breastfeeding and weightloss

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mommyto2cuties
mommyto2cuties Posts: 82 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been nursing for 7 months now and will plan to continue for the next 5 or 6 months. I know that I am supposed to have extra calories so that it won't impact my milk supply. On Weight Watchers I was able to have 7 extra points a day I think. Any other nursing mom's out there? What are you doing caloriewise?

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  • jaydeangel
    jaydeangel Posts: 31
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    Hi! I have been breastfeeding for 14 months now. I am personally ready to stop but my daughter isn't. She only nurses before her nap, bedtime, and once in the middle of the night. Its pretty much just for comfort now I guess. I don't add extra calories anymore but I think I heard someone say you should have between 200-400 extra calories a day when you are breastfeeding full time.
  • mommyto2cuties
    mommyto2cuties Posts: 82 Member
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    Hi! I have been breastfeeding for 14 months now. I am personally ready to stop but my daughter isn't. She only nurses before her nap, bedtime, and once in the middle of the night. Its pretty much just for comfort now I guess. I don't add extra calories anymore but I think I heard someone say you should have between 200-400 extra calories a day when you are breastfeeding full time.

    LOL I know how that goes! I nursed my son for 15 months but the last three months were just for comfort. I eventually stopped because I was pregnant and it was starting to get uncomfortable and he ended up being totally fine with it and didn't even protest at all.

    With adding calories it is tricky because I nurse her a bunch still, but she is now on solids too and it is hard to know what to do. Maybe I will add 300 calories because that seems like a middle ground and is pretty consisted with what WW suggests. Thanks!
  • chopsticks
    chopsticks Posts: 106 Member
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    My son has been nursing for 16 months now:grumble: It's pretty much all the time...1/2 hour after he wakes up, for his nap, before i go to work, when i get home, for bed and during the night. He is eating solids too...i think he would just rather use me than a sippy cup. any way i just try my best to stick to the 1200 calories and if i go over some(wich i usually do) i don't sweat it. I never go to bed hungry. If i'm over my cals and i'm hungry at night if figure i must need more since the breastfeeding. This is how i've been doing it and I lost 2 since i started this site and 12 in the last 3 months. But it probabaly wouldn't hurt if we were to ask a doctor.
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
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    I'm still nursing my 22 month old, and while I am very ready to wean, she is very not, lol. She is on the autism spectrum and nursing is the ONLY coping mechanism she knows, so until we get some other ways for her to calm down in place, I'm kind of stuck.

    I'm also a breastfeeding counselor by profession and eating about 300 extra calories a day is ideal while nursing. Every woman's body is very different though so it can vary. The best thing to do is listen to your body. If you are overly tired (like most nursing moms aren't? lol) then up your calories and see if that helps.
  • yankeefamily05
    yankeefamily05 Posts: 657
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    My little girl has been breastfed for almost 5 months now. When I first joined it said I needed 1600 calories a day. My supply started dropping so I added 400.....I now take in 2000 calories a day and I have been averaging about 1.5 lb lost a week:):)>.Its slow, but worth it....
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
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    I started my weight loss program on here when my daughter was 14 months, and nursing very little. I simply set my goal to 1 lb per week (giving my some extra calories) and didn't count the nursing otherwise. I lost 5 pounds the first week, and then 1-2 pounds every week after that (until I hit a plateau at the last 10 lbs).
    :flowerforyou:
  • mommyto2cuties
    mommyto2cuties Posts: 82 Member
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    There are quite a few nursing moms here! Good to hear from you! Sounds like people are doing really well with their weightloss. I am nervous I will have a harder time losing after she starts eating more solids and I am producing less milk, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there. I will probably just have to step up the exercise at that point.

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