Insanity and Breastfeeding help
venusjames2011
Posts: 7
So I started Insanity and I am currently on the recovery week. I wanted to know from all of the breastfeeding mothers who have lost/ are losing weight: how many calories are you eating daily? Can you get in shape and lose weight while nursing without decreasing your milk supply? I don't really know how many calories I should be eating a day. I shoot for around 1500 calories and try not to eat back all of my calories. I also don't use any nutritional supplements due to lack of funds and don't eat the healthiest diet. However, I manage to stay under my calorie goal.
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Replies
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I think a lot depends on how long you have been breastfeeding and how many calories you would normally need. Things will be different if you are exclusively nursing a 2-month-old vs. regularly nursing a 7-month-old who also eats baby food vs. hardly ever nursing an 11-month-old who is about to be weaned. In general, I would say that if your breasts have normalized their milk production and you no longer have to deal with painful engorgement if you postpone a feeding for an hour or two, then your body can handle the additional stress of exercise. Just start slow. And taper off temporarily whenever you begin to wean to solid foods and then again when you wean completely.
In regards to limiting your calories, I personally think you would do better to not worry so much about the number of calories and focus instead on their quality (i.e. - get your sugars from an apple and a glass of milk, not a candy bar). That way you will be more likely to enhance your weight loss without impairing the quality of your milk. But your specific calorie needs are unique to your height, body type, etc. Write down (a) calories to maintain current weight, (b) calories to maintain goal weight and (c) calories to get from current weight to goal weight and shoot for a reasonable caloric intake somewhere in the middle until you see how (or if) it will affect your milk. Everybody is different. I had to eat protein and lots of carbs or I wasn't able to walk, much less nurse. My mom usually forgot to eat at all and never seemed to notice.
I honestly had the best results losing weight after my first baby by eating at home (but not super healthy) and taking daily walks with the stroller. I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight within 2-3 months, although my body did not completely regain its former shape - haha! I ate way healthier (and less) but didn't exercise at all after my second baby and ended up not losing any weight at all.0 -
At first I was eating 1800 + exercise cals. I was exclusively breastfeeding so that accounts for 500 cals a day so I was netting 1300, or trying to. At month 3 I lowered it to 1700 (1200 net). I have my cheat days though.0
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Be really careful. Getting too few calories while breastfeeding can make you feel really sick and lead to inadequate supply. Get some exercise, eat healthfully, and enjoy your baby. If you naturally lose weight from breastfeeding, great. If you're like me, and gain no matter what during bfing, don't worry, it comes back off with a little effort afterward. Protect your baby's food supply--you!0
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It's one of those things where you kind of have to experiment. I set my profile to lose 0.5 lb a week plus ate back my workout cals plus ate the 500 extra for nursing. So the days I did Turbo Fire I was eating around 2800 cals, netting 1800-1900. I lost 1-1.5 lbs a week pretty consistently that way, but after awhile I still had issues with supply and had to stop working out for awhile. I've always been jealous of those who never had supply issues, I feel like that's all I had with both kids! For me I didn't lose the bulk of my weight until after the kids weaned0
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I have 3 children and nursed them all for a year or longer. I am not a professional anything, just a mom. It seems your cals are low though if it's ok for me to say. You are burning calories as you nurse, so your body needs much more calories throughout the day.
Please be careful... my suggestion is to contact your lactation consultant at the hospital you had your child. I found them to be a great source of knowledge. I started feeling the need to "watch what I ate" while I was nursing my 3rd child. My supply decreased immediately. I only nursed her 12 months and I regret that I was so focused on my weight and calories and lost my supply. It was hard to get back so I ended her nursing sooner than I hoped. Wishing you all the best. I think it's great that you are asking for help and feedback.0 -
I have been nursing for 4 months on my second child. Basically I try to eat 1200 calories net (about 1700 calories gross). I feel better doing it the second time around and exercising since I am counting calories. I agree completely with switching to healthier food choices and just listening to my body overall. I log in breastfeeding as an exercise and count it at 300 calories to make sure I get extra to keep my supply up. Thank you all for the support!0
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"I have 3 children and nursed them all for a year or longer. I am not a professional anything, just a mom. It seems your cals are low though if it's ok for me to say. You are burning calories as you nurse, so your body needs much more calories throughout the day.
Please be careful... my suggestion is to contact your lactation consultant at the hospital you had your child. I found them to be a great source of knowledge. I started feeling the need to "watch what I ate" while I was nursing my 3rd child. My supply decreased immediately. I only nursed her 12 months and I regret that I was so focused on my weight and calories and lost my supply. It was hard to get back so I ended her nursing sooner than I hoped. Wishing you all the best. I think it's great that you are asking for help and feedback."
I agree that my calories are kinda low. A couple of days ago I started logging in nursing as exercise to try and make sure that I eat more. With a toddler, newborn, and school it is easy to not eat enough throughout the day. Great idea to contact the lactation consultant, thanks!0 -
Happy to help in any way! You look amazing and congratulations on the new baby! They are just way too cute, right? I find myself wanting another... just have to convince the husband now. Ha! I hear what you mean about chasing the kids around and feeling like there is no time to eat. That's when I find myself grabbing anything in site! Ugh. Best wishes to you!
-Michela0 -
I just set MFP to lose .5 lbs and always eat back my exercise cals. It set me to 1900 net and I haven't noticed an decrease in supply. I have been at this for almost 2 months and my daughter is 4 months old. I have been losing about a pound a week, maybe a little more so far.0
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