New mom trying to lose weight, confused about cals...

Peznez
Peznez Posts: 6
in Getting Started
I'm 22 years old and just had my first baby in July, I'm 4'11 and weight 152lbs right now. About three weeks ago I joined a gym and had a trainer there. She told me to cut out everything 'white' (bread, rice, sour cream, milk) and to cut 200 calories out everyday, she said since I weighted close to 150 I eat 1500 cals a day. I said that I was willing to do 1000 a day and she said that was perfectly fine I would lose the weight faster.
First when I first started out I had NO idea what I was doing, I still don't know everything that I probably should know. So I thought 1000 calories would be fine. Also to add I am nursing, my baby is on half formula and BF, which I told her. After a few weeks I started feeling sick and decided to google stuff. I
found out women are suppose to have minimum 1200 cals a day. I also talked to another trainer and they said since I'm nursing it should be closer to 2000 a day... So my question is how much should I be eating? I go to the gym at least four days a week and workout there for two hours. I don't really feel like I need to eat a lot but I want to avoid 'starvation mode.
'I'm just really confused about all this. Any help would be great. Thanks.

Replies

  • mmckee10
    mmckee10 Posts: 405 Member
    try this

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/


    also, add 500calories a day (to whatever number that site gives you) for breastfeeding :) Good luck
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I'd recommend you let MFP calculated your calories. Tell it you want to lose a half pound a week. Then you add breast feeding in like food (search for it and it add negative calories).
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    Umm, you do know that trainers at gyms are required to have next to NO training or education in nutrition, right? Do NOT listen to her, she is highly ignorant to what a nursing mother needs. 1,000 cals a day while breastfeeding?? Um, NO. :noway:

    I doubly recommend you check out the website in the fist reply. That will get you the info to get to a good start. Oh, and fire that moron trainer. :laugh:
  • TumTumT
    TumTumT Posts: 5
    As you are breastfeeding you will need a lot more calories. An exclusively breastfeeding mum uses about 500 calories a day so I would guess you would need 375 calories if your baby is three quarters breastfeed ,250 if your baby is half breastfed and so forth.

    Go easy on yourself though, a new baby is tough enough and if you are breastfeeding your body will be trying to keep fat stores.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    As you are breastfeeding you will need a lot more calories. An exclusively breastfeeding mum uses about 500 calories a day so I would guess you would need 375 calories if your baby is three quarters breastfeed ,250 if your baby is half breastfed and so forth.

    Go easy on yourself though, a new baby is tough enough and if you are breastfeeding your body will be trying to keep fat stores.
    My first question as well. Are you breast feeding? If so, does the "trainer" know that?
  • rrsuthy
    rrsuthy Posts: 236 Member
    The first trainer is an idiot. You are breast feeding, which means you are providing vital nutrients to your child. If you don't want your breast milk to dry up, you need to maintain a higher level of calories. I'm not sure exactly, how much, but I would think closer to 2000 per day. If your supply dries up quicker than you want because of your diet, you will regret it. So, do yourself a favor and take the weight loss slowly and enjoy this bonding time with your new baby (congrats by the way).
  • Peznez
    Peznez Posts: 6
    Umm, you do know that trainers at gyms are required to have next to NO training or education in nutrition, right? Do NOT listen to her, she is highly ignorant to what a nursing mother needs. 1,000 cals a day while breastfeeding?? Um, NO. :noway:

    I doubly recommend you check out the website in the fist reply. That will get you the info to get to a good start. Oh, and fire that moron trainer. :laugh:

    I know this now. At first no I didn't know that trainers didn't have to have education so I trusted what she said. I now know that she has NO idea what she is talking about and I have another trainer who actually knows what she's doing. The first trainer was just terrible. I had my baby by C section and she didn't know what I could and couldn't do because of this.
    She also made a few inappropriate comments like telling me to do the Chest Press machine because it will "help get my b00bs back to where they were before the baby'.... I wasn't aware that that was a problem.

    Yes I am breastfeeding at least half and then giving formula.
  • Peznez
    Peznez Posts: 6
    BTW thanks for all the replies. I am taking it slowly now that I'm learning what I need to do, before having my baby I have never really needed to diet. I'm a SAHM so other then going to the gym my time is all going to my little boy. :)
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    If your lazy with math, just set MFP to "maintain weight" ... MFP doesn't factor in breastfeeding, so you will still be in a deficit, then just switch it to "lose X per week" when you stop breastfeeding ... That trainer sounds like an idiot ... Be careful with abdominal exercises, you have to remember that your muscles were cut, if anything feels weird (pulling, sharp pain, etc.), STOP, if you have a good trainer, they should be able to modify things for you ... Also, Pilates reformer classes might not be a bad idea, they're great and you can strengthen your core w/o putting to much strain on the muscles ...
  • SteveStedge1
    SteveStedge1 Posts: 149 Member
    Please be aware..babies NEED whole fat milk for their developing brains. It has the essential fatty acids.

    I understand you are breastfeeding (best for baby!!!) and the baby is not yet on milk but I'm going to gather YOU need to drink the whole milk too for baby.

    Don't let anyone tell you that whole milk is bad. Its a govt plot to curb "obesity in children" by giving them milk byproducts. (If you really wanted to curb obesity in children tell parents to stop feeding kids juice and sugar!) Farmers and food manufacturers love it when people drink waste product like lowfat milk, they get to keep the valuable fats and sell it to make ice cream.

    I used to work for the USA's #1 pizza cheese maker (think dominos, pizza hut, etc) and the first thing my company would do is throw the milk in a centrifuge and turn it into 2% milk. They would take the valuable fats and sell THAT as "sweet cream" to Hersheys ice cream.
  • TemeraldMarie
    TemeraldMarie Posts: 69 Member
    Just pace your self. start out easy . i was breast feeding when i decided i wanted to loose weight, and started doing insanity. one of my milk ducts plugged!! If you havent had one already , im here to tell you, you dont want one. do your research. and find a trainer/ nutritionist who works with or is at least familiar with breast feeding moms. youll want to nurse your baby as lon.g a spossible, but stress to your body could dry you up. beast of luck to you and your baby <3
  • hawtsauce182
    hawtsauce182 Posts: 1
    I'm also a SAHM, nursing and just joined MFP today because my son just turned ten months old and I"ve decided to get serious about getting my body back. My advice is to continue to nurse that baby! I gave birth at close to 200 pounds (I'm 5'6") and am down to 151 from breastfeeding for the last ten months, no exercise. It takes time, but breastfeeding definitely takes weight off if you keep at it. I'm normally a very thin person so I still have about 25 pounds I want to lose, but I plan to nurse this baby until he's ready to stop or he hits his second birthday, so my focus is on building up to being able to do an hour long strength training video twice a week. That way, as the baby fat melts there will be tone underneath, lol! I should note that I lost the weight that I have eating whatever and whenever and never, ever going hungry. Breastfeeding takes up a lot of calories and you need plenty of good fuel and water to make milk.
  • jamiesillimandunn
    jamiesillimandunn Posts: 270 Member
    Wow , that trainer sure did let you down ...so sorry ...I agree check out scoops and the factor in your breast feeding ...you need to get all your nutrients in to the milk for baby boy, be careful lifting and speak to your dr. About it , since you did have a csection nearly six months ago ...you are at risk of incisional hernias ( I'm a certified surgical technologist) believe me that would not be good ...so glad you found a different trainer ;) good luck

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