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1800 calories if you are breastfeeding?

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bethanyfranco1
bethanyfranco1 Posts: 41
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Everyone's always saying "You HAVE TO eat at least 1800 calories if you are breast feeding." But I wasn't losing any weight for 4 weeks doing that. It seems like different people of different sizes would have different calorie needs and I'm 5'3" so maybe mine is less calories? Any thoughts?

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  • kcasey155
    kcasey155 Posts: 968 Member
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    1800 is just a guideline. Essentially it's the calories needed to sustain you plus 500 calories to sustain breastfeeding. Less may work for you, but keep an eye on your milk supply. Losing weight may not work for you while feeding and you may have to put it on hold until your baby is weaned. You'll have to experiment a little to see how your body reacts.
  • ks4e
    ks4e Posts: 374 Member
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    Definitely experiment. I am losing very, very slowly and am only 5'1". I found that when I ate less than 1600, my supply would dwindle.
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
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    I would try it and see and make sure your supply is good. I ate a net of 1400 but add in 600-700 for BF, and I am losing slowly. But I'm also one before that ate 1700-1800 and lost.
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    I am around 1800 cals a day and when I stick to it I lose weight. How old is your baby?? Between 0-3months I didn't lose ANY weight regardless of what I did. I ate within my guidelines, exercised daily and nothing came off. As soon as lo turned 3months old, my weight finally started coming off! Sometimes is a hormone thing and there's nothing you can do until you wean. LO is 6months now and I still eat the 1800 cals, I can't eat less cause I get really shaky and nauseous (might be my blood sugar dropping?)
  • bethanyfranco1
    bethanyfranco1 Posts: 41
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    I am around 1800 cals a day and when I stick to it I lose weight. How old is your baby?? Between 0-3months I didn't lose ANY weight regardless of what I did. I ate within my guidelines, exercised daily and nothing came off. As soon as lo turned 3months old, my weight finally started coming off! Sometimes is a hormone thing and there's nothing you can do until you wean. LO is 6months now and I still eat the 1800 cals, I can't eat less cause I get really shaky and nauseous (might be my blood sugar dropping?)

    He's 2 months old. Yeah, it sounds like you might have low blood sugar. The reason I gained 60 lbs during my pregnancy is that I had low blood sugar, low iron, and low blood pressure and I'd just eat whenever I felt like I was going to pass out (I actually did pass out many times) or if I was shaky/nauseous until I felt better. Towards the end, I realized that there are lower calorie foods with sugar in them--like carrots and almond milk, but by that time it was too late lol.
  • bethanyfranco1
    bethanyfranco1 Posts: 41
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    Thanks all for the suggestions. I actually didn't realize that my calorie intake can effect my milk supply. I thought my body would just use it's reserves if I ate less. I will be sure to watch it carefully now. I've been taking in around 1200 calories per day since Friday, but I will up that to something between 1200 and 1800 if my supply dwindles...
  • freckledLeanne
    freckledLeanne Posts: 111 Member
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    Be VERY careful eating only 1200 calories. It's pretty controversial to do so when losing weight even without a baby; your body needs fuel to function, especially if you're probably not sleeping as well and you are breastfeeding. Maybe look into a calorie calculator which will tell you how many calories you should be taking in. Even if you don't account for the breastfeeding calories, it should be quite a bit higher than 1200. At the very least, ensure you're meeting nutrient targets. Your body may hang tight to what it's got instead of shedding the pounds because it figures you're not getting enough.

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