Nuring Moms?

smesche
smesche Posts: 234 Member
edited November 15 in Social Groups
Hello!

Any nursing mom's out there? I need to get myself back in shape, but I am so worried about messing up my milk production with cutting calories. I already have issues pumping and I have to supplement with formula while my daughter is at daycare. Anyone else attempting to lose those baby pounds and continue to nurse?

Replies

  • Hi there! I am trying to do the same after baby #2. After reading up on the subject, it looks like it is possible as long as you are still eating enough healthy calories, not exercising too rigorously, and taking breaks if you see a decrease in production. With the Tracker app, the way I am doing it is filling in my weight loss goals normally, but adding breastfeeding (I put it in as - 500 calories) under the "exercise" section each day. That way, I am still accounting for the calories my body is burning while nursing, which gives me a buffer on the daily food amounts. I am sure there are a ton ways to do this, but this way has worked for me so far. If anyone else has ideas or suggestions I would love to hear as well.
  • Thanks for that suggestion! I just had my 2nd child 9 weeks ago and am finding it hard to loose the weight without restricting calories as well. With my first child, i started working out and restricting calories a little around 9 months and saw a dramatic decrease in my milk supply, so I'm trying to avoid that. I will put breastfeeding under the exercise part as well to account for them. Thanks for the suggestions!
  • krystalsourwine
    krystalsourwine Posts: 19 Member
    Hi! I have an 11 week old son and am struggling BIG TIME to lose any weight. I have a history of low supply and therefore it makes losing weight VERY tricky! I just want to see normal clothes. I'd love to be friends! Feel free to add me! I am currently EBFing without supplementation (yet).

    smesche wrote: »
    Hello!

    Any nursing mom's out there? I need to get myself back in shape, but I am so worried about messing up my milk production with cutting calories. I already have issues pumping and I have to supplement with formula while my daughter is at daycare. Anyone else attempting to lose those baby pounds and continue to nurse?

  • rghendo
    rghendo Posts: 37 Member
    Baby #2 is turning 6 months on Monday. I never lost weight while nursing and have to be careful not to affect my supply, but now I'm ready to really put the effort as we get closer to weaning. Feel free to add me, I'm just jumping back in and need motivation!
  • Does anyone know what our minimum daily caloric intake should be while EBF?
  • mcarter1015
    mcarter1015 Posts: 6 Member
    Hi just joined here too!! Have a 12 week old and I'm looking to slowly lose without losing my milk too. This baby number 2 and j never fully lost all the weight from my first because I got pregnant again! Feel free to add me too! Let's support each other!
  • hi! I just rejoined MFP in the hopes of tracking my calorie intake and losing some weight. Had my baby about 4 months back and still have LOTs of weight to lose(about 30 lbs). Need motivation! Feel free to add me as a friend, and lets do this together!
  • lreaven
    lreaven Posts: 17 Member
    Hi! Everyone feel free to add me as a friend too. Baby #2 just turned 8 months. I initially counted the breast feeding as 500 calories but noticed that I started losing more weight when I only used about 300-400 of those calories. Make sure to drink a lot of water to avoid a drop in milk supply. I have also noticed a temporary drop in my supply when I drink caffeine.

    Now that my son is eating a lot of food and nursing less, I have decided not to count any extra calories for breast feeding. I lost motivation over the past month, so I am hoping to get back on track now. I have 10-15 more pounds to lose and I am nervous about gaining weight back when we start to really wean the breast feeding in the next few months. Between work, a 4 year old, and a baby who is not the best sleeper, I have had the hardest time finding the time and energy to exercise, but I know that will be the key moving forward. Good luck, everyone!
  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
    Hello fellow moms! I just had baby #2 3 months ago & I'm ready to start working out again. I'm EBF too & add 500 calories. I have my goal set to lose .5lb a week. Feel free to add me! I need mom friends so we can motivate each other! I need to realistically lose 30lbs
  • dessiepenn
    dessiepenn Posts: 167 Member
    Hi. I'm breast feeding my 12 week old and back to work, so now pumping. I've lost 10 pounds so far but have another 10 to go. I'd love more friends too.
    There is also a breastfeeding support group on here that would love more members.
  • Nursing mom with a 7 month old son. I am having super problem with the feeling hungry all the time. I try to keep it at bay but it seem to cause me to over eat. That's why I tracking now. My research says no more the 1 lbs a week for nursing and between 1500-2000 cals a day is I put 1800.
    Also feel free to add me need motivation. Have a hard time staying on track if no one knows I derail
  • amdeppen
    amdeppen Posts: 2 Member
    I'm a nursing mom too. Just had my 1st on Feb 16th. Was cleared to start exercising. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and will pump when I go back to work in a few weeks. Right now I have no supply issues and I want to keep it that way. I'm hungry all the time since breastfeeding and crave sweets.
  • SarahAnaruk
    SarahAnaruk Posts: 1,352 Member
    Also nursing. I lost 50lbs while breastfeeding and doing MFP with my second baby. The key for me was going really slow. I had a one lb a week goal. I didn't chart any extra calories for it because I didn't start MFP until he was 4 months so I just counted it as my leeway if I didn't exactly measure portions. Then I got pregnant again (baby boy born feb 5th!) and gained it all back plus. So back to working on it slowly. It didn't effect by milk production last time (I have trouble pumping too) so I will probably do the same thing again. I did add an extra 250 calories to my daily limit to start though because he isn't eating anything else yet. I will probably drop it once he's eating cereal.
    PS. Docs only recommend a one lb a week weight loss while breast feeding because the toxins your body releases as you lose go into the breastmilk.
  • lana2680
    lana2680 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm nursing my 5 month old 2nd child & need to lose last 12 lbs... I've lost about 37 already just breastfeeding, chasing my older child (3 yr old) & eating better but not really tracking. I really want to banish these last few lbs, especially since everything is so much more stretched out this time
  • Hi ladies! I'm new to MFP. I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 6 week old, both boys. I'm EBF. I've lost 6 lbs so far. I have 8lbs until my goal weight. I'd like to lose 13lbs at the most. I'd love new friends so we can motivate each other! Feel free to add me(:
  • Alysie746
    Alysie746 Posts: 9 Member
    Hi! Im nursing my 8 month old, and still trying to loose weight. ive lost 20 so far and have 25 to go. I've had a bit of success so far but kinda got sidetracked for a while. For me one of the most important things had been really making sure that I drink enough water yo maintain my milk supply. Feel free to add me. I love the motivation from friends :)
  • Michelle52801429
    Michelle52801429 Posts: 19 Member
    I add about 400 calories each day (isn't it weird that this site doesn't have a calorie option for nursing moms??) through the exercise tab, and it hasn't impacted my milk. I also drink a ton of water!
  • rghendo
    rghendo Posts: 37 Member
    I just tried to add you mamas as friends. I'm slowly dropping pumps/daytime feeds, so far I haven't noticed any change in weight...guess I'll give it some time.
  • kjwaggon
    kjwaggon Posts: 2 Member
    I have a 4 week old daughter, baby #2, and I have about 5-6lbs to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy, but was about 10lbs over my ideal weight then, so trying to lose 15 total - while exclusively breastfeeding. For starters, I added 500 calories to my daily goal to protect my milk, and will adjust that as needed if my production changes or weight doesn't come off. It's definitely frustrating to be CONSTANTLY hungry, but what I have found is that I'm still the same level of ravenous if I eat 2,000 or 3,000 calories - I've read that the pro lactation hormone messes with your hunger levels.
  • smesche
    smesche Posts: 234 Member
    I really need to get back on the wagon! It's so much easier to just not think about the calories and not measure. Today starts a new!

