Congratulations! Along with the joys of a new baby, you are facing the very common concern of wanting to lose weight while trying to keep up an adequate nutritional intake for breastfeeding.

Mother Nature had a good plan when she made it difficult for breastmilk to be affected by an inadequate diet; this insured the health and the survival of the baby. However, a suboptimal diet can affect your health, as well as your energy level. It can add up to a hungry, cranky mom and babe!

Losing weight while breastfeeding is uniquely different than losing weight during other times in your life. Your energy and nutritional needs are greater now than at any other time in your life. For this reason, diets intended for the general public are not appropriate for you.

The problem with many "fad" diets is that most rely on restricted calorie intake. When you decrease calories, you restrict nutrients. The Atkins diet is quite restrictive as carbohydrates are only allowed in minimal quantities. Whole grains and other carbohydrates supply you with important vitamins, minerals and energy -- all essential to the nursing mom.

This Atkins diet is also potentially dehydrating, because your body must draw from lean body tissue for energy since there are not enough carbohydrates in the diet for energy supply. This causes a burden on your kidneys to dilute waste products from protein breakdown. Of course, while you are nursing, you need more fluids, not less.

Atkins recognizes that there are some "common dieter's problems" including: constipation, fatigue and insomnia. You certainly don't need these problems when you are taking care of a new baby!

You shouldn't try to lose weight rapidly while nursing. After all, it took nine months to put it on. Try to be content with losing one to two pounds per month initially. To help you do so in a manner that is the healthiest for you and for your baby, I suggest you purchase the book Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding, by Eileen Behan, R.D.She highlights the nutrients that are more important for a nursing mom to have in her diet. There are meal guides, and charts to help you put together an effective weight loss program, which will help you maintain your energy and stay healthy while losing weight. There are even some delicious recipes!