Calorie goals

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sechtle
sechtle Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm breastfeeding and my doctor told me to eat when I'm hungry but I can keep an eye on calories to help me keep from overeating. The past couple days I still feel hungry even at my calorie max and with exercise. Should I focus on increasing exercise or increase my calorie intake slightly?

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  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 901 Member
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    Third answer:
    Adjust to eating more filling foods within your calorie allotment.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
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    I agree with PixelPuff but also, what are your goals? Are you aiming to lose weight? How did you determine your calorie max? Through this site, or is it a number from your doctor?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sechtle wrote: »
    I'm breastfeeding and my doctor told me to eat when I'm hungry but I can keep an eye on calories to help me keep from overeating. The past couple days I still feel hungry even at my calorie max and with exercise. Should I focus on increasing exercise or increase my calorie intake slightly?

    Have you added back calories for breastfeeding?
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    What is your calorie goal? You need more calories than normal when breastfeeding.
  • sechtle
    sechtle Posts: 4 Member
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    To answer each of you: I am learning to find low cal foods that fill me but sometimes I just need a cookie 😅. My doctor said that breastfeeding women need about 2000 to 2500 calories. I chose the low end becuase I am trying to loose weight. No, I haven't added back calories for breastfeeding because I'm unsure how to do the math.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited March 2019
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    sechtle wrote: »
    To answer each of you: I am learning to find low cal foods that fill me but sometimes I just need a cookie 😅. My doctor said that breastfeeding women need about 2000 to 2500 calories. I chose the low end becuase I am trying to loose weight. No, I haven't added back calories for breastfeeding because I'm unsure how to do the math.

    It's hard to know whether 2000 - 2500 is appropriate without knowing your stats?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,654 Member
    edited March 2019
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    sechtle wrote: »
    I'm breastfeeding and my doctor told me to eat when I'm hungry but I can keep an eye on calories to help me keep from overeating. The past couple days I still feel hungry even at my calorie max and with exercise. Should I focus on increasing exercise or increase my calorie intake slightly?

    Well.... your doctor has already told you what to do!

    She obviously does not "mind you keeping an eye to prevent overeating", but wants you to "eat when you're hungry".

    You're hungry.

    Eat.

    Breastfeeding requires anywhere from ~380 to 600 Calories depending on what your baby eats (the numbers listed correspond to 19 to 30 oz of milk a day)
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Also: How old is your baby? Is there a growth spurt happening ? How big is your baby?
    My kid grew from a 10-pound newborn to a 25-pound one-year old while refusing bottles and solids. When I was ravenously hungry, it was generally because she was going through a growth spurt and I was working to keep up. I have *never* experienced that kind of direct link between appetite/craving and bodily needs other than during that time when I was nursing - I'd find myself at the fridge eating meat and hard-boiled eggs, almost without remembering how I got there. I snacked all the time -- and I got back down to my high school weight, a place I had't been in over a decade.

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