How many calories does breastfeeding burn?

By recording calories burnt for every day activities you will eat too much and not lose weight.

Well I own up to being ignorant on the subject.
Fascinating.
A

I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT.................
We are basically chemical machines so it would have to be all you calories your baby needs plus losses due to inefficency.

By recording calories burnt for every day activities you will eat too much and not lose weight.

Uh- no offense to the quoted respondant but breastfeeding is a special case.

I think for some women it is like 500 extra per day. Perhaps one of the other posters has a better estimate. If you undereat too much, you may have milk production problems - so you need to log it if you are calorie counting.
If you can do it, breast feeding is a really good way to lose the baby weight.

Why not think of your breastfeeding calories as an extra bonus - I would be a bit weary about logging too strictly to lose weight when you are breastfeeding!

I wish people would stop saying this in breastfeeding threads. Not eating enough can drastically damage milk supply, as well as causing the mother to get inadequate nutrition. A nursing mother's nutrients go to her milk FIRST, and her own body second. If she doesn't eat enough, she will not be able to be healthy.

Say it on the cleaning threads. Don't say it here. If someone listens to you, they could seriously damage their health or the health of their baby.

I'm breastfeeding, and I used to add in just the extra 500 calories a day. However, for me personally, I find that 1800 calories is the magic number for me personally to lose weight while breastfeeding. Somedays I am still hungry after my 1800 calories, and I just eat a little snack before bed.

I an breastfeeding, and while you exclusively nurse you "burn" about 500 a day from all the info I've read. Around the first year mark, a babies growth slows a lot, so they drop to about 300. They would also be eating other things, obviously. When I was exclusively nursing, I ate like a horse, got no exercise, and still lost a little weight!
My son is still nursing at 13 months, and I record it in my food diary as 300 calories daily. That's probably over estimating it, but I tried NOT logging it, and I was exhausted constantly from not getting enough calories.

Give yourself a little time after you have the baby to adjust to everything before you start cutting calories or working out. And make sure you eat nutritious foods and drink LOTS OF FLUIDS! GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS!

Just a few links, in case you want to read them

http://www.llli.org/faq/diet.html (the lll is a fabulous organization- look through the site- lots of great info!)

It is safer for you to wait at least two months postpartum to purposely lose weight, as your body needs this time to recover from childbirth and establish a good milk supply. Many mothers lose weight in the early months by following a normal diet and eating to hunger. If you have stopped losing weight or are gaining weight after the first two months, check with your doctor about increasing your activity level and reducing your intake by about 100 calories per day. A daily brisk half-hour walk with your children in a stroller or sling will help you lose weight plus get you outside for fresh air.

Gradual weight loss of about one pound per week, while consuming about 1500 to 1800 calories per day, will help you to feel good and have the energy you need to care for your baby. The composition of your milk really does not vary much with your diet. (Mothers in famine conditions can produce milk that is nutritionally perfect for their babies.) However, your health may suffer if too many of your own reserves are used to provide milk. It takes a lot of energy to care for your baby so be sure to take care of yourself by "eating to hunger" and "drinking to thirst."

Anyone who wants to start a weight loss program should consult with their physician to rule out any health problems that would contraindicate the diet or exercise.



http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1277/mainpageS1277P1.html

Eat many different foods to get the calories, vitamins and minerals you need to remain healthy. A minimal caloric intake of at least 2,000 calories per day, with an optimal intake of 500 calories above a non-pregnant caloric intake of 1,800 to 2,200 calories is recommended. (This is the equivalent of a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk.) Foods from the following food categories offer the most nutritional value:

meats
beans
vegetables (especially leafy green vegetables)
fruits or 100 percent fruit juice (not fruit drinks)
breads, cereals and grains
milk, cheese and eggs


http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/nutrition-exercise-and-weight-loss

A good rule of thumb is to take in 200-500 calories in excess of what you needed to maintain your weight before you were pregnant while you are nursing. Breastfeeding doesn’t make you gain weight – in fact, you use up calories when you nurse, and you may actually shed those extra pounds more quickly while you are nursing. Your body stores up fat during your pregnancy to provide the extra calories needed for milk production. It is easier to lose lower body fat (hips, buns, and thighs) when you are breastfeeding compared to the mom who is formula feeding. (YAY!). Remember to factor in the weight of your breasts when setting your weight loss goals. The ‘average’ mom (remember, the one who doesn’t exist in real life?) – will carry around about 3 extra pounds of breast tissue while she’s lactating. Some more, some less, but don’t expect to lose that weight until after your baby stops nursing.

