how to lose weight while nursing?!

amyjanetx

Hi! I am nursing a 3 month old baby and really really want to lose weight. I was hoping to get advice from some other nursing moms who are having success at losing weight while not decreasing their milk. Please help! My weight keeps yo-yoing and I'm going crazy! How many extra calories to you give yourself? What do you set your weight loss goal for on MFP? How much water do you drink each day? Thanks!

jessica_johnson2011

Hi! I am also nursing. My baby is 19 weeks old and I have lost a little over 55 pounds since having her. I generally eat between 1200 - 1500 calories. I workout at least 30 minutes most days (sometimes more depending on my schedule and her willingness to let me!). I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred. I don't have a lot of time to work out, but I try to stay active as much as possible. I didn't start working out until she was about 6 weeks old. That is also when I started sticking more closely to the 1200- 1500 calorie mark and tracking it more closely in mfp. I just drink LOTS of water (like a gallon a day) and choose good foods (fruit, vegetables, etc.). I eliminated junk food, soft drinks, etc. BTW - she weighed 17 lbs, 5 oz at her 4 month check up, so she is getting PLENTY!

Good luck! Nursing is a wonderful thing to do for your baby!

bushidowoman

I started exercising and eating right after my baby was about 2 months old, and over 9 months, I've lost around 25 pounds. I would recommend not getting in too big of a hurry--set your goal for 0.5 a week and adjust from there. With such a young baby, try to focus on taking care good of yourself, giving your body the proper nutrients, exercise, enough rest, fresh air and sunshine! Regular exercise is what makes the biggest difference! It will give you more energy, chase away the blues, and help your body put everything back where it belongs. ;-)

I suspect that breastfeeding mothers will see more fluctations on the scale due to changing fluid status, so try not to weigh yourself too often. Once a week is enough. ;-)
Kellymom is a great source for breastfeeding mothers, and here are some good guidelines for safely losing weight while breastfeeding.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/mom-exercise.html

bushidowoman

Wanted to add, I always try to keep my caloric intake above 1500 cals a day based on this (taken from one of the links above):

"•According to Breastfeeding and Human Lactation (3rd Edition, Riordan, pp 440), it is noted that fad or rapid weight loss programs should be avoided because fat-soluble environmental contaminants and toxins stored in body fat are released into the milk when caloric intake is severely restricted. I was unable to find a definition of "severely restricted" but I expect that it is significantly under 1500 calories per day (which they called a "modest intake"). I've included information on a study on this subject below. See also the info at this website regarding environmental contaminants and breastfeeding."

Silvercivic

I was breastfeeding when I started MFP. You can add "breastfeeding" in your food log. (do a search and lots of different options show up). It will subtract calories, carbs and fat from your daily totals. I found one that subtracted 300 calories a day. (meaning that I needed to eat 300 extra calories a day) As I weaned my daughter I gave myself less extra calories. I exercise regularly and I always eat back my exercise calories. This helped me lose weight gradually while keeping my supply in tact. Good luck to you!

DiannaMoorer

I nursed all three of my babies. I remember how frustrating it was trying to exercise. It seemed like every time I started they would get fussy and want me. Staying active is vital. Keep moving. Even if if it is only for ten minutes at a time. Just make sure you get 30 to 40 a day for at least 5 days a week. And drink LOTS of water. Not so much juice though. Too many calories.

Sydney0710

I would just plan to lose it slowly.
Generally, as long as the baby is nursing frequently, a woman's milk supply is not greatly impacted by her diet (contrary to popular belief).
I'm nursing my 22 month old, but at this point, he nurses so infrequently and also eats table food, so I'm not concerned at all about my supply. If it dropped off and he weaned that would be totally fine with me. But I don't expect it to drop regardless of whether or not I'm dieting.

Sydney0710

As far as working out with an infant -- I would get a good carrier and go for walks frequently. Little babies love being put to sleep in snuggled up in a carrier during a walk.

amyjanetx

Hi! I am also nursing. My baby is 19 weeks old and I have lost a little over 55 pounds since having her. I generally eat between 1200 - 1500 calories. I workout at least 30 minutes most days (sometimes more depending on my schedule and her willingness to let me!). I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred. I don't have a lot of time to work out, but I try to stay active as much as possible. I didn't start working out until she was about 6 weeks old. That is also when I started sticking more closely to the 1200- 1500 calorie mark and tracking it more closely in mfp. I just drink LOTS of water (like a gallon a day) and choose good foods (fruit, vegetables, etc.). I eliminated junk food, soft drinks, etc. BTW - she weighed 17 lbs, 5 oz at her 4 month check up, so she is getting PLENTY!

