Help understanding BF with MyFitnessPal

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StefSays
StefSays Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
Hello,

I am a nursing mother with three kids. My baby is about 3 months old now, and I have successfully lost weight in the past from nursing and monitoring my calories with exercise. I feel like I'm having more difficulty with that now. I'm at a loss trying to guess how many calories to shoot for. I have a very slow metabolism so I've got MFP goal set for 1200 calories per day.

I noticed that breastfeeding (BF) calories are under "foods" instead of exercise. I am assuming I should up my calorie goal and then subtract the BF calories each day? That seems backwards to me.

With my other children I lost weight very quickly while breastfeeding and I feel like I'm having a much harder time now. I am older - 31, versus 25 and 27 previously. I'm feeling more frustrated with what seems like a lack of movement on the scale compared to before. I exclusively pump about 8 oz. every 4 hours, so 48 oz per day.

I'm aiming to lose about 40 pounds.

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you look, you'll see that the breastfeeding entries listed in the food database should add negative calories to your diary, increasing your goal by whatever amount you log. I think that breastfeeding is also listed in the exercise database or you can create your own breastfeeding exercise entry if you prefer, so you can choose one or the other.

    I'm not a breastfeeding mother (and never have been) so I can't give you any specific advice. But I know that some women find it hard to lose at first while their hormones are still normalizing. Take it slow and steady for now. Your body will catch up with the whole idea of weight loss eventually :flowerforyou:
  • iliketoskate
    iliketoskate Posts: 1 Member
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    I offer this just as an example based on my personal experience. My doc did a couple of tests to determine my daily calorie output (without activity) while I was nursing my then-2 year old (we were *maybe* doing 2 or 3 quick nursing sessions at that time), and then another after she weaned. My output was 300 calories less after weaning. Some of that would be due to better fitness and a small weight loss, but likely mostly due to the nursing ending. It may be that even with your slow metabolism that 1200 calories is a little low and that you need to up your calories, if only to ensure your nutritional needs are met and your supply remains stable. Just something to consider.

    (And yes, I wish I were in my 20s again when it comes to weight loss!)

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