How do you adjust calories for breastfeeding on MFP?

hellokittymfp

I know this is an odd question, however I am brand new to MFP. I am still BFing my toddler about 5x a day. Right now MFP has set me at 1500 calories a day. Is there a feature that allows MFP to add extra calories due to breastfeeding? Thanks.

SkierElle

You can set your activity level higher. Maybe find out how many extra calories it burns and set your activity level accordingly.

CallMeMamaBoo

I add 'breastfeeding' to my exercise diary as 300 cal. burned since I am breastfeeding an older (14 months) infant.

minicakeumz

Go to food diary, add food, type in breastfeeding mom, it should give you extra calories.

sgk0411

you can put breastmilk in your food diary and it subtracks calories by the ounce

rual

Hi there,

On average, breastfeeding burns around 500 calories a day. What you can do is manually add these 500 Calories by selecting "Quick Add Calories only".

miriamtorason

Hi there,

On average, breastfeeding burns around 500 calories a day. What you can do is manually add these 500 Calories by selecting "Quick Add Calories only".

This is true for small infants. As they grow, however, and solid foods are introduced, the calories burned is less. At 32mo, I figure my 'allowance' is about 100 cal. If I recall correctly, kellymom.com has some more precise amounts on their website, though it is all a guessing game after a while.

Point remains the same, though - you can bump up your calories manually, or you can put in an exercise amount of what you would burn. Breastfeeding by the ounce seems to be horrifyingly inaccurate if you're not pumping, though. o.O;;

Paula_Addem

bump

hellokittymfp

Thank you ladies! I added in 300 calories to my food using, "breastfeeding mom." What a neat trick! Thanks for answering my question, I have no idea how I would have figured that out on my own!