Good luck! Nursing is a wonderful thing to do for your baby!

Wow!! YOu are an inspiration!! Yeah...I am definitely eating too many calories and too many treats! ...Thanks! I'm going to lower my calories. I'm currently at 1970 per day.

jessica_johnson2011

Also, I log breastfeeding in my diary. Meant to add that. It counts as burning 300 calories. I sometimes eat exercise calories back and sometimes don't. It depends on how hungry I am.

amyjanetx

Wanted to add, I always try to keep my caloric intake above 1500 cals a day based on this (taken from one of the links above):

"•According to Breastfeeding and Human Lactation (3rd Edition, Riordan, pp 440), it is noted that fad or rapid weight loss programs should be avoided because fat-soluble environmental contaminants and toxins stored in body fat are released into the milk when caloric intake is severely restricted. I was unable to find a definition of "severely restricted" but I expect that it is significantly under 1500 calories per day (which they called a "modest intake"). I've included information on a study on this subject below. See also the info at this website regarding environmental contaminants and breastfeeding."

Thank you so much for your info! And congrats on your loss!

amyjanetx

Also, I log breastfeeding in my diary. Meant to add that. It counts as burning 300 calories. I sometimes eat exercise calories back and sometimes don't. It depends on how hungry I am.

Ok, so your daily calorie goal is 1200-1500, but you add around 300 per day for BF? Totaling around 1500-1800?

amyjanetx

Hi! I am also nursing. My baby is 19 weeks old and I have lost a little over 55 pounds since having her. I generally eat between 1200 - 1500 calories. I workout at least 30 minutes most days (sometimes more depending on my schedule and her willingness to let me!). I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred. I don't have a lot of time to work out, but I try to stay active as much as possible. I didn't start working out until she was about 6 weeks old. That is also when I started sticking more closely to the 1200- 1500 calorie mark and tracking it more closely in mfp. I just drink LOTS of water (like a gallon a day) and choose good foods (fruit, vegetables, etc.). I eliminated junk food, soft drinks, etc. BTW - she weighed 17 lbs, 5 oz at her 4 month check up, so she is getting PLENTY!

Good luck! Nursing is a wonderful thing to do for your baby!

Btw, cudos on the 17lb baby! : )

amyjanetx

As far as working out with an infant -- I would get a good carrier and go for walks frequently. Little babies love being put to sleep in snuggled up in a carrier during a walk.

Thanks for the tips! Good idea on walking. My little one falls right asleep in the Baby Bjorn... I'm going to start trying to take more walks while my 4yr old is at school.

amyjanetx

I nursed all three of my babies. I remember how frustrating it was trying to exercise. It seemed like every time I started they would get fussy and want me. Staying active is vital. Keep moving. Even if if it is only for ten minutes at a time. Just make sure you get 30 to 40 a day for at least 5 days a week. And drink LOTS of water. Not so much juice though. Too many calories.

Thanks! It does seem harder to motivate to exercise when there is a snuggly baby around who wants to be held!

eponine1976

I'm following this topic too... my baby is 3 weeks old and just this week I've started trying to do light exercise again. I took her for a 20 minute walk in my Baby K'tan baby carrier a couple of days ago and have tried to work in little spurts of exercise here and there. I have a treadmill at home (which I love) but usually each time I try to get on it she wakes up and wants to be held. I'm not up to heavy exercise yet (especially since I had a c-section) but it is nice to start moving again. I've missed being active.

My biggest problem right now is that I feel like I am absolutely STARVING all the time, even just 30 minutes after a meal that has lots of protein and fiber. I'm drinking tons of water too (roughly a gallon a day). I wasn't this hungry even when pregnant. I guess making all that milk and letting my daughter have all those nutrients is doing this to me. I set my diary to losing half a pound a week and it said I could eat 1700 calories and then I add 500 calories for nursing and even with 2200 total calories I'm still hungry! Of course I've noticed in the past that if I don't get enough sleep I tend to be hungrier during the day and I am super sleep-deprived right now from nursing every 2 hours (sometimes more) even during the night. I'm hoping that when she gets a litle older and can sleep longer that maybe I will be more rested and therefore less hungry. I've also been dealing with horrible food cravings for sugary foods which I know can mess up my blood sugar and make hunger worse (I have insulin resistance/prediabetes).

