New Moms...breastfeeding & trying to lose weight

How are we all doing today. I've done pretty well, I had a 'blip' yesterday though - went to my Dad's for dinner and he decided he would go to the chip shop for us - oops! Weirdly enough though I was still within my calorie allowance (just!) - gotta love this breastfeeding lark, lol!

Hi ladies...does anyone know how to change or if we are able to change the settings indicating your breastfeeding? I know that we burn calories just by breastfeeding only.
Thanks

I just add it to my food diary - if you search for 'breastfeeding' as a food, there should be one that comes up that says 'Breastfeeding - Exclusive' and if you add that it basically puts -500 calories on, so you get an extra 500 calories per day.

Ladies, I haven't read thru all the comments, but I have two thoughts to share:

Join La Leche League for support on breastfeeding, mothering, & fitness -- there are a ton of moms on that site who love to help and share. LLLI.org

Also, for those of us who have kids and not a whole lot of time, do quick circuit training workouts. I noticed a MAJOR difference after doing the 30-day-Shred regularly. Jillian's personality is a bit annoying to some, but her workouts are effective and get sick results.

Love your DP, kids, and take care of yourself

I have a 22 month old who still nurses like a newborn

At this point I don't worry about extra breastfeeding calories although I definitely kept them in mind until she was about 18 months... I eat a well-rounded whole foods diet plus a good multivitamin, so I feel well-nourished despite somebody else getting first crack at all my vitamins and whatnot.

For those of you still in the "omg I am staaaaarving!!" phase, for me it started to mellow out by 9-10 months, and my appetite was pretty much back to normal by 12-13 months. It goes away eventually, I promise!

My daughter is 3 months old today and I am just starting to try to lose weight for the 1st time in my life. How many extra calories should I be eating since I am exclusively breastfeeding her? Also does anyone have any tips on how to lose weight and not feel like you are going crazy with the whole thing? Thanks a lot for any help And anyone who is encouraging is more than welcome to add me as a friend.

hey im with you all my son is 4 months now and i breast feed also do you get extra calories if you breast feed? and i have pcos anyone else have it? well i wanna join ya girls! lol

You certainly do need more calories if you are breastfeeding. If you exclusively breastfeed you can burn anywhere from 300-500 calories a day. Since it isn't advised for a normal person to go under 1,200 calories, make sure you are eating at least 1,500=1,800 calories a day to lose weight! You can add this to your food diary by searching the food database for "breastfeeding" and selecting "breatfeeding - exclusive". good luck!


So how is everyone else doing? This week I have lost 2.5lbs! Must be a lot of water weight, though because week before that I had a binge that lasted a few days...but I am glad to be back on track now! 1.5lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight!

Now that I am so close, I have a question for any ladies who have come close to their pre-pregnancy weight. I finally fit into my regular clothes, but when I look in the mirror I do not look as thin as I used to. I feel like maybe my weight is distributed differently now. Does anyone else have this problem? It is mostly in the gut that I notice, so maybe it is the loose skin from having a baby?

So how is everyone else doing? This week I have lost 2.5lbs! Must be a lot of water weight, though because week before that I had a binge that lasted a few days...but I am glad to be back on track now! 1.5lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight!

Yay for you for getting so far!! I am actually kind of worried by how fast I am losing this last 2 weeks all of a sudden. I was told by someone that losing too fast overwhelms your bodies ability to deal with the toxins that were stored in the fat, therefore it winds up in your milk. Not sure if this is true, but if the scale is to be believed I lost 2.4 pounds last week, and another 2 just since Monday..... Not doing a thing different either as far as I can tell.

I have also worried about the same thing! Somtimes the weight seems to be coming off a little fast. Sebsites I have visited say that the ketones released can enter your milk and alter the taste so that the baby will not want to nurse. I don't know about you, but my LO still nurses like no tomorrow! Also, they say that toxins can be released into your milk but I am reading mixed opinions. I guess I would say if you are eating enough for you and your baby and you are still losing that weight, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Maybe talk to your doctor if you continue losing really fast.

I meant to ask a question....did any Moms find it almost impossible to lose weight while they were nursing, but when they stopped it came off easier?? It seems like for some moms, breastfeeding helps them lose right away, and for others (like me) we feel hungry all the time and our weight just stays the same.....any insight?

I have a 4 month old, and two older kids I ebf, I have lost weight each time I stop breast feeding and actually gain a bit during. I am always hungry too. My body just likes to hold onto that fat to help with milk production and then lets it go once I quit--I lost 10 lbs rather quickly after weaning my second kid. I am just trying to eat healthier and not all junk food so I don't give my baby an addiction before he even tastes it. :bigsmile:

I meant to ask a question....did any Moms find it almost impossible to lose weight while they were nursing, but when they stopped it came off easier?? It seems like for some moms, breastfeeding helps them lose right away, and for others (like me) we feel hungry all the time and our weight just stays the same.....any insight?

