How do I know how many calories?

[Babyphat]

Ok I have been reading and reading and reading on here but I HAVE NO CLUE how many calories I should be eating. I have seen a lot being said in post to people to MAKE SURE YOU ARE EATING ENOUGH CALORIES but I have not saw any post telling you how to figure that out.

Any help? Any links?

Thanks
Traci :

[Lady C]

That is the challenge. Everyone is different. Females start around 1500, males around 2000 and dial it up or down until you see success.

[Babyphat]

Well isnt there some "forumla" to get kind of close to where you need to be?

I dont want to play with my calories too much because I am nursing.. So far I am eating about 2300 calories and not really seeing that much of a loss...so I am wondering what is ideal for my type of body so that I can add an extra 500 to it for the nursing...

Traci :

[threenorns]

there is absolutely NO POSSIBLE WAY for anyone to give you an answer.

your caloric needs are 100% unique to you. factors that affect your caloric needs include: your body type, body composition, pregnant/nursing, age, activity level, night owl/morning lark, married/single, live in a house or apartment, walk/drive, automatic/standard shift, and so on.

go ahead and mess with the calories - baby won't suffer because milk production is given top priority. as long as you're taking your nutrients and supplements, the milk will remain top grade.

even that "add 500 calories because you're breast-feeding" is not cast in stone. some women need more, some need less. obviously, a baby who feeds long and heavy will require more milk production than a baby who just basically nibbles throughout the day.

personally, i would leave off weight loss until you're more stabilized. maybe it's just not realistic or reasonable to engage in a physically demanding lifestyle with a new baby to cope with.

if you must, though, start by dropping 100 calories for two weeks and see what that does. then drop another 100 calories for two weeks and so on until you see things happening. you don't necessarily need to eat less - just add ten minutes of intense cardio 3 to 5 times a week.

[Babyphat]

Thanks. I have been nursing for 4 months so far now so my milk supply is well established. I just have always heard that not eating those "extra" 500 calories when exercising will cause you to lose your milk so I just wanted to make sure that didnt happen.

I will do what you stated and stop dropping some calories slowly til I get to a good medium..

Thanks
Traci

[threenorns]

put it this way: the average birthweight in the most famine-ravaged parts of the country is 6.5lbs. the mother may be a rack of bones, but that baby appears plump and bouncing.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by Babyphat

I just have always heard that not eating those "extra" 500 calories when exercising will cause you to lose your milk so I just wanted to make sure that didnt happen.
Traci

I would take the time to talk to a pediatrician a dietician or a nurse about it. Your baby's health should take priority over the date you start higher intensity workouts. I would think that advice from a professional would be more reliable than a message board. After all, the priorites of those giving the advice are different.

When I was in your situation, nursing, I chose to switch to formula and a bottle because I would release a shirt full of milk while bench pressing and thinking about feeding my baby. Then while trying to nurse I was stressed out over the so-so workout I had and be not able to "let go". The breast pump would have been a good solution if it had worked for me but one ounce of milk an hour was insane.

In retrospect I would do it the same way (with formula) all over again, because I was a "better" mother when my life returned to normal. It is not the solution for everyone but it worked for me. At no time did I have to reduce my calorie intake to get my figure back. I didn't even have time to think about it. My figure came back as soon as I stopped breast feeding and got back to a fitness routine.

As far as how many calories go, ask a nurse or a dietician for guidance. They can ask the right lifestyle and baby related questions to point you in the right direction. Starting with keeping a journal on something like www.fitday.com would be a great place to start!

[Babyphat]

Thanks Brat,

Actually I do pump my breastmilk and put some in the freezer for later and give my little one the milk in a bottle. I only pump 3 times a day, and gets tons of milk. So I really dont stress out though about my workouts or meals. I had just thought there was a formula for figuring calories.

I have actually spoke to my doctor and a Lactaction consultant and have no limitations on what I can do as far as diet and exercise other than the norm no supplements, and of course the normal healthy foods.

Thanks for your post and info

Traci

[CF-OC_gal]

[quote=I had just thought there was a formula for figuring calories.

I have actually spoke to my doctor and a Lactaction consultant and have no limitations on what I can do as far as diet and exercise other than the norm no supplements, and of course the normal healthy foods.
[/QUOTE]

No limitations? Then you are good to go!

The simple formula which you know is to create a calorie deficit through diet and exercise (which I'm sure you now know from posts and reading). You say you are maintaining at 2300 calories. That is good information. The recommendation you read in posts about MAKE SURE YOU ARE EATING ENOUGH CALORIES generally speaking are for people who drop to ridiculously low caloric intake (@1200 or less calories/day) and carry on a full cardio and strength workout. Usually they want weight loss too.

Just how much weight do you feel you have to lose? Are you trying to return to your pre-pregnancy weight? My guess is that if you are within 10 lbs of where you want to be then just forget about it for now. Just concentrate on establishing a balanced workout schedule throughout the week (6 days of something and one complete day of rest). Work up to it gradually over a couple of weeks. There are a fair number of "calories burned for different activities charts" on the internet. Use them as a guide although they may not be accurate. 3norns 1st post pretty well outlines a common sense approach.

Using something like fitday.com to track your changes will give you feedback on what is and isn't working for you. You can adjust as you go along.

I like this activity calculator.

And this protein calculator (notice the disclaimer for nursing women)

[Naturalhit]

Yes, it's true that there is no formula for determining that. People in general are not static.

The best thing to do is determine what your maintainance level is.

Checkout my write up on it:

http://www.hitbodybuilding.com/nutrition.htm

Scroll to the middle.