Breastfeeding and weight lifting
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KristenDTucker
Posts: 23 Member
Hi! Just joined the gym again. And I love it, I am a SAHM with 3 kiddos. My youngest is 18 months and he still nurses to sleep (3 times a day).
First week back at the gym. I only made it three times this week, but I'm shooting for 5. At the gym I have burned around 1000 cals, my question is, since I want to gain muscle and lose fat how much cals should I be eating? And should I be eating the cals I burned back?
Cw 159
Pre pregnancy weight (w/3rd baby) 130 lbs
Before kids 115
I would like to be around 120, but of course I want my body fat to be low. Any ways if someone could help me out that would be super cool. Right now I'm at 1500 cals with breastfeeding .
First week back at the gym. I only made it three times this week, but I'm shooting for 5. At the gym I have burned around 1000 cals, my question is, since I want to gain muscle and lose fat how much cals should I be eating? And should I be eating the cals I burned back?
Cw 159
Pre pregnancy weight (w/3rd baby) 130 lbs
Before kids 115
I would like to be around 120, but of course I want my body fat to be low. Any ways if someone could help me out that would be super cool. Right now I'm at 1500 cals with breastfeeding .
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Replies
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Please clarify how you burned 1000 cals at the gym.
That would be about 4 - 5 hours of weight lifting so do you mean 1000 cal total for all three workouts?
What is happening to your weight eating 1500 cals?
Are you following TDEE method or MFP method of eating back exercise cals?0 -
Since feeding is down to just at night it shouldn't factor into your cal goals much at all.
I would suggest picking one goal or the other, it is long and hard to recomp(lose fat and gain muscle).
Just choose a goal and put it in mfp and follow for 2weeks. After that adjust up or down to dial in on your goals.0 -
You cannot burn 1000 calories lifting. Not possible. Something is off with your calculations.
What are your goals? If it is mainly to lose weight, I would suggest you eat at maintenance, ignorning breastfeeding completely (let it create the deficit for you) and eat at least half of your exercise calories back. Wait a few weeks, and readjust as needed.0 -
1000 cals at gym is wishful thinking. 500....maybe...also 1500 cals too low for breast feeding. Increase to 1700 minimum.0
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rtp_slg52181 wrote: »Since feeding is down to just at night it shouldn't factor into your cal goals much at .
Yes she should take it into consideration. She said she's doing it 3x's a day and an 18 month old can drink a lot.
1500 calories is not enough for me, my lo is 12 months and he breastfeeds 4 x a day. I weigh quite a bit less than you and start to lose weight on 1800 cal a day (2100 if I go to the gym). I think you are way overestimating your calorie burn, but at the same time 1500 cal a day is way too low of a goal for a woman who is breastfeeding unless you are very short.
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rtp_slg52181 wrote: »Since feeding is down to just at night it shouldn't factor into your cal goals much at .
Yes she should take it into consideration. She said she's doing it 3x's a day and an 18 month old can drink a lot.
1500 calories is not enough for me, my lo is 12 months and he breastfeeds 4 x a day. I weigh quite a bit less than you and start to lose weight on 1800 cal a day (2100 if I go to the gym). I think you are way overestimating your calorie burn, but at the same time 1500 cal a day is way too low of a goal for a woman who is breastfeeding unless you are very short.
At 12 months yes they drink quite a bit but at 18 months they have other forms of nourishment and will soon be transitioning into a full solid food diet. She doesn't have to worry if her milk supply slows because of cal restriction.0 -
My lo eats solids too. My point is that breast milk is nutrient dense, those nutrients come from what she eats, if she's not eating enough (which because of the 1000 cal burn estimation I don't think it's the case for her) then she ( in general) will suffer before her supply does. This goes for all women who breastfeed, under eat and suffer irritability, lack of energy... among other things. 18 months or not breastfeeding 3x's a day is still taking nutrients from mama, still has to be accounted for.0
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Oh gosh, let me clarify0
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Please clarify how you burned 1000 cals at the gym.
That would be about 4 - 5 hours of weight lifting so do you mean 1000 cal total for all three workouts?
What is happening to your weight eating 1500 cals?
Are you following TDEE method or MFP method of eating back exercise cals?
What is TDEE?
No not 1000 cals for all three work outs, my workouts are half cardio half weights. Umm well after the gym when I'm on my 1500 cals I am soo hungry! I usually eat back half of my cals burned.
If I didn't make it to the gym I'm not as hungry.
But it's hard to keep my cals down to 1500.
I guess I'll play around with my numbers0 -
KristenDTucker wrote: »Please clarify how you burned 1000 cals at the gym.
That would be about 4 - 5 hours of weight lifting so do you mean 1000 cal total for all three workouts?
What is happening to your weight eating 1500 cals?
Are you following TDEE method or MFP method of eating back exercise cals?
What is TDEE?
