I don't know how many of you girls who are moms dieted while nursing. My son is about 10 months old and nurses frequently during the day. I'm enjoying the added calorie burning from nursing him but, I have been reading online that I need to consume 1800 - 2000 calories a day.

I have figured out that my body (being moderately active) needs around 2446 calories a day and it is wise to add an extra 300 - 500 calories a day to support healthy breast milk. I was trying to keep my count to around 1500 a day with out feeling like I was hungry all day and dealing with hunger pains. I have been loosing about 1 - 2 pounds a week and I don't want to stop but, I don't want to compromise my breast milk in the process. I plan on nursing my son til about 18 months.

I really could use some support/advice on this topic. I'm about 170 right now and only 5'3 I'm trying to get down to 140 by the end of this year and really pushing for by Oct 1st (My son's 1st birthday!)

I'm sorry that I don't know much about this area. While you wait for some posters ideas you can google a little bit. See if there is some more information about the whole thing?

My daughter is 10 months old, too, and she nurses several times a day as well. I have been eating between 1500-1800 calories a day (with 1 "cheat day" a week), for the last few weeks, and have lost 9 pounds in that time. If I'm hungry, I'll eat an apple or something. If I'm not hungry, and I've only eaten 1400 calories that day, so be it. I'll probably be hungrier the next day. My milk supply hasn't seem to have suffered. Of course, everybody is different. I was eating more than that, but I hadn't lost a single pound in a few months, so I guess it was just too much for me personally. As my daughter has gotten older, and been eating more solids, I just eat less. I'm not as active as I should be, but I do exercise a few times a week.

GeekMom - What have you been doing up until now to lose 1-2 lbs a week? I am not breastfeeding, but I eat with in a calorie range, or calorie cycle. My goal is an average of 1500 cals a day, which means that I eat somewhere between 1200 and 1800 cals a day. One day may be higher and another lower, but it averages out to be about 1500 cals a day. So maybe 1500 cals was to low for you 1 day, but maybe it would be fine another.

I'm currently breastfeeding my 8-week-old (well, not RIGHT NOW, but you know ) and I shoot for 1800-2000 per day. I've noticed that if I eat much below that my supply suffers. I think my supply might be more fragile than yours, though, since I've only been nursing for a short time. I've also been doing couch-to-5k, and that plus the calorie counting has had me losing about two pounds a week (except for this past week when I didn't lose any despite being perfectly on plan ).

What's worked for me so far is just watching the milk supply and going from there. If it seems low one day, bump up the calories the next day and see how it is. It's not like going too low for one day is going to kill your supply permanently. And I'm sure you already know this, but make sure to drink LOTS of water - for me, at least, that has even more of an impact on milk supply than food quantity.

Thanks Ladies! I have been exercising 5-6 days a week. Which is usually a day or two of Zumba and I try to walk an hour or so a day. My supply seems fine my little guy is still a chunker and weighs about 24 pounds.

I agree with you girls about eating when hungry. I will usually eat about 1700 on hungry days and days that I am too tired to do too much. Days that I have to be up at 7 am I tend to eat a little more.

I'm loosing weight fine and I am not concerned about loosing more than what I am. I think, with your ladies input, that I'm going to shoot for 1600 - 1800 cause that seems to be about the norm and just try to up the intensity of my work outs and really watch the types of food I eat!

Again thank you so much!

If you average (over 1 week) my low days, and high days, plus the cheat day (which I don't really go crazy with anyway or I'll get a stomach ache since I've been eating so much better) I get about 1600 calories. I myself am curious how much milk my daughter gets now, since she's been eating solids. But it's kinda impossible to tell. Just curious.
I agree, drinking plenty of water is so important. And I don't know about anybody else, but after awhile, plain water is boring, but you can't drink too much caffeine, and the sugary drinks have a ton of calories, but artificial sweeteners really aren't very good for you and the baby, so it's hard to stay sufficiently hydrated.

I really don't have advice, as I am no longer nursing, but I just wanted to say that my daughter turns 1 on Oct 1st as well!

I started counting when my daughter was 5 months, and I ate around 1500 per day while losing. She self-weaned last month, when she was 16 months. My supply didn't seem to suffer at all with my calorie level as far as I could tell. Good luck - sounds like you are doing awesome!

I could have written your exact post except my son is 15 weeks old! In fact I just took a week "off" because I plateaued for 3 weeks and noticed a drop in supply last week. I try to keep my calories between 1750-1950 and I do account for my exercise as well. I'm on week 3 of c25k but have been doing it for almost 5 weeks.

It can be done but I have to really refocus myself and maintain my priority, which is feeding my baby. The weight loss can be slow and it will happen. I think I'll lower my calorie range a teeny bit in a few months when D is on some solid foods.