    Before I got pregnant with number 2 (who by the way will be 5 months old on Friday!!), I lost 60 lbs with MFP, exercise and calorie counting. Needless to say, I turned back into my chunk butt self while I was pregnant and I'm officially back at the weight I was when I originally started this weight loss adventure. Ugh.. so I have 100 lbs to lose before I hit goal. Had I watched what I ate while pregnant, I'm sure my goal would be a lot closer. It took 9 months to put it all on... it will take that and more to get it all off.

    I think I'll be using the "-300" calories option for my BFing calories. If I don't see a loss within a few weeks, I'll drop that down some I suppose.

    Any way.. good luck everyone! I sent you all FRs and can't wait to get to know ya'll better!
  • ChristaNorris
    ChristaNorris Posts: 52 Member
    smesche wrote: »
    Hello!

    Any nursing mom's out there? I need to get myself back in shape, but I am so worried about messing up my milk production with cutting calories. I already have issues pumping and I have to supplement with formula while my daughter is at daycare. Anyone else attempting to lose those baby pounds and continue to nurse?


    Hi there! I've been nursing my third for 6 months (tomorrow). I started with Weight Watchers, but switched to MFP a few weeks ago. I've been eating around 1620 calories and burning between 700-1000 six days a week. I pump once a day (approx 8 ounces) and freeze it. I drink at least a gallon of water a day. So far I've lost just shy of 38lbs. GL!!
  • smesche
    smesche Posts: 234 Member
    smesche wrote: »
    Hello!

    Any nursing mom's out there? I need to get myself back in shape, but I am so worried about messing up my milk production with cutting calories. I already have issues pumping and I have to supplement with formula while my daughter is at daycare. Anyone else attempting to lose those baby pounds and continue to nurse?


    Hi there! I've been nursing my third for 6 months (tomorrow). I started with Weight Watchers, but switched to MFP a few weeks ago. I've been eating around 1620 calories and burning between 700-1000 six days a week. I pump once a day (approx 8 ounces) and freeze it. I drink at least a gallon of water a day. So far I've lost just shy of 38lbs. GL!!

    Wow! That's awesome. Congrats!

    When you say you burn between 700-1000 calories 6 days a week, do you mean that you burn that much EACH day?

  • nunezim
    nunezim Posts: 2 Member
    kjwaggon wrote: »
    I have a 4 week old daughter, baby #2, and I have about 5-6lbs to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy, but was about 10lbs over my ideal weight then, so trying to lose 15 total - while exclusively breastfeeding. For starters, I added 500 calories to my daily goal to protect my milk, and will adjust that as needed if my production changes or weight doesn't come off. It's definitely frustrating to be CONSTANTLY hungry, but what I have found is that I'm still the same level of ravenous if I eat 2,000 or 3,000 calories - I've read that the pro lactation hormone messes with
    Miche wrote: »
    I add about 400 calories each day (isn't it weird that this site doesn't have a calorie option for nursing moms??) through the exercise tab, and it hasn't impacted my milk. I also drink a ton of water!

    How do you add your calories from breastfeeding am not getting it. My total intake is about 1800 cals but should ibe subtracting from exercise 500 cals?
  • kjwaggon
    kjwaggon Posts: 2 Member


    Myfitnesspal and other calorie calculators said I would lose at my desired rate at 1500 calories - so in the Goals section of MFP, I manually increased my daily calorie target to 2,000 so that I would eat 500 calories to make the baby's milk, and 1500 for me. So far, this formula has lead to the desired result of losing about a pound a week.

    Another way to do this would be to put in 500 calories worth of exercise each day, but the above made more sense to me.
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