Breastfeeding and calories

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Liinzee123
Liinzee123 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I apologize if this has been posted already. I am currently exclusively breastfeeding my 3 month old son and trying to loose some weight as well. I have set my calorie goal at around 1600 and am working out about 5-6 times per week. I still feel hungry a lot of the time. Unsure if this is due to habit or if I'm getting enough to eat. Advice appreciated :)

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  • Healthy_TJ
    Healthy_TJ Posts: 11
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    Hi there,
    While I am NOT a Mom myself, I hear that you need an extra 500 calories when breastfeeding regularly because you burn that much from giving nutrients to your sweet baby. You may realize that you need a few more. I would up about 250 calories and see how your hunger levels are!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Is 1600 the goal MFP set for you? And are you logging your exercise and breastfeeding and eating the extra calories it gives you? That might be a good place to start.
  • Liinzee123
    Liinzee123 Posts: 9
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    I just added 300 cal to the goal MFP set. I'm not sure if it was correct but thought it was a good starting point - this is very new to me:)
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
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    Oh Boy. NO WAY are you getting enough calories. Your body is expending AT LEAST 500 extra calories to make the breast milk. Please include that in your daily figuring. It would be like eating back your exercise calories, plus ALSO eat back your exercise calories. The weight will come off. I wouldn't eat less than 1800 - 2000 calories if you are also exercising. If you don't believe me, call your doctor.
  • lenamae23
    lenamae23 Posts: 60 Member
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    If you are hungry you need to eat. Dropping too low will affect your milk. If you want you can add me to see my logs. Ive been breastfeeding my newesr little one 8 months now and have lost 13lbs in about 55 days. No hunger and plenty of milk supply.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
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    You can actually add breastfeeding to your diary. I am feeding my toddler still, she is having approx 5 feeds a day, so I add the minimal feeds, 3-5 per day @ 300cals. I add it each breakfast time. I am set on about 1550 cals per day, add back those bf calories (so it's more like 1850) and I've lost nearly 7kg in 6 weeks.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
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    Oh and make some of the extra calories protein if you can, it really boosts the milk. I felt my supply dropped a little when I started losing weight again, but it's back up there now as I have incorporated more protein.
  • hilaryhill
    hilaryhill Posts: 156 Member
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    As a BFing mama you need to be eating a minimum of 1800 cals a day, and thats before exercise. Im also exclusively breastfeeding my 6 mo old and I did a lot of researching about this.

    What I did was this... Go to this link... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975707-fat-loss-tactics-guide

    And figure out your TDEE. Subtract 20%. And now add 300-500cal onto that (various sites say BFing burns 300-700cals a day) and that is your daily caloric amount. Try that for two weeks and see what happens. If you arent losing, reduce by 200cal a day. Yay for BFing and getting to eat more! haha

    ETA: BTW, Im 5'9", 27 yrs old, and 196 lbs right now. My calories are set to 2200 and I actually now think that might be too low so I might up them in a few days..
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Don't try to go for a big deficit while breastfeeding - if you added 300 to what MFP gave you, does that mean you set a 2 pound a week goal? Don't do that!

    Eat enough! Remember that while you are nursing, your body will skim off the nutrients needed for milk first. That means that whatever protein, calcium, and healthy fats you're eating are going to milk first - and that's as it should be. but it means you are depriving yourself of these very important nutrients.

    During breastfeeding, and immediately after weaning, the calcium balance in your body is moving in a way that it does not move at any other time of your life. If you're not eating well, the calcium in your milk is coming from your bones. Protein will also come from you, *whether you eat it or not*.

    (note: The period during and just after weaning is the only time after adolescence that an adult can actually put a lot of calcium back into bones. Eat well and get calcium during that time to help replenish what moves out during pregnancy and nursing).
  • Liinzee123
    Liinzee123 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for all the responses. I am eating lots of protein and healthy fats like natural peanut butter and avacados. I think I had set a 2 lb a week goal, but my body has other plans, lol, so I am kinda just going with the flow of things. What is a good evening snack that's full of protein?
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
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    God evening snack full of protein? egg whites, hard boiled eggs, chicken, chicken, chicken (lol - I eat a lot of it) AND my favorite...Greek yogurt. I also make a smoothie with frozen strawberries, plain Greek yogurt, and milk with a little stevia extract from whole foods to sweeten it, but you could also us agave syrup or honey.

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