Based on my hunger level I've pretty much decided today that for the time being I'm going to stop worrying about calories consumed and just eat according to my hunger. If I go over my calories then so be it, I'll worry about dieting in a few months when things get more settled. I plan to try to exercise 30 min/day and if I lose weight on that then great, if not, then the weight loss can wait a few months. I'm not really overweight even though I'm heavier than I was pre-pregnancy (5'11" tall, currently 165 lbs, prepregnancy I was 143 lbs) so there isn't a big pressing reason other than vanity for wanting to get back to my prepregnancy weight sooner rather than later and I think maybe I should just not worry about it yet.

SlimKim11

Hello! Great topic! I have nursed 2 little ones, and I just want to tell you that the worst thing you can do is compare your body or calorie needs to someone else. Every baby and woman is different, and it really takes time to figure out the balance. I had a very difficult time with maintaining milk supply while losing weight. My baby would be so fussy a few days after I would start to watch my calories (and I was eating 1800-2200 cals every day at the time). Your body will figure things out eventually, but I agree with the gal who said to set a small weight loss goal (like .5 pound per week) and start with that. Some women drop weight like crazy while breastfeeding, but others do not....or even gain. Don't be too hard on yourself and enjoy this precious time with your newborn! Good luck to you in weight loss and nursing! And congrats on the new precious bundle!

ShilohMaier

Breastfeeding is the reason I gained weight after my pregnancy. Contrary to the person who wrote that "contrary to popular belief" regarding milk production decreasing with restricted calories! Your body cares more about self-preservation than your baby's preservation, and restricting your calories will restrict how many calories your body will let be available for milk production. Look at any mammal and it's the same, milk dries up in the absence of adequate food.

Now, the reason I gained weight while nursing was because I had a breast reduction that left me with only a few functioning milk glands in each breast. I tried reducing my calories, and almost lost my supply within two days. I had to supplement with formula for two more days once I upped my calories to start producing adequetly. Even staying at 1800 a day left me struggling to produce. And nursing was more important to me than my weight at the time, so I ate enough to nurse my daughter. I was eating over 2000 a day and I never could produce enough to even store. But it was worth it, and now I'm working on getting back to where I was before I got pregnant.

LilRedRooster

Hey! Congratulations on the nursing!

I was not one of those people who lost weight because of breastfeeding. Like you hear on "What To Expect.com" that the weight will just FALL off when you're breastfeeding? It didn't. I actually GAINED another 11lbs while breastfeeding when I wasn't working out, so for me, losing weight while breastfeeding was not easy. But I started working out when she was about 7 months old, though, and I just added about 300-500 calories a day to my total, so I would shoot for 1500-1700 net calories, depending on the day. I ALWAYS ate back my exercise calories, to keep my net total around there, because your body does need to keep a steady input to maintain production.

If I felt like I needed a snack outside of my meals, though, I would do it, because I realized that while my supply didn't dip when I cut back calories, it would did dip when I cut back on snacks. So I just cut down my meals, and spread them out, so that I was basically snacking all day, and I made sure to drink lots of water. I was running 6-8 miles every other day after about a month, and my supply didn't budge at all, so long as I kept up with snacks, water, and eating back my exercise calories.

Really, what you need to do is just follow your body's cues. I wouldn't go gung-ho into trying to lose a ton of weight, because your body will want to hang on to preserves to keep up milk production. Go slowly, and just eat sensibly while exercising, and your body will adjust really well.

KareninCanada

I agree with never dropping below a net calorie amount of 1500.... and drink lots of water. One way to look at it is, drink when you're thirsty and eat when you're hungry. But that only works if you know and can trust your body's signals - many of us can't. So I would highly recommend journalling. As long as you are EBF, you should allow yourself 500 calories/day for the baby on top of your own needs. I dropped from size 16 to size 8 - something like 40 lb - in six months just from nursing and walking.

jessica_johnson2011

Also, I log breastfeeding in my diary. Meant to add that. It counts as burning 300 calories. I sometimes eat exercise calories back and sometimes don't. It depends on how hungry I am.

