HELP!!!!!!

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JessicaEsqueda
JessicaEsqueda Posts: 25
in Health and Weight Loss
People are telling me I need to be eating 2,600 calories a day, minimum. I don't fully understand how they've figured this out. I have a hard time getting to 1,500 calories a day. I am absolutely terrified that eating this much will make me gain weight. Is this right? Wrong?? Does anyone have any advice?

I am 21, 5'11'' and 285ish pounds. I am also breastfeeding. Can someone help me please? =/

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  • MizManda180
    MizManda180 Posts: 68 Member
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    1,200 is the minimum number of calories you need to eat daily. I'm not sure what you should be at when breast feeding. 2,600 does seem really high though.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    1,200 is the minimum number of calories you need to eat daily. I'm not sure what you should be at when breast feeding. 2,600 does seem really high though.

    breast feeding is an extra 500 per day, so the MINIMUM you should eat is 1700 and that is still low given your height. 2000 would probably be a more sustainable number.

    what are you eating that makes it hard for you to hit 1500? if you eat too little your milk supply will dry up, which you probably dont want?
  • JessicaEsqueda
    JessicaEsqueda Posts: 25
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    I definitely do NOT want my milk to dry up. I don't eat any milk, eggs, soy, or peanuts, or most legumes. This means I completely avoid processed foods and some of those easy calories (say, an egg or a cheese quesadilla) are unavailable. I looked into this a LOT last night. I think I'll shoot for around 2000 calories a day and see how it goes. I haven't lost much weight but I am losing a LOT of inches! 6 inches off my waist since August, and the rest of my body is following suit (5 inches off my belly, and that's where I carry my weight!)

    Part of me wants to say... just keep doing what I'm doing, it's working! But since I don't pump I have no way to determine the fat content of my milk and I wouldn't want it to thin out too much for my little guy.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Why so restrictive? Maybe see a dietician so you get a balanced intake of nutrients? Do you eat tree nuts, seeds, low sugar dark chocolate, very oily fish like mackerel, avocado, block creamed coconut? These are all rich in healthy fats and good sources of vitamins or minerals and fibre. Omega-3s are great for your baby's development.

    ETA no offence but there are actually quite a lot of processed products in your diary, very little is as it comes off the plant or animal, many will have an ingredients list. I suspect you are not eating enough mineral rich foods nor fruits and veggies, your wheat products look to be mostly white and there are no nuts, seeds or pulses (obviously).
  • JessicaEsqueda
    JessicaEsqueda Posts: 25
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    Why so restrictive? Maybe see a dietician so you get a balanced intake of nutrients? Do you eat tree nuts, seeds, low sugar dark chocolate, very oily fish like mackerel, avocado, block creamed coconut? These are all rich in healthy fats and good sources of vitamins or minerals and fibre. Omega-3s are great for your baby's development.

    ETA no offence but there are actually quite a lot of processed products in your diary, very little is as it comes off the plant or animal, many will have an ingredients list. I suspect you are not eating enough mineral rich foods nor fruits and veggies, your wheat products look to be mostly white and there are no nuts, seeds or pulses (obviously).

    My little guy has food allergies. Do you have any recommendations for bread products? We limit wheat sine I also have a nickel allergy. I just picked up some rice flour to try in bread, but going breadless isn't an option.

    I do sprinkle nuts and seeds into things like my tabouleh and bulgar cereals, but am trying to add in more. Also, my cashew butter is homemade raw cashews, so there are nuts in there. What are pulses?

    I suppose I wasn't counting breads and starches as processed, but you're right, they are! Will making my own make them un-processed?

    EDIT TO ADD: I eat a lot of tilapia-- it's cheap. I do love cod and salmon. Avocado is delicious so I can increase that. I am also still taking a prenatal vitamin that contains DHA and omega 3s.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Canned oily fish (pilchards/ sardines/ mackerel/ salmon) is cheaper than fresh fish if you are on a budget: tilapia is white not oily I think, healthy but no omega-3s to speak of, ditto cod. Decent doses of long chain omega-3s are great for calming milder inappropriate immune responses like eczema and hayfever, don't touch more severe allergies such as anaphylaxis or coeliac tho. It's important to have a favourable right balance with the omega-6s in your diet (most nuts, seeds, wholegrains) so it would be worth checking the amount of DHA and EPA you are taking.

    Pulses = beans and lentils.

    Technically any bread is processed because there is no bread tree nor a flour tree (!) but you can make it nutritious by using a whole flour like brown rice or lentil and ideally not very finely ground - stoneground if you can get it and it works in the recipe, maybe even adding some seeds to make a sort of 'granary' bread?
  • JessicaEsqueda
    JessicaEsqueda Posts: 25
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    Canned oily fish (pilchards/ sardines/ mackerel/ salmon) is cheaper than fresh fish if you are on a budget: tilapia is white not oily I think, healthy but no omega-3s to speak of, ditto cod. Decent doses of long chain omega-3s are great for calming milder inappropriate immune responses like eczema and hayfever, don't touch more severe allergies such as anaphylaxis or coeliac tho. It's important to have a favourable right balance with the omega-6s in your diet (most nuts, seeds, wholegrains) so it would be worth checking the amount of DHA and EPA you are taking.

    Pulses = beans and lentils.

    Technically any bread is processed because there is no bread tree nor a flour tree (!) but you can make it nutritious by using a whole flour like brown rice or lentil and ideally not very finely ground - stoneground if you can get it and it works in the recipe, maybe even adding some seeds to make a sort of 'granary' bread?

    Lentils are yet another thing my son is allergic to. We avoid all legumes except pinto beans, black beans, lima beans and pink beans. Its impossible to test him for all legumes but he has reacted to several. So these are the ones we DID test for that he didnt have an issue with.

    I have white rice and brown rice flour. I also have whole wheat flour, wheat germ, nutritional yeast, etc. These are good things to put in bread? I had been eating Dave's Killer Bread (good seed), but at $6 a loaf it's unaffordable. Apparently it's time to get out the bread maker!

    I do also have sardines in the pantry. And I cook in coconut oil, which I think has some omega 3s? Not sure on that one.

    Thanks for the recommendations! I see some seed bread in my kitchen's future :) Honestly, I hate white bread anyway. Lol!
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Wheatgerm is very nutritious if you can tolerate that, I believe it's good in baking tho not tried it myself. Coconut oil is almost entirely saturates especially lauric acid - may certainly be beneficial in weight management and possibly immune function. I like to cook with it too, I keep meaning to try it in baking. Hope you find a good bread recipe!
  • JessicaEsqueda
    JessicaEsqueda Posts: 25
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    Wheatgerm is very nutritious if you can tolerate that, I believe it's good in baking tho not tried it myself. Coconut oil is almost entirely saturates especially lauric acid - may certainly be beneficial in weight management and possibly immune function. I like to cook with it too, I keep meaning to try it in baking. Hope you find a good bread recipe!

    coconut oil easily replaces shortening or butter in baking. I sometimes add a splash of imitation butter flavor and you cant taste the difference. I do enjoy wheat germ in most of my baked goods. I also mix it into pancakes, sprinkle it on salads, toss it in with whole grain cereals, etc.

    I'm not totally unhealthy ;-)

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