Breastfeeding Moms ??

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FitnessGirl11mfp
FitnessGirl11mfp Posts: 232 Member
in Motivation and Support
So I'm looking for breastfeeding moms to add as friends for motivation. I have been on MFP before and was really pleased with my results. I lost about 27 lbs. And even through the pregnancy, I was able to keep it off after losing the post pregnancy weight. Now it's a little different as I am breastfeeding/pumping and want to make sure I have a good supply. I started out on here at 1420 calories (which is too low I know) and increased it to 1500 today. I'm worried that I'm not gonna lose weight, but don't want to put my milk supply in jeapardy either. Any support around this would be great :-) Feel free to add me mommas and we can motivate each other!

Replies

  • Watch_Me_Shine416
    Watch_Me_Shine416 Posts: 138 Member
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    Hi and welcome back! I'm a breastfeeding mom too I have a 10 month old :) I started out at 2000-2200 calories a day and once my daughter started solids I dropped down to 1900 calories a day. It was very difficult in the beginning because I felt like I was constantly hungry and tried to ignore my hunger cues which you aren't supposed to do while breastfeeding and I noticed my supply dropping. I've heard breastfeeding moms shouldn't go below 1800 calories a day because it will affect your supply. Play around with calorie numbers and find what works for you and eat lots of protein it keeps you fuller longer too. Add me if you'd like :)
  • FitnessGirl11mfp
    FitnessGirl11mfp Posts: 232 Member
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    Ok I decided to increase my calories to 1800 which puts me somewhere between losing 0.5 lbs per week and maintaining my weight according to mfp. I'll keep it there for awhile and play around with it. Well, at least I won't gain any weight lol. What about exercise and breastfeeding ? If I exercise, I will then burn the calories which defeats the purpose of the increase right ? Or am I wrong ? Dang, fitness and breastfeeding is complicated lol.
  • FitnessGirl11mfp
    FitnessGirl11mfp Posts: 232 Member
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    Watch_Me_Shine416 wrote: »
    Hi and welcome back! I'm a breastfeeding mom too I have a 10 month old :) I started out at 2000-2200 calories a day and once my daughter started solids I dropped down to 1900 calories a day. It was very difficult in the beginning because I felt like I was constantly hungry and tried to ignore my hunger cues which you aren't supposed to do while breastfeeding and I noticed my supply dropping. I've heard breastfeeding moms shouldn't go below 1800 calories a day because it will affect your supply. Play around with calorie numbers and find what works for you and eat lots of protein it keeps you fuller longer too. Add me if you'd like :)

    I think I added you :-) Thanks for the advice!
  • wordyroo
    wordyroo Posts: 98 Member
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    I'm nursing an almost two-year-old and a month of tracking calorie intake and output (Fitbit) shows that I'm probably still burning around 400 calories just nursing and she eats table food well and only nurses at night and on weekends. I'd bump yourself up to MFP's maintenance for you and see how much you're losing, then adjust down 100 calories a week until you're at a good weight loss rate and still have a good supply. Or go here and see what it recommends for intake: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm
  • wordyroo
    wordyroo Posts: 98 Member
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    And yes, if you exercise, you should eat back some of those calories depending on how you're calculating the calories burned. MFP overestimates.
  • FitnessGirl11mfp
    FitnessGirl11mfp Posts: 232 Member
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    wordyroo wrote: »
    I'm nursing an almost two-year-old and a month of tracking calorie intake and output (Fitbit) shows that I'm probably still burning around 400 calories just nursing and she eats table food well and only nurses at night and on weekends. I'd bump yourself up to MFP's maintenance for you and see how much you're losing, then adjust down 100 calories a week until you're at a good weight loss rate and still have a good supply. Or go here and see what it recommends for intake: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm

    Thank you so much for the advice!!!! I will try bumping it up to maintenance and go from there. Gosh it seems like I would be eating a lot tho lol. I'll have to figure out how to add extra calories in a healthy way :-)
  • treehopper1987
    treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
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    I am no longer breastfeeding, but I had a tough time with this. I think tracking what you eat/burn is a good step. I would also make sure to focus on eating healthier and getting into shape. I think another thing to remember is that as baby starts eating table foods, your output is also decreasing, so adjust for that.
  • lpshizza
    lpshizza Posts: 30 Member
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    Hi there! I am still nursing my 8 month old and have had a difficult time losing weight. I just dropped to 1800 cals and that seems to be working better. Feel free to add me and good luck!
  • JLPersall
    JLPersall Posts: 43 Member
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    Breastfeeding my 5 month old and still fiddling with calories. Feel free to friend request me anyone :) I also have a 2 year who I had lost 55 pounds after having. The second half on here. Right now I am eating 1650 calories a day. I just walk for excercise so I can do it with kids and started doing better with that as weather has turned. I dont eat excercise calories unless its because I just plain went over. One of things I have read is not to lose more than 2 pounds a week for more than a week or two. After first 3 months mostly effects mom health vs. Supply but still better to care for self. I still have days of feeling excessively hungry which is why im not sure about my calories.
  • FitnessGirl11mfp
    FitnessGirl11mfp Posts: 232 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Thanks everyone for the advice! I was gonna start a group but I did a search and there are a couple already started for breastfeeding mommas. Check them out if you are interested :-)
  • serfasc
    serfasc Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm breastfeeding a 9 month old. I just lost all of my baby weight last week too. 9 months on, 9 months to come off
  • JoHannahDenning11
    JoHannahDenning11 Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm also a breastfeeding mom with a two month old son. Trying to lose 32 pounds. Feel free to add me if you like.
  • pao8278
    pao8278 Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm a bf mom too! Just joined since I have s new 8 day old baby! Gained 45 lbs throughout my pregnancy! Tips are welcome. Add me?
  • nikjo2015
    nikjo2015 Posts: 3 Member
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    Add me if you like! I have a 10 month old and primarily breastfeeding still. I have lost all my baby weight (20 lbs) but I really need to lose a lot more, like 60 or 70 lbs. (My current weight is 242 and I'm 5'2"). How do you guys account for calories burned by breastfeeding on MFP?

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