New and lost

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Chrisseex3
Chrisseex3 Posts: 11 Member
Hi, I am new to this website and I need some help. I'm not sure exactly how this works. I did a custom plan where I need 1900 calorie consumption and 1540 calories burned a day. I EP for LO so I incorporated that into my calories. However, when I entered breastfeeding and breakfast into my food log, it increased my calorie intake saying i need like 2000 more calories. I am so lost. Is this right? I feel so dumb haha. Please help!

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  • kikimama125
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    I can try to help, but I don'tunderstand your post all that well. So you made a custom plan that had you eating 1900 a day, right? Where did you get that number (I am assuming from the regular advice to breastfeeding mothers to eat 1800-2000)? Where are you getting the 1540 burned from? There is no way you would burn that a day from exercise.... Do you mean 1540 burned a week? That would mean you plan to burn 220 calories a day (not counting breastfeeding) with exercise, which would be over your regular daily activity (something that makes you sweat and work).

    I guess it would be easier to tell you how I do mine. I did a custom plan to eat 2100 calories a day (trial and error has found this is the right number for me while breastfeeding). This way I do not need to log my breastfeeding each day, it's already in there. Because I am lazy like that.

    If I wanted to log my breastfeeding each day I would use MFP's guided plan (or go calculate your TDEE) and enter my lifestyle however active I am daily (without specfic exercise). Then I would log any exercise that is over my daily activiy level (which was accounted for and calories given already). I would also need to log my breastfeeding for each day, since MFP doesn't have a setting for it. MFP would give me a daily calorie intake amount, and then after entering breastfeeding I would then have a number of calories to eat each day.

    After entering any exercise, I would have a new number to eat. This all accounts for losing weight still.

    You can log breastfeeding two ways. Added as a food (which I think there is diffrent levels for diffrent amount of - calories), or add as a exercise. When I logged it (before changing my settings to save time), I prefered adding it as a exercise for 1 min (to not mess with my exercise goals) and then put in 500 calories. I have a large over supply and I pump for my toddler while breastfeeding my newborn, so I also added 250 for pumping.

    They say breastmilk takes 20-26 calories a ounce to make, since you EP you know how much you are making. But for newborn-6 mo. (when you start solids) a breastfeeding mom needs 500 (range 300-800) extra calories a day, for 6 mo. - 1 year needs 300 depending on how much the baby is still taking in. Basically, it's a crap shoot, between your body and babies eating habits....trial and error seems to be how you have to fine tune it. But start with the basics and work from there.

    Remember that your body is going to hold onto every dang calorie if you do not eat enough. Our bodies are designed to make sure the baby will be fed even if there is not much food, so it's going to hold onto all it can if you are getting too low. I have found I need to eat a lot to keep my breastfeeding body happy and I still lose weight. I wasn't losing weight so I upped my caloies and then I started dropping easily.

    When I workout, I eat those calories back. And I drink a TON of water to keep my supply up. Water really effects your supply and if you workout make sure you drink a lot extra to accomadate for that.

    So reading back over your post I am assuming you put a custom plan for 1900 calories a day to accomadate for the extra needed for breastfeeding. If that what you were going for, then you do not need to log breastfeeding. But I still don't understand where you got the calories burned from. Calories burned should be through exercise, and that is a LOT.
  • Chrisseex3
    Chrisseex3 Posts: 11 Member
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    Ahh, I didnt even realize I wrote per day. I meant per week! But thank you. I understand now. :)
  • kikimama125
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    Glad I could help! Just blame the sleep deprivation, thats what I do!