Calories, breastfeeding and not losing weight

Are you eating enough? I would set yourself up on maintenance calories in the region of 2000 a day and then don't make any changes for breastfeeding or exercise (unless you have a really big gym session in which case eat a few more veggies.
I would avoid smoothies tbh, they concentrate the sugar. carry water with you and healthier snacks if you are finding it hard to eat regular meals. cereal bars etc

Some people don't lose weight while breastfeeding. Once the baby is weaned, then the weight comes off.

I nursed twins for 22 months. I did *not* lose a ton of weight during that time.

I breastfed all my 3 children and do not feel that I lost weight any more quickly as a result. With my first I lost weight as I took him for a 3 mile walk every day just to get him off to sleep and the weight dropped off. Took longer with the second and although I lost it after my 3rd was a year old, its crept back on ;-) (shes now 14!) x

The only restriction I had with breastfeeding was to be aware that whatever I ate, baby ate! My eldest had colic only once and that was after I ate a Chinese takeaway for tea. My youngest had a horrendous rash around 8 weeks - just as I was delving into the first crops of strawberries!

Mitzimum wrote: »

I'm eating 1600 a day and never eat back my exercise or breastfeeding calories. I weigh everything and add my recipes into mfp so that I get exact calorie value for dinners and snacks. I was wondering if I should up my calories too but am scared it will make me gain. I understand that breastfeeding might not be helping and it hasn't been easy for me to keep breastfeeding due to various issues but we are doing so well now I won't be stopping. I know some people don't like shakes. That's fine I never have either but these are high nutrient shakes specifically designed for breastfeeding mums. I would rather have a shake than a muesli bar

Ok so for the bold points - if you're not losing on 1,600 then what makes you think you should increase your intake? There may be something stopping you from burning as many calories but in the end it comes down to something really simple: calories in < calories out

Regarding shakes - have you researched what happens to food when it's put into a smoothie/shake? When you break down food like that, you're breaking down the nutrients in it and it almost becomes like sugar for your body to process. It's not that people don't like them (well maybe some don't) it's that they seem convenient for busy people but in reality you're introducing more sugar-like foods into your body and it's harder for your body to digest it than if it was in its natural form. I'm not saying they are pure sugar, but your body really only knows the chemical make up things and how to digest that; it's not going to think oh I know this was once a strawberry so digest it like it's a strawberry now.

lorib642 wrote: »

Measure yourself, too. You may be losing inches. If you are starting exercise you may be holding water.

I agree. I was reading the other day mothers to be will store deposits on the hips that are used in the production of milk even if the mother is eating plenty of fat daily.

when you say you are eating 1600 call/day and not eating back your exercices, does that mean you can end up around 1000/1200 a day net ? that's too low, I would suggest try to eat a bit more, try to change a bit what you eat just to "break" the routine and see how you go.
Also as it has been said some women won't lose anything while breastfeeding, mostly due to hormones playing up.

Hiya Mitzimum. Congrats on your new little person and for feeding so successfully. I am planning to follow your footsteps . I have a 7 day old (number 4) asleep on me now.
I had the privilege of speaking to a lactation consultant and dietician about this for you (I'm a midwife so called in colleague benefits). The figures they agreed on where between 1800-2500 + your exercise calories or lots of people eat at least half their exercise cals. The lower end they expected post c-section, more sedentary, or lightly active women to need. This calorie range is for optimum healing, milk supply, and meeting your basic daily expenditure requirements (BMR and TDEE etc - I am no expert on these). Of course some people hang onto those pesky kgs until they stop BF too unfortunately.
Exclusive feeding requires up to an extra 500 calories on your daily needs; once you start weaning or solids only 200-300 calories extra. This may be more or less for some women too.
There are some amazing posts in 'getting started' about how your body behaves with too few calories. I am testament to that and my weight stalled for nearly 9 months after going hard on 1200 cals.
Enjoy every moment and all the very best with it. Please tell me to 'nose out' if this hasn't come across right. I hope it helps though in finding your answers.