trying to keep my breast milk up but also lose weight. help!

Lucindaq

I have a 7 week old baby that I am breastfeeding and if I don't eat 2300 calories a day my milk supply goes down. I only lost 1 pound last week but the way I am eating and how active I am it seems that I should be losing more. Any advice breastfeeding moms?

sdwdickson

I remember when I was breastfeeding being told that I should only loose 1 pound a week, if you loose too much you will have a hard time keeping up your milk supply. Remember, loosing 1 pound is better than gaining one, and you are giving your baby the very best so it is worth the slower weight lose. Good luck:smile

TeresaAnne38

While you are breastfeeding - baby comes first. Its so hard to loose weight while breastfeeding, be happy with 1lb per week. Its better than what I did. I gained constantly while I was breastfeeding because if I lowered my calories I stopped producing milk (so I ended up waiting till I was done breastfeeding to lose anything).

Keep up the 1lb per week. It is good - you will get there.

3babybeans

With my boys, my body refused to lose weight without having my milk supply suffer. When my daughter was about 3 months old, I was able to establish a good calorie/exercise routine without sacrificing my supply. Give it some time. 7 weeks really isn't all that long. You're doing a great job so far at 1 pound a week. I know it can be discouraging, but you're doing a great thing for you AND the baby.

jamie11k

Good luck!! Use this time to feed yourself (and baby) the best foods, and don't fill up on empty calories. Get that regular exercise and your body will thank you in the end -and it will be easier to lose with the awesome habits you have!

1 lb per week is a perfectly healthy rate for anyone, so if you can keep that up, great for you!

mocosa74

I have also noticed it is harder to lose while nursing, and they say that you should not really start dieting til supply is well established. I would just keep eating right and doing excersise..and worry more about losing weight when baby is about 3 months old. Remember, you need to eat at least 300-500 calories ON TOP of what you would normally eat! Just dont get discouraged and in the end, it will all pay off!

Joscelle

Hi - I breastfed my two girls until they were 3 and I'm night-nursing my 16 month old.

From my experience, it's best to listen to your body when it comes to supply. You need to consume those calories because your body needs it to make milk (it's fuel). If you're nursing full-time, you will see some weight change. It may not come as fast, but as they say, it took 9 months to put on the weight, it will take about the same time to take it off and stay off. In my case, pounds fell off quickly with number two and number three, but not with number one.

Your activity level will also affect your supply. Make sure you get enough rest.

The good news is, nursing burns a lot of calories (I read 400-600) per day so I wouldn't feel so bad about the extra calories. In the end, nursing and babyhood is finite, but you have years ahead of you to lose the baby weight (just look at the rest of us! LOL). Enjoy your nursing time - it will be a memory too soon. Good luck!

J.

Mookz0r

7 weeks is so very early to consciously be trying to diet. My best advice is not to make any cuts to your own nutrition unless you are totally happy with the idea that it could mean your breastfeeding days come to an abrupt end. I wouldn't recommend anyone does it - baby's needs come first, I'm afraid... our vanity can wait.

Besides, you will almost certainly lose at least 2/3 of the weight you put on during pregnancy before your baby gets to 6 months old COMPLETELY NATURALLY and without any "help". They do say "9 months on, 9 months off" after all!

I would stick to your maintenance calories and add on 500 per day and anything between those 2 figures is what is needed. You'll see that Nature takes its course with wonderful results!

I started making a conscious decision to diet when DS was 11 months old and cut back my calories to 200 over what MFP suggested (so 1550). However, DS was/is only feeling twice a day.

Lucindaq

Thanks for everybody's comments! It is good to know other breastfeeding moms have been through what I am going through!