Breastfeeding and Calories

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tortsy
tortsy Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I am still nursing my 5 month old daughter. I know I am supposed to add 300-500 calories a day when nursing. This may be a stupid question, but if I don't take in those extra calories, am I running on a healthy deficit to lose weight or am I not eating enough so my body starts to store the food?

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    You'll still lose (it's impossible for the latter to happen in a deficit), but it may halt your milk supply. Please eat those calories back for her sake.
  • tortsy
    tortsy Posts: 2 Member
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    I don't think that there is a concern for milk supply. She is still exclusively breast feeding and I am a bit of an over producer. I have about 3 months supply stores in the freezer and am pumping about 30 oz per day to store 10 oz that I freeze to donate.

    Not to worry though, I would never put my daughter's health at risk just so I could lose some weight
  • leslee2013
    leslee2013 Posts: 15 Member
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    My son was 11 months when I started back on myfitnesspal. I did start out planning on adding in 300 extra but ended up not... I wasn't exercising and really was eating a lot healthier than the entire 11 previous months so if anything my diet was providing a lot more nutrition. I have made a point to try to focus on a variety of nutrients and avoid foods that are just calories... I have never had an issue with my milk supply.... and now thankfully he is starting to eat table food more! (He took forever!)
    I know 5 months and 11 months are drastically different in time frames for babies and I don't really have advice. I'm just sayin this has worked for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You can still run a small deficit, you just need to get your numbers right.

    Set a small deficit, add the breast feeding cals, and tweak after 4-6 weeks.
  • xmarye
    xmarye Posts: 385 Member
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    I eat about 1400-1600cals as I am breastfeeding my 1mo and I weight 183lbs. I wonder about the calories too but then, I do know that I'm eating way more healthier then when I ate more calories (and drinking enough water too), so I'm thinking how my milk couldn't be better then it was, even at lower calories? I eat meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and protein shakes as well as I started taking my mutilvitamin and B12 again! (I hate taking pills, it's really challenging for me to stick to taking them) I think it's also expected to be hungry when you're acclimating from eating absurd quantity of foods. As long as you make sure you eat enough nutritious foods and that you are feeling well (look at your mood, your energy level, your sleep, your skin, etc) I don't think we have anything to worry.

    I'm not telling you to eat less or more, just listen to your body and be mindful about the whole process. Good luck figuring out what works best for you. oxox
  • xmarye
    xmarye Posts: 385 Member
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    I am back and trying to eat more now! I started with 1700cals, and then figured out I should up it to 2200cals. Now I'm kinda in the middle at 2000cals! But I listen to my body and what matters most is my milk supply. My baby is almost 4 months and is gaining weight at a great pace still. How are you doing?
  • djlebreton
    djlebreton Posts: 50 Member
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    Hi ladies! I am also exclusively breastfeeding my 1 month old and still trying to figure out my calories to make sure I don't jeopardize my supply. I don't know yet how to lose weight while breastfeeding cause I'm too worried about decreasing my supply. My goal at this point is to make sure I don't gain any extra weight and then in a couple months I will try harder to lose weight.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Please speak with a lactation consultant or dietician (or both) about what is going to be best for you and your baby rather than taking anecdotal advice from random people on a weight loss ap.
  • jai1217
    jai1217 Posts: 5 Member
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    Hey! Kellymom has some great research backed info on losing weight while breastfeeding. Google "weight loss breastfeeding kellymom"

    Good luck!
  • xmarye
    xmarye Posts: 385 Member
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    jai1217 wrote: »
    Hey! Kellymom has some great research backed info on losing weight while breastfeeding. Google "weight loss breastfeeding kellymom"

    Good luck!

    Seemed like a great resource, but I kinda have some doubts concerning the accuracy of the information provided due to the part talking about starvation mode: ''Instead of 2-3 meals, eat 3 smaller meals with snacks between. Your body will be less likely to go into “starvation mode” if you are eating small amounts throughout the day.''

    Will take it into consideration though as there is other things mentioned that do make sense to me.

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