Dieting while breastfeeding?

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meganleav
meganleav Posts: 1 Member
in Recipes
Are there any moms out there who count calories while breastfeeding? I'm wondering how many calories I should eat daily to maintain a good milk supply and lose 2 lbs a week.

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  • EauRouge1
    EauRouge1 Posts: 265 Member
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    How old is your baby? If he/she is under 3 months then I would wait a little while before cutting calories. After that you can start gradually cutting down without having to worry about your supply too much- although you still need to be sensible! Eat well, lots of fresh veg etc, and make sure you are well hydrated. Aiming to lose 2lb a week might be a bit too fast. This is a really good resource for information about breastfeeding-http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

    You could also try a local support group like LLL or NCT.
  • snowdancer03
    snowdancer03 Posts: 238 Member
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    I am a breastfeeding mom of a 7 week cutie but am only aiming to lose one pound a week. I make sure I log breastfeeding as a 500 calorie activity and never go below 1800 calories as suggested on the website by the previous post.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    I am not a medical expert and highly advise you to speak to your Doctor before dieting whilst breastfeeding. However I do know that your TDEE is likely to increase and many people on here have been advised to maintain or lose at a very slow rate whilst feeding.
  • MamaEdmund
    MamaEdmund Posts: 70 Member
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    I'm breastfeeding, too, and whereas I'm trying to track my calories, I'm not being super vigilant about it. My emphasis has been on cutting out sugar/junk, and doing some cardio every day. My babe is seven months old, but still almost exclusively breastfed. Cooking from scratch has made a huge difference for me personally.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    2lbs per week seems like a bit much to me while you are breastfeeding, even if your milk supply is established (6 weeks and on). In the beginning you will lose more due to water weight though.

    I ate at maintenance and lost weight really gradually, took about 7-8 months for me to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
  • John1643
    John1643 Posts: 13 Member
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    I think this is highly individual and will likely change as your baby goes through growth spurts. Keep track of what you're eating and it's impact on your supply, I think you'll be the only one to really know what will work. Back when I was nursing I was on WW and would eat all my points, all my nursing points, all my flex points and all my activity points - I was probably closing in at 2500 calories and losing 2 a week. Dropped the nursing calories at 1 year but nursed, obviously far less, for another year and maintained. Then weaned... while it's super cool to be one of those women for whom weight falls off of while nursing, the reality of weaning is a *kitten*! But I do think it's really a trial and error thing - good luck!
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    I bf-ed both of my kids each for over a year. I didn't count calories for the first 2 month at all. During the third month, I assessed what I was eating. Starting in month 4, I calculated TDEE (not based on bf-ing) and added about 500 calories to account for bf-ing.

    At 6-7 months (when kids were introduced to solid food), I reduced to 300 calories extra...then gradually tapered off when they approached weaning. This approach worked for me. I lost baby weight from first kid by month 9...plus an additional 7 by month 12 with no negative effects on supply. If you have questions, consult a local lactation consultant; they're very helpful.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited December 2016
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    snowdancer03 wrote: »
    I am a breastfeeding mom of a 7 week cutie but am only aiming to lose one pound a week. I make sure I log breastfeeding as a 500 calorie activity and never go below 1800 calories as suggested on the website by the previous post.
    The 500 should be added to your base TDEE requirement. 1800 doesn't seem like much room for that extra 500. I lost on 1700 and was not bf. Please talk to your doctor rather than relying on random internet strangers for such important info.
  • Heatts
    Heatts Posts: 73 Member
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    I have an almost 4 month old. I initially lost a bunch of weight but then gained most of it back. I don't like counting calories but have decided I'm going to start tracking my food. I need to figure out why I'm not losing like I did with baby #1, and I have a 50 pound goal for my bday, which is early July. Initially I thought it was due to lack of water, but I've been tracking that now for a couple of weeks and no longer believe that to be the case. I'm sticking with the safe 1800 calories a day as well.

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