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lukesmommy
New Member
| Joined: | 10 April 2006 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 10 April 2006 10:16 pm |
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| I would like to lose 40 lbs of pregnancy weight. I am exclusively breastfeeding my 6 week old baby. I've read that breastfeeding burns between 200-800 calories per day. That's a huge range when counting calories to loose baby weight while trying to maintain an adequate caloric intake to maintain milk supply. Does anyone know more specifics? I was hoping to find information out there on calories burned per minute or per hour while breastfeeding. Imput appreciated.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 10 April 2006 10:58 pm |
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I get this request so often that I wish I could write a Tutorial about it. But I don't have an answer.
One of my users wrote this:
"I haven't been able to find a per-hour reference to calories burned breastfeeding. The closest I've been able to come is 500/day (saferchild.org/breastfeed.htm) or 20/ounce produced (breastfeed-essentials.com/breastmilkadvantages.html) I guess every women varies and there is no standard."
I don't see how I could put it in the calories burned calculator because it isn't an activity you do for only so long. It's on-going 24 hours a day.
I would suspect that how many calories it takes to produce the baby's milk would relate directly to how much milk is being produced. So I'd think there would be a study about that somewhere.
Actually, it makes sense to me that it would take a least as many calories to produce the milk as the milk contains. So if you are producing a pint of milk a day you could calculate a pint of whole cow's milk and know that it would be that much or more.
Maybe. That's just what seems to make sense to me.
Peter
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Lori
Senior Member
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Posted: 22 April 2006 12:04 pm |
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| hmm i dont know if u could compare it to cows milk calories as it is quite different to cows milk in structure. There wouldnt be a clear answer to the calories burnd breasfeeding as the amount a baby drinks would be different for each baby due to age and wether its supplimented etc etc .. the list goes on. It is a known fact that women who breastfeed do eat more calories than a woman not lactating so therefore i would figure that the extra food would cancel out there being any extra calories being burned at all.. this is just my opinion.. so please dont shoot me down ..*smiles*
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big sexy
New Member
| Joined: | 27 April 2006 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 28 April 2006 03:25 am |
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| Hi, Breast feeding actually only burns 500 calories per hour unless your feeding twins.
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Lori
Senior Member
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Posted: 30 April 2006 09:47 am |
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| 500 calories per hour? Are u sure thats not 500 Kilojoules?? That sounds a bit on the high side. When i work out on a stationary bike i burn 500 in about an hour and thats riding flat out.. cant see how breastfeeding would burn all that much to be honest.. correct me if i am wrong tho.. ..
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 May 2006 12:21 am |
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| Actually breastfeeding is entirely individual. You burn not only what your baby needs nutritionally but what it takes your body to convert that into milk. The amount it takes to make that milk differs daily, your body is constantly responding to the needs of your baby and producing more protien, more minerals, etc... as your baby needs. Although it is generally held that it burns about 500 calories a day on the average, it really depends on how much your baby eats, and how hard your body has to work to produce milk. And 500 calories is a lot! It's hard to burn that much with excersize, and all you have to do is sit and feed your baby to burn it. Last edited on 1 May 2006 12:23 am by OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
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LoveMyself
New Member
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Posted: 9 September 2006 01:27 am |
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i exclusively breastfed my 2nd daughter for 6 months, and lost on average 6 lbs per month doing it. the calories burned are the calories that go into the milk as well as the calories needed for energy to turn mom's nutrients into actual breastmilk. breastmilk is also very warm...i believe the heat uses calories as well. it was told to me that breastfeeding takes approximately 1 pound of weight off per week, and i think i am proof that is true for a person of "average" health.
it is generally said that breastfeeding burns 200-500 calories per day. i think you can convert breastfeeding to a calorie burning on AVERAGE, and you can convert it to an hourly scale, as in 1 hour of breastfeeding=x calories burned. usually a newborn baby will consume 2 ounces of milk every 2 hours or so if the milk is breastmilk. that is 1 ounce every hour, 24 ounces every 24 hours (while the baby is a newborn). breastmilk burns very quickly once the baby drinks it, thus the reason for the constant eating...the baby is always hungry! 1 ounce of breastmilk burns approximately 20 calories i believe...so that is 20 calories burned for every hour of breastfeeding, which averages to 280 calories per day in the beginning. i suppose that is about average between 200 and 500 more or less (the actual average is 350 but for estimation purposes of a baby consuming 24 ounces of breastmilk per day 280 is enough). so that is breastfeeding 1 ounce of milk per hour burns 20 calories per hour. breastfeeding 2 ounces of milk per hour burns 40 calories per hour. breastfeeding 3 ounces of milk per hour burns 60 calories per hour, and so forth and so on.
