NEW START to LC while Breastfeeding!!!!

[camcyd]

I am starting new again today. I am trying to keep my milk supply up while keeping my carbs down. I need to really pay attention to the calorie intake this time. Here is what we have so far today....

Breakfast:

3 eggs scrambles w/ 1 slice melted american cheese
2 sausage patties
water
green tea

This is approx. 500-600 calories.

for lunch I brought (haven't eaten yet)

hamburger patti w/ slice of american cheese to melt on top
broccoli cuts
water

I haven't decided on dinner yet??!! Whatever it is, I am also going to have my salad with spinach leaves.

This is just going to take some extra analyzing, but it will be worth it in the end.

Any meal ideas are appreciated!! :thup:

[dane]

Maybe toss a few snacks in there.....string cheese, cottage cheese, nuts, olives, etc.?

Here are two of my FAVORITE meals from the recipe forum here.....the juices are yummy over steamed cauliflower, and the leftovers are good for lunches. With "normal" sized portions, you'll still be in a decent calorie range.

Butter Roast Chicken (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=25063&highlight=butter+roast+chicken) and Cream Pork (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=137017&highlight=cream+pork).

[Hilary M]

Some people find that calories and protein are more important than carbs in keeping their supply up. I personally suffered a drop in milk supply when I dipped below about 60 net carbs per day, but every person is different. Best of luck to you!

[tunkany]

Hello!
I'm still breastfeeding my almost-7-month-old and am planning to continue for a long time. My milk supply is excellent! I had a drop in the beginning as I wasn't eating enouh fat with the protein. I have to admit that I cheated a few times...(it's hard when you're eating at grandma's-you can't reject everything). But LC-breastfeeding is going well and my baby is very happy and chubby. She is still on first foods (small jars) once a day, maybe twice and I don't give her cereal at all. She is doing much better (fatter and develops a few weeks everlier, she is crawling now) than my first daughter who had and still has some eczema. I think I gave her grains and reduced the number of breastfeedings too early (4 months -as per the pediatritian's instruction).

[tunkany]

Hello!
I'm still breastfeeding my almost-7-month-old and am planning to continue for a long time. My milk supply is excellent! I had a drop in the beginning as I wasn't eating enouh fat with the protein. I have to admit that I cheated a few times...(it's hard when you're eating at grandma's-you can't reject everything). But LC-breastfeeding is going well and my baby is very happy and chubby. She is still on first foods (small jars) once a day, maybe twice and I don't give her cereal at all. She is doing much better (fatter and develops a few weeks everlier, she is crawling now) than my first daughter who had and still has some eczema. I think I gave her grains and reduced the number of breastfeedings too early (4 months -as per the pediatritian's instruction).

[camcyd]

I am so excited!!! I have found what works for me! I am eating LC, Nursing and LOSING WEIGHT!!!!!!! I have lost quite a bit of water weight pounds (7) in the last few days. My milk supply is great, so I in turn have a happy baby boy!!!!!! Thanks for all the advice and encouragement!!!!!

[82sara82]

camcyd, did you do induction?

[82sara82]

I'm not too concerned about ketones, I can't see why they would be bad. I'm just concerned about envionmental poultants in the milk from losing weight. Any thoughts on that?

[camcyd]

I am still doing induction.....less than 20 carbs. There are alot of women that drop alot of weight without dieting and it doesn't affect their breastfeeding. I just have to really focus on calorie intake or my milk supply decreases.

[82sara82]

Has anyone found any studies FOR LCing while breastfeeding or any that are against that I should read first?

[dane]

I'm just concerned about envionmental poultants in the milk from losing weight. Any thoughts on that? Whether you lose weight by low carbing or low fatting or whatever "sensible" diet, this will be a consideration. However, I don't personally feel it's something significant to worry about. Your body will pull from your fat stores to make breastmilk, even if you're NOT dieting, so Baby is going to be exposed to "contaminants" regardless.

I avoid aspartame, alcohol, and wash my fruit and veg. I try to not walk near heavy traffic (exhaust), I don't play in chemicals.....what more can ya do? :lol:

As far as studies pro/against low carbing while breastfeeding, I haven't found any. Not that I've looked hard, mind you. In my mind, I don't see any problem with a diet of meat, fat, fruit, veg, dairy, for a breastfeeding, dieting mom. Loads better than a low protein, low fat WOE.

