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Breastfeeding 4 month old, ALWAYS hungry

SamanthaF502
SamanthaF502 Posts: 1
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My son is 4 months old. I have about 10-15lbs to lose... I am HOPING to drop some by May 7th when we are going on a beach vacation. I am now counting calories. With my BF allowance, I can have about 1700 cals. I am picking wisely, but I still feel so hungry. I know most ladies feel hungry while nursing, but Im just not sure what to do. Some places I read that anytime Im hungry I should eat, while others said just be hungry and drink water. Any opinions?

THANKS!

Replies

  • jmcreynolds91
    jmcreynolds91 Posts: 777 Member
    Hi! When my daughter was 4 months, i was always hungry too. She is 8 months now and i am about normal now. When i was hungry, i ate. I hear your not supposed to eat under 1800 so thats where i am at and hav lost 30 pounds. My daughter eats solids once a day so i am almost ebf. I have heard of people eating anywhere between 2200 and 1800 while nursing and loosing weight. I hope this helps! :)
  • zephtalah
    zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
    ^^^ What she said. Minimal caloric intake for nursing mothers should not go under 1800 calories. Plus if your hungry eat! It takes the body 26 calories to produce one ounce of milk. So if a mommy produces 25 ounces of milk in a day she would burn 650 calories ( 25 ounces x 26 calories) just from nursing. Also if you consume to few calories, it can affect your milk supply.
  • J3nnyV
    J3nnyV Posts: 114 Member
    I say eat more! My daily target before adding back 500 breastfeeding cals is 1700. I'm exclusively nursing a 4 month old too. Honestly Momma, now is the time to nurture your body because your baby is counting on you.

    I try to get 30% of my cals from protein, which is over 100 grams of protein a day. I find that helps with hunger.
  • CaliSteph
    CaliSteph Posts: 142 Member
    When you're hungry, eat. It really does lower your milk supply if you're not careful. if you're concerned about eating too much, be sure to drink a glass water beforehand and then have a bite - like fruit or vegetables. You can still lose weight if you're eating 1800 calories a day to breastfeed.
  • learningtolove
    learningtolove Posts: 288 Member
    I second the eating more. I am ebf an almost 3 month old,and I am fairly small sized 5'3",131 pounds,with 12 more to lose and I am losing weight eating 1800-1900 after breastfeeding allowance.
    You can also try filling up with fruits and veggies,or try sipping on a cup of tea first to make sure its true hunger ( plus more fluids help your production too!)
  • ekay1982
    ekay1982 Posts: 2 Member
    I am so glad I found this!! I have been in the same boat. 4.5 month old and starving all the time. I found another post, several years old, and it spelled everything out plain as day. There was so much conflicting information that I was told and read that I didn't know if I was coming or going. Turns out my net calories everyday are less than 1000!! Most times more like 500!! My milk supply seems to be adequate for my daughter but I was wondering why I couldn't lose some weight and felt crappy all the time. Now I know and can fix it. So as of yesterday I am on a "new" caloric intake goal.

    So nice to know you are not the only one going through some of these "wierd" things!!!
  • AureliaCotta
    AureliaCotta Posts: 99 Member
    You don't want to mess with your milk supply, and you have your hands full as it is with a newborn, so why feel hungry and miserable if you don't have to? If you're hungry, make sure you're getting all of your calories. If you're still hungry, you should eat some more...it doesn't have to be another thousand calories: add an extra--and nutritious--100-200 calories and go from there. Maybe just a little more is what you need.

    I speak from some experience: I added an extra 150 a day to my diet and it's improved things drastically...and I'm still losing weight too :)

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