how many calories to eat while nursing?

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Cal_25
Cal_25 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5 ft 6 in and about 238. I am nursing exclusively (no supplements). Question what is your daily calorie goal? How many do you add for nursing? I want to lose weight not my milk supply.

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  • 121tot
    121tot Posts: 3 Member
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    Figure out how many calories your body needs (basal metabolic rate or total daily energy expenditure) and add 500 calories to that. This will provide your body with the amount of energy required to maintain your milk supply.

    Good luck on your EBF journey, you rock!!

    - a Birth & Postpartum Doula who knows a bit about lactation :smiley:
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Extra 400.
  • AbsoluteTara79
    AbsoluteTara79 Posts: 266 Member
    edited December 2015
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    121tot wrote: »
    Figure out how many calories your body needs (basal metabolic rate or total daily energy expenditure) and add 500 calories to that. This will provide your body with the amount of energy required to maintain your milk supply.

    Good luck on your EBF journey, you rock!!

    - a Birth & Postpartum Doula who knows a bit about lactation :smiley:

    There can be a huge difference between BMR and TDEE. I'm sure you meant TDEE. Eating 500+ BMR could be too low for some nursing women.

    OP - I would enter your stats into MFP for maintenance or .5 lb loss if that is your goal and then add 500. Adjust the goal manually, or add an exercise for breastfeeding for 500 calories. Or if you generally know how many ounces you're producing, use 20 calories per ounce. Try that for a couple weeks and monitor supply and how you feel and adjust from there 100 calories at a time.

    When I was nursing, my supply would take a hit if I made BIG/drastic shift in calories. And I could never get below 2000 calories or so without feeling like I was going to starve. At the time I was 160-170-ish and 5'5.

    Good luck and congrats on baby!
  • Cal_25
    Cal_25 Posts: 8 Member
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    So BMR =1821+500 I should be able to exercise and loose weight but not milk?

    TDEE + 500 sounds like maintaining weight.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Cal_25 wrote: »
    I am 5 ft 6 in and about 238. I am nursing exclusively (no supplements). Question what is your daily calorie goal? How many do you add for nursing? I want to lose weight not my milk supply.

    My goal is about 2000 calories. I would like to get half of it from nursing but my mom is 75 years old and just can't supply that much anymore.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Cal_25 wrote: »
    So BMR =1821+500 I should be able to exercise and loose weight but not milk?

    TDEE + 500 sounds like maintaining weight.

    Personally, and this is just my opinion, I would eat more, tdee+500. I'm half your weight, 5'4 and breastfeeding a 4x's daily milk monster, I maintain my weight on about 2100-2200 calories a day.
  • AbsoluteTara79
    AbsoluteTara79 Posts: 266 Member
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    Cal_25 wrote: »
    So BMR =1821+500 I should be able to exercise and loose weight but not milk?

    TDEE + 500 sounds like maintaining weight.
    Cal_25 wrote: »
    So BMR =1821+500 I should be able to exercise and loose weight but not milk?

    TDEE + 500 sounds like maintaining weight.

    How old is baby? That makes a big difference too. You shouldn't restrict at all the first 12 weeks, and be cautious up until baby maxes out in milk needs at 6-7 months. After that, it might be easier to cut calories. Also depends if you're working and pumping and whatnot too... Either way, I'd just ease into a calorie reduction and adjust based on how you feel / how supply keeps up. If you notice a dip, just eat more and nurse more and the supply should come back up.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,013 Member
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    I found this site very helpful while bf, good job, mama!

    http://kellymom.com/
  • Cal_25
    Cal_25 Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm 5 ft 6 inches 238 lbs, 29 year old exclusively breastfeeding. Baby is just past 4 months. He is in the 95% for weight. If I did 30 day shred (Jillian Michaels) or like it and ate BMR+ 500 or TDEE + 500 I hope to lose weight but I have been unsure so not strict. Cause I don't want my milk gone. . I nursed my first for 13 months and 2nd for 21 months so I am committed to that. My weight though is heavier than ever and I can't let that keep going like that. Thanks for your tips.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Cal_25 wrote: »
    I am 5 ft 6 in and about 238. I am nursing exclusively (no supplements). Question what is your daily calorie goal? How many do you add for nursing? I want to lose weight not my milk supply.

    Figure out your maintenance. Eat there for a few weeks. Breastfeeding should create a deficit for you. If you are not losing after a few weeks, lower by 200-300, reevaluate and so on. Your supply will not be affected unless you decide to starve yourself, so do not attempt e.g. a 1000 cal diet for fast results. Do not be afraid however of reasonably restricting and do not "eat for two", no matter how many well meaning people tell you so ;)
  • Ladiebug710
    Ladiebug710 Posts: 133 Member
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    Just some advice from someone who has been there before. This is what worked for me. I would start at maintenance for two weeks to get a good baseline and then cut by 100-150 or so calories a day for a week at a time. Watch your supply. I started out at about 2200 cal/day to maintain. For me when I dipped below 1800 cals my supply dropped, but as long as I stated above this my supply was fine and I could lose about a pound a week. And stay hydrated esp with exercise!!!
  • Cal_25
    Cal_25 Posts: 8 Member
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    That sounds like a reasonable plan and reevaluate. Thanks
  • Cal_25
    Cal_25 Posts: 8 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Also AbsoluteTara79 I don't pump hardly ever. I am a stay at home mom thank you!

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