Breatfeeding and weight loss; how much should I be eating?

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katierj1983
katierj1983 Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
I am breastfeeding and was told to add 500 calories to whatever my goal is. So I started at 1700 calories. I lost a lot of weight at first, then my weight loss slowed way down. Some weeks I wouldn't lose anything. I decided to lower my intake to 1200 and increase my exercise, however I've never eaten my calories back. I feel like this is too few considering I already burn 500-700 calories just a day nursing. But is 1700 too few too? Why was my weight loss difficult? What should I be eating? I don't want to go into starvation mode and ruin my attempts or lose my milk, but I also want to see some sort of weight loss every week...even if it's only a pound.

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  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Breastfeeding is the best way to lose weight. When I breast fed I dropped the baby weight within 6 months, You need to eat healthy and enough to not be hungry to feed both you and the baby. I can not tell you not to diet, but if you eat in moderation and often, with relatively healthy foods, you will drop the weight, also breast feeding produces hormones that speed up the tightening of your belly (aka uterus). Right now you need to do what feels right for you and your beautiful baby.
    With me both pregnancies I went from 135lb to 169 at delivery back down to size 6 and 135lbs by the time either of my girls were 6 mo. old. No exercise, besides being an active mommy, and eating often and what I wanted (i normally want healthy food). I am 5' 4"
  • teenieracer
    teenieracer Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm not one of those that BF drops all of the weight off. I gained 30 during my pregnancy and dropped 18 right away, so now it's the last bit. It's taken me 3 months to drop 7 pounds (baby boy is 4 months old), so it rounds out at about 1/2 pound a week. (MFP only shows 4 because that's when I started tracking again). I use an estimate of 400 calories/day for breastfeeding and DO eat back whatever exercise I do. I try and exercise 3-5 times a week (I bike and run), but with two kids and working full time at a desk job, it's tough.

    My issue is steering away from the snacks - with this baby, I'm having cravings now for sweets and carbs, which is HARD to fight.

    I would agree with the PP, increase your calorie intake to reset everything and see what happens.

    My last baby I nursed until 10 months of age and didn't drop the last 10 pounds until after I quit nursing - sometimes our bodies hold on to it. I'm hoping that's not the case this time!!

    Good luck!
  • teenieracer
    teenieracer Posts: 5 Member
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    Oh - and my calorie intake is about 1770 (which includes the 400/day for BF).

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