Make sure you are eating enough!
redvolutionary
Posts: 11
Hi ladies! I think I can say that because I'm pretty sure there aren't any male breast feeders on here.
I am breastfeeding for the second time around, this time with twins who are almost 10 months old now and have lost 60lbs since they were born and counting.
I cannot stress enough how important it is that you are eating enough calories if you want to see the scale move.
To prevent your body from stalling in starvation mode, you need at least 1,200 calories + 25 calories for every ounce of breast milk + eating calories to make up for any exercise. I did a post about this topic on my personal blog and it has some cool links with calculators to figure out the average ounces your baby is eating based of weight. If you are also using formula or solids, you can put in how many ounces they are getting of those every day and it will adjust accordingly.
http://goo.gl/P5nJT (link to my post)
I have MFP set for me to lose two pounds a week, and for my breastfeeding calories I created a food called Breastfeeding where 1 ounce = -25 calories. Then I check the milk calculator to find out what my breast feeding calorie burn should be. I have found this to be the most helpful way to track because then I don't feel like I am eating an insane amount of calories (which I am, I burn 1000+ calories a day breastfeeding twins alone).
Anyway, I hope this helps anyone who is struggling to find the right balance. Feel free to friend me if you want to see how I am tracking it in my diary.
I am breastfeeding for the second time around, this time with twins who are almost 10 months old now and have lost 60lbs since they were born and counting.
I cannot stress enough how important it is that you are eating enough calories if you want to see the scale move.
To prevent your body from stalling in starvation mode, you need at least 1,200 calories + 25 calories for every ounce of breast milk + eating calories to make up for any exercise. I did a post about this topic on my personal blog and it has some cool links with calculators to figure out the average ounces your baby is eating based of weight. If you are also using formula or solids, you can put in how many ounces they are getting of those every day and it will adjust accordingly.
http://goo.gl/P5nJT (link to my post)
I have MFP set for me to lose two pounds a week, and for my breastfeeding calories I created a food called Breastfeeding where 1 ounce = -25 calories. Then I check the milk calculator to find out what my breast feeding calorie burn should be. I have found this to be the most helpful way to track because then I don't feel like I am eating an insane amount of calories (which I am, I burn 1000+ calories a day breastfeeding twins alone).
Anyway, I hope this helps anyone who is struggling to find the right balance. Feel free to friend me if you want to see how I am tracking it in my diary.
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Replies
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Awesome, thank you for the post, I got on here to ask if I should be eating back my exercise calories - I notice more of a difference when I do, and your post confirmed it. Thanks!!0
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Even though I am breastfeeding, my scale has not moved. I was not eating much, but still holding the weight...wonder if my body was stuck in starvation mode...
This is helpful...will look at your calculations.
Thanks!0 -
I think its good to use those calculators to give you a starting place, and then work from there +/- gradually.0
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Thank you, the only problem with calculator is that it doesn't factor in toddlers (I don't think my son takes in 49 oz. per day). But I've also noticed that the more I eat the faster the weight drops.0
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Thank you, the only problem with calculator is that it doesn't factor in toddlers (I don't think my son takes in 49 oz. per day). But I've also noticed that the more I eat the faster the weight drops.
OK...I think I may have found my problem!
I just checked the milk calculator. My son is a big 4 month old ( 20 lbs) and I actually burn 800 calories a day feeding him.
I exercise daily losing about 200 or more calories a day.
That is a total loss of approx. 1000 calories daily. MFP has me at 1650 calories per day.
I am actually NOT eating enough and so my body is most likely holding the weight!
I do not always use up all my calories or eat back my exercise calories...
Hmmm...perhaps if I actually eat more, my body won't hold onto the weight and my weight will drop!
I'll try this....0 -
Glad to have found this! I too am breastfeeding twins, they are 18 months old and actually still BF quite a lot throughout the day (8-9 times) and still throughout the night, too. I don't know how many calories to add on, 400 seems excessive, but I feel like it should be even more than that, actually. I'm going to try to figure it out and friend you, thanks!
