’re unhealthy. It just means you’re underweight, and underweight does not always equal unhealthy.

- CelebBabyLover on October 2nd, 2009

Another thing about the BMI charts is that they don’t take bone structure into consideration. They are created for people with “average” bone structure, not those with small or large structure. My husband has large bone structure and if he were to get into the “normal” range on those charts, he would look emaciated. He will always be “overweight” no matter how fit he is. Even when he was only 5% body fat, he was “overweight” on the BMI scale. I am on the other end of the scale. I am “underweight” because I have very small bone structure. If I gain weight and move into the “normal” range, I look overweight. My body isn’t designed to carry that kind of weight. Everyone is different and no standardized chart can account for the health of everyone.

- cbbfan on October 2nd, 2009

I agree with the talk about BMI not being a perfect measure (even most fitness professionals agree that it only works for the middle of the bell curve; doesn’t really work for those who are healthy but underweight like myself, or healthy but curvy, like many others). I’m almost 5 foot 8 and, until recently, weighed 103-105 not pregnant (125 9 months pregnant, times 3 kids). Recently, now in my 30s, I have filled out a little more, which I am quite happy about, and now weigh about 110.

I look better, and am happier with the way my clothes fit, but am still a very low BMI. And my health is exactly the same; it’s always been great – no problems whatsoever, I rarely even catch a cold. It’s just genetics (my dad is very thin, has been his whole life) and metabolism. I don’t eat particularly well (have a sweet tooth) and don’t work out – just kid-chase – but take exception to you defining a low BMI as automatically unhealthy.

- lnatt on October 5th, 2009

I didn’t lose weight while breastfeeding my first daughter – but I’m six weeks postpartum with my second kid, and am two pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with her! I think the difference this time is that I’m chasing around a toddler so much that I forget to eat, and that I’m drinking a TON of water.

- beatrice on October 5th, 2009