breastfeeding and caloric intake

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fitsebtownmama
fitsebtownmama Posts: 14 Member
Hi all, I am a little confused about this topic, I have been counting breastfeeding 300 calories a day in my food diary. But not sure if this is right? I am breastfeeding my 9 week old baby (He has gained 7 lbs. since he was born! He is a big boy!) I am exclusively breastfeeding. I have been walking at least once if not twice a day for at least 30 minutes at each walk with the stroller up hills. I am not loosing weight at the 2lb. a week mark I would like to.... (but of course my food diary could use improvements in terms of food choices also). Yet, I was thinking about taking out the 300 cal. extra I have been giving myself. Has anyone found themselves removing the breastfeeding calorie allowence?

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  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    I am doing the 500 calorie option . My son is 9 months old but he is breastfeeding 6 to 8 times a day still. I would look at food choices before cutting those calorie options. You need to have them to make enough milk for baby.
  • jesswiggin
    jesswiggin Posts: 15 Member
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    Each day when I log in I automatically put in my exercise log that I have burned 600 calories and that seems to help. I eat enough to meet my daily goal and eat back about two thirds of my exercise calories. I've been losing about 1 - 2 lbs a week.
  • nickiog
    nickiog Posts: 187 Member
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    i use the 500 cal setting since my daughter was born and shes 3 months old now. i keep my diary set at a 1.5 pound loss and then add " breastfeeding " as a food in my diary so im eating a total of 1700 on days i dont work out and then more if i do work out.

    if i go any lower with my cals i don't lose weight
  • flynavywife
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    What sorts of foods are you eating? I'm breastfeeding my toddler and my new baby, and if I ate a lot of fruit I could eat it all day and never really feel full. If I eat more fatty and proteiny foods - meat, veggies with lots of butter, etc... I feel like I'm getting what I need and I'm not starving all the time.

    I've also found that drinking milk makes me crave more sweets... so I'm cutting way back on drinking milk (I was easily drinking 3or so glasses a day!) , and that helps manage things.

    I'm not a calories-in-calories-out disciple. I'm using the logs to analyze WHAT I'm eating, and to also make sure I'm drinking enough water throughout the day. A nursing mama NEEDS her water!