breastfeeding and dieting

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jennih1983
jennih1983 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I am breastfeeding only my 7 week old.. and i am HUNGRY ALLLL THE TIME!! i walk and run for 2 miles usuall every other day but last week i did 6 days of working out.. what snacks keep me fuller .. how many calories should i be eating?! HELP

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  • nettleboo
    nettleboo Posts: 177 Member
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    hello i would have thought with breast feeding you should be eating a higher calorie value as you give the babes some of the nutrients your taken aboard. super duper foods leafy greens fresh veg goji berries blueberries, nuts and seeds maybe? do you have a midwife you can ask?
  • motherinme
    motherinme Posts: 38 Member
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    When you are nursing, you are going to need AT LEAST 500 more calories that what you would need not nursing. I found that the Nutragrain bars (the crunchy ones) worked best for me...popcorn...LOTS OF WATER (as that helps with Milk production), Cheese (dairy helped fill me up)

    Good Luck! Don't give up :)
  • gdengler
    gdengler Posts: 18 Member
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    Good question - my first baby is coming in November and I hear that breastfeeding mothers should eat an additional 500 calories a day. To lose the baby weight, I was planning on configuring my settings to lose 1.5 pounds per week but add -500 calories to breakfast every day I breastfeed to make sure I am eating enough. Also, you need to eat all of your exercise calories earned as well. Good luck and congratulations!
  • stefchica
    stefchica Posts: 257 Member
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    http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html

    since your breastfeeding you will need to have a WELL balanced diet. try that article. i would talk to your Dr. too sine he would know how much you should take in based on the baby's progress
  • Laurandy0912
    Laurandy0912 Posts: 16 Member
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    Snacks such as peanut butter crackers or peanut butter with celery are good snacks and will keep you satisfied longer.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    Type breastfeeding into the search area of your food diary. You can select the correct one and minutes spent breastfeeding. It will then add negative calories (calories you get to eat) to your daily allotment.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    You may have to play with this for a bit. When I first started breastfeeding, I took in an additional 500 calories and was still losing like 4-5 lbs a week and STARVING. So I upped that to 700 and that seemed to help. Now my baby is 4 months old and I'm down to an extra 300 a day. Be sure to account for the extra fat, protein and carbs you need as well.
  • lovecola06
    lovecola06 Posts: 180 Member
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    Hi. Congratulations on your new baby & making the decision to nurse while losing weight. There are others of us that had the same types of questions when we first started - check out New Moms...breastfeeding & trying to lose weight in the discussion board. On that discussion thread, you will find a lot of answers to the questions you may have.

    A quick answer to your question is that you might not be eating enough calories if you feel hungry all the time & you're feeling tired. I would add about 300-500 calories to whatever MFP suggests when you put in your weight loss goals. An alternative to that is to log your food as you normally do, but enter breastfeeding in your food journal to subtract 300-500 calories from your daily calorie goal.

    I am a breastfeeding mom of a 10-month old & I nursed my first son until he weaned himself at 14months. Feel free to add me as a friend if you would like some extra encouragement or send me a message if you have any specific questions. Good luck in your weight loss journey!:flowerforyou:
  • clares06
    clares06 Posts: 71 Member
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    hi, i recently stopped breastfeeding, and it wasnt till then that i managed to shift the last few ounds of baby weight. i like you was hungry all the time, i mean starving!!! you need to eat healthy obviously, but you gotta go with what your body tells you until you finish feeding bubs. you are doing great excersising, stick with that for now, and concentrarte on the calorie and weight loss side of things after. having said that babe is only 7 weeks, you will probably find you loose the weight pretty quickly too, by the time my baby was 6 months i only had 3 lbs to shift, and that came off very quickly. i put it down to breast feeding. keep up the great start you are giving your lil one, what a wonderful mummy you arexx
  • vonalj
    vonalj Posts: 124 Member
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    I recently read an article that I found very interesting. It suggested that breastfeeding mothers eat when hungry but not to use it as an excuse to go buckwild! In the article it said that your body is actually taking calories from your fat stores to be able to breast feed. That is why when women breastfeed they lose weight faster because its taking from the extra cushion that was put on in that nine months vs the calories that you are taking in on a current daily basis. I've seen amazing things with friends that have breast fed. Some dropped the baby weight instantaneous and others gained on top of the baby weight ( from housin everything in sight, from what I saw). I have no personal experience, I just wanted to share the article I read. I would say your best bet is to eat when hungry but be smart. Whole grains, lean meats, proteins, fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Good luck and congrats!
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
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    Oatmeal is great for lactation. I actually have a recipe for "Lactation cookies" if you want it just message me.

    Nuts, nut butter. Protein. You will be hungrier than usual. Don't feel guilty about eating more. As you may know, the less you eat will backfire and you will stop producing milk. Everyone's different, Even my breastfeeding experience was different with each of my babies. You might eat like mad and drop all the baby weight plus quickly, you might lose slowly. This last time I lost pretty steady up until the last 15 pounds and stalled. (That was pre-baby weight though).

    Definitely try to eat as healthy as you can with healthy fats in there, too. As long as you are not gorging yourself silly you should lose the weight even though you may be eating more than before the pregnancy.
  • clares06
    clares06 Posts: 71 Member
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    oh, and i just remembered, i did try to cut calories, and put myself on a diet while nursing, and like the other post said, it did backfire, baby was very agitated and unsatisfied, wanting to be at the breast all the time, as she wasnt getting waht she needed, just thought id share that with you, as at the time, i was pulling my hair out wondering why she was so unsettled. also when they go through the growth spurts, you may need to consume extra to compensate for this, or again they may become fractuous. excersise is definatly the way to go, if you can fit it in around nursing!!!lol!
  • Jess22542
    Jess22542 Posts: 66
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    http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/lose-baby-weight/new-body/your-body-after-baby/?sssdmh=dm17.553015&esrc=nwfitdailytip101011&email=1635035873

    Read this article. It talks about exercising after having a baby. Hope it helps!
  • nanababy9
    nanababy9 Posts: 5
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    Know that when you are breastfeeding you usually need an extra 200-300 calories per day. Keep this in mind when you are eating.
    A far as eating goes what helps me is to drink a glass of water every time you eat something. Try to choose something with a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and some fat. I have found that eating something with no fat, usually leads to me being hungry again in an hour or two. One of my favorite snacks is an original yogurt (the ones that are low fat NOT no fat, besides the ones without the artifical sweeteners are better for you and taste better in my opinion) and some fruit. I love mixing strawberry yogurt & a banana or Blueberry yogurt and red grapes. Drink the glass of water too to help you feel full & stay hydrated.

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