I think it helped me lose weight, but I did seem to hang onto the last 7 pounds. Actually, the last 7 pounds never went away, even after I stopped breastfeeding. So maybe that was more my diet/habits. I did feel like the rest of the weight loss was pretty easy, though.
I nursed both of my children and within 4 months I weighed at or a little bit less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I ate whenever I was hungry, but ate healthy all day and enjoyed an ice cream cone every night if I wanted. =) 500 calories more isn't very much, so an added snack or 2 with your regular eating schedule will give you what you need without adding too much.
I ate a lot of oatmeal to help with milk production. Drink lots of water too.
I lost all my pregnancy weight in like 3 weeks after she was born. I gained 35 lbs. I was pumping every 2-3 hours until my daughter could figure out how to latch on again.
I never had weight lose from breastfeeding!! I was just as hungry after having the baby as I was pregnant!! I didn't lose anything except hospital weight until we stopped nursing with my first two babies..;-)
Yes it does help you lose weight but smjmekg is right. You have to keep up your calorie intake to make sure your body produces milk. But it also helps your uterus return to its normal size.
It can help you burn I believe 500 calories a day. BUT when you're breast feeding you're supposed to continue the caloric intake that you do in pregnancy, an extra 500 a day. I gained 10 pounds after losing 30 right after my daughters birth, but I blame that on being hungry so much from breast feeding.