Weight loss while breastfeeding

MandaNar
MandaNar Posts: 24 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious if anyone out there is trying to lose while breastfeeding an infant?
And if so, what's a normal day like for you calorie wise??
I'd love to hear success stories on what worked. For some reason things aren't just melting away like they did with my first lol
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Replies

  • mwicklander87
    mwicklander87 Posts: 8 Member
    It's frustrating isn't?! Breastfeeding is supposed to help! I'm currently breastfeeding one year old twins (we're preparing to wean...eek!), but I'm eating about 1700 to 1750 calories a day IF I don't do any exercise. If I exercise I eat another 100 to 200 calories depending on what I'm doing. I've lost almost 19 pounds since Christmas, which was when I really started my goal. The unfortunate thing for your weight loss is you have to remember that baby comes first, its why I delayed trying to lose weight until we were closer to weaning and they were eating more solid foods. Hope that helps answer your question! Good luck!
  • kmastello
    kmastello Posts: 25
    I am breastfeeding my 4 month old and trying to find a good balance. It seems like when I cut back calories, my supply goes down, but when I add more, I am stagnant! I'm gonna add u guys as friends! Xoxo
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    Hi there! I'm a BF mom trying to lose. Since I got serious about it 2 or so weeks ago I've lost almost 6 lbs. I was hoping it would just melt off too but it's not happening without a LOT of effort on my part. My goal is 1290 calories a day with a 500 calorie deficit to account for breast feeding . I try to stay within 1500. I also set a goal to work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Didn't want to set my goals too lofty and get ahead of myself because I knew I would never do it! MFP helps keep me accountable for everything I put in my mouth! So, we can do this! My baby girl is 6 months on Saturday. What age is your infant? Three kids later my big problem area is my tummy! What the heck do I do to get rid of that!?!?
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    My little girl is just over 5 months. I'm eating a minimum of 2300 calories a day, and I've been losing around 2lbs a week. My diary is open if you'd like to take a peak, today wasn't the best food choices, but I have a nasty sinus cold.
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    I am breastfeeding my son, who just turned 5 months old. He is my fourth baby (all boys!). I have read that when breastfeeding you should eat around 1800 calories (at least). MFP put me at 1200 cals but I add 500 for breastfeeding. I usually aim to stick to 1700-1800 cals a day but will eat if I am extra hungry. Most of the time I have a few calories leftover, though. I just started MFP 2.5 weeks ago. The first week I lost 2, the second week 1.

    After my previous pregnancies I lost weight pretty quickly without doing anything. However, I tend to start gaining again when baby gets close to a year old, probably because I didn't adjust my calories when baby didn't nurse as often (I nursed until age 3 and 2.5 with my second and third children). After this pregnancy I lost all but five lbs of my pregnancy weight byth e time he was one month old, but then gained 5 over the holidays and have been ina standstill, which is why I decided to really start workign on it. I don't have any summer clothes that fit yet and refuse to buy a new wardrobe this summer! I do remember that after my other pregnancies I would lose for awhile then stop, then all of a sudden start losing again. I wish I had paid more attention to what was going on when I lost and when I didn't, and what I ate.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    I found lots and lots of water helped prevent the drop off in milk production.
  • crissyb9502
    crissyb9502 Posts: 3
    Hi there! I just had baby number 7 almost 6 months ago. I have been sticking to 1900 calories a day and drinking a LOT of water for the past 2 months, and I am thankfully now, 2 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight! However, I've had 5 babies in the past 6 years, so I still have about 6 more pounds I'd like to lose!
  • MandaNar
    MandaNar Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks ladies for all the replies!
    My little one is also a little over 5 months. I walked out of the hospital maybe 3lbs lighter than I went in. (So much for losing all that baby water weight and such eh?) Since Jan I've really been cracking down on eating habits. I have to find a boundary of good eating and keeping myself from feeling starved while breastfeeding. MFP had me set at 1200 cals from before I got pregnant. Since I upped it to 1350 and upped my fiber I've lost 6lbs in the last two weeks!
    ps I looked it up women need AT LEAST 25g of fiber per day, it's definitely set low on here.
    I'm finally at 20lbs lost since Sept 29th (her bday)! I have been going to an aerobics class since Jan, and in the last few weeks have upped that to twice a week. And then I try and throw in a walk or two each week, of course grocery shopping helps. LOL I'm a mom of 3 as well. So baby wearing (13lbs) and pushing a cart with a 35lb 3yr old sure helps add to the workouts haha.
    Feel free to add me if you want!!
  • ckeachie
    ckeachie Posts: 26
    Hey everyone!! I'm also BFing a 6 month old baby girl, who has some weight gain troubles, so I'm very careful with how many calories I eat (after meeting with a Lactation consultant!) so I try to stick around 2000 calories a day, but tend to be very active, and do a lot of baby wearing as well! I've tried dropping lower than that to lose faster, but kept having huge drops in my supply... and with her alreay struggling to gain weight, I stick to the 2000 and lower weight loss... she comes first!! I'm excited there are so many BFing Moms on here :) I was quite sick while pregnant (hyperemesis) so actually gave birth lower than my pre-pregnancy weight, but was overweight beforehand... so I have some catching up to do still!!! My big goal is to lose 40 pounds by her first birthday... it's a lofy one, but figure if I lose 1.5 pounds per week, which the LC is safe when BFing without releasing toxins (1-2 pounds recommended) I can get there!!! Would love any additional friends to keep me accountable :)
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    MandaNar--with my last pregnancy I left the hospital at about the same weight I was when I went in, too, despite having an 8 lb baby. The nurse told me it had to do with water retention due to having an IV and other medications (I had a c-section). It was discouraging, though!
  • cjhamh
    cjhamh Posts: 31 Member
    I am still nursing my 13 month old daughter and right now I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day. I've lost a total of 40lbs since I've had her and am 25 lbs lighter than pre-pregancy weight. I've come to a stagnant point, but I'm pretty happy where I am right now. I read that you should eat at least 1800 calories when you are breastfeeding (I'm not sure where I read that, but I remember it). They say this works best for your supply.
  • jessica_johnson2011
    jessica_johnson2011 Posts: 61 Member
    bump
  • mrs_dwr
    mrs_dwr Posts: 189 Member
    I only lost weight through exercise when I was BFing my daughter; the pounds don't always just 'melt away'! This time around, I'm BFing twins (5.5 months old) and I'm sloooowly losing weight (maybe a pound a month). I'm eating around 2400 calories/day to maintain my milk supply and to support my activity level (2 story house with 3 kids 2 and under keeps me pretty active, plus I'm training for a half marathon in 1.5 weeks)! Feel free to add me as a friend!
  • Solko1983
    Solko1983 Posts: 25 Member
    Most research says 1800 calories is ideal and NOT to drop below 1500 for the sake of your milk supply :-)
    I think a lot of peoples personal calorie goals are going to be dependant on how many extra pounds they're carrying. I was overweight to begin with and need to lose a substantial amount of weight, I cannot compare that to someone who needs to lose 20lbs. You'll find your niche just dont' start too low because you'll have no room for adjustment as you lose.
    Good Luck!

