Logging for Breastfeeding?

BrandyontheRun

I'm a new mom and am back to logging and getting myself on track. I'm currently breastfeeding and intend to do so for awhile yet, so I need to know how to properly log to include the extra 500 calories I need a day. Help or Suggestions?

BarbieAS

If you search for breastfeeding in the food database there are a few entries that will actually put negative calories into your food log, which seems to be a popular method. Personally, I created my own exercise entry that I logged every day for nursing, because I preferred to see how many calories I was actually eating and give myself credit for nursing as extra calories burned. You just need to make sure that as your weight goes down the calories it gives you stays accurate (they'll decrease slightly based on your weight loss; you just need to type over it, no biggie). Also, as your baby starts to wean you can play with the number of calories you credit yourself. Good luck!

BarbieAS

Also, if you log it as exercise your macros stay proportionate to how you have them set in your goals, rather than relying on the entry to "subtract" a certain number of carbs, fat, etc. That may or may not be important to you, but it was for me .

ADobs

I search it through the food database and use the one that's 3-5 times per day and gives me an extra 400 calories. I read a few articles that say you only need an extra 300-500 while breastfeeding. So I picked one in the middle.

shaybuggie

*looks at the food database for "breastfeeding"*

Omg how cool!

Sorry I was of no help, but I always wondered what breastfeeding mothers did for calorie burn.