eating exercise calories back?

3runr

Hi All,
I exercise most days of the week (for sanity...and I love it ), but with EBP and exercise, I get about 2400 cals a day. Do you all eat back your exercise calories? I know I should experiment and see what works, but I was just wondering if some of you are losing while eating that many calories?

Thanks!

sardelsa

Hey 3runr,

Yeah.. a lot of it is (unfortunately) trial and error really. If you calculated your daily calories with a TDEE calculator then (technically) you should not be eating your exercise calories back, however, and you know this from my previous post, breastfeeding is a tricky area where different things work for different people. I eat at least half if not more of my exercise calories back - I typically follow my hunger cues.
I'm curious to hear what others are doing!

3runr

Thanks Sardelsa. I have been hungry, so for now I am eating them back and if I can manage to lose then I will keep it that way. How much did you have to lose and how long did it take you? It seems like with my first and second all but a couple pounds came off right away. I am 9 weeks PP and have about 3-5 left to go, but they make a huge difference in my clothes feeling good. i have been here for about 7 weeks!

sardelsa

I gained about 42lbs during my pregnancy and most of it came off after the first few weeks but then it just kind of stopped and I still had 10-15lbs to go. Then around 5 months pp the weight finally started to come off steadily, maybe it was because it was springtime and I was walking more, I wasn't eating the greatest but I was still losing, slowly. Then the last 5 lbs were suuper stubborn. I finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight a few months ago but despite that I still had this stubborn "baby belly" so I wanted to tone up - so I started to watch my eating and work out. Its made a huge difference.

You are 9 weeks pp and only 3-5lbs to go, that is amazing!! But I know those last 5 lbs like to hang on for dear life, haha.

Mshukh

I agree with sardelsa. It's super individual. I gained 35 lbs during pregnancy and dropped 25 of them within the first few weeks. Every day I would be like a lb less for a while (that was nice...) Then I got so concerned with lack of supply and establishing good supply that I did not watch how much I was eating and the weight started creeping back up. I gained 15 lbs back. Finally this February I started experimenting with MFP and counting. At first I was eating back the nursing calories and the weight didn't creep up, but hardly moved down. Now I usually won't even count nursing although I still am (and he's a toddler...so it's more like 10-15 oz a day only). And I try not to eat all of my exercise calories either (but I assume that I may be very slighly underestimating my intake some days so it evens out). The weight is coming off, but very slowly.

This time around I'm also doing a lot of resistance training, which is a first for me. The calorie reduction (not eating back nursing and only about half of exercise) coupled with resistance and HIIT cardio has been making a huge difference. Since February I lost 13 of the 15 that crept back up, but I also have a lot more tone and definition. The next 10-12 lbs are going to be much more difficult.

I just treat it as a fun journey at this point. Experimenting with nutrition and exercise tinkering to see what gets me the best results. So just start with what MFP suggests and go from there. If weight drops, you're doing great. If it stalls, try tinkering with calories or macros and / or your exercise routine. Also, I have noticed that water intake and proper sleep have typically made a huge difference in breaking through plateaus for me personally.

Btw, feel free to add me anyone. I need more friends

3runr

Thanks guys! I constantly feel hungry when breastfeeding...and this is the first time I have tried MFP (I signed up a year ago to track macros..but never did it), so there will be a little give and take. Anyway, I love exercising and I feel like I am always on the move with a 4yo, 2yo and infant. My normal is to under-eat a few days (I am guessing here) and then about every 2-3 days I am FAMISHED and eat through my entire pantry . I would like to have more balance and I'm hoping by using MFP and logging I can be a little more consistent and a little less sporadic. It helps having a target number and seeing how I am doing compared to it. Sardelsa, I know what you mean about wanting to tone, because I do feel like things sag a little after kids. However, exercising should help a lot.

sardelsa

Mshukh sounds like you have a great and healthy routine going on! Also kudos to nursing a toddler, that is fantastic! Our goal (as of now) is to make it to at least a year and then we will see where we go from there Ps I am adding you if you don't mind

3runr I tend to overeat on weekends, overload on carbs and sugar mostly : / MFP has definitely helped me realize "Oh wow that has HOW many calories? How many grams of fat/sugar? Ok maybe we will rethink eating that much next time!"

3runr

I noticed this week that my supply is less fatty than before. Did either of you have that? I can see in the milk I pump and put in the fridge that there is not as much fat on top. I was wondering if my supply actually increased and I am pumping the fore milk and not the hind milk, or if I should adjust my macros for more fat in the milk. Thoughts? Did this happen to you guys?