Exclusively breastfeeding
 

Hi everyone,:wave:

My baby is now 6 weeks old and I'm about 80 lbs overweight! :o I'm breastfeeding and would like to start SB Phase 2 on Sunday. I'm a huge sugar, and salty snack lover. I have to skip Phase 1. Will I be able to control my cravings without it? How many carbs and fruit servings should I start with?

Any tips on how to proceed while breastfeeding is greatly appeciated!

TIA
Bonnie

do you see a nutritionist, or lactation specialist? they can help you figure out what plan is right for you.

congrats on your baby, and your willingness to breastfeed!

I don't know much about the SB diet, but I would be really careful about dieting this early. Your milk supply is not established yet (it takes about 3 months). You need to make sure you are getting enough calories and protein to make milk. Going on a diet that is too strict may really hurt your milk supply.

Congrats on your new little one!

I agree, talk to your doctor and lactation person first and foremost. Having said that I remember being starving during breastfeeding, it really does burn calories. If you eat whole grains and fruit and cut all junk food you will be off to a great start. Be sure to eat a protein with your carb, I think that helps tremendously with cravings.

Lactation is usually well established after the first 4 weeks. South Beach Phase II is very appropriate and safe for BF but you should make sure you are getting enough calories for milk production. I work on a postpartum/nursery unit and we counsel women to get at least 2000 calories and drink plenty of fluids to keep milk production up. I would monitor my calorie intake on SB principles to make sure you're eating enough. It really is all about cutting out sugar and white flour (which you and the baby do not need for successful breastfeeding) and eating a well balanced diet with an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats and lowfat dairy. Nothing unhealthy about that! I have never talked to a healthcare provider that was not supportive of South Beach principles. We have had other beachers here that combined BF & SB successfully. Zeffryn here on this forum recently did this.

I'm no longer exclusively breastfeeding since my son is 16 months, but I'm still breastfeeding and "dieting" hasn't changed my milk supply at all. once things level off by about 6-8 weeks with your milk supply you should be good to go and jump right to phase two. I found breastfeeding made the pounds just fall off me, but I do know others who have been extremely sensitive to calorie restriction of any kind and their mik supply suffered when they tried to diet. Take it day by day and adjust where you need to, but I imagine you'll have great success with SB. :)

I know that Weight Watchers has specific guidelines about exactly how much more you should eat on their plan when breastfeeding - maybe you can find this out and then translate it into South Beach principles, i.e. a good carb way of eating.

Ohh yes - this is true! I believe WW gives 5-8 additional points for exclusively breastfeeding. "They" say that an additional 300 calories should be consumed to compensate for EBF and that you shouldn't eat fewer than 1800 cals per day. Generally SBD isn't a calorie counting plan, but it might be worth doing for a few weeks to ensure you're eating enough.