breastfeeding and losing weight

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zoeypoey
zoeypoey Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
hello,
Was wondering if i need to adjust my calorie quota to make allowances for breast feeding my six week old baby. Need to lose weight for my wedding in twelve months time!

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  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    Hi, congrats on the baby :smile:
    Apparently you can add 'breastfeeding' into your diary - if you search for it as a food it will come up & it deducts how ever many calories according to how much you are breastfeeding etc. Just be careful, MFP is pretty generous when it comes to deducting calories for exercise (possibly breasfeeding is included in that).

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    You need to make sure you have enough energy to keep producing the milk and enough nutrients to give your baby healthy milk. Remember, whatever you don't replenish in your diet, your body takes from its reserves to give to your baby first while you are bf. So, restricting your calories too much will only hurt you long term. Ask your OB or pediatrician how many calories you need a day to keep yourself and your baby healthy and don't go below that.
  • skadoosh33
    skadoosh33 Posts: 353 Member
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    Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories each day. One of the reasons women who nurse lose weight faster.
  • lvng_lf
    lvng_lf Posts: 43 Member
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    I would try the mfp suggestion and see what it puts you at first. However, Breastfeeding a newborn usually requires 300- 500 extra calories a day. I lost while eating 500 but that was exclusive bfeeding. I didn't start until after 8 weeks and my milk was established. don't feel guilty eating that. you need the cals to produce that wonderful fatty hindmilk that comes out last so try to drain the breast you started on and switch if the baby is still hungry. Then start the next feeding with that breast.....just an extra 2 cents, if you don't mind:flowerforyou:
  • inside_lap
    inside_lap Posts: 738 Member
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    When I first was trying to lose weight while breastfeeding I looked around the web. 300-500 calories seems to be the norm for calorie expenditure for exclusive breastfeeding. Just be sure to get all your nutrition to ensure that your milk is full of the good stuff baby needs. If you pump and breastfeed, you'll notice if it starts affecting your supply. When I noticed mine dropped due to dieting, I made sure to add more healthy calories back into my diet. :)
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
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    I put the Breastfeeding (-500 calories) in my food journal. I am losing weight well while eating those extra calories. Make suer to eat really clean healthy food to ensure you are passing on good stuff to your baby and drink a ton of water.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    I also use one of the -500 breastfeeding options with my 5 month old. You really do need the extra calories to make good quality milk, and make sure you are eating enough protein and fat - it's made all the difference in my milk quality.

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