    Any nursing mommies out there feel free to add me, support is ALWAYS nice!
  • rstein18
    rstein18 Posts: 17 Member
    HI, I', a BF mom of a two month old! My goal is to lose about 25lbs. MFP has me on a 1200/day, but with BF I've upped it to 1300/day which I'm more than comfortable with. I've also started to do insanity workouts 4-5 times a week. When I started I was worried that 1300 wasn't enough and that it would affect my supply, but so far it hasn't. I'm trying to reach my goal by the end of July before my husband comes home ffrom deployment, I guess you could say I'm on a mission! Good luck on your journey, I'm sure you'll do great!

    Feel free to add me, along with any other BF moms. The more motivation the better!
  • jobryan4
    jobryan4 Posts: 138 Member
    Hi, I'm a breastfeeding mom! My baby girl is 6 months old. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes so I was very strict with my food after the diagnosis and ended up weighing less than pre-preganancy. The need to regulate my diet while pregnanct really kick-started my weight-loss journey - it was so much easier for me to watch what I ate because of her instead of for my own good. After delivery (c-section) I was losing the water weight and got down to -25 lbs prepregnancy when she was 1 month old (before joining MFP), but since I was home on maternity leave and constantly hungry the weight started to come back on, that's when I joined MFP, I didn't want to lose the progress I had already made! I joined in November and have been happy with my success! I've been watching my supply and if it goes down I up the calorie intake a little and I make sure to drink plenty of water. The lowest I've gone was 1500 calories and not always eating back excerise calories. I was at a plateau and a little down in my supply though so I just upped my calories to 1800 last week. I'd love to have you all as friends - feel free to add me!
  • VAPeters
    VAPeters Posts: 17 Member
    my baby doll is 12 weeks old. If I put my activity to light activity and add in 500 bf cals its too much and I stand still....but I changed my activity to active and didnt add in extra for bf'ing. somedays I'm still hungry and go about 100-200 over and have still lost 7lbs in the 3 weeks I have been semi serious. I am guilty of not fitting in exercise yet though!
  • shalinimunjal
    shalinimunjal Posts: 192 Member
    Another nursing mama here. I'm nursing my toddler DD. When I started MFP it gave me a goal of 1200 calories and I didnt know about BF option. I stuck to it and still paying for that :( It has stalled my weightloss...I'm pretty sure that is the cause. I was exercising, nursing and netting under 1200 to keep under that goal. DON'T make that mistake!! I now eat over 2000 calories and have finally *fingerscrossed* seen losses this week.
    Your goal should be to lose slowly, .5lb a week and eat all your exercise and nursing calories. That is the healthiest way. Good luck!
  • MirDub
    MirDub Posts: 2 Member
    Hi everyone!
    Thanks for all the advice on how to calculate how many calories I need. I have a 4 month old and haven't really lost any weight since December. I just signed up today and will start tracking tomorrow. I'm hoping to start with Jillian Michaels Body Revolution workouts, too! I agree that the weight doesn't exactly "melt" off just because you're breastfeeding. I'm happy to see a lot of us moms here!
  • FITMOMMA6
    FITMOMMA6 Posts: 2
    Hey I'm a struggling BFing momma! I've had 6 c-sections and always tend to carry extra weight until I finish bFing....but I usually do that for at least a year! I'm trying to eat enough to keep up milk supply, exercise and lose weight....but it's so frustrating. Thanks of sharing your struggles... :)
  • FITMOMMA6
    FITMOMMA6 Posts: 2
    wow! that's amazing....it seems like i'm hungry all the time and gaining weight :( Gotta keep at it tho!
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    Are you logging what you are eating to see how many calories you are eating?
  • N4monsters
    N4monsters Posts: 44 Member
    I am nursing a 6.5mo old and have lost almost 30lbs so far (I weighed 170lbs at delivery) . I am eating 1900 calories right now and with exercise I can eat up to 2400 calories. I may not have the best 40/30/30, but I'm still loosing! Breastfeeding is the most important thing to me right now so I'm making sure that my calorie intake is high enough so my milk supply doesn't drop.