1 ounce of breastmilk=20 calories burned. if your baby drank 4 ounces of breastmilk per hour, you burn 80 calories making breastmilk per hour. there is never a problem making the breastmilk as long as the baby is sucking and the diet is right. this is why some moms are so tired after feeding a bigger baby...the bigger the baby the more milk they want! my 7 month old drinks 48 ounces of milk per day. if she were breastfeeding and drinking that amount...then i would be burning 960 calories per day breastfeeding. i do believe that is possible...when my daughter weened at 6 months old, i looked like i was starving! she literally sucked the life out of me...i was always hungry and she was always eating. and i was on my way to a size 10...from a 16...in 6 months.
i hope this helps...i suppose the only way we can average calories burned per hour breastfeeding is by using an average that a baby drinks 2 ounces of milk per hour...thus burning 40 calories per hour. or we can just use the formula that 1 ounce of breastmilk burns 20 calories and let the individual mommies do their own math :)
Last edited on 9 September 2006 01:29 am by LoveMyself
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LoveMyself
New Member
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Posted: 24 March 2007 08:18 pm |
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oh, and i also have to add...my daughter's godmother has a VERY good friend that still makes breastmilk...9 years later. her son is 9 years old, and she also has a 3 year old. when she gave birth to her oldest, she was 200 pounds (but at about 5'9 she didn't look very heavy). now, she is about 120 pounds...and she promises it's from still pumping breastmilk she does it FAITHFULLY, and just pours the milk into a sippy cup for her 3 year old to drink (when he totally weans by 3 1/2 she says she will just pour it down the drain until she either has another baby or makes a deal with the fat to stay away LOL). i can't imagine her actually pumping milk every night for 9 years straight, but she says it's what she does, except for the time her children were still feeding directly from her breast (she weaned her 3 year old at 18 months and from then on he had a cup). she is prone to gaining weight easily, and she honestly has been pumping milk...she has about 2 medela hospital grade pumps that she uses. and she looks very good...slender and trim. she also says she eats what she wants but she's not big on junk food anyway so i'm sure it helps. i should just say that she eats without worry.
unbelievable...but true. her weight loss secret: pumping breastmilk.
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bremama
New Member
| Joined: | 8 April 2008 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 8 April 2008 07:45 pm |
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You should tell your friend not to dump her breastmilk down the drain, she can donate it to people who dont produce enough breastmilk, orphaned babies, babies in hospitals who need large amounts etc.
For example: http://www.breastmilkproject.org/
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Tomwhite55
New Member
| Joined: | 12 March 2010 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 12 March 2010 12:36 pm |
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Thanks for all of the great information! Losing calories is vital in an everyday diet, especially if you are burning the calories off by exercising and doing basic chores around the house. I have been using a site called fitclick.com this site provides a calorie burned calculator that can count how many calories burned walking, running, biking, etc. Head on over and try it out!
As for breastfeeding and taking care of your baby, you can try and do some more chores around the house or take a walk with the baby. Breast feeding can help you lose calories, but don't count on it to lose weight, stay motivated! 
Last edited on 13 March 2010 09:19 pm by
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andra45
New Member
| Joined: | 7 February 2011 |
| Location: | Russia |
| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 7 February 2011 10:13 pm |
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| breast milk banks won't accept milk from a mother who has been nursing a child for more than a year since the child's birthdate. I donate milk myself and that's how I know this information. I guess it has to do with the milk structure, it changes considerably with the age of the child to meet her or her changing needs. The milk at milk banks is for preterm babies mostly, so their needs are quite different.
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darisey
New Member
| Joined: | 21 May 2011 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 21 May 2011 07:49 pm |
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Human Milk for Human Babies (HM4HB) accepts and appreciates donated milk from any age! The structure of milk changes with the age of the child. The most prominent change is the fat content. Children need less fat as they grow older and breast milk accomidates for that so a mom breastfeeding a 3 year old would have far less fat content of her milk than a mom feeding a newborn. Some older children with special needs and dietary intolerances rely on breastmilk to keep them healthy and thriving. Some new babies are allergic to any kind of formula and breastmilk with less fat content is far safer than formula for these babies.
You can find local moms to donate to or ship your milk to moms and babies in need here:
http://www.hm4hb.net/
http://www.facebook.com/hm4hb
Breast milk should never be poured down a drain. It is far too precious. Even if you prefer not to donate, you can cook with it, make cheese, ice cream, smoothies, mama's milk soap that heals and prevents acne and any other cuts/scrapes on the body and keeps the skin healthy. All of these recipes can be found with a simple google search.
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lovelei
New Member
| Joined: | 15 September 2011 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 15 September 2011 09:14 pm |
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| omg! this is awesome! :) I'm gonna go pump! lol
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Kay.Maxim
New Member
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Posted: 16 September 2011 07:21 pm |
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I don't know how many calories are burned, but I have a great tip for keeping a lot of breast milk flowing. I used it and was able even work, have irregular feedings and poor sleep, even stress without losing my milk. I only used it when I needed it.
It is Blessed Thistle and is a very mild herb that is sometimes used to help your digestion. It was amazing!
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