No not 1000 cals for all three work outs, my workouts are half cardio half weights. Umm well after the gym when I'm on my 1500 cals I am soo hungry! I usually eat back half of my cals burned.
If I didn't make it to the gym I'm not as hungry.
But it's hard to keep my cals down to 1500.
I guess I'll play around with my numbers
1 hour at the gym is not burning 1000 calories. You would have to be really big for this to be possible, something is very off in how you are calculating these calories burned.0 -
KristenDTucker wrote: »Please clarify how you burned 1000 cals at the gym.
That would be about 4 - 5 hours of weight lifting so do you mean 1000 cal total for all three workouts?
What is happening to your weight eating 1500 cals?
Are you following TDEE method or MFP method of eating back exercise cals?
What is TDEE?
No not 1000 cals for all three work outs, my workouts are half cardio half weights. Umm well after the gym when I'm on my 1500 cals I am soo hungry! I usually eat back half of my cals burned.
If I didn't make it to the gym I'm not as hungry.
But it's hard to keep my cals down to 1500.
I guess I'll play around with my numbers
1 hour at the gym is not burning 1000 calories. You would have to be really big for this to be possible, something is very off in how you are calculating these calories burned.
I go to the gym for 1.5-2 hours...
I have a heart rate monitor with a chest strap.
It's new, called a polar. And it's set to my age, weight and height..
So I don't have to calculate anything, it does it all for me.
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KristenDTucker wrote: »KristenDTucker wrote: »Please clarify how you burned 1000 cals at the gym.
That would be about 4 - 5 hours of weight lifting so do you mean 1000 cal total for all three workouts?
What is happening to your weight eating 1500 cals?
Are you following TDEE method or MFP method of eating back exercise cals?
What is TDEE?
No not 1000 cals for all three work outs, my workouts are half cardio half weights. Umm well after the gym when I'm on my 1500 cals I am soo hungry! I usually eat back half of my cals burned.
If I didn't make it to the gym I'm not as hungry.
But it's hard to keep my cals down to 1500.
I guess I'll play around with my numbers
1 hour at the gym is not burning 1000 calories. You would have to be really big for this to be possible, something is very off in how you are calculating these calories burned.
I go to the gym for 1.5-2 hours...
I have a heart rate monitor with a chest strap.
It's new, called a polar. And it's set to my age, weight and height..
So I don't have to calculate anything, it does it all for me.
If you are doing anything other than steady state cardio, it cannot calculate calories for you. So, while you are lifting, ignore it.0 -
Wow really? Even with the chest strap?0
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Do u think I should even be lifting? Or focusing more on cardio?0
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I am currently breastfeeding my 20 month old twins and I lift heavy weights 4 times a week and cardio 5 to 6 times a week. I have to eat between 1700 (which is the very lowest I would go without working out) to about 2300 with working out and eating back one session of breastfeeding session. If you don't eat enough calories not only would your supply decrease but so will the fat and nutritional content. My OB said think of it as providing skim milk.0
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KristenDTucker wrote: »Do u think I should even be lifting? Or focusing more on cardio?
The entire idea behind using you do cardio, you're constantly burning calories that require X amount of oxygen molecules, and that your body is therefore using Y amount of molecules based on heart beats Z, so by using some formulas, you can estimate calories X based on oxygen Y based on heart beats Z. This all works out because your heart rates (usually) to the exact level needed to provide the oxygen needed.
When weight lifting, your heart rate jumps up and down because your heart rate is mostly rising to control your blood pressure, as pumping blood into the working muscles happens. Your heart rate no longer has a relation to the amount of oxygen you're burning, and on top of that, the oxygen you're burning no longer has a relation to the amount of calories you're burning. Weight lifting is usually done as anaerobic exercise - your body isn't being limited by oxygen coming in.0 -
rtp_slg52181 wrote: »Since feeding is down to just at night it shouldn't factor into your cal goals much at all.
I would suggest picking one goal or the other, it is long and hard to recomp(lose fat and gain muscle).
Just choose a goal and put it in mfp and follow for 2weeks. After that adjust up or down to dial in on your goals.
I have an older nursling (2) who only nurses in the morning when she wakes up and down to sleep too. I don't factor it into my calories. I figure it can't be more than 250-300 calories worth so I have my goal set at 1 lb loss a week just consider the nursing calories a cushion.0 -
Thank u ladies! U all have helped me so much.
I am setting my minimum cals at 1700 and eating half of my cardio cals back.
I'm going to start entering in my weight lifting aerobic exercise. I'll check back in just to say how things are going. I am on the wrong thyroid meds right now (very low meds cause weight gain) and that's my situation. So hopefully all your help will get me going!
So excited, thanks again girls0 -
strong_curves wrote: »
This.KristenDTucker wrote: »Do u think I should even be lifting? Or focusing more on cardio?
YES, you want to lift.0
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