Breastfeeding: How do I set my calories?

luvmybee

I'm so tired and confused and since I have something difficult going on in my life, I am having trouble thinking through things clearly. Let me see if I can explain what I am having difficulty understanding.

Let's say I want to eat 1200 calories a day plus 500 calories for breastfeeding. So should I put my calorie goal at 1700? And then type in breastfeeding as a food which will subtract 500 calories? Or should I put 1200 calories a day and then put in breastfeeding which will add in calories?

I'm so confused. Last time I tried this I didn't lose weight because I think I did it wrong. So I joined WW and lost 30 pounds, but now that program is not working for me. So I'm back on MFP and just got a fitbit (making me even more confused). Please help! I just can't think myself through this!

walleyclan1

Let mfp set your calorie goal (probably 1200) then enter breastfeeding under food for -500 and eat those calories back. You will eat 1700 calories that day but only 1200 net.

unFATuated

To answer your question: you could set your calorie goal at 1200 then add in your -500 breastfeeding calories as a food each day, giving you 500 extra to eat each day on top of the 1200. Or you could just set it at 1700 each day and not add the -500.

I would suggest though, unless your baby is older and eating solids, or you have very little weight to lose, not to go as low as 1200 at first. A massive drop in calories can interfere with your milk supply. Breastfeeding (especially in the first 6 months) is not the time for an aggressive weight loss goal. Your baby is relying on your milk to grow. You can lose on higher calories. When I got back into weight loss earlier this year I was 86kg (189lbs) at 5'4". I set my goal at 1500 and added back -300 for breastfeeding (my baby was older and feeding less frequently), plus ate back most of my exercise burn, and I averaged about 1.8lbs loss per week for the first 12 weeks or so. I'm not saying everyone's experience will be the same, but that's how it worked for me.

luvmybee

Thank you so much for your answers. I was just able to get onto the community now, and I wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer my question.