Help for breastfeeding mom

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Meggiomum
Meggiomum Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
There doesn't seem to be a way to include breastfeeding on here when calculating calorie needs/goals. So far I have been adding extra "exercise" to accomodate the calories it burns, but I am curious if anyone has a better idea?
Also, this is my 4th baby, and though I lost my baby weight very quickly with my last 3 babies by breastfeeding, for some reason the weight just doesn't want to come off this time. It's very demoralizing and frusturating, especially since my weight loss goals aren't that big (30 to 40 lbs). Hunger is a massive issue for me when I'm nursing- I'm making healthy food choices but I just can't seem to meet my calorie goals. Help!

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  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Your diary is locked: what do you class as healthy food choices? Are you eating plenty of protein, fibre, water and healthy fats? These work together to confer satiety. Are you doing strength training to maintain or boost muscle mass and your metabolism?
  • Meggiomum
    Meggiomum Posts: 3
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    I'm meeting goals for protien, tripling goals for fiber, average 1/2 of limit for saturated fats, and drink 8 to 10 cups of herbal tea a day (non-caffienated like mint and decaf green). I literally never eat white bread/pasta, red meat, fast food, soda, or candy. I don't even like it to be honest. On the rare occasion I eat a fried food, I use monounsaturated oils like avacado or olive. My only weakness is granola bars, which can have a lot of sugar.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i know you can search the food database for "breastfeeding" and you get many options for adding to your food diary, they add calories to your day. other than that, or adding it as "exercise", there isnt really a way to factor it into your daily goals.
    i would just say to make sure youre eating enough. i know it can be hard to meet goals, but the most common "rule" i see is not to go lower than 1800 calories when breastfeeding. i dont know how much yof your goal you are meeting, but it might be something to think about. maybe add some peanut butter (~100 calories a tablespoon, and if you use a natural brand there isnt added sugar etc) or something similar. nuts and cheeses can help boost calories without much effort.
  • gibbsgirl
    gibbsgirl Posts: 72 Member
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    If you search breastfeeding in the food database there are several different options to choose from. I just set my calorie goal manually. It suggested I eat 1200 calories so I set it to 1600.
  • carfamily08
    carfamily08 Posts: 179
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    You can add it to your food diary and it shows up as a negative amount. I have a separate section for breastfeeding and if you search the database there are a bunch of options depending on how often you breastfeed, how old you baby is, etc. - I just picked one and add it in and it shows up as -500 calories so I just eat those back and then eat my daily goal on top of it.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    I'm meeting goals for protien, tripling goals for fiber, average 1/2 of limit for saturated fats, and drink 8 to 10 cups of herbal tea a day (non-caffienated like mint and decaf green). I literally never eat white bread/pasta, red meat, fast food, soda, or candy. I don't even like it to be honest. On the rare occasion I eat a fried food, I use monounsaturated oils like avacado or olive. My only weakness is granola bars, which can have a lot of sugar.

    Whose goals? MFP basic is pretty low in protein, not enough for satiety in many cases. Are you eating plenty of oily fish, nuts and seeds not just refined/ extracted oils?
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
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    When I was breastfeeding, I just manually increased my calorie intake by 500 calories (My Home -> Goals -> Change Goals -> Custom -> Continue -> add 500 to your net calories consumed -> Change Goals (at the bottom)).

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