Hi Christine,  It is not so unusual to lose a lot of weight in the beginning of the diet, esp. if someone has a lot of weight to lose.
 
She will probably settle down to around a 2 pound weight loss/week if she is getting enough nutrition/ calories.
 
It might be wise to ask how many calories/day she is getting and also what is mom's present weight and goal weight.
 
From personal experience, I can say that people do not get over-weight in one day and it will take time to lose the weight.  You might ask mom how long does she think that she can sustain this weight loss marathon.
 
There are also some great handouts available from ILCA on weight loss and exercise for the breastfeeding woman that have been printed in the Journal of Human Lactation.  I don't have the references at home, but you can contact me if you are unable to find them.
 
In answer to your question "is it
really harmful to continue breastfeeding if you are loosing weight quickly?"  I don't know if there is any proven scientific fact that toxins are released with rapid weight loss.  There is alot of pseudo scientific fact around weight loss.
 
Weight Watchers also does have a program for breastfeeding mothers.  Sincerely, Rachel Wahl RN IBCLC  
 
 
> Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:47:37 +0200
> From: nandan fogelman 
> Subject: Re: Losing 5 lbs per week and toxins
> 
> Hi Christine,
> I am sorry I don't have an answer to your question - it just irks me to read
> about a mom that is ready to put her baby on formula so she herself can
> continue to lead a "healthy lifestyle." Isn't there something really skewed
> in the logic here. If indeed there is a problem with toxens in her milk,
> couldn't she find a middle ground in which both she and baby can live a
> healthy lifestyle and not just the mother?!
> Looking forward to seeing an real answer to your question,
> Chayn Fogelman IBCLC in Israel
> 
> On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 9:24 PM, Christine Lichte wrote:
> 
>> A mom called me with concerns about continuing to breastfeed while loosing
>> weight. Her baby is 3 months old and exclusively breastfed. She wants to
>> nurse at least 6 months. She has just started dieting end exercising and
>> loosing about 5 lbs per week. She is not on any extreme diet. She has just
>> changed to eating healthy foods like chicken, fruits, veggies, and healthy
>> grains-she eats 6 meals per day. She is also exercising. She has read
>> that
>> you should only loose up to 1.5 lbs per week otherwise you will have
>> harmful
>> toxins in your milk. Now she is thinking seriously about switching to
>> formula.
>>
>> I understand the recommendations about loosing weight slowly, but is it
>> really
>> harmful to continue breastfeeding if you are loosing weight quickly? I
>> told this
>> mother that formula has health risks also. She does not want to stop
>> exercising. It is not like she is trying out some new fad diet. She has
>> just
>> switched to a healthy lifestyle. If she continues to breastfeed and stops
>> loosing weight (once she reaches her target weight) and continues to lead a
>> healthy lifestyle would the effects of the toxins in her milk be cancelled
>> out? I
>> mean, is it okay for baby to be temporarily exposed to harmful toxins since
>> those toxins will eventually leave? I want to convince her that she is
>> still
>> doing the best thing for her baby by continuing to breastfeed, but I want
>> to
>> get the facts first. Thanks.
>>
>> Christine Lichte, IBCLC
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