I'm a breast feeding mommy who needs calorie advice

djd89

Hi there, I recently had a newborn baby 3 weeks ago. I would like to start some kind of calorie restriction... I am currently 167... 5"9 and looking to get back down to 130 I want to shed this weight because it is killing my back as I have broken it in the past and it has really hurt to have all the added weight pressure ... However, I'm at a cross roads because I don't want to sacrifice my milk supply. Any advice on how many pounds a week I am able to lose? half pound? 1 pound? ?? I would consider my life sedentary and currently have my calories at 2,200 because someone said it takes 500 calories deducted from that amount to nurse.. so that leaves me with a half pound a week weight loss according to the programn..but that just seems like a lot of food to be "dieting" any opinions?

nate4043

Sounds like your on the right track, i think breastfeeding in general helps with shedding the pounds. correct me if im wrong

Bookish_Mama

As a former breastfeeding mama, that alone will help you to shed the weight. I would recommend consulting with your OB or baby's pedi to find out exactly how many calories you will need to take in daily in order not to sacrifice your milk supply at all. Best of luck to you!

Ninkyou

You should eat no less than 1800 calories. You're quite tall, so you can probably stand to eat more calories. You can try http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm to give you a ballpark idea of how many calories you'll need. That being said, I've read you should NOT begin calorie restriction until after 6 weeks and have your milk supply well established. Also, if you cut too low, your supply will suffer. And as always, I think it's important to consult your OB/Pediatrician/LLL Consultant.

farrow29

I have a disappointing answer from a someone who nursed all three of her babes each for 13 months. Calorie restriction is a tough one its more of a balance of having the right kind of nutrients and fats to make that milk. I would talk to a lactation consultant he/she you can talk about what you are eating and make tweeks for weight loss. But, here is the not so cool part of my answer:I lost a few pounds 6 weeks postpartum but my weight really did not come off until after I stopped nursing. I have had many friends that have had the same expirence. And a few that were the opposite. Everyone's body is different and reacts to hormones respectively. I would not focus on calorie restriction but work on exercise. That is what I did and it worked wonderfully I was able to nurse and excerise, I was toned and strong. When I finally stopped nursing the rest of the weight went away quickly.

999tigger

Really supporting whats already been said. You will find these two articles insightful.

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/
Which is not bad in putting things in perspecive,

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/lifestyle-breastfeeding.aspx#close

Which gives you a good overview on the types of food you should be eating.
Also what the others said to do anything in co ordination with your paed, mid wife, GP

Normal diet tips apply once you have fixed a safe level and waited a sufficient amount of time. Accuracy of logging etc.

Also some good advice on postnatal exercise
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/keeping-fit-and-healthy.aspx#close

trisha8a

Totally agree with farrow29. Calorie restriction this early on when baby is on the verge of so many growth spurts and not near eating foods yet - perhaps not the best timing. Exercise (moderate) is a good alternative. If you go Gung ho in that dept it will also affect your supply in the negative. I have 2 LOs (1 is age 3, another 11 months) and my experience had me losing some pounds in month 1-2 and then plateau til I stopped BFing at the 1 yr mark with both kids. Afterwards, I could go back to my old workout/eating restrictions to pull off the last pounds. Lately, I started working out more and eating better in the last month and a half while still BFing my younger son. I've been dropping about .5 to 1 lb a week now since I got back to tracking. Lots of veggies (like across most meals in my day) are now incorporated into my diet to make sure I feel full and baby gets great nutrients. Good luck and God speed in your journey. The beginning stages are rough and beautiful all at once.

mnlutz7

Hi! Im in the same boat. I just joined MFP today. My names Maddie. Ive been exclusively breastfeeding since march 26. Almost 10 months. Ive lost all my baby weight plus two pounds. (38lbs) No diet no exercise. My Dr. told me that i need an extra 500 cals added to my diet to keep my supply. I want to lose 80 lbs. Im trying to find a balance so my supply doesnt decrease. Good luck to us both!!

Beckym1205

My baby is 6 weeks tomorrow. I've lost 25 of the 40 I had gained with the pregnancy. I have not been dieting and I won't be for some time. I'm also breastfeeding and I worry that my baby won't get proper nutrition if I try to restrict calories. I am going to start exercising now that I've healed (taking a walk tomorrow with my kids). I'm hoping adding in exercise will help me get back into shape without messing with milk supply or my baby's nutrition.

jordanify

I nursed both of my kids and lost weight almost effortlessly. My advice would be to focus on nutrition, my ob-gyn told me not to eat anything i wouldn't give my baby, so I didn't count calories but made sure I ate plenty of veggies and fruits, ate protein with every meal and nuts and avocados almost daily. If you exercise you'd greatly benefit by feeling good and tightening and toning your body. Also healthier eating leads to more energy, which you need with a baby!

sarika61

We humans store toxins in our fat. Breastfeeding is not the time to diet, because it mobilizes toxins stored in fat, releasing them into the milk. Eat a normal healthy diet, and you will lose weight without calorie restriction while you are breastfeeding. When you are done breastfeeding, you can calorie restrict. But 130 is extremely thin for 5ft 9 in.

djd89

Thank you everyone for all the great advice, so nice to see all the healthy words of encouragment from other moms who have been here... I am noticing sort of a tone with most people thoughts: that one can defenatly cut too many calories, so it's probably best to air on the side of caution and allow more calories untill I have spoken with a professional lactation consultant or doctor to view my individual scenereo. I was excited to read that at least I was over eating according to this website.. rather than under eating. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm Thanks again, best of wishes to you all and all your goals!

PammieSuzyQ

I breastfed four children successfully and lost pregnancy weight each time, although it took successively longer each time. Please be patient, your first attention is to your child's nutrition. If you eat normally, (you are not eating for two or even 1.5), if your diet contains nutritious foods, contains 8 glasses of water, and is not one of any deprivation, your child will benefit and your pounds WILL come off, albeit not as quickly as you want. I get that, I hated it too at the time, just not enough to diet. But the memory of my sweet children nursing at my breast, their beautiful smiles as they dreamily slipped off the nipple and the milk dripping down their face, well nothing can replace that, not even the tiniest waistline. It's over far too quickly, treasure this time. Even though I nursed my children for long periods of time, within a month of their self weaning, I missed it. By the way my four are adults now, and not one of them has a weight problem. This is partly because I gave them the best start of fully breastfeeding them.

Avail yourself of all the links up there, hook up with LaLeche, and take your baby out for walks in the stroller, it's good for you physically and emotionally, and it's good for the baby.

strobock

I have been told your milk supply takes a few weeks (typically around 6-12 weeks) to become regular, and you don't want to "diet" at all until that happens so talk to your lactation consultant first! I have an 8mo old, and I can tell you that a lot of my pregnancy weight slowly dropped off just by nursing and eating healthy. I JUST started to track watch what i'm eating to try and drop a little more weight and get in shape. I have set my calorie intake at 2200, and I try to stay as close to that as possible, eating small meals throughout the day but eat healthier foods. Personally I have lost a few lbs this first week, and so far my milk supply has not been affected. I am also making sure I walk, jog, or swim for 30 minutes a few times a week so that i have some activity. Water intake is key! Make sure you keep hydrated throughout the day everyday to help keep that milk supply up!