breastfeeding

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tawnir
tawnir Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
well i am new to this website..and i am breastfeeding my 11wk old son..everyone says that just by breastfeeding i should have no problem losing the weight well so far they are wrong.i gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy and lost 30 lbs after having him but then gained 10 back a week later.i am not very good at counting calories i have always been the type of person to eat what i want.i have also just started the curves workout. and although i work my booty off there it doesnt seem to be working probably because of my diet. so i need help on what to do about the calories that they set for you on here cause it has no option for breastfeeding.and technically im not suppose to follow how many calories they say for me to intake cause it is not a sufficient amount for milk production. WHAT DO I DO???

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  • mamaturner
    mamaturner Posts: 2,533 Member
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    I have an 8 month old and thought the same things while breastfeeding. However you need to remember your body just went through some huge changes. It's going to take some (ok, a long) time to get your hormones back in order. Mine are just starting to get back to the way they were before I got pregnant. My recommendations would just be to eat healthy, choose wisely with your food since your feeding not only you but your little one. If it's really bothering you ask your doctor! I would probably say that your baby's doctor would be the one to get the best information from. Good luck!
  • pbakasha
    pbakasha Posts: 8
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    Most assuredly, check with your doctor. Even your pediatrician will refer you to your OB. The standard rule had always been the same for when you were pregnant - consume about 500 calories more a day that what you should to maintain your weight but how is the everyday woman supposed to figure out how many calories that is? On my introduction (introduce yourself) yesterday, I said pretty much the same thing. At this point, I am actually 10 lbs heavier than when I delivered 10 MONTHS ago. I recently gave up on breastfeeding to concentrate on myself (and I feel SO guilty about it). I wanted to go for the first full year but I reached my limit. Right now, I know that is not an option for you so I am in NO WAY advocating you to stop feeding - I applaud you. Check with your doctor and see if they can refer you to a nutritionist (preferably one who might be in the same group so they work with pregnant or breastfeeding women). Be advised that if you start limiting calories, your milk PRODUCTION (QUANTITY) may go down but NOT the QUALITY. It will build back up but be aware that this MAY happen. Maybe if you have a pump and can store some to use for the few days that it may take you to get back up to production, that might be an option. You can also talk to the lactation office at the hospital where you delivered and they can give you some pointers on keeping the milk flowing. I found out from my chiropractor that as long as I was breastfeeding, I was still producing the hormone that allows your bones and joints to remain loose and fluid so be careful with the workouts - don't overdo it trying to get slim. Also, always remember that we do not live in Hollywood and have a team of nutritionists/cooks and a personal trainer, a nanny, a maid, someone to do the laundry, run the errands, etc... There are some people that a couple of weeks after they have a baby, they seem skinny again. They struggle with the same body image though. While they may be thinner than you, they may not bee as thin as they were so they feel the same. Concentrate on being a Mommy and enjoy time with baby. Stay motivated and it will come off. Don't fall into my trap and say, well I can't do this because I won't be able to feed my child. I was impatient, had a healthy eater, and freaked out when production went down so I gave myself free reign to eat what I wanted. I am paying for it now. Keep us posted. Sorry for the long reply.
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
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    Oh no. There are some very lucky people around that have weight "melt off" while breastfeeding. I was NOT one of those people either. I actually gained weight while nursing, during that first six weeks after giving birth, when the doctors don't want you to diet. I worked SO hard for every ounceI lost. I even gained weight some weeks while following a strict diet, which was SO frustrating to me. I gained 60 pounds with my first child and 50 with my second. It took a year to lose the 60 pounds, but I DID lose it all and was very steadfast. I have also lost the 50 from the second child and am back down to my normal (still high) weight.

    I would HIGHLY reccommend Weight Watchers in your situation. They have a program specifically FOR nursing Moms. Basically you need about 500-600 extra calories a day and it is NOT reccommended you lose more than a pound a week or it will affect your milk supply. You could still log on here and keep track of what you eat. Just give yourself those extra calories. Your baby needs them and believe me, your appetite will let you know that. Be sure to eat very healthy, too. You need plenty of protein.

    PLEASE let me know if I can help you. Losing weight as a nirsing Mom is something I have been through twice so I have been in your shoes and I care about you! Don't be too hard on yourself and if you just had a baby, know that your hormones are still fluctuating and adjusting. I can remember being literally in tears, having done everything perfectly and either gaining a pound or too or not losing for a couple of weeks. Then, BOOM you WILL lose. I felt so cheated that others weren't following the plan very closely and they would drop 5 pounds and I worked so hard and would actually GAIN sometimes. That only happened during those first few weeks though and then some weeks I would have a nice drop.

    I DO think it is a very good idea to start within a couple months or so of giving birth. I think you really made a good choice with that. I hated how big I was and I didn't want to get used to accepting myself that way. Plus, I saw many other women that NEVER lost the weight, that put it off.

    You can do it and if you need a friend, I PROMISE you have one in me! I have been there.

    Mother of two boys.

    Susan
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
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    P.S. I nursed one for 12 months and the other for 14. :wink:

    Susan

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  • tawnir
    tawnir Posts: 4
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    thank you everybody for answering my post it really did help me out. so i have decided to just keep on working out at curves keep entering in my daily food intake and just adding and extra 500 calories to my daily calorie intake that the website has set up for me...i just pray that it all works out which im sure that it will....thank you everybody
  • C21x
    C21x Posts: 22 Member
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    my wife adds 1 hour of running everyday it equals about 550 calories which with the research that we have done that is what you burn every day with nursing good luck

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