breastfeeding

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ber0905
ber0905 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone know how many calories you burn when you breastfeed?

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  • ber0905
    ber0905 Posts: 2
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    Does anyone know how many calories you burn when you breastfeed?
  • 9726172000
    9726172000 Posts: 428
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    Breastfeeding burns calories. Over 600 calories a day for breastfeeding women who don't supplement with formula. 600 calories! That's like getting two hours of aerobic exercise each day. A study published in the Journal of American Dietician Association shows breastfeeding melting off inches around your hips and buttocks. The reference is below.

    Summary: Mothers who breastfed exclusively or partially had significantly larger reductions in hip circumference and were less above their prepregnancy weights at 1 month postpartum than mothers who fed formula exclusively.
  • katiechakos
    katiechakos Posts: 348 Member
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    I'm still breast feeding, too. I've heard that you burn between 300 and 500 extra per day... but honestly I don't count it in my food log or extra exercise calories. I probably should, but I just consider it bonus. LOL. I do have to say, though, that I'm lighter than I was before I got pregnant. Not by a whole bunch, but I'm a thin person by nature and I gained a LOT of weight when I was pregnant (45 opunds). I lost all of that weight within the first 2 months. It took me a long time to like breast feeding... some women take to it instantly. I just didn't really like getting up at all hours of the night and I felt kind of like a dairy cow, but I stuck with it. My son is now 6 months old and I'm still bf'ing. I'm just going to keep going with it as long as he wants to. I enjoy it now... plus he's eating some solids, so it makes things a little easier.

    Good luck!!!
  • 3babybeans
    3babybeans Posts: 8,268 Member
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    A lot of the women on here count between 300 & 500 cals. You can add it in as an exercise so the cals are automatically counted in your final food tally for the day.

    La Leche League has a lot of information on the subject, also!

    Good luck to you!
  • kassi_ferrigan
    kassi_ferrigan Posts: 5 Member
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    When i was breastfeeding i would use the calories if i had no energy to work out. I counted it at 300 just as a rule for me. The first week after i stopped breastfeeding was hard because i did not have those buffer calories to count on.

    Way to go!! Breastfeeding is a challenge but ever minute is worth it. My daughter is 10 months and has yet to be sick!!!

    :) kassi

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