breastfeeding and losing weight

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enedinaalba
enedinaalba Posts: 24
in Getting Started
Hi just started yesterday. Im on a 1200 calorie diet ... I just had my baby 2 weeks ago, my husband says its too soon for me to do situps and workout that I could mess up my body though I still did yesterday and had a headache from 6pm till I fell asleep at night around 10 pm....... I dont know if it was the low calorie intake or the exercising. .. I didnt eat supper last night either....whats a good calorie spot for me to be in to help lose weight but keep milk good and strong for baby? . I need help and suppport and friends to do this journey with.... friend request me anyone!!!! Also I have a weight lose group on facebook come join!! Its called Lighten Up: Friend to Friend Weight loss Destination

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1513420815556488/
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  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    This is a question for your doctor.

    I'm 99% sure eating 1200 calories per day while breastfeeding is just plain stupid. Your priority should be the health of your child, and you're not giving him or her what she needs if you're eating that little. Get yourself together.
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
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    Hi, Congratulations!

    I just had my second late April. It's not too soon to do either, if you feel ready. I was in a cycling race 6 weeks post partum and trained in the weeks prior. It's whatever you can handle on the lack of sleep a newborn brings!

    Exercise and cutting calories to 1200 should not pose a threat to breastfeeding your baby . Studies have shown over and over again that women with little access to food in developing countries are still capable of producing as much nutritious milk for their babies as mothers who have access to an abundance of foods. It takes true famine/starvation to shut the system down.

    Get your hands on a copy of Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers [Nancy Mohrbacher IBCLC FILCA, Kathleen Kendall-Tackett PhD--great book for all breastfeeding mothers!

    What more often is the culprit behind poor milk supply is not feeding often enough, or supplementing early on with formula. If you want to have long term success breastfeeding your baby, the first 40 days are the most critical--feed often and by breast alone. I breastfed my first for 19 months, and am 4 months and counting with my second! Best of luck!
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    1200 is too low for most people in general. Breastfeeding requires you to have proper fuel and you won't find that at 1200 calories. Focus on your child first. Discuss calorie levels with your doctor and a lactation specialist. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you have time to lose the weight after you stop breastfeeding. Eat healthy now and worry about calories later.
  • fabnine
    fabnine Posts: 379 Member
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    Your husband and LyndseyLovesToLift are right.

    We all want to lose those post baby pounds as quickly as possible, but you're not even 6 weeks postpartum yet. There are reasons we go in for that final checkup.

    Right now you have this beautiful new life to cherish. Newborns are only this tiny for such a short time. Treasure these next few weeks. Then spend the rest of your life being healthy & active with your child.

    Edit: I should clarify I'm a breastfeeding advocate. I nursed all 9 of my children. A healthy baby & a healthy body are both possible but that good milk comes from you. You eat to create it or like those sad pictures of moms in third world countries your own health suffers to create it. Wouldn't you rather have a healthy baby and a healthy you & lose weight safely? Wait to talk to your Midwife or Doctor.
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
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    I'd talk with a midwife or go to a La Leche League meeting before talking with your doctor. This is much more their specialty.
  • SCV34
    SCV34 Posts: 2,048 Member
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    It is too low! But, if you have any concerns then you should check with your pediatrician. My kids are much older(16 &21), but I breastfed both of them, and can tell you that I didn't consume 1200 calories a day, it was more than that. What I did do was make sure I was eating enough and I exercised. The weight came off easy for me, breastfeeding and all. I ate enough to sustain myself and enough to do what I needed to do for the little one.
  • enedinaalba
    enedinaalba Posts: 24
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    I think I might just bump up to 1600 calories.. but surely stay under 2000 calories and maybe not push myself when exercising just till I start hurting.... and then once 6 week is up go full ahead with exercising. ...

    I do fully breastfeed.. no bottles in this house! This is my second child my first breastfeed till 2 1/2 years old, would of gone longer but I was pregnant and milk supply vanished... thanks for the suggestions im going to do it this way and call a lactation specialist to see the correct amounts of certain vitamins I need
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
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    On that note, eat to hunger. If you can eat to hunger at 1200 calories (very possible, if you eat LOTS of fresh fruit, veggies, and completely unprocessed foods) all the better.

    I see no point in putting a hold on getting your body back if you can nurse successfully and eat at a calorie deficit simultaneously.
    Especially if you have weight to lose (which most of us do here on MFP) then your body has fat stores to draw from for nursing. Having the extra padding from pregnancy is nature's way of ensuring baby will have enough no matter what mom eats (or doesn't eat!)
  • seidel1325
    seidel1325 Posts: 94 Member
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    Skip the ab work until at least 6 weeks...you undoubtedly have diastasis recti and it won't close /heal if you start doing ab work
    too soon
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
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    Exercise--Do what feels best for you. If you can do ab exercises, great. With both babies, my midwife left me with an ab workout instruction sheet for the first 6 days after labor. Not anything Sean T would do on Insanity or anything, but exercises nonetheless! Unless you've had a C-section, you can and should do ab exercises if you're able

    Sorry I've replied so much but this is a topic I'm very passionate about, as I am training to be a midwife someday!
  • melduf
    melduf Posts: 468 Member
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    I breasfeeded for 9 months. I ate healthy food and I never restricted myself. I only took walks with the stroller for exercising.

    As a result, within 3 weeks I was back to my "before pregnancy weight". With 2 more months, I was 5 lbs down!

    Breastfeeding will suck all of your energy! So eat! You need it, your baby needs it.

    DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF!!!! Losing weight too fast will liberate toxin in your milk that is very bad for your baby. Please talk to your doctor!!
  • enedinaalba
    enedinaalba Posts: 24
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    [/quote]
    Sorry I've replied so much but this is a topic I'm very passionate about, as I am training to be a midwife someday!
    [/quote]

    Well then ill have to tell you the great news your student brain would eat up!!!!! My son was born at home , unassisted (no midwife or medical help) ..... but heres the good part he was footling breech!!! I was in active labor for 4 hours is leg was out for 3 hours till he finally came in one big PUSH!!! The only push I gave the whole time....it was my first homebirth let alone unassisted but it was an awsome achievement!!!! And it gives me the drive to do this cus many times I felt like giving up and calling 911 cus I couldnt take the pain but I bore through it and finished something VERY few woman would be able to do....!!!!
  • fabnine
    fabnine Posts: 379 Member
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    Exercise--Do what feels best for you. If you can do ab exercises, great. With both babies, my midwife left me with an ab workout instruction sheet for the first 6 days after labor. Not anything Sean T would do on Insanity or anything, but exercises nonetheless! Unless you've had a C-section, you can and should do ab exercises if you're able

    Sorry I've replied so much but this is a topic I'm very passionate about, as I am training to be a midwife someday!

    I also feel passionately about natural pregnancy, birth, & breastfeeding. It's wonderful that you are training to be a midwife. I love my midwife.

    Because you're training you must know that every woman's body is different. We all start and end our pregnancies with different levels of physical fitness. Some women are able to continue to exercise throughout their pregnancies some have complications and require bed rest. I am glad you were able to train for & compete in a cycling race 6 weeks postpartum, not all women are that fit. Some women have an easy less than 1 hour labor & delivery, can get up and you'd never believe they just gave birth. I've done this. Some women have preeclampsia, or deliver breech, or hemorrhage and require extended recovery time. I've been there too. The only person who knows if her body is ready for exercise is her midwife.

    Breast is best! Women have mammary glands for feeding babies (among other things). But without knowing the OP's height weight and general health we can only speculate as to how many calories she & her newborn need. We never want to discourage someone from nursing; especially in the first weeks after birth when the benefits are so great for both mom and baby. This just seems like a question best answered by her midwife.

    Do nurse your baby. Do be wise about your food choices. Please be proactive about your health. You've just delivered a breech baby. Your body has performed an awesome feat. Rest. Eat sensibly. Heal. Bond with your new child. Encourage your older child to bond with his/her sibling. Watch your partner fall in love with all of you all over again. Enjoy your beautiful growing family.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    On that note, eat to hunger. If you can eat to hunger at 1200 calories (very possible, if you eat LOTS of fresh fruit, veggies, and completely unprocessed foods) all the better.

    I see no point in putting a hold on getting your body back if you can nurse successfully and eat at a calorie deficit simultaneously.
    Especially if you have weight to lose (which most of us do here on MFP) then your body has fat stores to draw from for nursing. Having the extra padding from pregnancy is nature's way of ensuring baby will have enough no matter what mom eats (or doesn't eat!)

    Is it just me or do phrases like "eat to appetite" or "eat to hunger" not make any sense at all? It sounds as if the advice is to eat until you're hungry, but clearly that's not the intent.

    This is from kellymom.com: "An exclusively breastfeeding mother, on average, needs to take in 300-500 calories per day above what was needed to maintain pre-pregnancy weight." AND "While nursing, you should not consume less than 1500-1800 calories per day, and most women should stay at the high end of this range. Some mothers will require much more than this, but studies show that going below this number may put supply at risk."

    Regardless, this is still a question for your doctor, not complete strangers on the Internet that may or may not know what the hell they're talking about.
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
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    "Do what is best for you" was my first line. :-)
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
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    your baby is too young to be dieting on such low calories. wait until your baby is at least 6 weeks, and your milk supply has stabilized....

    and then don't go below 1800 calories. at all.

    eat. your baby needs you to. and your body needs you to.
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Ditto on kellymom information and needing at least 300-500 calories in addition to where you should be. work on your BMR and TDEE and go from there. Doing the best for you AND baby

    Congratulations on your new baby.
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
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    don't forget, lots of water to stay hydrated
  • mialonghorn
    mialonghorn Posts: 23
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    Yes, that is completely stupid and irresponsible of you. I can't believe anyone would put themselves ahead of the health and well being of their baby.
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
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    well she isn't really putting herself above the well being of her baby....she can just really either deplete her body's resources or kill her supply.

    when you're pregnant or nursing and your'e not getting enough food your body starts to take from YOU what your baby needs. Its pretty nifty...that's why women from third world countries with little to no food can still have babies and still nurse them....because their babies are essentially sucking the life right out of them....Isn't that just like a kid?

    So in a nut shell, your baby stays healthy, but you become sick and unhealthy.....but you can totally have a healthy breastfed kid if you have a crappy diet.

    My major worry would be she is doing this WAY too soon, not too mention she can eat a hell of a lot more calories and still lose weight if she is exclusively breastfeeding.....but the first few months your body is trying to establish your milk supply, so it's important to treat it right and to really focus on nursing....focusing on losing weight should come way later.

    hell at 2 weeks post partum I think i was still bleeding! My nipples were cracked! I was barely awake!

    This is the one time in your life where you can actually eat a **** ton of food and pretty much not gain weight. Take advantage of that!!!!!!

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