Nursing and cutting calories

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terrab24
terrab24 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Are there any nursing moms on this site? I know that while you're nursing you're supposed to eat 300-500 extra calories a day. That would put me up to about 1700-2000 calories a day (since this site suggests I eat 1400some. I've been eating 1700 a day for the last week and a half and all I've done is gain back a couple pounds... so I'm a little frustrated, but scared to go too low because I don't want to lose my supply. Help please!

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  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
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    You are not alone! I don't have any great advise, but I can tell you what I'm doing... I set my activity level one setting higher than I otherwise would have, to account for nursing. So if I'm probably a better fit for 'lightly active,' I said 'active', or something to that effect (I don't remember the exact terms). It has been working well for me, I have been losing at a slightly-higher-than-predicted rate, & my supply has not suffered.

    But, my baby is older. With a newborn or even infant relying on breast milk as sole nutrition, I would be more careful. I didn't limit my calories at all in my babies' first 6 months, very little for at least a year each. At THAT time, to me, it was much more important to nix junk food, only eat healthy foods, and not worry about calories.

    Good luck! I hope someone has more specific advice!
  • NatashaYates86
    NatashaYates86 Posts: 18 Member
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    I'm a nursing mom! I eat 1500 calories and at least half of my exercise calories back, if not all of them. My son is 9 months old and I haven't noticed a difference in my supply. If your wanting to cut more calories I would do it slowly. Also make sure you are drinking enough water, that is key for having a great supply!! Hope this helps!
  • mmsilvia
    mmsilvia Posts: 459 Member
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    I am not nursing right now but, I did nurse & didn't cut any calories. I ate healthy & balanced - lots of fruit, veggies & milk. I found the weight just melted off. I would suggest talking to your doctor.

    Congrats on the baby & Good Luck with your weight lose :)
  • eh613c
    eh613c Posts: 14 Member
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    How old is your baby? Like PP said, if you have a newborn or young infant, it's best to start slow. However, if you have a much older baby, then you can start cutting your calories. I'm currently nursing and my baby is 4 mos. Once we hit the 3mos mark, I started to watch what I eat. That's when I joined MFP. My activity level right now is set at Slightly active and I didn't put anything for exercise. I do, however, include breastfeeding exclusively in my food diary and it automatically adds 500 Cal which puts me for a total of 1870 for the day. I usually have an extra 250-300 Cal left over at the end of the day. I've been losing about 1 pound per week (which is my goal).

    Try what works for you. And drink lots of water! Good luck.
  • terrab24
    terrab24 Posts: 5
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    Thank you for the replies! My baby is 9 weeks old as of yesterday (holy crap!)

    I had no clue that you could add breastfeeding to the food diary, so thanks for that tip! I figure I won't mess with my calories too much right now while she's still young, I'll just eat healthier things like you all suggested (it's what I've been trying to do anyway), and then exercise as well. I want this so bad, and I'm excited to have a group to do it with!
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
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    How old is your baby? Like PP said, if you have a newborn or young infant, it's best to start slow. However, if you have a much older baby, then you can start cutting your calories. I'm currently nursing and my baby is 4 mos. Once we hit the 3mos mark, I started to watch what I eat. That's when I joined MFP. My activity level right now is set at Slightly active and I didn't put anything for exercise. I do, however, include breastfeeding exclusively in my food diary and it automatically adds 500 Cal which puts me for a total of 1870 for the day. I usually have an extra 250-300 Cal left over at the end of the day. I've been losing about 1 pound per week (which is my goal).

    Try what works for you. And drink lots of water! Good luck.
    Good to know! I had never seen that feature!

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