Calorie intake and breastfeeding

For one child months 3 to 6 months, the estimate is about 450-500 calories burned for breastfeeding, assuming you havent started the child on solids in that time.

I found I did well with the same calories I ate in my 3rd trimester (I tracked). For me (5' 6", age 28) that was about 2500-2600 a day.

When I wanted to lose weight there were things that I needed to do:

Decrease calories slowly. 100 a day for a week (so week 1 is 2500, weeks 2 is 2400, etc) until I saw 1 lb a week loss max. This prevents you from losing your milk by drastically/quickly reducing calories too quickly.

Do not go below 1800 calories a day, the milk needs the nutrition.

Once your child gets into solids, you'll have to adjust again. I was able to lose weight well up to a year of breastfeeding eating 1900 a day or more.

... for my first child that is.

My second one? I had supply problems. Any time i dropped even a little bit of calories I lost my milk and my child cried so much. It wasn't worth it. So now she is weaned, I'm 16 months post partum and I'm finally losing weight!

There was a really good post made by someone here once. I'm going to go get you a link.

oh i should add, higher protein may help with milk supply. But a generally good balance of carb/fat/protein is fine. You dont need to be too specific with it, as long as you are satiated and successful and not cutting any of them out.

I just started trying to lose baby weight as well. I am 2 months PP with baby number 2. I set my activity level without exercise to “lightly active” (I’m a SAHM with a 2 year old as well so I’m moving around a good bit all day) and chose maintenance calories. Excusively Breastfeeding burns about 200-500 calories a day. I just let my breastfeeding calories be my calorie deficit.

With baby number 1 I didn’t start actively trying to lose weight until she started solids at 6 m and losing milk wasn’t so much of a panic. I just started exercising but ate when I was hungry.