Breastfeeding and weight loss

mizliz1981
mizliz1981 Posts: 39
edited October 6 in Health and Weight Loss
I am exclusively breastfeeding my 8 week old and I was wondering if I should give myself extra calories. I am at 1600/day the reccomended amount and a half an hour a day of excercise. BTW I have heard of the rule of thumb of 500 but I am not sure if this is true.
TIA

Replies

  • heaverchell
    heaverchell Posts: 513 Member
    1st congrats on your baby :) Mine just turned 8 months old yesterday. I was breastfeeding him until about a month ago. In the food section of the diary there is one for "breastfeeding" and one for "Nursing" which will give you anywhere from 100-500 calories depending on how you log it. If you are breastfeeding 100% I would add the one time thing for 500 calories which is supposed to be the average.

    Good Luck :)
  • bump040510
    bump040510 Posts: 43
    If you count your breastfeeding as exercise it will give you back those calories to eat anyway, right. I dont think I would adjust my recommended calorie intake unless you notice that your milk supply is dwindling.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Yes, you should have extra calories. And yes, the 500 calories is accurate for an 8-week-old nursling, unless you're supplementing with formula. Here's some info for you:

    http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html

    If you ever have any breastfeeding questions, either about what you need to keep your supply up or about medication safety or anything at all, Kellymom.com is an awesome resource. I recommend you bookmark it. It was a lifesaver for me many times while I was nursing my two. :)

    As far as MFP, you can add "breastfeeding" into your food diary to get your extra cals.
  • ckazza7
    ckazza7 Posts: 5 Member
    Absolutely take in more calories!! You need to add between 300-500 calories more than what is recommended to maintain your pre-pregnancy weight. While exclusively breastfeeding, you are burning more calories than you could ever realize and you don't want to risk your milk supply being reduced etc. Just think of it in terms of your milk is all of the nutrition your baby is getting, and they need good milk! Of course, those calories equal two healthy snacks a day, such as protein (cheese, nuts, hummus) or good carbohydrates (crackers, whole grains, quinoa, etc) and not doubling up during meal time. I have nursed all of my children for a minimum of two years and had little trouble losing pregnancy weight over a period of about 1-2 years while nursing. The trick for me has been my belly being so stretched out,but that is neither here nor there.
    Good Luck and congratulations on your baby. It's a wonderful journey.
  • xraychick82
    xraychick82 Posts: 10
    I am in the same boat, but cannot figure out how to add breastfeeding to my diary. I am new to the site, can anyone show me plz?
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I am in the same boat, but cannot figure out how to add breastfeeding to my diary. I am new to the site, can anyone show me plz?

    Go to your food diary, go to "add food," and search "breastfeeding" in the database.
  • mizliz1981
    mizliz1981 Posts: 39
    Thanks everyone that was very helpful :)
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