Am I Doing This Right? Be brutally honest!

raytastic06
raytastic06 Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im 24 just had my first baby on June12th, and have decided to change my diet and start exercising to lose the baby weight. Im started at 164 and want to get down to 130lbs for my 5'4" frame. I have only been on MFP for about 6 days now and want some advice. Please view my food diary and exercise diary for the past few days and let me know am I eating ok? Are my meal times good? Protein/carb/fat ratio fine? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I understand that Im new at this and can't possibly know everything about diet and exercise so I want brutally honest advice. THANKS and God Bless!!!!

Replies

  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    How do you know *your* breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day? If that figure is wrong, it messes up your whole results.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    It looks like you need to eat more especially considering your are breastfeeding. Some days your have a net of less than 900 calories.

    I would also recommend keeping an eye on sodium as you seem to eat a lot of processed foods.
  • ElviraCross
    ElviraCross Posts: 331 Member
    How do you know *your* breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day? If that figure is wrong, it messes up your whole results.

    This is a widely accepted number.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    It seems like most of your foods are round numbers like "4oz" and "1/2 cup".. are you actually weighing/measuring? If not, it really helps! 1 tablespoon of a condiment looks WAY different in reality than I imagine it in my head!

    I bought my scale from target for around $25 so it's not /too/ up there in price if you haven't gotten one yet!
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    You need to eat more. It's not enough to log the breastfeeding in your diary -- you actually have to consume those calories. As a nursing mom, you should be consuming a minimum of 1500-1800 calories per day, more if you participate in strenuous exercise.

    http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

    Remember that your body is giving all your nutrition to the baby first, and then you get whatever's left over. So undereating the way you are is going to be very bad for your health in the long run. Eat more, shoot for no more than 1 pound per week of weight loss (you could shoot for more if you were very overweight, but 30 pounds isn't enough to ensure safe, faster loss), and make sure to drink plenty of water. Eat as many whole foods as you can to ensure you're getting good nutrition, and continue taking your prenatal vitamins.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I have to say I agree with those who say it looks like you are not eating enough!!
  • cpegasus01
    cpegasus01 Posts: 400 Member
    I agree with what everyone else has said.
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    agreed, eat more...you are nourishing your child. This is not the time to skimp.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Congratulations on your baby!!! Yep you need to eat more!! Maybe there are some groups on here with breast feeding mothers that can give you some tips and info. I'd seek them out for advice. And as always, talk to your Doctor to get the best advice on how many additional calories you need to consume for breastfeeding!! Although I have always heard 500 as the widely accepted number too!

    Congrats:flowerforyou:
  • Mundy86
    Mundy86 Posts: 167 Member
    I agree with impyimpyah. You need to eat all your calories for breastfeeding.

    Set your goal to loose 1 pound a week. Then eat back your breastfeeding and exercise calories. It's alot of food but you can choose healthy high calorie foods like nuts to get the extra calories. Many will debate weather to eat your exercise calories or not but if your breastfeeding you need to fuel your body on top of providing for the baby. I tried to not eat my exercise calories at first and nothing happened. Once I started to track and eat my calories properly the weight is coming off. Had my first little one May 4th.

    Also 300-500 calories is correct for breastfeeding. If there is issues with weight gain for the baby they can measure the calorie level in breast milk. But it is not commonly done, plus I believe it can change over time.
  • grubb1019
    grubb1019 Posts: 371 Member
    I agree with impyimpyah. You need to eat all your calories for breastfeeding.

    Set your goal to loose 1 pound a week. Then eat back your breastfeeding and exercise calories. It's alot of food but you can choose healthy high calorie foods like nuts to get the extra calories. Many will debate weather to eat your exercise calories or not but if your breastfeeding you need to fuel your body on top of providing for the baby. I tried to not eat my exercise calories at first and nothing happened. Once I started to track and eat my calories properly the weight is coming off. Had my first little one May 4th.

    Also 300-500 calories is correct for breastfeeding. If there is issues with weight gain for the baby they can measure the calorie level in breast milk. But it is not commonly done, plus I believe it can change over time.

    ^^ Totally agree with this!
  • raytastic06
    raytastic06 Posts: 28 Member
    Thanks so much for the advice! My number one priority is to be able to breastfeed for my daughter so I will definitely try and increase my calories. I think I will start adding a protein shake at night to help add extra calories and protein. Its so hard not to want to go full force but the baby comes first!!
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Thanks so much for the advice! My number one priority is to be able to breastfeed for my daughter so I will definitely try and increase my calories. I think I will start adding a protein shake at night to help add extra calories and protein. Its so hard not to want to go full force but the baby comes first!!

    Even if you weren't breastfeeding, your current caloric intake is just too low to be healthy. You have to fuel the fire! :) Feed your body enough to keep your metabolism going strong. This isn't a sprint to the finish line, it's a long-term change for your lifetime health. Faster loss is not better loss -- the slower you lose it, the easier it will be to sustain that loss and stay healthy and happy.
  • Mundy86
    Mundy86 Posts: 167 Member
    Its so hard not to want to go full force but the baby comes first!!

    Yes it is. I had lost 50lbs before I got pregnant and was full force all the time. So when I started after the baby it took a while to get my head around that it was going to be slower and different this time. I look at it as a loss is a loss regardless of how small.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Thanks so much for the advice! My number one priority is to be able to breastfeed for my daughter so I will definitely try and increase my calories. I think I will start adding a protein shake at night to help add extra calories and protein. Its so hard not to want to go full force but the baby comes first!!

    FAT, not protein. Your fat intake is quite low.
  • LadyGreatrick
    LadyGreatrick Posts: 18
    I was breast feeding up until 3 months ago and eating more calories helped me loose weight. Sounds odd but it did. I ate back my bfIng calories and my exercising calories and just kept it at loosing 1lb a week. So my daily intake was about 1500 calories a day - minimun! Worked wonders - 25lb less later! Good luck and congrats on your baby!!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    It looks like you need to eat more especially considering your are breastfeeding. Some days your have a net of less than 900 calories.

    I would also recommend keeping an eye on sodium as you seem to eat a lot of processed foods.
    Yes:happy: Watch your net. Too low is counterproductive. Glad you breastfeed:happy:

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