    You can calculate your your caloric needs while breastfeeding here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm

    That will be a start! If you want, add me as a friend! I try to help encourage everyone! :)
  • saralynn594
    saralynn594 Posts: 321
    Hey!! I am breastfeeding as well,have been for almost 10 months now and I stay at 1500-2000.I drink a TON of water every single day and in 9 1/2 months I've lost 66 pounds :D:D And just last week started working out...Its nice to have some extra calories daily lol
  • bfbooty
    bfbooty Posts: 189 Member
    I am bf my 1 year old I add 250 cals extra a day to eat as she is well established on solids but still feeds a lot especially at night, up till last couple of weeks I have been losing weight consistently I have lost 29lb since January, I do need to get out of this plateau
    now but otherwise bf has not hindered my weight loss at all I have bf friends who are also losing weight consistently following either mfp or weight watchers or slimming world
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    I am nursing a 6.5mo old and have lost almost 30lbs so far (I weighed 170lbs at delivery) . I am eating 1900 calories right now and with exercise I can eat up to 2400 calories. I may not have the best 40/30/30, but I'm still loosing! Breastfeeding is the most important thing to me right now so I'm making sure that my calorie intake is high enough so my milk supply doesn't drop.

    You can calculate your your caloric needs while breastfeeding here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/breastfeeding_calorie_calculator.htm

    That will be a start! If you want, add me as a friend! I try to help encourage everyone! :)

    Just curious what calorie goal freedieting gave you for breastfeeding. They calculated my "caloric needs while breastfeeding" at 1620, which is less than 100 calories more than what they said my TDEE is without taking breastfeeding into account. Is their calculation low for everyone or just me?
  • mermeg11
    mermeg11 Posts: 6 Member
    Hello Everyone! I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 month old and I just joined today! If anyone wants to friend me it would be nice to have fellow mothers as diet buddies! I'm bf also and wondering how to add calories to my total...
  • JanSmelly
    JanSmelly Posts: 143 Member
    HI, I', a BF mom of a two month old! My goal is to lose about 25lbs. MFP has me on a 1200/day, but with BF I've upped it to 1300/day which I'm more than comfortable with. I've also started to do insanity workouts 4-5 times a week. When I started I was worried that 1300 wasn't enough and that it would affect my supply, but so far it hasn't. I'm trying to reach my goal by the end of July before my husband comes home ffrom deployment, I guess you could say I'm on a mission! Good luck on your journey, I'm sure you'll do great!

    Feel free to add me, along with any other BF moms. The more motivation the better!

    Please be careful of rapid weight loss. Fat soluble toxins may be released into your milk with low calories. Also you may be compromising your own health.

    I am still breastfeeding my 22 month old, but I no longer add in calories because she only nurses 3 times a day.
  • sarag2012
    sarag2012 Posts: 6 Member
    Wow - great to see so many feeding mummies on here!
    Im currently breastfeeding my 2nd baby (10 weeks old) and MFP gave me almost 1400 calories a day to lose 1lbs a week and I add 500 for BF. Im quite lucky that BF has helped me lose all the weight I put on during pregnancy but I still need to lose the weight I put on before I got pregnant.
    Am also doing C25K three times a week and am about to start 30 day shred.
    Would love some mummy friends so feel free to add me :)
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
    Just curious if anyone out there is trying to lose while breastfeeding an infant?
    And if so, what's a normal day like for you calorie wise??
    I'd love to hear success stories on what worked. For some reason things aren't just melting away like they did with my first lol

    I went to a nutritionist to lose weight while breastfeeding my first son. She figured an additional 500 calories to support milk production. So, if I were breastfeeding right now (ha ha...it's been 24 years since my 4th child stopped), I would be losing weight on 1850 Cal's instead of 1350.
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