Can someone help me figure out breastfeeding and calories?
ks4e
Posts: 374 Member
My daughter still is EBF. I know that EBF means we deduct 500 calories or so to account for the calories burned from making milk. And I know that my supply is best around 1600-2000 calories daily. I know there's debate about eating back exercise calories and all that.
Should I also be eating back all the calories burned from BFing???? So let's say I have a 2000 calorie day, but 500 is taken out for breastfeeding. Should I be eating that 500 back? I'm confused because on the app, it doesn't deduct my 500 calories for EBF in my food journal, but on the main page of my app, it will deduct and tell me I have like 800 calories leftover.
How are you mamas doing this? Should I not be logging Bfing at all and just eat 2k?
Should I also be eating back all the calories burned from BFing???? So let's say I have a 2000 calorie day, but 500 is taken out for breastfeeding. Should I be eating that 500 back? I'm confused because on the app, it doesn't deduct my 500 calories for EBF in my food journal, but on the main page of my app, it will deduct and tell me I have like 800 calories leftover.
How are you mamas doing this? Should I not be logging Bfing at all and just eat 2k?
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I took BFing completely out of the equation. It was confusing me. I eat around 1900 calories and I have been slowly seeing my weight start to drop when I stay under my goal for the day. I usually eat any exercise calories back because I am so hungry from nursing. I have never been so hungry in my life!! I hope this helps
TGIF! 0 -
My son is 4 weeks old, and we are EBFing. I add breastfeeding as a negative calorie food (-500). For me it is an estimate as well. I eat between 1800 and 1900 calories/day. My MFP profile says my goal is 1400, so then when I add BFing, that brings my allowance up to 1900. So no, you don't eat back BFing calories but need to actually consume at least 1800 calories/day. And yes, you should be eating back any actual exercise calories.
I hope that makes sense! I was mega confused by it at first.:flowerforyou:0 -
I don't count the breastfeeding in anymore, it confused me too! lol. I'm netting about 1500 a day and my supply is fine at that, I'm also 9 months postpartum so don't need as many calories as I did in the beginning to build supply. I also add in every amount of exercise and extra activity I do during the day and I try to eat back most of those calories. I've been playing around with my intake for about 2 months and I'm finally starting to lose pounds. It might just take some experimenting for you to see!0
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My GOAL was.... Sedentary... Lose 1.5lb a week..... MFP gave me 1200 calories a day...... I pumped 30oz a day average ( 20oz a calorie * 30 = 600 calories a day burned)....... I entered it as an exercise and ate back all the calories...... Throw in the 200 a day average at work or walking the baby. and I was eating around 2,000 calories a day.
1200 MFP + 600 BF+ 200 exercise = 2,000 calories a day.
I suppose you would get the same result if you started out with a goal of 1700 ( your 1200 + 500 BF) and ate back your exercise calories. I'm just one of those people that like to see it on paper if you KWIM.0 -
How old and how much does your baby weigh? This helps. The approximate equation is baby's weight x 2.2 x 20 = calories burned. So a 10 lb baby EBF is having your burn 10 x 2.2 x 20 = 440 calories. A bigger baby burns more.
Now once baby starts eating solids it gets tricky.
What I do, is on the days my 17 lb baby is particularly interested in solids I enter the -300 calories option to my food. On the days she is more BF I enter the -500 calorie option. And I *do* "eat back" those calories I lost breastfeeding bc I don't want ME to suffer. It is working great. I have lost all the baby weight and + 6 lbs.
Keep in mind that studies show calorie intake doesn't effect your supply but emotional states and water intake do. So eat back those calories for you :-) it works for me.0 -
Thanks for all your suggestions!
And I've never seen that equation before.
I've decided to ignore the BFing approximation and just eat at least 1600+ calories a day.0 -
Wow! I would be so hungry. Hangry. I usually net 1900-2200, and when I eat below that I. AM. NOT. WELL. But I'm also not really losing weight either, so there's that!!0
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I am late to this thread....
Thanks for sharing! This has been helpful. My son is almost 5 months, and I am ready to exercise. I am 7 lbs under my pre-preggo weight, but I still have a lot to lose. I dropped the first 25 by healthy eating but no counting. When I got stuck, I knew it was time to keep a food diary, and the lbs have SLOWLY been leaving.
I pump 30+oz a day, which is what baby boy needs. I have been slowly losing at 1,900-2,000 calories. I was thinking of adding in exercise but wasn't sure weather to eat those calories or not. It appears those most of you eat those back...0 -
I have been reading all of these posts about calories targeted to eat per day and bf and this thread was a huge help! I think I have been eating too little. I will try to eat 1400 + 500 bf cals and see how that goes.....and then eat back any work out calories as well. Are most of you listing bf under snacks and as -500 cals? So that adds the cals rt back in for you to eat them back and be at 1900 (or whatever your goal is?)0
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I have been reading all of these posts about calories targeted to eat per day and bf and this thread was a huge help! I think I have been eating too little. I will try to eat 1400 + 500 bf cals and see how that goes.....and then eat back any work out calories as well. Are most of you listing bf under snacks and as -500 cals? So that adds the cals rt back in for you to eat them back and be at 1900 (or whatever your goal is?)
I list it in breakfast because it adds negative nutrients as well so that if I'm logging macros, I eat enough. I did -500 up until about a month ago when my son started eating 2 servings of solids/day, and now I do -400.0 -
I exclusively pump so I add my pumping calories to my diary everyday. I pump anywhere from 45-50 ounces x 20 calories/ounce = 900-1000 calories burned while pumping. I have my calories set at 1700 per day which I do eat, but holy cow, I can't seem to eat all of my pumping calories back. I'm not hungry by any means, but I'm struggling with my numbers. I don't know if I should lower my calories, but then I don't want to run the risk of hurting my supply. It is hard to figure out what to use for calories when BFing or EPing.....0