[82sara82]

I'm starting over again today. I'm pretty much doing SBD, but using regular fat products. Or would it be Atkins with low fat red meat? Or would it just be concidered my own plan? I found my cals way too low on SBD, but I can't bring myself to eat regular ground beef.

[jazzfan]

Dr. Atkins himself said in an online chat transcription that women can follow his plan safely while breastfeeding, although they may find weight loss difficult due to the change in hormones. I've been back on LC since my baby was 2 months old and he is very happy and healthy. I even eat more veggies now than when I was pregnant and not LCing! LOL I have read anecdotally that you should not do Induction if nursing, probably because of the drop in milk supply, and of course shouldn't change your eating until milk supply is well-established. But I read elsewhere that the milk you are supplying for your baby is naturally full of ketones, presumably to stimulate muscle growth rather than fat? So I figure, what's good for my baby is good for me!

What's really scary is what happens to some nursing women who go the opposite direction - as in, low fat or especially vegan. BIG problems for some babies there.

[BellaLinda]

Sara, I can't stand "normal" ground beef either. ;) It strikes me as a considerable waste of money, considering how much of it cooks away!

[82sara82]

I read that the body turns glucose into fuel for the brain. Is anyone concerned their baby isn't getting enough fuel for their brain?

I'm starting SBD tomorrow. Any lurkuers want to join or anyone want to restart?

[dane]

I read that the body turns glucose into fuel for the brain. Is anyone concerned their baby isn't getting enough fuel for their brain?
Glucose IS fuel. Your brain (and your baby's) can run on either a carb-based or a fat-based diet. If your baby is exclusively breastfeeding, he'll get everything he needs from your milk. If YOU are lowcarbing, be sure to get plenty of protein, as some of it will be converted into glucose for your milk, and you don't want to pull it from your muscle, if possible.

I think SBD is a great plan. Good luck with it!

[jazzfan]

Right Dane. The baby will get what s/he needs from your milke, regardless. And at six months old, my little guy is doing just fine. He's definitely precocious, like his brothers. If I ever had any indication that my doing Atkins was harming him, I would stop immediately. But you know, it seems like he's doing better than I remember his brothers doing!

Best of luck on South Beach, Sara! With proper planning and enthusiasm, you'll do great!

[Meg_S]

just a note - i recently read on LLL site that toxins are NOT an issue, as the latest info from whatever book it was they were quoting. Supposedly the whole issue came up because of some contaminated cows milk somewhere and nursing mothers were an at risk group. Just going from memory here so I could be mistaken.

[ReginaW]

Some people find that calories and protein are more important than carbs in keeping their supply up. I personally suffered a drop in milk supply when I dipped below about 60 net carbs per day, but every person is different. Best of luck to you!

Same here - I had to eat atleast 120g a day net (total minus fiber) and OMG, I thought I'd die - about 3,800 calories a day to keep my milk supply adequate - if I dipped in carbs or calories, supply went down too. More water - no difference; fenugreek - no difference (just smelled like maple syrup!); more protein - no difference (I already ate a lot anyway).....I had to get the calories up from about 3,300-3,500 to 3,800 - first six weeks, even with that calorie intake, I lost 39-pounds and the increase in calories (as per OB) was to halt my weight loss which he felt was limiting my milk suppy more than the macronutrient intake levels.....to get the calories up though, I had to up the carbs - otherwise there was just no way I would have been able to eat that many every day.....still didn't go wild with the carbs though - just high enough to bump up appetite enough to eat more calories!

[ReginaW]

I'm not too concerned about ketones, I can't see why they would be bad. I'm just concerned about envionmental poultants in the milk from losing weight. Any thoughts on that?

Your infant can't metabolize the ketones passing in the breast milk for energy....you also risk your own LBM in gluconeogenesis if you're not eating an adequate amount of dietary protein (read "high" when you're making glucose for yourself and supporting the production of natural sugars in your BM).....just some food for thought.

[ReginaW]

Has anyone found any studies FOR LCing while breastfeeding or any that are against that I should read first?

There's no human studies of BF in continuous ketosis - but the research from animal models shows negative outcomes......