Calorie intake for a breastfeeding mamma.

evi1984
evi1984 Posts: 3 Member
edited January 2016 in Getting Started
Hi everyone, new to MFP and so far loving this app and how fun and easy it is to track my daily food intake. I'm a new mummy to a 6 month old baby boy and I have been exclusively breastfeeding and will continue for as long as I can. That being said, what should my calorie intake be set to so that it does not affect my supply. Im on a journey to loose weight by adapting a new lifestyle of clean and healthy eating and I've been able to kick my sugar cravings to the curb so I'm on a roll and what better way to continue than to track my food and keep me motivated here. Thanks mammas.

Replies

  • carolyn9796969
    carolyn9796969 Posts: 1 Member
    It depends on your height and current weight. What is your current intake and weight loss goal?
  • glitterrainn
    glitterrainn Posts: 73 Member
    Hi! I am 5'5, 195 and I've been breastfeeding for 9 months! My daily intake usually is around 1300ish. If I get exercise in, I try hard to not eat my cals back. I haven't had a supply issue yet but I've only been eating better for 2 weeks now. My little one is also on solids, but still nurses the same if he wasn't. :) Before I was eating crappy or not eating at all and my supply still stayed great. I can't only imagine it might get better since I'm putting better food into my body and drinking enough water to maintain it.
  • LLT38
    LLT38 Posts: 172 Member
    I've seen from various sources that breastfeeding burns an additional 200-500 calories daily. I add 250 calories for breastfeeding to my MFP default of 1540 calories. My 8 month old eats 2-3 solids meals a day. I also eat most of my exercise calories as well.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    glitterrainn wrote: »
    Hi! I am 5'5, 195 and I've been breastfeeding for 9 months! My daily intake usually is around 1300ish. If I get exercise in, I try hard to not eat my cals back. I haven't had a supply issue yet but I've only been eating better for 2 weeks now. My little one is also on solids, but still nurses the same if he wasn't. :) Before I was eating crappy or not eating at all and my supply still stayed great. I can't only imagine it might get better since I'm putting better food into my body and drinking enough water to maintain it.

    That is pretty low, especially if you are exercising. You are still using at least 300 calories to produce milk so that means you are taking in about 1000 calories to support everything else you do. At 5'5 as well and weighing less I was at 2000 calories a day and losing. I'd also eat some of my exercise calories.

    OP - I set MFP to maintainance and ate back at least half of my exercise calories when I was exclusively BFing so that my deficit came from the extra 500 from producing milk (1lb a week goal). When we introduced solids I moved my goal to .5 lb a week (so -250) and let the other 300 or so keep the deficit at -500.
  • glitterrainn
    glitterrainn Posts: 73 Member
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    glitterrainn wrote: »
    Hi! I am 5'5, 195 and I've been breastfeeding for 9 months! My daily intake usually is around 1300ish. If I get exercise in, I try hard to not eat my cals back. I haven't had a supply issue yet but I've only been eating better for 2 weeks now. My little one is also on solids, but still nurses the same if he wasn't. :) Before I was eating crappy or not eating at all and my supply still stayed great. I can't only imagine it might get better since I'm putting better food into my body and drinking enough water to maintain it.

    That is pretty low, especially if you are exercising. You are still using at least 300 calories to produce milk so that means you are taking in about 1000 calories to support everything else you do. At 5'5 as well and weighing less I was at 2000 calories a day and losing. I'd also eat some of my exercise calories.

    OP - I set MFP to maintainance and ate back at least half of my exercise calories when I was exclusively BFing so that my deficit came from the extra 500 from producing milk (1lb a week goal). When we introduced solids I moved my goal to .5 lb a week (so -250) and let the other 300 or so keep the deficit at -500.

    I don't exercise every day right now. Actually looking back through my journal, I've exceeded 1300 on most days. I'm still getting into this whole logging thing down and eating more nutritious things. I could easily go most days without eating because I'm so busy and I have before. You are right though, 1300 is low, now that you have explained it! Thank you!!
  • LittleMissC0untry
    LittleMissC0untry Posts: 5 Member
    Breast feeding can burn up to 800 extra calories a day. You really should be intaking NO LESS than 1600-1800. Is your little one eating any solids yet? My little guy will be 2 years in a week and is still nursing as well. Make sure you are in taking enough healthy fats, omegas and healthy protein. Are you still taking a prenatal or on a good multi vitamin? Also a good probiotic will help increase milk supply, or at least keep it stable as well.
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,054 Member
    Find your maintenance for your age, height and activity level (without adding in anything extra for breast feeding) and eat at that for a week. Then see what happens. You will likely need an extra 200-500 calories a day. If you want to lose a pound a week, you'd keep your cals at about maintenance.For my boys, I burned about 500 extra calories a day. For my daughter, only about 250. They all breastfed exclusively for about 9 months, then continued on for quite a while after.

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