You can add breastfeeding as a (negative) food item - just do a search for it. Typically the number of calories is in how old your baby is - but do what makes sense for how frequently your baby eats or you pump. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, 500 is a good place to start. It will subtract that number of calories from how many you've eaten and adjust your macros for the decreased cals.

Guidelines from La Leche League and my doc, say never eat under 1800 NET calories when you are exlusively breastfeeding. You can begin gradually reducing if you add solids or supplement with formula. That means, at a minimum eat 1800 calories and eat back all of your exercise cals. You will still lose weight because 1800 net calories minus approximately 500 breastfeeding cals is only 1300 calories. You can definitely eat more but I wouldn't try less.

I just stopped breastfeeding my one year old - my body's choice not mine - but I was very successfully able to lose weight doing this. I was overweight pre-pregnancy and am now about 15lbs lighter than I started my pregnancy. I still have 19lbs to go - but I have good habits and know I will get there. I am determined to lose those 19lbs before I start trying for another.

Good luck and Congrats!

I add breastfeeding as a custom exercise or pick a random exercise and put in minutes that equal 500 calories (my friends list is made up of all people I know irl and they all know I am breastfeeding, so it's fun to pretend I instructed an aerobics class for 90 minutes.) I like to add it as exercise because it automatically adjusts my macros so I have more carbs, fat and protein to aim for. My base is 1650 and I add 500 calories for breastfeeding for a total of 2150 each day. I've lost an average of almost a pound a week this way.

Very helpful thanks amama5 for asking this!