Dieting and Breastfeeding?

Gublercullen_
Gublercullen_ Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I'm currently still breastfeeding my 7 month old daughter and have managed to shift 20lbs in baby weight purely just through breastfeeding and walking with the pram however I'm now at a point where I'm hoping to shift the extra weight from before I was pregnant.

I tried slimming world (UK) in February but my supply dramatically decreased so I'm cautious this time round to make sure I'm getting enough calories to produce plenty of milk but also so that I'm losing weight.

Any ideas of how many calories I should be consuming daily if I'm breastfeeding 10-12 times in 24 hours? I'm also doing a mixture of yoga and circuit training (alternate days) and burning around 250 calories.

Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    You can try using this calculator:
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm

    It includes exercise so whatever number it pops up with will be how much you eat everyday (so don't include exercise calories when you log your MFP diary).

    ETA: this number is to maintain, I'm pretty sure. So you'd want to subtract your deficit. Probably something small, like 250.
  • jeannelabanane
    jeannelabanane Posts: 38 Member
    I lost a ton of weight while breastfeeding without really trying - it definitely burns lots of calories!

    I can't help you with amount of calories to eat - but just wanted to pop in to say - with supply issues, eating a lot of oatmeal really helped me.
  • monicapatituccijones
    monicapatituccijones Posts: 68 Member
    Honestly, I wouldn't worry so much about losing weight right now. Sounds like you're doing a decent job without restricting calories. Your body really needs those calories to produce milk. I would just focus on eating well, with rational portions, and getting some exercise, until you stop nursing or your baby is older. I'm still nursing my 18-month-old, and it's a lot easier now that she's older to reduce calories without hurting my supply.
  • lbride
    lbride Posts: 248 Member
    I think that when I was BF a 7 month old exclusively, that I read it was about 500 cals per day.

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