calories,milk supply and weight loss

nikla45
nikla45 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Im exclusively breastfeeding my 8 week old and im also doing insanity. I eat around 1800 calories a day of very nutritious food because i want to get back my lean body and i want to lose 1lb of fat a week but after doing my workout,breastfeeding and everyday activity my net calories are often under 1000.
How will this affect my supply? I cant really find an answer on google. I dont feel like im hungry so i guess im eating enough but i dont want to lose my milk supply and affect my little boy. Anyone?

Replies

  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
    Eat more. Net doesn't matter. If you've burned the calories it's as though you never ate them.

    I know a woman who was exercising, breastfeeding, and losing on well over 3500 calories a day.

    Seriously. Eat more.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    Definitely eat way more. You are burning around 400-500 calories a day just to produce milk. Excessive exercise and eating so little will decrease your supply. Not feeling hungry is not a sign of eating enough. Talk to your baby's pediatrician, a lactation consultant or a registered dietitian if you have specific concerns.
  • DBoone85
    DBoone85 Posts: 916 Member
    I am not breastfeeding, I weigh 125 lbs, and I eat over 3000 calories a day and I do not gain anything. EAT MOAR FOODZZZZ!
  • findusfaithful18
    findusfaithful18 Posts: 16 Member
    I'm in my ninth month of breastfeeding, as well as losing weight. I had a C-section, so I couldn't exercise until about 3 months after my son was born, so I was a little further along than you are now before starting up. I would ask you to think about what your goals are for breastfeeding primarily. If you want to exclusively breastfeed for six months, then you will have to err on the side of producing enough milk rather than err on the side of losing weight. Exercising so intensely and only eating 1800 will definitely drop your milk supply and more than likely will not be enough for your 8-week-old. If you don't have too much concern about how long you are able to exclusively breastfeed, then you can afford to exercise more and eat less, but realize that it WILL decrease your supply, no question, and you will have to begin supplementing with formula. So, you really need to consider which is more important to you - super fast weight loss, or exclusive breastfeeding. You can definitely lose weight at a steady pace while exclusively breastfeeding.

    Personally, I've lost about 37lbs since my son was born just through the old slow and steady way. As a new mom I definitely was not able to exercise as much as I wanted to initially because I was so exhausted, and because I was just learning how to handle my new responsibilities. Currently I'm eating about 2000 calories a day, breastfeeding 4-5 times a day (which burns approximately 400 calories) and trying to exercise 20-30 minutes 4-5 times a week. I'm averaging about half a pound to a pound a week. I do count my calories, but I also simply eat when I'm hungry. I'm careful to not just eat out of boredom, but I know if I don't eat when hunger strikes then my body will not produce enough milk. Drinking lots and lots of water is super important. But don't just watch for hunger signs... things like headaches, feeling fatigued after a good amount of sleep, and lack of concentration can also be signs that you're not eating enough for your baby to get what he/she needs. The weight will come off sure enough, but take care of yourself and your baby as first priority :)
  • findusfaithful18
    findusfaithful18 Posts: 16 Member
    Also, try pumping every now and then to get an idea of how much milk you are producing for each feeding. If you notice it starting to lag, that is another sign beyond your own hunger cues that you need more food or need to exercise less.
  • calibriintx
    calibriintx Posts: 1,741 Member
    Eat more food. If you don't get the nutrients you need from your diet, your body draws on its reserves. Eventually, your supply will decrease and you're going to start feeling like @ss. If you don't feel hungry or don't feel like cooking, grab a spoonful of peanut butter and have that while you're nursing or pumping. Not being hungry isn't the same thing as being too full to eat. You can eat if you make the choice to properly fuel your body. Good luck.
  • nikla45
    nikla45 Posts: 3
    Iv just treid to pump and nothing came out....now im worried :( if i start eating more right now will my supply go up or have i buggered it all up? Right now im not bothered about losing weight anymore im totally focussed on this...it literally only just dawned on me that this might be why my lo doesnt sleep so well....because he is hungry. I feel awful!!! :(
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Drink more water and eat nutrient dense foods... also allow for more calories while breastfeeding.. by either building them in or in the food section adding breastfeeding... but again, right now don't worry so much about your body, you will have plenty of time for that... worry about your child's body.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Iv just treid to pump and nothing came out....now im worried :( if i start eating more right now will my supply go up or have i buggered it all up? Right now im not bothered about losing weight anymore im totally focussed on this...it literally only just dawned on me that this might be why my lo doesnt sleep so well....because he is hungry. I feel awful!!! :(

    Pumping is by and large an inefficient way to express milk... especially compared to your child.. go off your childs cues as to whether they are still hungry not how much you can pump...


    Also, there are supplements that can help increase your supply... things like Mother's Milk tea (which takes getting used to), even beer (just don't breastfeed right after... you may need to try and express afterwards... but wait at least a few hours), and a bunch of other things... but again, lots o' water and nutrient dense foods.
  • morethenjustmum
    morethenjustmum Posts: 170 Member
    I never had much success with pumping but let me tell you i had tons of milk.
    eat a bit more , work out when you can, get lots of sleep, and keep nursing, a sure way to to keep the milk flowing.
    By the by they have a breastfeeding entry in the exercise database.
    I list on around 2000 while working out and nursing a very eager little man.
    I agree with lactation consultation if you need some hard numbers and specific advice.
    best of luck
  • calibriintx
    calibriintx Posts: 1,741 Member
    Iv just treid to pump and nothing came out....now im worried :( if i start eating more right now will my supply go up or have i buggered it all up? Right now im not bothered about losing weight anymore im totally focussed on this...it literally only just dawned on me that this might be why my lo doesnt sleep so well....because he is hungry. I feel awful!!! :(

