Breastfeeding and insanity calories

eilatanselaznog

hi all, I'm currently breastfeeding my 5 month old, on demand, no solids yet. I also started insanity 2 weeks ago. I use a hr monitor and I burn between 400-650 calories on the workouts. I'm trying not to overeat and I'm also trying not to under eat. I was eating 1800 calories, but it was just too much food. It's so hard for me to eat so many calories. I'm under my prepregnancy weight, so I'm focusing more on toning up and losing the last bit of fat. Does anyone have any idea of how many calories I should be eating? I'm staying around 1600 currently, completely clean diet and I'm scared my supply is dropping!! Any suggestions or anyone who has -been there done that?

maidentl

Is this your first baby? I only ask because 4-5 months tends to be when your supply levels out and many new mothers mistake this as a drop in supply. It's not, you just won't feel as engorged as you did in the beginning. I would think 1600 is kind of low for exclusively nursing. Your diet doesn't need to be completely clean, if you struggle to reach a higher number, add a couple of treats.

eilatanselaznog

Yes, this is my first baby! That's a good point, it may just be my supply leveling out. I hadn't thought about that. Do you think I should go back to 1800? Anyways, thanks for your input!

findusfaithful18

Do you pump at all? Pumping can help give you an idea of how much milk you're producing on your current program. Also, pay extra attention to your baby's hunger cues. If he seems to be feeding more frequently, finishing faster, or being crankier, those are probably good indications that your supply isn't enough for him. It's harder to get your supply back once it drops than it is to just maintain it, so if it is important to you personally to continue breastfeeding awhile longer, then you probably want to err on the side of eating more and keeping your supply up. And remember that breastfeeding is already burning an extra 300-500 a day, so if you're only eating 1600 and burning another 400 through exercise, you're down to 700-900 a day. That's not a lot!

maidentl

To add to the above, if you DO truly think your supply is decreasing, the best course of action is to nurse more often to stimulate supply and also increase your calories. And yes, I'd try and get back up to 1800 at least. If that's really hard for you to eat, you could drink some calories as being hydrated is important, too!

Codilee87

If eating more calories is challenging you should try adding a healthy fat to your diet - try making 'buttermints' with coconut oil, raw honey and a flavoring of your choice (such as peppermint). The healthy oils are excellent for your baby's development and its a very simple way to boost your caloric intake without feeling stuffed.

Elizabethlouise21

You can still make enough milk by lowering your calories, it's your health that will suffer if you're not eating enough. Women in third world countries make healthy milk.. But it takes them years to recover. Also, pumping is not a good indication of supply, our bodies don't respond to the pump like it does to our babies. As long as you're still getting an adequate amount of wet and dirty diapers then your supply is fine.

eilatanselaznog

Elizabethlouise21 wrote: »

You can still make enough milk by lowering your calories, it's your health that will suffer if you're not eating enough. Women in third world countries make healthy milk.. But it takes them years to recover. Also, pumping is not a good indication of supply, our bodies don't respond to the pump like it does to our babies. As long as you're still getting an adequate amount of wet and dirty diapers then your supply is fine.

Well that's ^ terrifying! I obviously do not want to effect my health just for the sake of losing some weight. Also, breastfeeding is very important to me and I would like to continue until she is at least a year old. I've never been able to get much from pumping, even before I started working out. Her dirty and wet diapers are completely fine, but again, I don't want to ruin my own health, so I guess I will up my calories back to 1800 and try some of the aforementioned ideas. Thanks for all your help, everybody!