Breastfeeding: How do I set my calories?

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luvmybee
luvmybee Posts: 58 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm so tired and confused and since I have something difficult going on in my life, I am having trouble thinking through things clearly. Let me see if I can explain what I am having difficulty understanding.

Let's say I want to eat 1200 calories a day plus 500 calories for breastfeeding. So should I put my calorie goal at 1700? And then type in breastfeeding as a food which will subtract 500 calories? Or should I put 1200 calories a day and then put in breastfeeding which will add in calories?

I'm so confused. Last time I tried this I didn't lose weight because I think I did it wrong. So I joined WW and lost 30 pounds, but now that program is not working for me. So I'm back on MFP and just got a fitbit (making me even more confused). Please help! I just can't think myself through this!

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  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Let mfp set your calorie goal (probably 1200) then enter breastfeeding under food for -500 and eat those calories back. You will eat 1700 calories that day but only 1200 net.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
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    To answer your question: you could set your calorie goal at 1200 then add in your -500 breastfeeding calories as a food each day, giving you 500 extra to eat each day on top of the 1200. Or you could just set it at 1700 each day and not add the -500.

    I would suggest though, unless your baby is older and eating solids, or you have very little weight to lose, not to go as low as 1200 at first. A massive drop in calories can interfere with your milk supply. Breastfeeding (especially in the first 6 months) is not the time for an aggressive weight loss goal. Your baby is relying on your milk to grow. You can lose on higher calories. When I got back into weight loss earlier this year I was 86kg (189lbs) at 5'4". I set my goal at 1500 and added back -300 for breastfeeding (my baby was older and feeding less frequently), plus ate back most of my exercise burn, and I averaged about 1.8lbs loss per week for the first 12 weeks or so. I'm not saying everyone's experience will be the same, but that's how it worked for me.
  • luvmybee
    luvmybee Posts: 58 Member
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    Thank you so much for your answers. I was just able to get onto the community now, and I wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

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