Dieting/Breastfeeding

sgoethe
sgoethe Posts: 6
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone,

I am new here, i was signing up and getting everything in order and i was curious if anyone knows of any extra guidelines for looseing weight when breastfeeding. i want to make sure i have enough calories coming in for that but still want to loose the extra 15-20lbs i have been hangin onto since my daughter was born..

thanks :smile:

Replies

  • sgoethe
    sgoethe Posts: 6
    Hello Everyone,

    I am new here, i was signing up and getting everything in order and i was curious if anyone knows of any extra guidelines for looseing weight when breastfeeding. i want to make sure i have enough calories coming in for that but still want to loose the extra 15-20lbs i have been hangin onto since my daughter was born..

    thanks :smile:
  • reallysteve
    reallysteve Posts: 29
    http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html

    hope this helps
    stevo
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
    Hi,

    I'm also breastfeeding, although my dd is eating solids, so she only feeds a few times a day now. I've started this with the goal of 2lbs a week and she hasn't seemed to notice. When I was bf'ing my ds three years ago, I noticed that the first couple of days that I dieted he would get a bit fussy and seemed to feed more frequently. I saw the doctor about it, and she confirmed it was fine to diet and bf, and that (1) the sudden lack of sugar / new veggies flavours in my diet changed the taste of milk - and he was VERY used to the sweet taste from the sugar!, (2) any lactic acid alters the milk too - still exercise, but the doc recommended I not lift heavy weights, and do extra cardio any time I was the least bit stiff in order to burn off the lactic acid.

    I think as long as you are eating good quality food, the milk production will be just fine! I was worried about dieting with bf'ing but look at how many moms loose their baby weight while bf'ing! See your doc if you have any concerns, but keep at it!

    Another thing to keep in mind is the extra calories that you burn bf'ing. If baby is solely bf'ing, I would enter that 500+ calories burned as exercise, maybe put in a one hour run, and that will give you the extra calories to keep bf'ing yet loose the weight! Because my dd feeds very little now, I give myself 200 calories! I figure I'm burning at least that!

    Take care and good luck!
    :)


    Hello Everyone,

    I am new here, i was signing up and getting everything in order and i was curious if anyone knows of any extra guidelines for looseing weight when breastfeeding. i want to make sure i have enough calories coming in for that but still want to loose the extra 15-20lbs i have been hangin onto since my daughter was born..

    thanks :smile:
  • momathome
    momathome Posts: 72
    Hey there I too am breast feeding. I haven't really changed much except I make sure I drink at least my 8 glasses of water if not more a day and I eat about 200-300 extra calories per day. You do burn calories breastfeeding and you do need some extra for the baby. I have lost about 15 lbs so far. I am working out about 1hr/day.
  • rem1979
    rem1979 Posts: 344 Member
    When I was breastfeeding, I read you burn about 500 calories a day from the milk production so you should add an additional 500 calories to your goals. Go to MY HOME--> GOALS --> CHANGE GOALS --> CUSTOM --> and on the top you can change the calorie number.

    Once you start your baby on foods, you won't be breast feeding as often and will have to adjust it.
  • DebbsHereNow
    DebbsHereNow Posts: 33 Member
    :flowerforyou: Hello! It has been a long time since I breast fed my sons, they are now 21 and 28. But they never had formula. I do remember as long as you eat balanced and drink, drink, drink lots of water and take your multi-vitamin, things should be ok! I am glad you nurse, I wish everyone did!
    Take care.
    Debbie
  • sgoethe
    sgoethe Posts: 6
    thanks everyone..

    my daughter is 22 months so not breastfeeding alll the time like a new baby but 3-4 times a day..so i figure i am burning about 150-200 calories? does that sound like to much or to little?

    thanks again for all the help :) im so glad to be here..you all seem wonderful

    :flowerforyou:
  • mommyskis
    mommyskis Posts: 277 Member
    I am nursing a 10 month old. He eats lots of solids and drinks a little juice, so he only nurses 4 times a day. I have not entered it as burning any calories. I was wavering between entering myself as "lightly active" or "active" and decided to mark "active" to compensate for the nursing. I also put in that I wanted to lose 1 lb a week. So far I have been losing 1 to 1.5 a week, even if I go over my calories by 100 or so a few days a week. The baby is still happy, so I figure it must be ok. Of course, if he were nursing more, I would definately up my calories. Hope this helps.
  • sgoethe
    sgoethe Posts: 6
    I am nursing a 10 month old. He eats lots of solids and drinks a little juice, so he only nurses 4 times a day. I have not entered it as burning any calories. I was wavering between entering myself as "lightly active" or "active" and decided to mark "active" to compensate for the nursing. I also put in that I wanted to lose 1 lb a week. So far I have been losing 1 to 1.5 a week, even if I go over my calories by 100 or so a few days a week. The baby is still happy, so I figure it must be ok. Of course, if he were nursing more, I would definately up my calories. Hope this helps.

    thanks that does help a lot...sounds like your plan is working..im hoping i can loose the 1lb a week..i would surly take th e1.5 though :)
  • mydogmesa2
    mydogmesa2 Posts: 205 Member
    When I was breastfeeding, I read you burn about 500 calories a day from the milk production so you should add an additional 500 calories to your goals. Go to MY HOME--> GOALS --> CHANGE GOALS --> CUSTOM --> and on the top you can change the calorie number.

    Once you start your baby on foods, you won't be breast feeding as often and will have to adjust it.

    This is what I did and it seems to be working. Although Im not sure if MFP understands why you are giving yourself extra calories. After you start logging your weight loss I think it might recognize that the number of calories if right for you and adjust accordingly. Although if your not sure you could just log it as exercise but youd have to do it everyday. but thats way you could adjust it daily to how ever many rimes your feeding baby. My baby is 9 months old and only nurses at night. I pump and feed her during the day. So I just average it at about 300 calories burnt a day. Dont know how much she eats at night but I usually pump about 15 oz for her during the day. HTH

    Ps you just make a new exercise, label it breastfeeding and it will stay in your frequently used list and you just edit it each time you enter it, but just change the calories and leave the time the same of it will automatically adjust it for you and you dont want that! :flowerforyou:
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
    I just enter the breastfeeding as exercise, so that all the calories work out in the end. My daughter is 14 mo and nurses a few times a day, so I give myself 200 calories - I put it in under a lesisuryly walk in the exercise area.
    :)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories