I'm back! Starving, grumpy and breastfeeding :-P

You're not alone! Congratulations, first of all. I have four kids (9, 6, 4, and 1) and have gained, and had to lose, 50 lbs each time (ugh). 1900 sounds like a good starting point, depending on your stats, but remember to give yourself some extra calories for breastfeeding (since your baby is almost a year old, I would only allow an extra 200-300 per day, not the 500 that exclusively breastfed babies afford you - I found by age one my youngest was only nursing a few times per day so I stopped giving myself extra calories for breastfeeding altogether; I figure whatever it does use gives me a nice little margin of error).

For me, focusing on satiating foods was the key to not having to go hungry (for me that means high fat, low carb, but satiety is subjective so you have to find the macro split that works for you). Look at your protein, fat, and fiber goals as minimums and fill in the rest with carbs. Also make notes in your diary when you have a particularly hungry day, or a particularly full one - you may be able to spot trends and see which foods are most filling (or appetite inducing) that way.

What are your stats? How much does MFP tell you to eat? Given you only have 30 lbs to lose, I'd stick to no more than 1 lb per week rate of loss, and once you lose the first ten lbs, drop that to a half lb per week. I'd also suggest making sure you are drinking plenty of water and getting some regular exercise (eat back half your exercise calories).

You can totally do this! Dropping 90 lbs is a major victory. You know what to do

Any bf mums feel free to add. I've set my calorie goal as 1300 which I'm thinking now is maybe low. I go over but I walk it off. I didn't think cutting calories when overweight would effect my supply if I keep drinking I may be wrong?. I aim for 2l a day but end up with nearly 3 usually. I have lost 3.8lb so far this time counting. I need another 18.6lb to be at my pre birth obsession state haha. My ultimate aim is another 83.6lb

I'll be here soon enough. I am going to eat all the foods while I am BFing and worry about the weight at some future time.

you stated: "I've had 1900 calories today and feel deprived, hungry and grumpy! Granted it's only day 2 for me but I feel awful!"

First I hope that the 1900 includs enough calories for breastfeeding (300 - 500 calories).

Lastly, its only been 2 days.. How about giving yourself a break, you just had a baby, no need to be cranky, grumpy around your newborn and the others around you.. Take your time.

When I started on MFP in 2015, my daughter was about 9 months, and was nursing pretty frequently. I had a decent amount of weight to lose (60lb), so I set my calories for 2lb/week loss. I think it had me around 1850. I then added back in 300 calories per day for breastfeeding. As she reduced her nursing sessions, I reduced the added calories. I think I was adding back in 200/day at around a year. There are entries in the food diary that have negative calories for nursing - just be sure to choose the situation that most represents yours.

On the "grumpy and hungry" front, I have taken several extended breaks over the past year and a half (for the sake of my sanity, and to celebrate special occasions). I have consistently found the first 5-7 days back on MFP to be extraordinarily difficult. The feeling of hunger seems to be intensified for those first few days, and it really sucks. However, once I'm past that first week, I get used to the feeling again, and am able to stick to my calories well enough for my purposes.

I found Gatorade helped with my supply. I started drinking the low calorie kind since there is a lot in the regular.

Also- I don't ever allow hungry and grouchy to happen. If I feel those things, I eat more. I've been making milk and/or pregnant (and tandem nursed for awhile) for a good 4.5 years in a row. That's a feat, and I deserve not to be hungry or crabby- even if it means I lose weight a little bit more slowly. It's a long game, and I want to befriend my body and listen to its signals. Plus my teething toddler is crabby enough for both of us.

I need a bit of help. I'm 5'7 and 174lbs. Have about 30 to lose. My baby is 13 weeks. I've been eating around 2000-2300 calories per day. Exclusively breastfeeding and working out three times a week for half hour and walking most days. I've been doing this for almost two months now with not one pound lost!!! I'm getting demotivated and frustrated. Any help would be great!

adaouk wrote: »

I need a bit of help. I'm 5'7 and 174lbs. Have about 30 to lose. My baby is 13 weeks. I've been eating around 2000-2300 calories per day. Exclusively breastfeeding and working out three times a week for half hour and walking most days. I've been doing this for almost two months now with not one pound lost!!! I'm getting demotivated and frustrated. Any help would be great!

How are you measuring that 2000-2300 calories per day? Are you weighing food or guesstimating? If you're not weighing, you might want to try that as it's very very easy to underestimate calories otherwise.