Calories for fat loss while breastfeeding

fatgirlfit2016
fatgirlfit2016 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hoping someone can help me work out how many calories I need to aid in fat loss while breastfeeding. I currently have my daily goal set at 2000 which is under my TDEE. Is it enough especially if I hit my healthy fats macros everyday? I'll be lifting (starting out with stronglifts 5x5) 3 days a week with some boxing bag sessions and walking in between (30-60 min sessions depending on baby). Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. ❤

Replies

  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    You need to list your stats, it's hard to say since no one knows how much you have to lose, your height, current weight, if baby is exclusively breastfed or not...etc.

    Typically you need to eat 300-500 more calories a day to account for breastfeeding. After I had my 3rd baby I started calorie counting when he was 6 months. I ate 2100-2300 calories a day to lose .5 lb/week. I had only 10-12 lbs to lose am 5'4 and went to the gym 4-5 days a week doing 1 hr+ of weights and cardio.
  • fatgirlfit2016
    fatgirlfit2016 Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2016
    I can't give too many stats atm as I'm still pregnant. But baby will be exclusively breastfed all going well. I am 5ft4 and have around 35-40kg to lose. Though I'm more interested in fat loss so will work on body fat % and measurements rather than the scales. I did find a calculator which suggested I consume around 2500cals a day. That seems alot but before I got pregnant I was eating 1900cals so I guess it makes sense. I'm looking at an endomorph diet (I have PCOS) so will work on a 50% protein/30% fat/ 20% carb macro split and adjust accordingly.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 178 Member
    My recommendation is to eat the 500 extra calories for your first 3 months post partem so that you can establish a good milk supply. After that, start playing with your caloric deficit. I lost weight eating the extra 500 so I am still eating that way.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    edited March 2016
    Breastfeeding is not affected by limiting calories within reason unless you are literally starving. For exclusively breastfeeding a newborn, you need about 300 calories. If you do not eat these calories back, you lose weight before your supply suffers. If you do not get a balanced diet, your body sffers the consequences before your supply. No one needs the amounts of calories many people seem to think are needed to maintain their supply or a perfect diet. If it was this way, the human race would have been extinct thousands of years ago ;) So, relax, start with your goal of 1900 calories and see how things go. If you are losing to slowly, after a few weeks, cut down further. If you are losing insanely fast, up them up a bit. Readjust as you go.
    If you do notice supply issues, and assuming you have not dropped to e.g. 1000 calories, do not panic and blame it on your exercise or diet changes. Make sure you are nursing enough, are well hydrated, take time to rest and remember that during growth spurts every mother feels there must be something wrong wih her supply ;)
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Also (a) there is no endomorph diet (ok, there is, but it is one more fad) so do not stress yourself about it and (b) when you nurse, your diet is usually dictated by babies needs and intolerances. For example, the most common intolerances in babies require elimination of dairy, soy, eggs, beef (not for all babies obviously, but it if the baby is colicky or has diarrhea etc, these are the usual problems with newborns). So do not overcomplicate macros and do not add more restrictions than the ones the baby will enforce.

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