Ok, so your daily calorie goal is 1200-1500, but you add around 300 per day for BF? Totaling around 1500-1800?

I'm looking back at my diary and it seems like I pretty much always stay between 1300 - 1500. I have spike days where I eat more, but those are usually when I work out more. I NEVER go below 1200, just because I've heard so much about starvation mode on mfp. Not sure if that is true or not, but everyone seems to know what they are talking about. haha This is all just my opinion and what worked for me. I'm by no means a trainer or fitness professional. It has taken a lot more effort losing the weight at 33 then it did when I was younger with my first child. I think the important thing is just to find what works for you and be gentle with yourself.

amyjanetx

Hello! Great topic! I have nursed 2 little ones, and I just want to tell you that the worst thing you can do is compare your body or calorie needs to someone else. Every baby and woman is different, and it really takes time to figure out the balance. I had a very difficult time with maintaining milk supply while losing weight. My baby would be so fussy a few days after I would start to watch my calories (and I was eating 1800-2200 cals every day at the time). Your body will figure things out eventually, but I agree with the gal who said to set a small weight loss goal (like .5 pound per week) and start with that. Some women drop weight like crazy while breastfeeding, but others do not....or even gain. Don't be too hard on yourself and enjoy this precious time with your newborn! Good luck to you in weight loss and nursing! And congrats on the new precious bundle!

Thanks Kim... Yeah, I think my body really want to hold on to this weight, and I have noticed my baby getting a bit fussier after a few lower calorie days. But I need to figure out a way to lose it slowly and not keep gaining!! But you are so right about enjoying this precious time. And I have been...despite feeling like a stuffed pepper!

amyjanetx

Also, I log breastfeeding in my diary. Meant to add that. It counts as burning 300 calories. I sometimes eat exercise calories back and sometimes don't. It depends on how hungry I am.

Ok, so your daily calorie goal is 1200-1500, but you add around 300 per day for BF? Totaling around 1500-1800?

I'm looking back at my diary and it seems like I pretty much always stay between 1300 - 1500. I have spike days where I eat more, but those are usually when I work out more. I NEVER go below 1200, just because I've heard so much about starvation mode on mfp. Not sure if that is true or not, but everyone seems to know what they are talking about. haha This is all just my opinion and what worked for me. I'm by no means a trainer or fitness professional. It has taken a lot more effort losing the weight at 33 then it did when I was younger with my first child. I think the important thing is just to find what works for you and be gentle with yourself.

Thanks so much for looking back through your diary. I started adding breast feeding to my food diary today...

amyjanetx

I agree with never dropping below a net calorie amount of 1500.... and drink lots of water. One way to look at it is, drink when you're thirsty and eat when you're hungry. But that only works if you know and can trust your body's signals - many of us can't. So I would highly recommend journalling. As long as you are EBF, you should allow yourself 500 calories/day for the baby on top of your own needs. I dropped from size 16 to size 8 - something like 40 lb - in six months just from nursing and walking.

wow that's awesome! I sadly cannot trust my body to tell me what it needs...it tells me to eat 4 ice cream sandwiches daily! But I definitely am starting to make exercise a priority for my weight loss and mental well being! ...thanks!

amyjanetx

Hey! Congratulations on the nursing!

I was not one of those people who lost weight because of breastfeeding. Like you hear on "What To Expect.com" that the weight will just FALL off when you're breastfeeding? It didn't. I actually GAINED another 11lbs while breastfeeding when I wasn't working out, so for me, losing weight while breastfeeding was not easy. But I started working out when she was about 7 months old, though, and I just added about 300-500 calories a day to my total, so I would shoot for 1500-1700 net calories, depending on the day. I ALWAYS ate back my exercise calories, to keep my net total around there, because your body does need to keep a steady input to maintain production.

If I felt like I needed a snack outside of my meals, though, I would do it, because I realized that while my supply didn't dip when I cut back calories, it would did dip when I cut back on snacks. So I just cut down my meals, and spread them out, so that I was basically snacking all day, and I made sure to drink lots of water. I was running 6-8 miles every other day after about a month, and my supply didn't budge at all, so long as I kept up with snacks, water, and eating back my exercise calories.

Really, what you need to do is just follow your body's cues. I wouldn't go gung-ho into trying to lose a ton of weight, because your body will want to hang on to preserves to keep up milk production. Go slowly, and just eat sensibly while exercising, and your body will adjust really well.

