Breastfeeding vs calorie counting

coachsettegast

I'm a first time mom and my son is now 4 months old. I've always been in great shape because I'm a ballerina and I teach childrens dance classes. But having a baby has really complicated my metabolism, cravings, appetite, self control among other things. I quickly returned to my pre pregnancy weight but the shape of my body is so different. I dont want to lose weight persay. And if I apply a calorie deficit I produce significantly less milk. Eat more food, baby gets plenty of food and if I eat a little less he has less available to him. Any other active moms to encourage me? Does it get easier? Any helpful tips to resist massive amounts of sugar and cakes and brownies and chocolate! I never used to give in to my cravings like that before.

healingnurtrer

How big is your calorie deficit? What is your BMI currently? La leche league recommends eating at least 1800 calories and not losing more than a pound a week. I've been eating 2100 calories, losing a pound a week and my milk supply has been fine - 2 months of calorie deficit, 7 months postpartum. But I have a lot of weight to lose though, started in the obese category. If you're already in the healthy weight range you may need to lose it very slowly.

If you run into problems with supply maybe take a break, maybe come back doing maintenance-level calories (calories needed to maintain your weight) and then try .5 lb deficit (maintenance minus 250 calories) or less- 50-100 calorie deficit. Make sure you're hydrated enough and taking pre-natal. Just some ideas! Not sure if I understand if you want to lose or not- if you don't want to lose you don't need a calorie deficit. If your BMI is already low, you may not be able to lose more weight and maintain your milk supply.

With my first son I gained 50 pounds the first year- yikes! I lost the weight and got back to a healthy weight eventually but logging my food could have really helped me that year.

Edit to add: My other tips are to meet your macros goal for protein and fat (Another thing the food diary is helpful for- keeping track of macros) - Your body needs that for making milk and it could help your cravings. You can look up online guidelines for how much you need.
Eating regular, sensible meals (with protein, fat, fiber in your meals) can help with cravings.

Slow progress is still progress, and maintaining is even a victory when you're fighting sleep-deprivation, increased appetite and stress eating. Congrats on your baby!

PAV8888

A caloric deficit, especially if you're already back to your pre-maternity weight levels WILL impact your milk supply. In fact, at this point, it is probably not the right thing to do.

As a ballerina I wouldn't be surprised if you have in the past and are now maintaining your weight at the lower end of the healthy weight range. If you're generally under-eating and then you have the additional demand on your body caused by milk production it would not be surprising to find yourself craving all sorts of things as your body is seriously signaling for extra resources.

elfin168

your body certainly does change after having a baby. some of the changes revert back over time..some will remain. if you have no weight to lose as such i would consider using my fitness pal as a food diary. And you do need more calories while breastfeeding so why not indulge the occassional treat. you can log these after all. i found getting back slowly into exercise made me feel more at home in my own skin again. when i first had my daughter years ago when i held my stomach in my belly button was almost at the top of my ribcage! That was weird. Not any more although i still have stretchy tummy skin...normal