P90X and Breastfeeding

jljohnson

I thinking of starting P90X, but I'm currently breastfeeding. Should I be concerned about decreasing or completely losing my milk supply? I know the basics of staying hyrdated and eating enough, but not sure how such an intense workout will impact this.

Also, I briefly looked over the nutrition plan, and it appears to suggest 1800 calories for most people. Should I be adding an extra 300-500 calories like I do with my MFP goal? 2300 calories sounds like a lot!

buffalogal1979

Hi, I am currently breastfeeding #3. I think as long as you are eating enough and then also eating the calories you burn, your supply should be OK. I have heard though, that sometimes intense exercise can lead to lactic acid build up in the milk supply which might taste funny to the baby, who may refuse or reduce breastfeeding, which may be where the misconception that exercise reduces milk supply comes from.

My doctor told me to eat no less than 2000 calories a day while breastfeeding, even while trying to lose weight. So I made a custom food plan for 2000 calories and then there is a "breastfeeding mom" food option that is worth -100 calories. I use one of those for each meal to account for the calories used producing milk, then I also make sure I "eat back" any calories used exercising. I have been losing about 1 - 2 lbs/week and have noticed no change in my supply, but I am only slowly adding in cardio workouts...

Hope that helps.
J

jljohnson

I hadn't heard about the lactic acid buildup before, so thanks for that info!

eliblish

2300 is not alot when breastfeeding. I eat between 2300 and 2800 and i'm breastfeeding. And that's with lighter exercise than p90x. I'm on maintenance.

firegirlred

I'm doing Insanity right now, and running 5-7 miles at a a time. I still pump off extra in the morning and evening. Here's what I did:

I took myself out of a deficit on MFP. I account for the calories in the extra milk that I pump off. I eat all my exercise calories.

Then I let the milk that I produce that feeds my son take me back into a deficit. I think my ticker speaks for itself...

Check out my diary-you'll see.

Once I start maintaining my weight, I'll add 3-5 "servings" of nursing to my diet to adjust.

hiddensecant

I hadn't heard about the lactic acid buildup before, so thanks for that info!

It's no big deal ... it might make your milk sour for about a half-hour so just make sure the baby is fed before you workout or pump some milk each night just in case he gets hungry before you're done recovering. Some babies don't mind; it's really an individual thing. And it wont harm the baby if he does drink it.

P.S. Glad you're joining us!

jljohnson

firegirlred - Good to know there are other breastfeeding moms that can bring it. I've been adding by nursing back in as exercise, rather than food, but I get what you're doing. If I switched back to maintenance, I'd be right around the right number of calories, so maybe that's the way to go. I really want this baby weight gone, but not at the expense of losing the ability to do something good for my little one.

ghanie - That definitely makes sense. I don't like exercising when I'm full of milk anyways, so I'll be sure to pump beforehand. I see you're doing Insanity now too (I read your blog every once in awhile). Did you find that the nutrition plan helped when you did P90X? Does 1800 calories sound about right?

hiddensecant

Did you find that the nutrition plan helped when you did P90X? Does 1800 calories sound about right?

I'm actually doing a P90X/Insanity hybrid (insanity on cardio days) so I'm still doing the nutrition plan and getting 1800 calories. I've been needing more carbs with Insanity though so I moved on to the Phase 2 and 3 foods early.

And yes, it really does help to get in all the calories and nail the nutrition from Day 1.

When do you plan to start your round?

pshibley

hi all, I am breastfeeding my 3 month old and I just started this MY FP last week. It didn't ask me if I was breastfeeding, so how do I adjust ?

Kbarfuss

I just finished my second week of P90X and my milk supply went WAY down. So just like everyone else has said... just make sure you're getting enough calories. For example with my weight (158) and activity level (60 min +) I am supposed to be getting 3000 calories. If you need help finding out how much you should have you can always make a profile on choosemyplate.org and it will tell you. It's also a great website for logging your food intake and exercise. Good luck and way to be a healthy momma, you won't regret it!