Postpartum calories?
rosy003
Posts: 251 Member
I know it is a bit early to think about this, but I'm just curious how you will set up your postpartum calories. I have mfp set to gain 1/2 a pound per week right now which has actually worked out to more like 1 lb per week. I am eating back my exercise calories. Am I gaining more b/c of the pregnancy? Or are my calories too high? (To be clear, I am happy gaining a pound per week right now and have no intention of slowing down my weight gain while pregnant- just trying to figure the numbers out for the future).
After the baby is born I want to breastfeed, so I know I need about 500 extra calories per day. Should I set my starting weight to whatever my weight is when I come home from the hospital? Should I wait a few weeks until the initial baby weight has dropped off? Is any one else as crazy as I am and thinking about this already?
Just curious if you have a plan in place and what your plan is.
Thanks!
After the baby is born I want to breastfeed, so I know I need about 500 extra calories per day. Should I set my starting weight to whatever my weight is when I come home from the hospital? Should I wait a few weeks until the initial baby weight has dropped off? Is any one else as crazy as I am and thinking about this already?
Just curious if you have a plan in place and what your plan is.Thanks!
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Keep in mind that you and your baby are gaining weight right now. 1 pound a week weight gain isn't bad. Realistically, that puts you at around 40 total pounds for pregnancy. Much of that weight will be baby weight - increased blood volume, placenta, baby, etc. Your postpartum calories will depend on whether or not you are breastfeeding. I was sooo tired after my first two were born, that I didn't count calories for the first 6 weeks or so. I struggled to eat for a while too though.0
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I would think if you are gaining 1 pound a week after 20 weeks that is right on target. It should put you in the 25-30 pound range comfortably. I know I'm hoping for 5 pounds in the first 20 weeks and a pound a week average after that. So I think your calories are spot on. You can adjust them should you stop gaining or start gaining crazy amounts.
After the birth I think I will give myself 2 weeks to get adjusted and then weigh and see what my new starting weight will be. I don't know how perfect I will be about tracking but I will try my best. I wasn't very careful after my first baby and didn't loose any weight the first year despite breastfeeding exclusively. When she was a year I started tracking calories and found I could eat for 1 pound a week weight loss plus an extra 250 calories as I was still breastfeeding and lost quite well. I guess it's all theoretical until I see how much weight i actually gain and how it comes off after but I'm hoping it's going to go somewhat to plan!0 -
You are not alone in thinking about all those things!! I feel like I have been obsessive about this! LOL I still do not know how many calories I should be consuming while breastfeeding. It always seems to give me an estimate that is too high for me personally and causes me to gain. If I do my BMR + 500 that SHOULD be maintenance. I've been reading a lot about having a deficit while breastfeeding. Good to do research. Consensus amongst the research seems to be that it is okay and will not effect milk supply if done properly. Let me know if you find any useful tools. I'm still looking too!0
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Im a postpartum mama, so I figured I would weigh in here (haha!)
You're not crazy to think about postpartum calories, they are important, especially if you're breastfeeding.
Most of us mamas add 500 for exclusive breastfeeding. My dietician suggested this number to me as well, and told me that I would need more calories during breastfeeding than I would during pregnancy.
I changed my starting weight to the weight I was when I delivered, and set MFP to lose 1lb per week. Added in 500 on top of that. I ended up losing waaaay more than 1lb per week, my body just wanted to shed the weight. I'm lighter than I was pre-pregnancy, and my son is 4 months old - all while netting 2000 calories per day.
A lot of women mention 1800 as the minimum number of calories to net if you're breastfeeding. My advice: don't restrict in the first few weeks, you need to get that milk supply established, and your body needs to heal.
Good luck with labor & delivery, mamas!!!0 -
Thanks for the input ladies! I'm on track right now to gain 25-30 lbs (up 10 lbs at 22 weeks). I think I'll give myself 2 weeks at home before weighing in on mfp. I nursed my first 2 kids for year each and it went really well, so I hope that experience will help me get established this time around- though I know every baby is different. Thanks for the advice Pepper! Sounds like a good approach!0
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I was thinking maintenance +500 cals for the first week or so so let my body adjust to the drastic change, and then -1/2 lb a week +500 cals for breastfeeding (added in under exercise). Appreciate the input on how you approached it; will definitely refer to this within a week or so!Im a postpartum mama, so I figured I would weigh in here (haha!)
You're not crazy to think about postpartum calories, they are important, especially if you're breastfeeding.
Most of us mamas add 500 for exclusive breastfeeding. My dietician suggested this number to me as well, and told me that I would need more calories during breastfeeding than I would during pregnancy.
I changed my starting weight to the weight I was when I delivered, and set MFP to lose 1lb per week. Added in 500 on top of that. I ended up losing waaaay more than 1lb per week, my body just wanted to shed the weight. I'm lighter than I was pre-pregnancy, and my son is 4 months old - all while netting 2000 calories per day.
A lot of women mention 1800 as the minimum number of calories to net if you're breastfeeding. My advice: don't restrict in the first few weeks, you need to get that milk supply established, and your body needs to heal.
Good luck with labor & delivery, mamas!!!0 -
You're not crazy to be thinking about this! I'm 25w and am thinking about it already - but part of it is that I am already getting tired of being pregnant and just want to get past L&D and get settled already!!!
I plan on using the revised roadmap using my *settled* postpartum weight. Meaning I'll give myself a couple of weeks after giving birth to lose water, etc., then weigh in to determine my BMR and TDEE.
In case you or anyone else needs a link to the roadmap, here it is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Enjoy!0 -
You're not crazy to be thinking about this! I'm 25w and am thinking about it already - but part of it is that I am already getting tired of being pregnant and just want to get past L&D and get settled already!!!
I plan on using the revised roadmap using my *settled* postpartum weight. Meaning I'll give myself a couple of weeks after giving birth to lose water, etc., then weigh in to determine my BMR and TDEE.
In case you or anyone else needs a link to the roadmap, here it is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Enjoy!
The roadmap is awesome! I plan to do a moderate cut from TDEE (probably around 10%) and I will be adding 500 on top of that per day since I will be nursing. I am currently eating 2200 in my first trimester, which is what I ate to maintain once I reached goal. Eating more during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters is one of the perks of pregnancy as far as I am concerned. Same goes for breastfeeding!
Be prepared with healthy snacks that are quick while you are nursing. It is not the same for everyone, but I have NEVER experienced hunger like I did right after a nursing sesssion. I was literally desperate for food and would stand in the pantry stuffing the quickest thing I could get in my face, no matter the calories! I did not start losing weight until my daughter was 2 and wish I would have had more healthy foods on hand to keep that desperate hunger at bay.0
