Stories of weight loss on high cals?

JenniferD83 · January 2014

Hiya,
I'm wanting to lose weight slowly over the course of this year.(about 10kgs).. I have calculated BMR to be 1550 and I am breastfeeding a newborn (fully) and a 2yr old (who obv eats food also!) which means I need about an extra 500cals on top. I am not planning on doing any extra exercise just now.. beyond running around after my 3 children...
Eating 2000+ cals a day seems like quite a lot! I do find I need that much to be full as breastfeeding makes me really hungry, but would love to hear stories of people losing weight on around 2000 just so I can feel a little hopeful!!

4theking · January 2014

If your BMR is close to what you say it is and you are breastfeeding, then you absolutely need to eat that much and you should have no problem losing, provided everything is functioning properly. Best of luck!

alexisbrisby · January 2014

I am also wondering the same thing.... I've tried a couple different websites and most say I need about 1,700 cals which seems high but then again I am new to this calorie counting thing so I don't know much haha

JenniferD83 · January 2014

Thanks

I just did my BMR on one of those online calculators, have no idea if they're accurate or not (165cm 83kgs 30yrs old)

shannaniggans · January 2014

You can always try and see how you go, if you are logging your food and watching how many calories you are eating you can gauge whether or not you need to eat more or less to achieve your goals. Just try and eat the right foods so that you do feel fuller for longer (Low GI and high protein) and of course the foods that are best for you breast feeding!

Try your diet for a few weeks and if it doesnt help you can always change it up a little bit and try something new.

shannaniggans · January 2014

Thanks I just did my BMR on one of those online calculators, have no idea if they're accurate or not (165cm 83kgs 30yrs old)

Remember if you want to lose weight you need to eat around 200 calories less than you are using each day. But be safe when breast feeding and don't under feed yourself.

JenniferD83 · January 2014

Thanks I just did my BMR on one of those online calculators, have no idea if they're accurate or not (165cm 83kgs 30yrs old)

Remember if you want to lose weight you need to eat around 200 calories less than you are using each day. But be safe when breast feeding and don't under feed yourself.

Thanks. Am I right in understanding that BMR is what you'd use if you were literally lying down all day? So prob with normal daily activities I would actually use a little more?

QuietBloom · January 2014

You may not want to hear this, but I honestly don't think you should be restricting your calories at all while breastfeeding, especially two babies! Maybe track for a few days and see how much you naturally eat and go from there? I know with my daughter, it took 3 years to get every last little bit of extra weight off, but I wasn't even trying. It's just that by the end she was taking it all! I had to drink Ensures to keep my weight up by the time I weaned her. The good part about not restricting, is you don't have to worry about your milk supply drying up.

Just my experience and input.

victoria_1024 · January 2014

I was eating around 2000 calories a day when BFing my young infant and losing weight TOO quickly. It actually affected my milk supply and I got frustrated and stopped tracking. Now I'm back again (still BFing but baby is 1 now so doesn't eat as much) hoping to have better luck. So I would think you can definitely lose on 2000 and make sure you are getting enough for you and 2 babies.

evileen99 · January 2014

I usually eat between 2000-2300 calories a day and maintain a deficit of about 200.

JenniferD83 · January 2014

You can always try and see how you go, if you are logging your food and watching how many calories you are eating you can gauge whether or not you need to eat more or less to achieve your goals. Just try and eat the right foods so that you do feel fuller for longer (Low GI and high protein) and of course the foods that are best for you breast feeding!

Try your diet for a few weeks and if it doesnt help you can always change it up a little bit and try something new.

I think this is a good plan. I've been logging for about a week now, and we eat fairly low carb/high protein meals as a family anyway (cos of hubs dietary requirements) so I think I'm on the right track. I don't have a scale at home but thats probably a good thing, can only weigh myself every few weeks that way.
If nothing else its making me think a lot more about whats going in my mouth rather than snacking on lots of cookies to satiate my hunger..which I had been doing previously...

JenniferD83 · January 2014

You may not want to hear this, but I honestly don't think you should be restricting your calories at all while breastfeeding, especially two babies! Maybe track for a few days and see how much you naturally eat and go from there? I know with my daughter, it took 3 years to get every last little bit of extra weight off, but I wasn't even trying. It's just that by the end she was taking it all! I had to drink Ensures to keep my weight up by the time I weaned her. The good part about not restricting, is you don't have to worry about your milk supply drying up.

Just my experience and input.

+Thankyou

I don't think eating 2000+ cal would be viewed as restricting though would it?

JenniferD83 · January 2014

I was eating around 2000 calories a day when BFing my young infant and losing weight TOO quickly. It actually affected my milk supply and I got frustrated and stopped tracking. Now I'm back again (still BFing but baby is 1 now so doesn't eat as much) hoping to have better luck. So I would think you can definitely lose on 2000 and make sure you are getting enough for you and 2 babies.

Thats good to bear in mind, thank you

misa411 · January 2014

You may not want to hear this, but I honestly don't think you should be restricting your calories at all while breastfeeding, especially two babies! Maybe track for a few days and see how much you naturally eat and go from there? I know with my daughter, it took 3 years to get every last little bit of extra weight off, but I wasn't even trying. It's just that by the end she was taking it all! I had to drink Ensures to keep my weight up by the time I weaned her. The good part about not restricting, is you don't have to worry about your milk supply drying up.

Just my experience and input.

+Thankyou I don't think eating 2000+ cal would be viewed as restricting though would it?

When I was breastfeeding, 2000 calories absolutely would have been restricting. When I tried to count calories my supply dropped noticeably. Not worth it. You need a lot more than you think you do. Make healthy food choices, eat when you are hungry, don't eat if you aren't. The weight will come off eventually.

DawnieB1977 · January 2014

I'm 25 weeks pregnant now so I'll have this to think about in a few weeks! I had supply problems with my previous 2 babies, and wonder if it's because I started restricting too early.

To me, 2000 sounds ok, but that's because I ate 1500 a day before pregnancy, and then obviously you should add around 500 extra for breastfeeding, so that is probably the amount I will aim for.

I guess with 2 children already you'll be pretty active though. My plan is to get back to the gym or even just go for a brief run on the seafront or something when my baby is 6 weeks old, depending on how the feeding is going.

Oats are supposed to help with milk supply, so porridge would be a good breakfast, and it's a good excuse to make some flapjacks

alisonlynn1976 · January 2014

I don't count calories, but I would estimate that I eat about 2000 and burn about 600 for a net of about 1400 (which is where MFP says I should be to lose one pound per week). I've done 1200 calorie diets in the past (with counting), and that doesn't work for me long-term. It's much easier the way I'm doing it now.

Stories of weight loss on high cals?

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