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Thanks for this post! This is exactly what I was looking for. My DD is 10 months old and she's, as my 4 year old calls her, "an eating monster." Some days she nurses constantly and I feel so drained (and hungry). I recently noticed that there was no reduction in my weight and that I had reached a plateau. I'm going to adjust my food intake according to the calculator and see what happens! Thanks again! :-)0
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Thank you for posting this information! MFP has my calorie intake set fairly low based on my goals, plus I exercise on a regular basis burning about 500 calories each session. I knew I needed more calories and the calculator you provided proves it! I want to do right by my body, but more importantly by my baby.
Does anyone else tend to go over in another category (i.e. fat, carbs or protein) when trying to reach their higher-calorie goal? Should I adjust these numbers slightly to take into account the additional 675 calories (according to the calculator) I will be eating, eventhough MFP doesn't?0 -
this is good to know!!! i just started my diet with baby number 3 (he is 5 weeks old) and am ready to shed those pounds! I will see later this week when i weigh in if i am doing good. I just logged my food and exercise in for the first time and i see that even after everything i ate and exercised, i am still able to eat 1000 calories to lose weight!! (makes sense??) I will keep this guideline in mind. Also, how do i add that i am breastfeeding to my calorie counter?0
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I wonder how much toddlers get. They can super suck it out.0
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Hi
Am I being thick through lack of sleep but I can't find the milk calculator anywhere...0 -
Yes I am being thick through lack of sleep and even having a conversation with myself now...needed to view blog in desktop mode not mobile. Cheers, know know that 520 is right for me to work with0
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And I am a classic example of not eating enough.
My baby is 4 months old. I went back to Weightwatchers and ate the bf points they allowed me but for some unremembered reason my leader told me to drop two points. I lost 1lb on a really good week so she told me to drop two more and I lost 0.5lbs, finally she told me to drop another two points and I lost nothing. So I came here and set my calories to maintain my weight and ate my exercise points and this week I lost 3 lbs! I've eaten so much more that before and I feel so much better! Not hungry or anything!0 -
Does anyone else tend to go over in another category (i.e. fat, carbs or protein) when trying to reach their higher-calorie goal? Should I adjust these numbers slightly to take into account the additional 675 calories (according to the calculator) I will be eating, eventhough MFP doesn't?
I have this same problem and am not sure what to do!?0 -
I'm so happy I found you ladies. There is so much great info. I guess I also eat to little that's why I can't lose the last 10 lb.0
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Has this worked for you? I just did mine for my 4 month old and got the same result. Breastfeeding and losing weight is so much more complex hahah0
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Forgot to quote, sorry!Thank you, the only problem with calculator is that it doesn't factor in toddlers (I don't think my son takes in 49 oz. per day). But I've also noticed that the more I eat the faster the weight drops.
OK...I think I may have found my problem!
I just checked the milk calculator. My son is a big 4 month old ( 20 lbs) and I actually burn 800 calories a day feeding him.
I exercise daily losing about 200 or more calories a day.
That is a total loss of approx. 1000 calories daily. MFP has me at 1650 calories per day.
I am actually NOT eating enough and so my body is most likely holding the weight!
I do not always use up all my calories or eat back my exercise calories...
Hmmm...perhaps if I actually eat more, my body won't hold onto the weight and my weight will drop!
I'll try this....0 -
I believe in lower-carb weight loss... so while I'm watching calories, I don't bother watching the actual categories of fat, carbs, protein. Actually, I'm glad when my fat and protein are in negative numbers and my carbs are not. It's REALLY important for everyone, esp. bf moms to be eating enough fat. Good fat. Dairy, olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, nuts, etc.
My baby is 10 months old and nurses about 5 times a day yet, so it's hard to decide exactly how much she's really getting... I'm usually a bit over on calories, so I guess that's probably ok.