Why not think of your breastfeeding calories as an extra bonus - I would be a bit weary about logging too strictly to lose weight when you are breastfeeding!

I wish people would stop saying this in breastfeeding threads. Not eating enough can drastically damage milk supply, as well as causing the mother to get inadequate nutrition. A nursing mother's nutrients go to her milk FIRST, and her own body second. If she doesn't eat enough, she will not be able to be healthy.

Say it on the cleaning threads. Don't say it here. If someone listens to you, they could seriously damage their health or the health of their baby.

I'm not sure what half assed advice you thought I was giving - I wouldn't log calories with an aim to losing weight when I was breastfeeding. I don't think it is the time to create a calorie deficit, you should eat all your calories and some to make sure that both are getting adequate nutrition and think of the calories as a bonus the same way as a non-nursing person would view excercise. I can understand a desire to continue to log but one would assume that a nursing mother would follow medical advice on healthy eating to ensure the best possible start for a newborn - which includes a healthy mother!

Guess I should have considered that there may be some people who think it is o.k to stick to 800 calorie a day diet when pregnant or breastfeeding so they don't put on weight. I'm definately not one of them!

No worries, should have went into bit more detail on a site that contains unsafe 'lifestyle' practices!

I HIGHLY recommend breast feeding! With my first child, I lost all my pregnancy weight in 1 month, then when I stopped breast feeding at 17 months, I lost more weight after that! All my friends who breast fed have lost their weight rapidly, plus when you breastfeed, your body releases some chemicals which cause your uterus to contract back to a "new normal" size. Not completely back to the way it used to be, but it does it quicker when you breast feed. At least that's what I read years ago.

I'm not sure if this helped any but I cut out cheese and milk. I still ate yogurt, eggs & cottage cheese though, I just didn't eat any junk, & ate whenever I wanted. I didn't count my calories so I'm not sure how much, but in comparison, I did eat more while I was breast feeding than I do now.

The 2nd pregnancy took a little longer to lose the weight because I gained more, but I lost even more well after I stopped breast feeding.

Hi All,

I am now 36 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby and planning to use the MyFitnessPal app to lose the baby weight after the birth. I was wondering, how many calories does breastfeeding burn? I just want to know how many to record.

Thanks!

About 600 an hour, but you need to breast feed while on the treadmill...lol

In other words...NOT MUCH!

You don't count it except as it relates to your activity settings.

Although it is generally held that it burns about 500 calories a day on the average, it really depends on how much your baby eats, and how hard your body has to work to produce milk. And 500 calories is a lot! It's hard to burn that much with excersize, and all you have to do is sit and feed your baby to burn it.

Seriously, research this before you tell a nursing mother that. You are wrong. You do need to count them and eat those calories to prevent a dip in supply and/or malnutrition for the mother.

This is one reason I hope to have kids soon help me get off these last 55lbs

but I hear its 600 or so a day depending i could be wrong but I just think its awesome

It actually takes more calories to nurse than to be pregnant. Be very careful of trying to reduce while nursing. If you lose too quickly your milk supply will drop off.:noway:

people get overworked about the littlest things on here...not to be rude, but asking for advice on here isnt a good thing to do because more or less its probably not "professional" advice. if your going to hinge your baby and your health on someones advice make sure its a credible source at the very least like a doctor.

secondly you have to get your priorities straight, your baby comes first, you need to do whatever you can to make sure your baby is supplied with proper nutrition, even if it means going over your daily caloric intake. in the short term it might cause a minor weight gain, but at least your baby will not be effected negatively.

as for your weight control, there is always minor things you can do such as recording body composition every month to see whether or not your gaining weight and if your trying to control it, cut back 100 calories at the most from your daily intake then see where you are the next month. dont rely on the scale too much as it doesn't tell you the whole story.

hope that helps, and sorry if my post comes off as rude, its not meant to be...