Starting weight loss post pardom

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jgreco22
jgreco22 Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone! I had a baby on January 22 and I couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped on the scale for the first time after having him! I had gained exactly 50 pounds and it made me incredibly sad. I have lost over 100 pounds in the year-and-a-half before getting pregnant. My goal for losing the weight was to have a healthy pregnancy and I did accomplish that goal, but now I need to get back on track while breastfeeding my little one. How much should I allow for additional calories while nursing? Or should I simply keep my same caloric intake as before while nursing my baby? I would love to talk to other moms and taking everyone's opinion on how to get back into it all while having a newborn!

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  • 1Nana2many
    1Nana2many Posts: 172 Member
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    Hope this info helps: According to Le Leche League International:
    How many extra calories do I need when I’m breastfeeding?
    The number of calories a woman needs depends upon how much body fat she has and how active she is. While women are often advised to consume about 500 extra calories daily while they are breastfeeding (compared to before pregnancy), research now indicates that this could be too much for some women, while for others it could be insufficient. [THERE WAS REFERENCE TO THE EXTRA CALORIES BEING OVER WHAT NORMAL PRE-PREGNANCY CALORIES EARLIER]

    Most breastfeeding women need to increase not only the calories they consume, but all the nutrients that make up their diet in order to satisfy the additional requirements of milk synthesis, though for some women the increase will be minimal. If the diet is balanced and varied, the increase in calories will automatically be accompanied by an increase in all the other nutrients.

    Most women have some extra weight at the end of pregnancy. These pounds will gradually be used up during the months of breastfeeding, so nutrients will not need to be provided entirely by a mother’s daily food intake. Although the process of how human milk is synthesized is still not completely understood, we do know that it doesn’t take a lot energy. It has been shown that, during lactation, the metabolism of the mother’s body becomes more efficient, not just in regard to calories, but also to minerals.

    Take that baby out for some walks and get fit. Good luck.
  • PunksterRachel
    PunksterRachel Posts: 14 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I'm going to give this a go now myself. I'm in the same boat, previously lost 100lbs then got pregnant and gained 55lbs. My LO is 10 months old and I'm still breastfeeding. I wanted to start losing weight right after he was born, but he had health issues, lots of doctor visits plus had to have major surgery and it was so stressful! I gained even more weighed, but now his health issues have worked themselves out. I no longer have to stress over my baby anymore, so I feel like can focus on myself again. Anyways I was told by my local LC's to allow an extra 500 calories per day for breastmilk production, and drink lot's of water/fluid's. So I previously allowed myself 1200 calories per day, prior to baby. Now I'm going to allow 1700 per day.
  • jgreco22
    jgreco22 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you both for the breastfeeding information! PunksterRachel I am glad that your LOs health is better and you are able to focus on yourself a little more! I'm here as a support if you need one! Mommies need to stick together!
  • retailmagpie
    retailmagpie Posts: 27 Member
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    I have an 8 day old baby and a 2 year old ... The toddler's keeping me busy which helped me to limit weight gain during pregnancy. BUT even though I did ready well (and only gained 16lbs!!) ... I still have 5 stone to lose before I'm at my goal weight. Breastfeeding requires 500 extra calories a day, but that's without a weight loss goal. I'm aiming for 400 on top of my 1,500 ... Working so far! X

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