Breastfeeding Mommas

ical50
ical50 Posts: 59 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
Is there anyone else who is trying to lose weight while breastfeeding? My son is 7 mo. old and I intend on breastfeeding him until he is 1 year, just as I did my daughter. I have been kind of watching what I eat but not losing. I just recently got serious about it and started counting calories and exercising like crazy.....compared to what I was doing! I am a bit worried that I may mess up my production and dry up. I believe I am suppose to be eating around 2200, but surely I can cut back and lose, but still keep up my milk supply. What has been your experience? Is there a calorie level where you started noticing your supply diminish? At what calorie intake were you able to maintain? I really want to start losing now, but don't want to sacrifice breastfeeding to do so.

Replies

  • KayaSamantha
    KayaSamantha Posts: 157 Member
    I am a postpartum doula and have several mothers who are members of a Facebook page called the Leaky B@@b and have found tips and advice there about weight loss while breastfeeding and keeping supply up. Good luck and congratulations on your newest little one!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Breastfeeding itself burns up to 500 calories a day. If he's eating some solid foods now, you might burn a little less. What I would suggest is to set up MFP like you would if you weren't nursing, selecting your activity level and how fast you'd like to lose (I wouldn't recommend more than 1 lb per week since you're nursing). Then you can add breastfeeding into your food or exercise diary every day to give you the calories you're burning from breastfeeding. Eat ALL your calories, and if you exercise, eat those too. I know around here there are various schools of thought about exercise calories, but for a breastfeeding mom, it is essential that you get that "calories remaining" number as close to 0 as possible every day in order to maintain a good milk supply and keep YOU healthy.
  • mdefrances
    mdefrances Posts: 1 Member
    I'm in the same boat. I have an 8 month old who exclusively breastfeeds and eats solids for breakfast and dinner. I noticed my milk change when he started eating solids. Generally I try to take in between 1500 and 1800 calories, depending on if I've exercised or not that day. I've been able to lose about 1lb per week, which is the healthiest way to do it. Good Luck!
  • needmyoldbodybackstat
    needmyoldbodybackstat Posts: 4
    Add your breastfeeding to your food diary (it will give you the 300 extra cals you need) and make sure you drink all 8 glasses of water per day every day! I am still breastfeeding my second child as well, he is 9 and a half months old. Now that I am making a conscious effort to drink all my water I am actually producing more milk now, I find I even pump about 6 oz per day more than he needs.
  • PodWif
    PodWif Posts: 16
    I've got a 8 mth old and am nursing also. I don't eat nearly as many calories as you listed but I just go by what MFP recommended but when it asked me my activity level I choose the next level up in order to allow more calories for nursing it that makes sense. I haven't noticed a drop at all in my production. But when I was trying to lose weight and excerise with my first child I did feel like my milk supply dwindled, so I decide to wait until she was about 10 months to go at it again. I'm not sure what the difference is this time around because I've been doing this now for about a 1.5-2 months and have had a lot of success losing weight but not loosing my supply.

    Everybody is different so you may just have to try different things for a couple of weeks and see if it is affecting your supply or not and then make adjustments if it is or isn't, etc.

    Best of luck. I'd love to hear other's thought on this because I know I was unsure what to do.
  • ical50
    ical50 Posts: 59 Member
    I hadn't searched for breastfeeding listed under foods. I looked for it under exercise. Fancy that! I will start adding that, giving myself the 300 calories, and see what happens. I am so obsessed right now, that I haven't been eating all my calories, so I know that is part of the problem and I have to stop that. Thank you all for your replies! Very helpful! I will do what ever I need to so I can keep feeding my little man the "liquid gold"!
  • MamaGerig
    MamaGerig Posts: 3
    Hi,

    I breastfed each of my 7 kids for at least a year - my last son for almost 3 years, and got teased when he started reaching up saying, "Want some!" LOL My husband figured out that I breastfed, in total, for almost 11 years of my life! Whoa!

    It's now been about 9 years since I last breastfed, but I remember that I didn't really have to watch my calorie intake during that time. I made sure to eat a really healthy diet (with a few treats along the way), took the kids on regular walks, and the weight came off within at least a year. Not as fast as I'd like, of course, but it always came off and then some, it seemed.

    You are doing an awesome thing for your baby, and I believe something good happens for you too when you breastfeed. There is nothing more natural than that...and I applaud you!

    To keep your milk supply up, it is important to drink lots of water, especially if you are exercising...and the more you nurse, obviously, the better your supply.

    Good luck! : )
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