Eating Enough Calories?

bridgetzc
bridgetzc Posts: 15 Member
I read on KellyMom that you should eat between 1500-1800 calories when breastfeeding and trying to lose weight. It also mentions that most people should eat on the high of that. I try to stay in that range and I do end up eating on the high end. When you add exercise do you eat the calories that you have exercised off? Today, after deducting my breastfeeding and exercise calories MFP says I have only eaten 972. Has any one else had this problem? If so did it affect your milk supply? So far my milk supply has been fine.

Replies

  • shrinkinc
    shrinkinc Posts: 74 Member
    It will likely affect your supply if it hasn't yet if you continue to eat like that. You should try to net around 1800 cal. I have my goals set at losing 1 lb a week which gives me 1650 base. I then add in 500 calories as a food for nursing since my son is 3 mo and only gets breast milk. That puts me at 2100 calories/day. If I exercise I usually earn 300 - 400 calories which puts me at 2500 on the high end. I usually end up eating around 2000 - 2200 cal a day and I'm still losing 1 - 2 lbs / week on average.
    I would try that and give it a few weeks. If you aren't losing weight you can then reduce your intake my 100 calories a week until you find a happy medium.
  • Ive been calculating breastfeeding and exercise in and netting about 1300 a day...when I was doing 1500-1800 I was GAINING weight with breastfeeding. It was SO frustrating. If youre losing weight netting 1800, thats great! Yes, you are supposed to eat back the calories you burn. For whatever reason my body is different and wont lose weight unless I eat very little :( Im EBF a 5 month old and my milk is fine, just cant lose the weight unless I eat little :(
  • dinomomma
    dinomomma Posts: 264 Member
    I read on KellyMom that you should eat between 1500-1800 calories when breastfeeding and trying to lose weight. It also mentions that most people should eat on the high of that. I try to stay in that range and I do end up eating on the high end. When you add exercise do you eat the calories that you have exercised off? Today, after deducting my breastfeeding and exercise calories MFP says I have only eaten 972. Has any one else had this problem? If so did it affect your milk supply? So far my milk supply has been fine.
    My nutritionist has me eating 2000 and eating back AT LEAST half of my exercise calories, I usually net 1750-2150
  • MeanSophieCat
    MeanSophieCat Posts: 200 Member
    Up until my daughter started solids at 6 months, I had to eat 2000 plus all of my exercise cals. Otherwise I felt dizzy all day and although I didn't have a supply drop, I think the fat content of the milk dropped and my daughter wasn't gaining weight.

    The good news is that I still lost weight. I had to very, very gradually decrease my calories and now that she is 11 months old, I am finally able to eat as low as 1400.

    Before giving in to the stress monster and gaining the weight back, I was able to get within 10lbs of my goal. My body just wouldn't drop the last 10. I've heard that is not uncommon and that additional fluids, ect... can keep you a little over your prepreg weight until you completely stop BFing. Again, good news, at 10lbs over goal weight and BFing, I looked like I was at my prepreg weight. I really think it must have been fluids.
  • I asked a nutritionist what I should be aiming for (ebf a 4mth old, and I'm 5"4) 1700 calories. if I excercise I eat back those calories. I find that I am eating about this much a day and losing a lb a week and supply dropped in the f
    irst week but it is fine now.
  • I'm 5"7 and eating about 2200-2600 a day. I EBF my 4 month old. When I workout I burn about 600+

    The last couple of days he has been nursing a lot more. I didn't workout today, but am going to end up eating 2200 calories, because I know my body needs it. Been losing between 1-3lbs a week.
  • Amypascoe
    Amypascoe Posts: 12
    I'm so glad I found this group! I am starting with a trainer next week and have been stressing about whether I eat back those calories or what. I want to look and feel good, but I don't want to lose my supply.
  • jmcreynolds91
    jmcreynolds91 Posts: 777 Member
    Hi. Im ebf my 7 month old. Ive been netting around 1800 cals a day and always eating back ny exercise cals and have been loosing 1-3 pounds a week. It took me a while to find out what worked best for me. I tried 1600 and wasnt loosing so i bumped up my cals and its coming off good. Hope this helps.
  • JessiAnn88
    JessiAnn88 Posts: 73 Member
    Hi, I'm EBF my 2 month old and I have a 1550 base calories (based on my BMR) and then I eat back the 500 for breastfeeding and when I exercise I eat back those calories too, so that usually puts me around 2000-2200 calories a day and I'm losing about a pound a week and my supply has been fine. You really have to see what works for you. Good luck!
  • mrsomeara
    mrsomeara Posts: 67 Member
    Ive been calculating breastfeeding and exercise in and netting about 1300 a day...when I was doing 1500-1800 I was GAINING weight with breastfeeding. It was SO frustrating. If youre losing weight netting 1800, thats great! Yes, you are supposed to eat back the calories you burn. For whatever reason my body is different and wont lose weight unless I eat very little :( Im EBF a 5 month old and my milk is fine, just cant lose the weight unless I eat little :(

    alawley08 I am in the same exact boat as you!
  • I am new to MFP and am 6 weeks postpartum and starting my weightloss jouney ... I am pumping and want to know how do I account for those in burned calories? MFP has me at 1500 calories a day. What is eating back excersise or breastfeeding?
  • Is there a way to put in that you are breastfeeding?
  • Thumpergt9
    Thumpergt9 Posts: 26 Member
    I am new to MFP and am 6 weeks postpartum and starting my weightloss jouney ... I am pumping and want to know how do I account for those in burned calories? MFP has me at 1500 calories a day. What is eating back excersise or breastfeeding?

    To account for the pumping, act like you are entering a food and search for breastfeeding. There are several options but since you are pumping you could do the 20 cal/ oz or just do an average for the day. This method you have to put in as a "food" every day. I think you can just adjust your calorie goal by the 300 or 500 calories but I don't know how to do that.

    Eating back exercise means to eat those calories on top of the goal that MFP gives you. If you put your activity level in correctly you may not need to eat them back but if you said you are sedentary or low activity and you do more activity then you should eat more to fuel your body.
  • ABaggett2010
    ABaggett2010 Posts: 33 Member
    Mfp has me at 1790 to lose a pound a week. When I work out I try to eat back at least half of them....but I'm not having much luck at losing weight. I usually have 1-2 cheat days a week and eat over 2000 without exercise. I should have taken my measurements when I started 3 weeks ago bc I feel smaller. I def feel healthier, I'm just ready to see the scale drop :/ so far I haven't noticed my supply being affected...how do you know when your supply drops???
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    I am new to MFP and am 6 weeks postpartum and starting my weightloss jouney ... I am pumping and want to know how do I account for those in burned calories? MFP has me at 1500 calories a day. What is eating back excersise or breastfeeding?

    To account for the pumping, act like you are entering a food and search for breastfeeding. There are several options but since you are pumping you could do the 20 cal/ oz or just do an average for the day. This method you have to put in as a "food" every day. I think you can just adjust your calorie goal by the 300 or 500 calories but I don't know how to do that.

    Eating back exercise means to eat those calories on top of the goal that MFP gives you. If you put your activity level in correctly you may not need to eat them back but if you said you are sedentary or low activity and you do more activity then you should eat more to fuel your body.
    ************************

    I pumped. I made an exercise called breastfeeding. and put in 20 calories an ounce.
    Averaging 30 ounces a day, I made sure to eat at least 1800 calories a day plus half of my exercise calories. Approx 2,000 a day average.