I have held onto weight both times I was nursing. My first weaned at just over a year and I dropped about 10 pounds in the following 2 months. My second nursed until 22 months, and I gained about 15 pounds while he was nursing. The body sometimes will hold onto fat while breast feeding, so for some it can be very difficult to lose weight while nursing.

Congrats on your first post! I frequently post while nursing, so I understand how it is, although It is really difficult to type one handed sometimes.

As far as losing weight and nursing. Don't go for too much too fast. I am looking to lose 1/2 lb or less a week. You don't want to affect your milk supply and really I just want to be eating healthier. The weight will come off as you take care of your body with the right foods. I lose little to none while nursing, so I am really trying to not get my hopes up too.

You are doing great!

So glad I found this thread! My baby boy is 7 weeks old, delivered via c-section and I exclusively pump due to latching issues as well as low supply. I pump 9 to 10 times a day, 30 minutes each pump and it does get pretty exhausting but it's for the good of my little boy! I want to lose at least 100 pounds, still holding 10 of pregnancy weight included in that number as well as weight ( including water) from being on steroids 8 years. I am currently being weaned of my steroids for lupus and then I should really be able to start losing. I am a bit disappointed that I need to wait 5 more weeks to really start losing to establish my supply and as my supply dipped when I tried starting early I know it is best to wait. Do you ladies ever have days you are just starving ? Happened to me Saturday and it is highly usual as I am not a breakfast person and sometimes get too busy forgetting lunch. Also I have my settings set to lose 2lbs per week, is that too much while breastfeeding to lose?

Hi mommies!

I am really grateful to have found this thread. It is always nice to find other moms who are breastfeeding while trying to be healthy/fit. I truly believe that you should not have to choose one over the other. I am currently breastfeeding my second boy who is 8 months old. My first weaned himself at 14 months. The first time around, I felt like the weight dropped right off without much effort. This time around, I have worked hard for every single pound. I gained about the same 40 plus pounds with both pregnancies. I was overweight before both pregnancies & had just gotten close to a healthy weight when I got pregnant with my second. I am now a couple pounds shy of a "healthy" bmi & working hard on my goal to be in the best shape possible.

Lots of people posted about when is too soon to start working out or what to do. I'm lazy, so I did not start working out or change my eating habits until my son was about 2 months old. But that was only due to procrastination, I know some people start working out as early as 3-4 weeks after giving birth. I started slow with walking to see how it felt then graduated to Slim in 6 Weeks dvd program then Insanity program dvd. I use the elliptical & running sometimes to mix things up though.

Lots of people also posted about the starving/how much to eat thing. I pretty much eat at maintenance level according to MFP. When I started out (30lbs heavier), I was able to use the setting of 1-2lbs lost per week. I think it's a much better idea to subtract calories for breastfeeding from your food diary though (300-500 calories, depending on how often you nurse/pump).

I also get nervous when I lose too much weight b/c of the toxins released thing... I'm not sure how much you'd have to lose & how quickly before it is actually an issue. The nutritionist that I use said that a healthy loss during breastfeeding is no more than 1-2 lbs per week. I always up my calories by 150-200 if my milk supply starts to go down. I've been able to lose around 1 lb/ week doing that while maintaining my milk supply. It's a constant adjustment, especially when you factor in the exercise calories that you burn... You'll know if you're losing weight too quickly b/c your supply will definitely decrease = your body will let you know.

I snack almost all day long. I don't go more than 2 hours without eating something (high protein/fiber keeps you full longer).. Apples, fiber one bar, greek yogurt, crackers, etc. That keeps me feeling pretty full most of the time - I eat strong minty gum when the snacks don't work. If you are feeling really hungry ALL the time, you probably aren't eating enough..

btw, I am considering starting the 30DS b/c I have been hearing great things about it on MFP. Is anyone else doing that with success?

If anyone wants a new friend, I'd love the extra motivation of a fellow breastfeeding mommy friend... please add me :flowerforyou:

Can I join even if I'm not breastfeeding? I tried for 6 weeks and then we just couldn't get anymore milk to come in Anyways, my son is now 11 weeks old! I can hardly believe it! I gained 40 lbs up from 180 lbs while I was pregnant mostly due to being diagnosed with pre-e and being on bedrest for 2 months. 11 weeks later and I've lost that 40 lbs and am looking to lose another 60 lbs as I'm quite the shorty at only 5'1". I mainly do p90x since it burns the most calories for me. Looking forward to making some new friends and losing more weight!

Can I join even if I'm not breastfeeding? I tried for 6 weeks and then we just couldn't get anymore milk to come in Anyways, my son is now 11 weeks old! I can hardly believe it! I gained 40 lbs up from 180 lbs while I was pregnant mostly due to being diagnosed with pre-e and being on bedrest for 2 months. 11 weeks later and I've lost that 40 lbs and am looking to lose another 60 lbs as I'm quite the shorty at only 5'1". I mainly do p90x since it burns the most calories for me. Looking forward to making some new friends and losing more weight!

I don't see why not!

a bad latch can cause blocked milk ducts, which would hurt. IDK for sure though, maybe check with the LLL boards.