Nursing logged as exercise?

Laughter_
Laughter_ Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I am trying to figure out a few things. I had to up my daily calorie intake to about 1800 since I am nursing a newborn. My question is since nursing is said to burn around 300-500 calories a day anyone know if this could be logged as exercise? I plan on exercising as well but a calorie burn is a calorie burn?

Replies

  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    No.
  • lilacinfinity
    lilacinfinity Posts: 283 Member
    If you up your calories to cover it AND log it as exercise, you're kinda double-dipping. You'd want to do one or the other. I'd personally stick with just upping your calories.
  • lovelyx091
    lovelyx091 Posts: 217 Member
    :huh:
    ...just think of it as extra calories burned, but definitely not an exercise.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I'd only log it to make sure you're getting enough calories and nutrients to feed your baby, not to lose weight. Is 1800 minus whatever you burn nursing & exercising even enough? I remember the number being much higher.
  • Laughter_
    Laughter_ Posts: 16
    Thanks! I wasn't refering to it as "exercise" but more so how to go about this website and it's feature. So, thanks for the feedback. Especially the "No" person. :P
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    If you up your calories to cover it AND log it as exercise, you're kinda double-dipping. You'd want to do one or the other. I'd personally stick with just upping your calories.

    ^This ..... as long as you have the calories covered one place OR the other .... you're good.
  • Laughter_
    Laughter_ Posts: 16
    I'd only log it to make sure you're getting enough calories and nutrients to feed your baby, not to lose weight. Is 1800 minus whatever you burn nursing & exercising even enough? I remember the number being much higher.

    Not sure if height has anything to due to calorie intake but I am about 5'2 so a shorter person. I eat a whole almost all day long with snacking and usually stay under 2000.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I believe you can log it in your food log and it will add negative calories to your day.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    No was kind of cryptic, wasn't it?

    It's not really "burning" calories; it's just that you need the extra calories to feed the baby. I'd go with whatever MFP gave for meeting your weight loss goals, then add the extra calories that you need for the baby, and that's your baseline. You can account for exercise from there.
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    I used to log nursing as exercise (500 when I was nursing exclusively, then down to about 200-300 as my son was weaned); however, I wouldn't do this in your case as you're already eating 1800kcals per day to make up for it. That is, you're already accounting for the nursing in your diet plan; if you also logged it in exercise, you'd be "double counting" it. Does that make sense? When I was logging nursing as exercise, I did this while also keeping my daily calorie target where it would be if I wasn't nursing.
  • Laughter_
    Laughter_ Posts: 16
    I used to log nursing as exercise (500 when I was nursing exclusively, then down to about 200-300 as my son was weaned); however, I wouldn't do this in your case as you're already eating 1800kcals per day to make up for it. That is, you're already accounting for the nursing in your diet plan; if you also logged it in exercise, you'd be "double counting" it. Does that make sense? When I was logging nursing as exercise, I did this while also keeping my daily calorie target where it would be if I wasn't nursing.

    Thank you! Makes total sense.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    No.
    ????
    Yes, you can and should.
    Nursing burns cals. If you eat back those cals, you will make more milk for the next nursing.
    So log those cals. I believe they are in the database.
  • hep26000
    hep26000 Posts: 156 Member
    I believe I have seen someone's diary where they added nursing as food and it was negative 500 calories. I looked it up in the food database and it is there. There are even certain ones to pick so if you were nursing a newborn or an older baby who also eats solid food and even nursing a toddler.

    Great job nursing. I stopped about 5 months ago when my daughter was 15 months old and I miss it terribly.
    Plus I would love to be able to get negative 300-500 calories. That would ROCK!
  • Laughter_
    Laughter_ Posts: 16
    I believe I have seen someone's diary where they added nursing as food and it was negative 500 calories. I looked it up in the food database and it is there. There are even certain ones to pick so if you were nursing a newborn or an older baby who also eats solid food and even nursing a toddler.

    Great job nursing. I stopped about 5 months ago when my daughter was 15 months old and I miss it terribly.
    Plus I would love to be able to get negative 300-500 calories. That would ROCK!

    Okay, awesome. I will look for this.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I believe I have seen someone's diary where they added nursing as food and it was negative 500 calories. I looked it up in the food database and it is there. There are even certain ones to pick so if you were nursing a newborn or an older baby who also eats solid food and even nursing a toddler.

    Great job nursing. I stopped about 5 months ago when my daughter was 15 months old and I miss it terribly.
    Plus I would love to be able to get negative 300-500 calories. That would ROCK!

    Okay, awesome. I will look for this.

    Just remember that if you do look for those entries and decide to add nursing as calories "burnt" to your log, drop your intake total back down to where it was before you started nursing.

    So if you were at 1300 calories before, drop it back to that, then add the 500 "burnt" nursing calories, and eat 1800 calories. But don't leave it set at 1800, add the "burnt" 500 calories, and eat 2300. ;)
  • T0FatToB3S1ck
    T0FatToB3S1ck Posts: 192 Member
    If you want to know exactly what you are burning:

    Once ounce of breast milk=25 calories burned for you.

    I just got done breastfeeding. In never logged it as exercise I just upped my calories to 1800 a day and lost about a pound a day for the first 2 weeks. Got lower than pre-pregnancy weight in no time.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Some do some dont...try not to cut too far back on your calories. Just make sure you have adequate milk supply especially the fatty hind milk and the baby is growing.
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    HIPAA forms filled out, 9 calories burned. Ah, no!
  • Querian
    Querian Posts: 419 Member
    I believe you can log it in your food log and it will add negative calories to your day.
    I have seen people do this and while it looks kind of weird there it is. :tongue:

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