Diet Tips for First Time Nursing Mom?

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SLPGirl
SLPGirl Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What's the best way to start loosing the baby weight while making sure I get enough of what I need to keep nursing? I know WW has a nursing mother's diet plan.....anyone tried it? Any tips would be GREAT!

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  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
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    I lost weight with weight watchers while nursing my middle daughter for over a year. The weight dropped off and I ate loads.

    If you choose to stick with MFP then if you search breastfeeding in the food database and add it to your day it will add the calories required (500 for EBF).

    Don't drop below recommended calories (or points with weight watchers), it may seem you're eating too much for weight loss but you really won't be and will make yourself ill if you eat too little. Oats are great for milk production.

    Good luck and congrats on the little one.
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
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    I don't know. My mom always told me not to gulp.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
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    Breast feeding will really help you with the weight loss! My wife is still BFing our youngest and eats about 3,000 calories a day. However, she is slightly taller than average and is fairly active with exercise.

    It sounds like you have your head screwed on straight about priorities - - nourish that baby first and foremost.

    As littlemissdover says, 500 calories is a common figure thrown around.

    I'd say steer clear of "low fat" foods - - fats in things like butter and yoghurt will help, not hinder, your baby's growth and your own weight loss.

    Calculate your BMR at this website (it's really easy) http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and then add 500 calories to it. This is your floor, do not eat less than that amount. BMR is your basal metabolic rate; the amount of calories you'd need to sustain life functions if you were in a coma - - respiring, circulating blood, regulating body temperature, processing toxins, etc. You don't want to skimp on those; then, the additional 500 is to account for your baby's needs. Again, this is NO LESS THAN consumption.

    Calculate your TDEE at this website (also easy) http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html Total daily energy expenditure includes all of your moving about the house, lifting baby from the bassinet, and general movement. Calculate this, add 500 to it, and then eat a 20% deficit of it. (TDEE + 500 times .8 = daily target.)

    Then just watch the baby grow while you shrink :-)
  • flhedinger
    flhedinger Posts: 35
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    I didn't count my calories very carefully while I was breastfeeding, but I did try to really focus on the quality of what I was eating, and that helped me stay within a reasonable amount of calories and lose my pregnancy weight. (I actually lost pregnancy weight very easily... it's just that my pre-pregnance weight was too high to begin with!) I found that to be the easiest time I've ever had eating really good for me foods because every bite I took I was able to think about how it was feeding my body so that I could feed my daughter. It made the connection between health and what I put in my body so much more tangible than it had ever been, and gave me the focus I needed to eat well. I wish you luck with your personal goals and with your baby -- congratulations!

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