How Many Calories You Are Suppose to Eat While Breastfeeding and Lose Weight?

My pediatrician told me a woman my age (30) should eat between 800 and 1200 calories to lose weight. Since I am BF, she said to add 500 calories...1300-1700. I am a stockier person so I've been going with the higher end of the range.
Good Luck!

Generally when not breastfeeding and trying to lose weight you should eat only 10-11x what your desired body weight should be. Then add the 300 calories a day for the breastfeeding. Definitely eat high protein, low fat foods and healthy complex carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes). Good luck!!!

There is no exact calorie amount, it depends on how much you weigh, how much you exercise, and if you are exclusively breastfeeding or supplementing formula/food. I breastfeed my 8 month old, he eats very little solids, and I exercise at least 3 times a week (for an hour each time). I do know I have to eat a lot, I am always hungry. I'm not worried about how much I eat, but what I eat. I try to eat as much good stuff as I can (whole grains, fruits, veggies, non processed foods, etc), and always eat when I'm hungry, sometimes before. I had lost all of my pregnancy weight (about 40 pounds), about 3 months after I started exercising regularly.

you are actually supposed to be eating the same way you were when you were pregnant, six small meals a day. five fruits and veggies. dairy, whole grains, protein. if you feel snackish, instead of picking up those chips or ice cream or candy bar just eat some carrot sticks or a piece of fruit! sometimes people often confuse thirst for hunger, so try drinking a bottle of water next time you feel the urge to snack! it will help control your weight and keep your skin glowing and beautiful!
if you are really determined to lose the weight, don't sacrifice your health by dieting, just exercise MORE!

Weight Watchers adds 10 points to breastfeeding moms.

I read someplace it's about 500 - 600 calories each day, assuming you're feeding the baby exclusively. I don't remember which book I read that in though.

umm when i went to a breast feeding class they said that you should consume 500 extra calories while breast feeding because your body burns off soo much to produce the milk. i guess if your having a hard time loosing weight try to keep between 1800-2000 calories. exercise wise i would say probably anything would be ok since your past the initial healing part. try jogging (with a tight sports bra so you dont stimulate your milk to flow). or what i did was walked on a treadmill wearing my daughter in a front carrier for added weight :).

It's different for everyone depending on how much weight you want to lose, your resting metabolic weight, whether or not you are breastfeeding exclusively or supplementing, etc. You should aim to lose about a half-a-pound to one-and-a-half pounds per week, not more as the rapid weight loss can release toxins into your milk. In general, you should eat about 300 - 500 calories a day in addition to your normal caloric intake to maintain adequate nutrition. Additionally, studies have shown that moms who nurse for longer than 6 months will loose more body fat then moms who don't. Weight Watchers is the only medically approved weight loss program available to breastfeeing mothers. Good luck, K.

I'm assuming it's different for everyones body type. I do know in general you should be consuming 500 extra calories a day if you're breastfeeding. I make a power smoothie with hemp powder, banana, skim milk and frozen berries every am. It totally gets my day going and is so yummy!-www.weelicious.com

Hi Smitha,

I'm a part-time fitness coach and I would need some info from you before I'd make any suggestions. Age, Weight, Heigth, Bust, Waist, Hips, physical fitness level, exercise routine, your activities level, plus your nutritional intack, before I could really pin-point what you should be doing while breastfeeding and after. You can email or call me with your stats and I happily point you in the right direction.

Just know this, if you starve yourself trying to loss weight, you will hurt your body and your baby in the long run. Your baby will take all the nutrients she needs and your body gets the leftovers. If you really cut back, your milk will diminish and will be less nourishing.

Hope I hear from you.

Carpe Diem
F. :^D
Specializing in Helping Moms Financially Become SAHMs
888-444-5595 Toll Free 24/7 ____@____.com

GREAT job still bf! Worry more about how/when you're exercising, not so much what you're eating.

Weight Watchers has a good diet for breast feeding moms.

I work with a lot of nursing moms. Kari started on my program when Miller was 5 months. Under my direction she had 2 of my nutrition shakes a day PLUS two meals and in a month she released 16 pounds. Allison started when Liam was 6 months and just by adding one nutrition shake a day and maintaining 3 meals, she released 11 pounds in just a few weeks. Julie has been on my program for her entire pregnancy and while breastfeeding. She was back to prepregnanacy weight by the time Andrew was 5 months. Susan also has been with me for years. She is in her 8th month, and she still runs 5 miles s day. This program works.

Eating less calories while breastfeeding not only hurts you but it hurts your baby. You need more calories than you think. And not empty calories, you need sold nutrients that will feed you and baby so that you can both be healthy.

Your primary concern should not be losing weight but growing a healthy baby. If you feed your body properly, you will lose weight and she will gain weight, it is the natural way.

If you want to know more about my program then you can contact me privately.

B.
Family Wellness Coach

You still need about 2000 calories a day of the right, healthy foods. If you lose weight too quickly, your milk production will decrease. Slow and steady.

Good Morning

I don't come from a deprivation mind. I believe in have what you want when you want it. You may want to go to a naturopathic doctor who can teach you about food. Also, weight gain or physical problems do stem from allergies. You may want to go to site NAET.com and find an allergist in your area for an allergy test. NAET.com as far as I know are the only allergists in the world who eliminate allergies. Also, you may want Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr. Nambudripad and Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch - both can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Be well.

N.

When I was breastfeeding my boys my Dr. told me at least 1400 to 1800. In other words, whatever your normal "wieght loss calories would be, add 500 to it. That is how many calories it takes to make a day's worth of milk for the baby. I was on Jenny Craig at the time, and they were very upset, saying that they could not guarantee weight loss with that many calories. But I did lose all the weight in about a year, and looked the best I've looked in my life...for three months, which made my husband friskier, and then I was pregnant again. Still carrying the weight on that on, 17 years later. Even Jenny Craig doesn't do a 900 calorie weight loss any more, it's more like 1200. (+ the nursing calories). Make sure you eat well, though. You both need it. The prepared diets work well for that, because they are so quick and you have so little time to cook and eat for yourself. And they are balanced, so you get all your nutrients. Don't just blindly cut calories. Good luck! And Happy Mother's Day!