Breastfeeding

Just_a_girl443
Just_a_girl443 Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
How can I be sure that my allotted calories factor in that I am currently breastfeeding a 1 year old?
Has any one else lost weight while practicing extended breast feeding? I saw a dietician and she told me I have to choose one or the other. Weight loss vs. breastfeeding

Replies

  • LuckyMunky
    LuckyMunky Posts: 200 Member
    I am currently exclusively breastfeeding my 3 month old. I give myself an extra 400 calories a day for that. One way to factor it in is to put it into your food diary. You can do this by searching in the food database for "breastfeeding" and it will give you several options.

    I currently eat about 1800 calories a day, sometimes more, and have been successful at losing weight and producing plenty of milk.
  • sem41278
    sem41278 Posts: 89 Member
    Extended breastfeeding a 1 year old is different then exclusively nursing an infant- I think you can easily do both. As far as I know breastfeeding burns an extra 500 calories. Getting in your nutrients, protein and fluids just need to be a priority.
  • sueclare38
    sueclare38 Posts: 125
    Of course you can do both but every woman is different. Although you may lose weight it might be a bit harder, even though you are burning extra calories by feeding, some bodies like to hold onto some of the fat stores to maintain a good supply. I've heard that it's a lot harder to lose the last 10lbs because of this, and i'm finding this is true for me. My youngest daughter is 19 mths and breastfeeds just before going to bed but I factor in an extra 200 calories for that and so far it's working, the weight loss has dropped now I've reached the 10lb left goal, and by watching my measurements I've noticed the inches going great under bust and on my waist and legs but the fat is remaining on my stomach, grrrrr. Make sure you drink plenty of water and watch for signs from your baby, if they get especially fidgety while feeding when they weren't before it could be a sign that your supply has dropped a bit so just up your calories a bit, also, feeding straight after exercising can affect the taste and make it salty.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I can't add anything that hasn't already been said, but there is a breastfeeding support group on here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/197-breastfeeding-support

    You can join up, check out the threads that are there (this is a common question), and ask away!
  • hsmaldo
    hsmaldo Posts: 115 Member
    Of course you can do both but every woman is different. Although you may lose weight it might be a bit harder, even though you are burning extra calories by feeding, some bodies like to hold onto some of the fat stores to maintain a good supply. I've heard that it's a lot harder to lose the last 10lbs because of this, and i'm finding this is true for me. My youngest daughter is 19 mths and breastfeeds just before going to bed but I factor in an extra 200 calories for that and so far it's working, the weight loss has dropped now I've reached the 10lb left goal, and by watching my measurements I've noticed the inches going great under bust and on my waist and legs but the fat is remaining on my stomach, grrrrr. Make sure you drink plenty of water and watch for signs from your baby, if they get especially fidgety while feeding when they weren't before it could be a sign that your supply has dropped a bit so just up your calories a bit, also, feeding straight after exercising can affect the taste and make it salty.

    And BOOOO to your dietician for saying you have to choose one or the other.

    I BF my last until about 20 months and only added 100-200 cal/day extra and I was able to lose weight....albeit slowly, but it wasn't impossible!

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