I was given the same 1200 calorie recommendation...but also felt it was too low. I manually increased it to 1400, then also added breastfeeding into my food diary to increase it even more.

I have been losing 1 to 1.5 pounds per week, and have now reached pre-pregnancy weight.

Try it - you can change the settings, and if you are unhappy, you can change it back!

Good luck!

The general rule is to add an additional 500 calories a day while breastfeeding. I started at 1700 and found that I wasn't losing at all so have dropped it to 1600. Now I'm losing small amounts each week, and while I would like to lose it faster I figure my milk supply and health is more important for the time being!

I should add that I am already 5kg below my pre-preg weight (baby is 11 mo) and did that without cal counting at all - so breastfeeding definitely was awesome in the early days for weight loss and I suggest keeping it up as long as it works for both you & bub! Good luck with the weight loss!

They have one that is "mommy's milk" I think, that is 300 calories. I like it, also, because it subtracts a little bit for the other things too, like protein and fat.

I stopped counting breastfeeding though, because the subtraction put me under 1200 most days and I kept getting yelled at because I supposedly wasn't eating enough. I always made sure I ate at least 1200 calories, but I was full and I didn't want to eat those extra 300. I haven't had any problems with supply since I stopped adding them, either.

My recommended goal was 1450, though. My recommendation would be that if you're still hungry and having problems staying at your goal, add the breastfeeding. But if you're comfortable where you are and your supply is ok, I wouldn't worry about adding them.

Water is so important when breastfeeding. You should also be on a prenatal vitamin.

Does fenugreek really work to help increase breast milk supply? My son is about to turn seven months and over the last month I have noticed a significant decline in my supply and have actually had to start supplementing formula at night which is a total bummer. Any other advice for increasing my supply this late in the game?!

fenugreek is excelent. i took about 15 pills a day *that is not to many, your lactationist will suggest the milligrams*, and my supply almost doubled! i got onto a prescription drug called regulin and it caused severe depression. do not supplement with formula, call your lactationist immediatly and see what she suggest. i was told to let the baby dry suck as much as possible, and eventually your supply will get back up, if your feeding your baby formula with a bottle, then he/she isn't sucking and causing your body to produce more milk. your body thinks your baby needs less than s/he does. make sure your letting baby comfort nurse, or dry suck. or pump between feedings. good luck. the feenugreek is a life saver, but you and your baby will smell like sweet maple syrup hope this helps.