~Michelle0 -
mine came back at just under 24oz which would give me 460 extra cals...right now i track it as 500 but i almost never eat them back and i really never eat my exercise cals....i did notice im not losing as fast as i would like considering i only lose a few ounces and i have my cals set to lose 2 pounds....it just seems so counter intuitive to eat so much more...im scared if i do im going to gain weight. ACK! is there anyone that this DIDNT work for?0
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Hello! My name is Corynne and I have a 21lb 10oz 9mnth old and she mainly breastfeeds. she eats solids once in a while but never consistently. I used the calculator you suggested and it gave me 1200 xtra calories, does that seem extreme to yo?. i have 20lbs to lose left. Thank you for your info, I appreciate it:)0
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I think 1200 cals is low especially for breast feeding! I have a 7.5 month old who still breastfeeds on demand. Im doing 1500 calories and can see weight loss. I try not to go over 1500 but if I do I dont beat myself up about it. I'm not really "strict" on my diet. If I go over I just start over the next day. Did you use the breastfeeding calculator. For my sons weight and age It said I was producing 1000 cal worth of milk. ( he weighs 24 lbs.) and night feeds.0
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Hey!! Breastfeeding a toddler and a 6 month old baby here!
) My settings say for me to lose 2 lbs a week also. So how do I calculate how many calories I need daily but not too many so I can lose the weight? Where is the milk calculator you were talking about? 0 -
The link is in her post at the beginning0
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This is good information. Thanks to everyone for their input.
So let me see if I have this straight. It is suggested that we eat the following calories:
Our estimated output of bf in ounces times 20 for the burn
Our exhusted exercise calories
and a base diet of 1200 calories?
So if my daughter eats 30 oz in a day I should eat:
30 x 20 (bf burn) = 600
800 exercise cals
1200 base diet which equals 2600 cals per day???
That seams a little scary?
Can anyone confirm that I'm thinking about this correctly for me please.0 -
This is good information. Thanks to everyone for their input.
So let me see if I have this straight. It is suggested that we eat the following calories:
Our estimated output of bf in ounces times 20 for the burn
Our exhusted exercise calories
and a base diet of 1200 calories?
So if my daughter eats 30 oz in a day I should eat:
30 x 20 (bf burn) = 600
800 exercise cals
1200 base diet which equals 2600 cals per day???
That seams a little scary?
Can anyone confirm that I'm thinking about this correctly for me please.
I had a similar estimate and it freaks me out too!0 -
This is good information. Thanks to everyone for their input.
So let me see if I have this straight. It is suggested that we eat the following calories:
Our estimated output of bf in ounces times 20 for the burn
Our exhusted exercise calories
and a base diet of 1200 calories?
So if my daughter eats 30 oz in a day I should eat:
30 x 20 (bf burn) = 600
800 exercise cals
1200 base diet which equals 2600 cals per day???
That seams a little scary?
Can anyone confirm that I'm thinking about this correctly for me please.
I had a similar estimate and it freaks me out too!
LOL I know right?! Did anyone respond to you?0 -
I am also EBF and it works out I should be eating around 2246 calories a day......I know we are supposed to net between 1500 -1800 calories, which works out about right but then looking at how much 'actual calories' I've eaten is scary!
I've set my calories at 1550 a day, I eat them and also eat back the calories I burn for breast feeding, which is roughly around 546. And if I exercise I also try to eat them back! I just sometimes struggle to eat that much!!
My total calories eaten today is 2162 but I've actually only eaten 1519 of net calories.
Hope I haven't confused you0 -
I am starting to think I am not eating enough either0
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Hello everyone;
I've asked about BFing calories on the general board and they told to -400 per day so that is what I was doing. But reading all this I am starting to think I'm not eating enough and subtracting enough?! HELP!
I'm Bf my 4month full time probably every 2 hours. I wasn't dieting before but I was automatically losing from her birth up until she was 2months old. Now for 2month I have found out I've gained so I'm back on MFP. It says to maintain my weight I need to consume 2012 calories per day -- not factoring in that I am BFing or wokring out or that I want to lose weight! PLZ help!0 -
"I have MFP set for me to lose two pounds a week, and for my breastfeeding calories I created a food called Breastfeeding where 1 ounce = -25 calories." quote taken from someone 'redvolutionary" post.0
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