Weight loss and breastfeeding

Jessie24330

I'm super excited to be getting back to TRYING to lose weight. I just had a baby about three weeks ago. I lost quite a bit of weight during the first trimester and didn't gain anything until the last two months which was all fluid. I'm now back down just past the lowest weight I'd hit and I'm excited to get back on track now. My question is....for those of you who have watched calories (I don't want to use the term "diet") while breastfeeding, what advice would you give? I don't want to do anything to jeopardize his nutritional intake or to limit my supply but I really want to get back on track. I know I need to be eating as healthy as I can but what about calories? How much is too much restriction? I've always used the site with a goal of 2 pounds per week, is that too much during this time? I am still what you would consider "obese", 229 lbs, if that makes a difference. Thanks for any advice and experience.

gradchica27

Congrats!

First off, solid advice here: kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

Generally do not restrict calories until baby is 2 months old and bf'ing is fully established. Then you can safely lower your calories a bit (usually 1800 ish).

Go from your hunger cues and baby--if he's fussy, wants to nurse a lot, eat a bit more. I'm 5'4", lost all my baby weight this time around on 1820 calories + all my exercise cals (got to pre baby weight, 63 lbs lost, at 8.5 mo pp, including the two or so months around Christmas where I did nothing and ate a ton).

gradchica27

You should aim for 1lb a week--at first you might lose closer to 2, then later maybe .75-1 with the same intake as baby nurses less often (saying this from my experience with 4 babies and from the above linked site).

victoria_1024

Aim for 1 pound a week plus eat around 500 calories a day to account for breastfeeding.

Use a food scale!!

Make it a priority to hit your protein goals. Protein is so important when nursing.

I've gone from 212 last year to 125 now while breastfeeding. With past babies I always quit because my milk supply dipped and I got worried. I didn't know then that I wasn't eating enough. I had much better balance this time around and was successful. Good luck!

janjunie

Congrats!

Along with the good advice already given let me just add that all macros are equally important when breastfeeding. Not saying that you will do this, but low carb isn't a good way to go while breastfeeding.

My experience with losing weight while breastfeeding was setting MFP to lose .5 lbs a week, add in 500 calories a day and eat back most of my exercise calories. I didn't start actively trying to lose weight until baby was 5 months old and was able to lose .5-1 lb per week.

fitdaisygrrl

Congrats! Great advice already but I thought I'd pop in too. When I was breastfeeding, I was trying to lose with WW (which I did, quite successfully that year!). The setting on the WW app was there to say I was breastfeeding and got an extra 14 pts a day.
If I was to do the baby thing again and was breastfeeding, I would probably look for calorie advice online and would expect to put my settings at Maintenance. To me, that would feel like the extra 500 caloric needs are met and I would imagine I would ultimately see a 1-2 lb loss a week.
As noted already, wait a little longer until your bf is established.

Lodich

I'm glad to find this post. I'm in the same place as Jessie. My little one is not yet two weeks old. At delivery, I was 249. Today, I am 227. I'm going to start tracking again to get into the habit. I plan on starting with "maintain my weight" until I'm no longer paranoid about losing my milk supply. I found "breastfeeding" under Food, with a negative calorie count of -500. Jessie, I'd love to connect and encourage each other!

LLT38

I was exclusively breastfeeding until my daughter was 6 months. I was around 250 lbs just before I had my daughter and dropped to 220 lbs within 6 weeks of giving birth. Once she was on solids, I set a goal of 1 lb./week when she turned 7 months old. I am now 193 lbs. after 5 months on MFP.

My advice is to take your time with your weight loss. Your baby's needs will be intense for the next several months and you will be sleep deprived. Trying to drop a lot of weight may push you over the edge on those days when you and the baby have had little sleep. You'll be tempted to binge because we want carbs when we are really tired. Try to incorporate habits which you can sustain. As your baby gets older, you'll be able to concentrate on your health more.

Jessie24330

Thank you all for the advice! Sorry it took so long to respond but thus is the life with a family lol. I'm actually excited to get to test out the "magical" powers of breastfeeding this time as I didn't get to with my older child (she will be ten in a few weeks). I think I will just concentrate on eating healthy, and maybe getting back to the habit of logging, for now and then in a few months I will start counting calories. I certainly don't want to do anything to lose my ability to nurse him, not that there is anything wrong with formula feeding.

For sure I couldn't cut the carbs! Lol. I love them too much! And we are living in Tunisia currently, it's almost a sin to eat a meal without bread here haha. I'm just over 50 pounds down from my starting weight and my general "strategy" had been, and will be, to eat what I want within reason and as healthy as possible. I have only had success this time as I've stopped "dieting" and just took on a way that I can continue for life.

Again, thank you all for the advice and the link, it's been very helpful!

am_change

Come and join us in this postpartum group where we encourage each other and do a weekly weigh in.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/113945-fit-fabulous-postpartum

SlimMommy19

Hi and you're doing great!!! I actually held on to the last 5-10lbs while breastfeeding. I nursed two for more than two years each and found that as soon as I weaned, the last 5-10lbs fell off. It was a lot easier after weaning.

I once got the flu while nursing my second and my supply tanked because I lost too much weight. I was so upset that I calorie loaded and gained weight to help my supply increase. Losing too much weight too fast can sabotage your supply. I decided I would rather be chubby and keep my baby happy than be thin and lose my milk supply!!!

Good luck!!!!

Purplebunnysarah

Breastfeeding will make you hungrier than you've ever been in your life! As others have said, don't cut calories until your baby is a bit older. Personally I always found I had to stay at maintenance until baby was well established on solids. I would still lose some, just not as fast. If you eat 500 calories extra per day when baby is <1 month old you will probably gain a bit. Milk production and composition ramps up/changes over time and supply is actually highest (or perhaps densest in calories) from around 4-10 months. After that, solid intake will gradually increase and milk supply will naturally decrease.

lbride

Drink more water than you could ever think possible! I didn't start counting calories until baby was 5 months old (and then I did weight watchers). I think WW adds points = to 500 cals per day. If I was you, I'd just focusing on eating super healthy for a few more months, and then start counting calories, putting .5 lbs per week and adding back 500 cals per day. It was the easiest diet ever for me!

Slowfaster

I didn't try to lose weight while breast feeding because I came home from the hospital at 118. Even so, I was down to 103 in two months. I've heard the baby takes as much as 1000 extra calories and mine seemed to. He fed every two or three hours around the clock so I was exhausted. It's no time to be hungry! Good luck and God Bless, they do grow out of colic and teething but that first year can be very hard.

elizabethpittman80

My baby is 3 months old and I've been actively tracking for 2 weeks. I lost 4 pounds already in that time. Based on TDEE I should be at 1500 calories a day to lose 1 lb a week. I have set my goal at 1800 and I eat back all my exercise calories. I am taking it slow and easy and I don't beat myself up about bad days. We have our hands full with little ones and there will be plenty of time when they are older to go more hardcore! Good luck and enjoy!

Jessie24330

I want to say thanks for all the advice. I had been eating when I was hungry, which wasn't too often, but after reading this, the link that was offered, and some other sites too, I started to eat extra even though I wasn't feeling hungry. My milk supply has seemed to increase and the baby has stopped having fussy periods at night. I had worried that he was having problems from the milk (yogurt and milk in cereal) that I was ingesting as this happened with my daughter. But, it seems that he just wasn't getting enough to eat and was hungry. Thanks again for the help!