Thanks! I am trying to be sensible about it and only have my weight loss set to .5lb a week. I just need to see the scale go down. I just feel sooo large! And it just hit me today that I need to get serious about being healthy. And apparently I'm not one of those "the weight will just fall off while breast feeding" types of girls. darn!

amyjanetx

Breastfeeding is the reason I gained weight after my pregnancy. Contrary to the person who wrote that "contrary to popular belief" regarding milk production decreasing with restricted calories! Your body cares more about self-preservation than your baby's preservation, and restricting your calories will restrict how many calories your body will let be available for milk production. Look at any mammal and it's the same, milk dries up in the absence of adequate food.

Now, the reason I gained weight while nursing was because I had a breast reduction that left me with only a few functioning milk glands in each breast. I tried reducing my calories, and almost lost my supply within two days. I had to supplement with formula for two more days once I upped my calories to start producing adequetly. Even staying at 1800 a day left me struggling to produce. And nursing was more important to me than my weight at the time, so I ate enough to nurse my daughter. I was eating over 2000 a day and I never could produce enough to even store. But it was worth it, and now I'm working on getting back to where I was before I got pregnant.

Yes! Definitely keeping up milk production is most important! I'll be careful and not cut my calories too much. Thanks for your reply!

amyjanetx

I'm following this topic too... my baby is 3 weeks old and just this week I've started trying to do light exercise again. I took her for a 20 minute walk in my Baby K'tan baby carrier a couple of days ago and have tried to work in little spurts of exercise here and there. I have a treadmill at home (which I love) but usually each time I try to get on it she wakes up and wants to be held. I'm not up to heavy exercise yet (especially since I had a c-section) but it is nice to start moving again. I've missed being active.

My biggest problem right now is that I feel like I am absolutely STARVING all the time, even just 30 minutes after a meal that has lots of protein and fiber. I'm drinking tons of water too (roughly a gallon a day). I wasn't this hungry even when pregnant. I guess making all that milk and letting my daughter have all those nutrients is doing this to me. I set my diary to losing half a pound a week and it said I could eat 1700 calories and then I add 500 calories for nursing and even with 2200 total calories I'm still hungry! Of course I've noticed in the past that if I don't get enough sleep I tend to be hungrier during the day and I am super sleep-deprived right now from nursing every 2 hours (sometimes more) even during the night. I'm hoping that when she gets a litle older and can sleep longer that maybe I will be more rested and therefore less hungry. I've also been dealing with horrible food cravings for sugary foods which I know can mess up my blood sugar and make hunger worse (I have insulin resistance/prediabetes).

Based on my hunger level I've pretty much decided today that for the time being I'm going to stop worrying about calories consumed and just eat according to my hunger. If I go over my calories then so be it, I'll worry about dieting in a few months when things get more settled. I plan to try to exercise 30 min/day and if I lose weight on that then great, if not, then the weight loss can wait a few months. I'm not really overweight even though I'm heavier than I was pre-pregnancy (5'11" tall, currently 165 lbs, prepregnancy I was 143 lbs) so there isn't a big pressing reason other than vanity for wanting to get back to my prepregnancy weight sooner rather than later and I think maybe I should just not worry about it yet.

oh my goodness, your little girl is so cute! ...I can totally relate to the crazy cravings for junk food! I will get ravenous!!!! And then eat 4 ice cream sandwiches!! It's not OK... I am tall too, 5'9" but I am now officially overweight and feel I need to lose weight for my health. But mostly I am tired of being surprised at the way I look in photos. ...It sounds like you have a good healthy plan. Good luck and congrats on you new baby. I had a c-section too!

Soapstone

I haven't read all of the responses to this question, so I don't know if anyone else has said this yet. An MFP forum is not the place to go to ask where to set your calories. Please, go to your doctor to ask this question! Your body has been through a lot giving birth and now breastfeeding. You need extra calories to feed your child if you have chosen to breastfeed. You are going to do whatever you want, but personally I urge you to give yourself a break and not expect to have a pre-baby body months after giving birth. I know firsthand that the changes are hard to deal with, but give it time and be gentle on yourself. And PLEASE ask your doctor appropriate calories for your situation.

MrsLCherry

Have you found a way to reflect that you are nursing in your profile? I know I need more calories to keep up milk production but I did not see a nursing mom option to adjust my scale.