Breastfeeding- Need Help With Calories!!!!

BeckyNaturoMommy

My son is 3 months old and I exclusively breastfeed. I want to lose 40 lbs. I will NOT be weaning for at least another year and won't risk losing my milk. I need a plan to eat better WHILE breastfeeding that will be good for breastfeeding, without giving me a huge deficit in calories.

annabellj

my advice to you would be to not worry so much about the calories. i lost a ton of weight breastfeeding. i didnt count calories but i just ate healthy foods. nothing bottled or ina package. no soda or sugar, and it worked. i was heavy until i had the baby! this was a while ago mind you but if you eat an extra 500 cals a day that is about right. but there is probably a thread for this i know they have talked about it before. i will try to find it for you

catcrazy

Its recommended that you never go under 1600 calories when breastfeeding so set you calories to lose, then add in breastfeeding as a food item and it will credit you with more calories depending on what you choose. Make sure you are above 1600 and see how you get on, if your milk supply suffers add more in the same way

annabellj

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/503381-breastfeeding?hl=breastfeeding#posts-7010282

BeckyNaturoMommy

I guess the question I'm really asking here is, what did your meal plans look like while you breastfed? I know, nothing processed, nothing boxed, blah blah blah, but what sort of eating regimen did you have?

rebecca_d35

I didn't follow a plan while breastfeeding, but I generally eat pretty healthy foods (supplemented by coffee, ice cream and cookies). While nursing, I ate when I was hungry and walked a LOT with my baby in a wrap, and the weight melted off of me. I bet I was eating well over 2,000 calories a day and still lost the weight quickly--especially when my kids were 3 months-9 months. As long as you don't eat constantly or snack when you aren't hungry, you might be shocked by how easily you lose.

Then again, I hear some people don't lose weight until they wean. But that was not my experience at all.

Smileynat04

I'm still nursing my 12 month old and am a few pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. Here's an example of meals I would eat when my little one was exclusively nursing. Breakfast: large bowl of cereal with 2% milk and a banana or other fruit; usually accompanied by a cup of half-caff coffee and sometimes a cup of juice. Lunch: a wrap or sandwich with lunchmeat, lettuce and mustard/mayo, any type of veggies that were in the house (carrot sticks were usually available), a yogurt or cheese stick, and some extra carbs (crackers, nutrigrain bar, pretzels, etc). Or another favorite lunch meal was Progresso Light soup in a can. Dinner: (any one of the following) spaghetti, tacos/burritos, a roast in the crockpot, tilapia and rice, grilled chicken breast. Any of these entrees were accompanied by a carb (bread, roll, potato, toast, etc) and a veggie. Snacks: Special K Fruit Crisps, any sort of fruit, cheese sticks, reduced fat crackers or goldfish. I also finished up each night with a bowl of ice cream as my own special treat.

Now that my little one is eating plenty of solids and only nursing 4 times a day I have just cut down my portions and I've cut down the ice cream to once or twice a week. The most important thing I found while nursing was to drink plenty of water. Whenever I was busy or forgot to hydrate I definitely noticed a drop in my milk supply. Good luck!

tmandras

I have BF 3 children & each time my weight loss was different even with a healthy balanced diet ... my last baby (after I was 30) was BF until 15 months & I did not loss much weight at all until she weaned. I think its just different everytime.
Make sure you stay well hydrated & eat every 2-3 hrs even if its just some fruit, yogurt, etc.

mom2mozart

I was famished while breastfeeding. Couldn't stick to a weight loss regimen. I produced a lot of milk, tried to eat healthy, no caffiene, minimal alcohol... My weight just came off when I stopped breastfeeding each time because my hormones changed and my appetite was naturally supressed. Try not to overdo it with the weight loss, whenever I got sick and didn't eat as much, it effected my milk production. Stay hydrated too.

desirae500

I think there is a way to set your calories to include the extra 500 you need. Keep up the BF! As a pediatric RN, I know how important it is!

tmandras

some normal good meal options for me were,

breakfast:
eggs w/ cheese on a wheat deli flatbread
omelets w/ veggies & cheese
steel cut oats w/ raisin, nuts (also great for milk production)
cereal sometimes w/ 2% milk, not a big cereal person

snack:
greek yogurt w fruit
hummus w/ pretzels or carrots
banana/apple/orange
string cheese

lunch:
tuna salad
salads w/ lots of veggies & some grilled chicken
sandwiches when I dont have any other options
leftovers from dinner (small serving of meat & veggie usually)

snack:
smoothies w/ some protein powder usually to hold me over till dinner
PB crackers or just a spoon of PB
almonds

dinner:
I cook a big variety of things to please husband, kids & me but we always have a (mostly) healthy cooked meat (chicken, turkey, venison, fish (tilapia salmon) & red meat beef occasionally with 2 veggies and/or fruits and rice, potatoes, or homemade bread. I stay away from prepackaged foods as much as possible.

LilRedRooster

I'm still breastfeeding my 17 month-old, and have lost about 25lbs, all while breastfeeding. And I am NOT the kind of person who is meant to lose weight while breastfeeding. Seriously, the first three months after giving birth, I GAINED 11lbs. My body does not like giving up weight while makin' milk, haha.

Anyway, a few things that really helped me:

1) Snack. Before mine started on solids and started drinking almond milk around a year, I would really notice a drop in my supply when I didn't snack. And it didn't have to be big snacks. I used to eat a piece of fruit, some peanut butter on bread, carrots and celery, etc. Just things to keep my blood sugar up. It really helped a lot.

2) Drink water. Seriously, guzzle it. All the time, even when you're not thirsty.

3) I didn't count calories initially. I just ate small meals when I was hungry, and walked. It helped me drop about 10lbs, just walking and eating small meals throughout the day. One of the things that's hardest about breastfeeding is being hungry all the time. And I craved sweets. It was ridiculous. So I would make sure I was never starving, and that helped a lot.

4) Don't worry about exercising. So long as you're hydrated and eating regularly, exercise won't affect your supply. I was running 5-6 miles a day eventually, and my supply didn't so much as drop an ounce.

Good luck!

tmandras

I agree w/ 'lilredrooster' points! and I craved sweets & carbs too! I would make myself goodies to satisfy like WW breadsticks w/ marinara for dipping and WW (banana or pumpkin) muffins w/ a few choc chips
I never counted calories either just choose healthy things I knew would keep me full the best!

BeckyNaturoMommy

Thank you all! This has helped immensely!

Jennifer0878

I'm still nursing my 7.5 month old. Feel free to add me as a friend or poke around in my diary for ideas. For me, eating OFTEN was the key to losing weight while nursing. Also, like others have said, start drinking water like it's going out of style. Protein, fiber and water will help keep you satisfied for longer periods of time AND help in the milk-making department.

Bellamagic

This helped to figure how to input this! Thanks!

yesthistime

Breastfeeding support groups:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?phrase=breastfeeding&order=0

jparson714

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this topic. It was a lot of help! Also, I'm so relieved to see how natural it is to be craving sweets. I have never had trouble controlling my sweet tooth until now. I was concerned about my feeling dehydrated too... glad to know that's natural as well.
Feel free to add me as a friend... would love to give and need support through this journey.