    It'll be okay. There were at least three occasions where my supply was gone b/c I didn't eat or drink much. Once when we were moving, and twice when I was sick or something. Each time I bawled and stressed and was sure my milk was gone, but it came back. So will yours as long as you keep putting your baby to the breast. If he gets upset b/c he's not getting anything and doesn't want to nurse, then you can pump. Even if nothing is coming out, just sit there pumping for 20 or 30 minutes. It's discouraging to pump for that long with nothing coming out but it's not wasted time. You're telling your body to make more milk, and it will. Drink LOTS of water and eat LOTS of protein, and get started now. Good luck, mama. It'll be okay.
  • nikla45
    nikla45 Posts: 3
    Thank you for all your replys,from today onwards i will definatly make sure to eat more and il be taking all of your advice. Maybe tomorrow me and lo can have a "nursing vacation"and spend our day chilling,nursing and watching box sets (and obviously snacking and drinking :) )
  • JulaMonster
    JulaMonster Posts: 51 Member
    Pay NO attention to the pump! It is absolutely not indicative of your supply. Some mamas (myself included!!!) just can't produce for a pump (I've tried three different pumps, was lucky to get maybe 1oz with any of them, but have never had any supply issue after a combined nearly 4 years of breastfeeding). Definitely eat more, drink a TON of water, and if you're concerned about supply still, try taking a fenugreek supplement, and/or drinking Mother's Milk tea (by Traditional Medicinals). And don't be discouraged if you find you can't lose weight while breastfeeding. Sure, some mamas are lucky and it helps them burn it all off, but others (again, myself included) just aren't as lucky. But what we are all lucky for is the ability to produce just the right food for our babies to grow and thrive on!
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    I wouldn't view the pump as a good indicator...baby is more efficient and the physical act of nursing and being near your baby assists in letdown, so pumping does not 100% simulate nursing.

    Eat enough food (your body needs approximately 500 calories just to produce milk), more importantly (yes, more important than food) drink TONS of water, do not focus on calorie restriction while breastfeeding is his primary source of nutrition and don't view his sleep habits as a sign of breastfeeding success. Does he have enough wet/dirty diapers? Is he gaining weight? Then he is fine. Fussiness and cluster feeding is incredibly common through 8 weeks because he is ramping up your supply. It happens later too during growth spurts, developmental milestones and teething/illness but the first 8 weeks are the most intense.

    Make sure you let him nurse long enough on one side that he completely empties that breast. The foremilk/hindmilk ratio is important and he needs the fatty hindmilk from being long enough on one breast. Then offer the other one if he's still hungry and alternate which breast was offered first. I had one baby that nursed both sides each time and one baby that only nursed one side each time.

    www.kellymom.com is a good resource.
  • Shelia2013
    Shelia2013 Posts: 2 Member
    Eating oatmeal can increase your supply and they say that babies will drink more ounces of milk when you eat garlic which in turn can increase your supply as they will try to nurse longer and that stimulates more milk production. When I tired to increase my supply I checked out some nursing books from the local library that were super helpful. Restricting calories for me would definitely reduce my supply, try to eat more protein too. If I ate under 2200 cals or thereabouts my supply would decline fast, but I was 35 so age might have had something to do with it too. The more frequently you offer your baby to nurse the more your supply will increase and if you switch from side to side frequently (every 3-5 mins) that is supposed to help stimulate more milk production too, I can't remember now what the reason was that they gave but it works. Let your baby nurse for as long as they want to until they refuse (won't latch on, keep turning their head away), follow your baby's cues. Adding an extra feeding or decreasing the amount of time in-between feedings will help too, it will seem like the baby is getting nothing at first but doing this will stimulate your body to make more milk and after a day or two your supply will bounce back. If baby refuses to do this, then you can also try pumping after each feeding to try and stimulate milk production. Drink plenty of water, take it easy on the exercise until your supply kicks back in and eat more calories. Also, check out babycenter.com for tips and advice from other Moms on increasing your supply. You can call and talk to a lactation consultant at the hospital too, my lactation consultants were priceless, I don't know what I would have done without them. (None of them recommend drinking beer, there are other ways to do it that are far better for your baby's health.) I had supply issues but then by making some small changes, increasing calories and not worrying about losing all the weight gain right away, I was able to nurse both my babies for 2 years! You can get your supply back up, good for you for reaching out for help, keep trying and don't give up. :) Good luck!!! :)
  • weese17
    weese17 Posts: 236 Member
    Okay. Short answer - yes, restricting too far will affect your supply.

    Longer answer - you need at LEAST 300 calories extra a day if you are exclusively breastfeeding, but probably more like 500. For me, by the time I weaned my (2 year old) son, I taking in at least 800 calories extra per day. I was maintaining my weight at around 3500 cals a day. (For reference, I'm 5'8", and was maintaining at 142 pounds.)

    Don't pay attention to the pump - some people just don't respond well to them (I didn't), and what you pump is not really indicative of how much you produce when you're nursing.

    Good luck.
  • MaHelper
    MaHelper Posts: 6
    Fenugreek will increase your milk supply a lot more much more its known for breast feeding mothers to increase this way. Buy fenugreek seeds its also known as methi and just boil the seeds in water then drink a cup of that water a day.
  • raphireed
    raphireed Posts: 21
    I've seen recommendations that breastfeeding women consume 2,000 - 2,500 calories per day (net). I've noticed that 2,250 seems to be the magic number for me. I have a good supply and slowly lose weight.

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