Losing weight while BFing a toddler

Raegold
Raegold Posts: 191 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone, I've been losing weight using weight watchers for the past 14 months, and have lost 40 lbs so far. I'm down to the last 5-8 lbs before goal, and I'm losing sooooo slow. I'm so hungry and frustrated. My diet is 80/20 clean foods, lots of lean protein, fruits and veggies. I'm still breastfeeding my 16 month old 4-5 times a day, which is hard to estimate how many extra calories I need. I've been shooting for 1500 a day, but that's just a guess. Any tips on how to work through the last couple of pounds??

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    1500 per day seems a little low, however since your child is older I think you can have a bit more flexibility in cutting cals while breastfeeding. It will also depend on your stats and activity level. However "hungry and frustrated" doesn't sound good! Maybe you need to play around with your macros ? More protein, healthy fats and fibre. Also the last 5-8lbs are slow and stubborn... you really have to be accurate and patient about it all. On top of that, some women have difficulty losing the last bit of weight while nursing.

    I am also nursing a 16 month old... I am very active, workout 6x per week and I am losing fairly reasonably on about 2500 cals/day (also down to the last 5lbs or so).
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    Thanks, I don't know, maybe 1500 is low... I would say that I'm moderately active, but I haven't been using a Fitbit or anything to track activity. I eat a ton of protein, I'm wondering if I need to lower my carbs and up my fat intake. I'm hesitant to do very low carb because of the breastfeeding.
  • Muana1005
    Muana1005 Posts: 172 Member
    How much do you move? I think breastfeeding calorie burn is dependant on supply and how often your child feeds, so it's highly individual. My sister lost all her baby weight just by breastfeeding and eating her normal crazy calorie intake (she's the only 100 pound girl I know who maintains on 2-3k calories a day). My cousin who's the same height/weight couldn't lose even at 1200 cals/day.

    I suggest you increase intake by 200 cals and see how your body takes it.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Raegold wrote: »
    Thanks, I don't know, maybe 1500 is low... I would say that I'm moderately active, but I haven't been using a Fitbit or anything to track activity. I eat a ton of protein, I'm wondering if I need to lower my carbs and up my fat intake. I'm hesitant to do very low carb because of the breastfeeding.

    Hmm yea I heard going too low carb isn't great for milk supply, but honestly everyone is different. I carb/calorie cycle so some days my carbs are lower (<150g or so) and then other days they are a lot higher (200+). I think just a balanced macro ratio is probably best.
  • ashleyminnich1
    ashleyminnich1 Posts: 60 Member
    The thing about breast milk is that it evolves with the child. I know that when my daughter was over the age of one my hunger increased greatly, and I started losing weight without trying and while eating everything in sight! I still would follow the recommendation to not eat under 1800 calories a day, and see if you continue to maintain or lose slowly. If you begin to gain, the reduce your calories by 100 or so and see what that does. The secondary part after worrying about supply that is often missed is that when we are nursing our babies are taking nutrients from our bodies. Your supply is actually the last thing to go. Taking your vitamins and getting enough good food is still super important.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    I'd increase your calories a little and let it take the time it takes.
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    ashleyminnich1 wrote: »
    The thing about breast milk is that it evolves with the child. I know that when my daughter was over the age of one my hunger increased greatly, and I started losing weight without trying and while eating everything in sight! I still would follow the recommendation to not eat under 1800 calories a day, and see if you continue to maintain or lose slowly. If you begin to gain, the reduce your calories by 100 or so and see what that does. The secondary part after worrying about supply that is often missed is that when we are nursing our babies are taking nutrients from our bodies. Your supply is actually the last thing to go. Taking your vitamins and getting enough good food is still super important.

    Thank you, I am also SO hungry lately, and I'm wondering if it is related to the breastfeeding. My daughter is only nursing 4-5 times a day, but I know that there is much more fat in the breastmilk at this age, so maybe I'm using more calories than it think. Thanks for your help!!

  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    Thanks, I don't know, maybe 1500 is low... I would say that I'm moderately active, but I haven't been using a Fitbit or anything to track activity. I eat a ton of protein, I'm wondering if I need to lower my carbs and up my fat intake. I'm hesitant to do very low carb because of the breastfeeding.

    Hmm yea I heard going too low carb isn't great for milk supply, but honestly everyone is different. I carb/calorie cycle so some days my carbs are lower (<150g or so) and then other days they are a lot higher (200+). I think just a balanced macro ratio is probably best.


    Thank you! Would you mind sharing what you think would be a balanced macro ratio?
  • Slimpossible007
    Slimpossible007 Posts: 16,407 Member
    edited June 2017
    I think that's very low for a BFing mum .. have you spoken to your doc who may be able to recommend an ideal eating plan for you.

    I always lost weight while BFing without even trying (in fact if anything I over ate) .. I would suggest eating the number of cals needed to maintain your current size as when baby feeds they will automatically put you in a deficit. which means you will still lose weight at a healthy rate.

    If you are very close to goal already then eat the cals to maintain your healthy weight, baby needs all the good nutrients and your body could struggle to give them that if you are eating too low.

    best of luck :)

  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    Unfortunately I don't lose weight while breastfeeding alone, because my hunger increases so much, I could easily eat like 2500-3000 calories a day. So I have to track everything. I'm having trouble coming up with my TDEE, one website told me 1670, and another said 2100! That's a huge difference!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Raegold wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    Thanks, I don't know, maybe 1500 is low... I would say that I'm moderately active, but I haven't been using a Fitbit or anything to track activity. I eat a ton of protein, I'm wondering if I need to lower my carbs and up my fat intake. I'm hesitant to do very low carb because of the breastfeeding.

    Hmm yea I heard going too low carb isn't great for milk supply, but honestly everyone is different. I carb/calorie cycle so some days my carbs are lower (<150g or so) and then other days they are a lot higher (200+). I think just a balanced macro ratio is probably best.


    Thank you! Would you mind sharing what you think would be a balanced macro ratio?

    To keep things simple, I would start with the MFP recommendation and tweak them from there to fit your preference. I don't know your current macros but increasing protein a bit can help. What I do is 0.8-1g protein per lb goal weight/lean body mass and 0.4-0.6g fat per lb goal weight then fill the rest with carbs... protein is a bit higher because I have body composition goals, so you can lower it a bit depending on preference and your goals.
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    Thanks, I don't know, maybe 1500 is low... I would say that I'm moderately active, but I haven't been using a Fitbit or anything to track activity. I eat a ton of protein, I'm wondering if I need to lower my carbs and up my fat intake. I'm hesitant to do very low carb because of the breastfeeding.

    Hmm yea I heard going too low carb isn't great for milk supply, but honestly everyone is different. I carb/calorie cycle so some days my carbs are lower (<150g or so) and then other days they are a lot higher (200+). I think just a balanced macro ratio is probably best.


    Thank you! Would you mind sharing what you think would be a balanced macro ratio?

    To keep things simple, I would start with the MFP recommendation and tweak them from there to fit your preference. I don't know your current macros but increasing protein a bit can help. What I do is 0.8-1g protein per lb goal weight/lean body mass and 0.4-0.6g fat per lb goal weight then fill the rest with carbs... protein is a bit higher because I have body composition goals, so you can lower it a bit depending on preference and your goals.

    Thank you, thats very helpful!!
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