Breastfeeding and TDEE/BMR

meltoine

My BMR without accounting for breastfeeding is 1670, TDEE 2270. I eat about 1950 cals on days I don't exercise. I burn 700 cals breastfeeding.

Should I be including the breastfeeding calories in my BMR? If so, I'm eating less then my BMR by about 420. Or is it included in TDEE like exercise? In which case I'm ok, I think?

Basically, is breastfeeding included in BMR or exercise?

Katy8967

Hiya. I'll be honest BMR and TDEE always confuse me. When I was breastfeeding I used to add it as a food (theres loads of options in the food database) and it would add the extra calories for me. so at the time I was eating approx 1600 cals, then an extra 500 to account for breastfeeding. Does that help at all? I think I'm saying you should be adding the 700 onto your BMR. xx

rainunrefined

Where did you get the 700 cal figure? Anything I have ever read says the cals burned while exclusively breast feeding is 500. Which is what I have always followed. When I introduce solids I drop it to 350-400, depending on how much I'm pumping. This is for one baby. If you have twins or are tandem nursing, I could definitely see 700-900 calories per day.

freedieting.com has a breastfeeding calorie calculator. I usually choose sedentary activity level because I have a desk job. The suggested calories will add about 454 to your BMR taking those extra cals into consideration and calculating a 1lb per week loss deficit. Then, I add my exercise calories on top of that per day and eat them back. It has worked for me though 2 babies (2.5 years with baby #1 and so far 9 months with baby #2 and still going strong). Again, once I introduce solids I subtract 50-100 cals from what they suggest and always eat back my exercise cals.

You could choose a higher level of activity, but then you would not eat back exercise calories. My exercise is not daily, so I am more comfortable with the former. Feel free to add me. I'm no doctor or nutritionalist, but I am a breastfeeding mom and have a lot of successful experience with the subject.

Edit: Just to give an example. I am 5'7" 177lbs and eat 1900 a day, excluding my exercise calories - which I consume on the day that I exercise. This gives me about a 500 cal deficit for the day.

HappyStack

Unless you specifically account for the calories you say you're burning whilst breastfeeding, it's not part of your TDEE.

With a natural BMR of 1670, plus 700 for breastfeeding, you're already at 2370.

meltoine

I am tandem nursing a toddler and an infant, so I'm pretty sure 700 is accurate. I'm losing weight on track, but I'm starving in the afternoons between my snack and dinner, so I'm wondering if I can add in another snack and/or make my original snack a bit bigger.

To calculate my TDEE I choose lightly active since I stay home with my kids and we play outside for 2-3 hrs/day and I do a lot of cleaning throughout the day.

So if I include breastfeeding in my BMR, I need to up my calories a bit, yes?

HappyStack

Yes. Just weigh yourself at the same time (preferably in the morning), in the same clothes (or even in the buff), with the same routine (before/after you've pee'd or whatever - definitely before any breakfast/coffee/tea), either once a week or (preferably) once every two weeks.

Make sure your weight is going down at a sensible rate (between 1-2lbs per week, depending on how overweight you are) and adjust as necessary. Too fast? add a few more calories. Too slow, or nothing at all? take a few more off.

meltoine

Thanks everyone!