Hi there. I am new to this site. I am a breastfeeding mother of a 9 month old baby girl and began the Body Trim Program six days ago which is high protein, low carbs. For the first three days you carb detox. I am concerned about whether this puts my body into ketosis - ( I don't know if it is or not - I don't know how to tell) and whether this will in turn affect my bub. Anyone with some insight??????

I will tell you my experience. I have been low carbing since 1 week postpartum, now it is month 6. My baby is thriving so well. She has never been sick, she weighs in the 50% category, the dr. is very impressed with her development and has applauded my weight loss. He said it's very difficult for someone to be "truly in ketosis", but there are stips one can pee on to see. They are not reliable however and I believe they say you are when you aren't. So take them with a grain of salt. While nursing you can actually consume more carbs than if you weren't which is awesome! Feel free to PM if you have any questions. Oh, i've lost 65lbs in 6 months too

Thanks for that. I actually feel quite relieved that it sounds like it is ok, and well done on your weight loss. My bub is 9 months old but I only really started to try and lose weight three months ago. I have lost 15kg or approx 32 pounds in just under three months. Thanks again.

If your baby is already 9 months old, I assume she's not just having breast milk any more, but does have some other kinds of food? Your milk is no longer her only source of food, I take it.

How I would answer your question would depend on whether your baby is still exclusively breast-fed or not. Could you let us know, please?

amanda

Mmm...actually a baby only needs the nutrients from breastmilk, eating before that is basically to get them used to it. If we never gave them food before a year, they would absolutely thrive on breast milk a lone. Although, vitamin D deficiency could be a problem.

Anyway, 35lbs is great! Good job! I had 50 of just pregnancy weight to lose so i had a ways to go. Good job

I have eaten low carb, and very low carb both while pregnant and nursing (exclusively!!) for years, and my kids are very healthy, top of the charts height and weight, etc, etc. (not that being "big" kids is necessarily a good indicator, but people worry sometimes that your milk supply will decrease or what have you, and we have clearly been fine.)

The 2 issues that I would watch very carefully are 1) make sure you are eating plenty of fat and 2) are not losing weight super fast which could freak your body out and/or release toxinx stored in your fat into the milk.

I lost weight, semi fast? Not sure and i've had no issues. One thing, while nursing we burn a lot more calories so you're body won't let you lose weight if you don't eat at least 1100 calories, at least mine wouldn't. Once you are eating the low carb way i find it difficult to get that many cals in sometimes. In those cases, i feel like shit & my body won't lose weight.

The problem of vitamin D deficiency and breast milk is a sign that the mother is lower in vitamin D than her body would naturally attain and maintain if you lived near naked outdoors.
The paper here Does Vitamin d make the world go round explains who 6400iu/daily vitamin D3 maximised the output of vitamin d in mothers milk.

The only point mothers have to be aware of is that DAILY supplementation provides a more even supply of vitamin d to the baby than weekly/monthly supplements. So although most people will find a 50,000iu vitamin d3 ONCE A WEEK providing about 7000iu/daily over the following 7 days it would be better from the babies perspective to get that 7000iu/approx daily rather than the once a week option.
Ideally this regime would start 3months before the pregnancy started but better late than never.

On the ketosis front there is an interesting section in this blog Animal Pharm about the fat in breast milk. With all those medium Chain Triglyerides in breast milk I would imagine babies pee would turn a ketostix anyway irrespective of what the mother ate.

Yes, Hutchingson you are correct on all fronts. i take a prenatal vitamin with added dha and have since 1 month BEFORE conceiving our little girl. I still take it, but will be giving her some baby vitamins with extra Vitamin D and Iron for her. Have considered even doing a vitamin D supplement for me, suggest that?

these are cholecalciferol in MCT oil and I'm sure you are aware human breast milk is a high in MCT so this will come in handy

You must realise that the standard prenatal vitamins provide sufficient only to avoid deficiency symptoms, they are NOT sufficient for optimum health or even optimum brain development.

If you look at this example Duet®DHA with Ferrazone® and enteric-coated omega-3 fatty acids (Duet®DHA) by StuartNatal that is on RX only and you would expect to contain optimum amounts you will see only 410iu of Vitamin D3. That amount will not even stop the mother or baby from being vitamin D deficient in most cases.
The amount actually required for optimum amounts of vitamin D in breast milk is more like 6400iu daily. Hence the need for a 5000iu/daily supplement in addition to sun exposure and the Vitamin D from diet sources.

It's as bad for the omega 3 DHA
The RX prenatal is pathetic.
Total omega-3 long chain fatty acids 440 mg
As DHA 295 mg
As other omega-3 long-chain fatty acids 145 mg

A Teaspoon of this daily would do far more good

With omega 3's you have to understand that the Omega 6 content of our diet (that comes from corn, soy, sunflower, safflower industrially made vegetable oils) and from grain fed meats, is far too high. In the USA the ratio is 20<>1 omega 6 <>omega 3 and in the UK it's now 10<>1. Ideally it would be 1<>1 or at worst 4<>1
So to reduce the ratio significantly we have to increase the omega 3 content by a significant amount if we are to do any good. That's why you ideally need an omega 3 intake over 1g daily.

More explained in this 25minute radio 4 food programme

well, i already said that she will be getting another vitamin, as I know it will not cover her & I said i'll take a supplement or was thinking about it. As for the DHA that is the best I can do right now, but I eat a serving of fish every week (far more than most people).

I think you would reach more people if you found a way to say the scientific data in a more personal way. People have a difficult time sifting through it to find the "point", although you might think the whole thing is the point. Just a suggestion.

Hopefully you will listen to the radio and get the point direct from the experts.

In simple terms US adults have 20 times as much omega 6 in tissues as omega 3

UK adults have half the US level but still 10 times as much Omega 6 as Omega 3

Naturally early humans would have had equal amounts.

Up to 4 times as much Omega 6 as omega 3 is probably safe but over 5 times as much and more and we find more heart/mental health problems occur.

Taking 2 grams of omega 3 daily will raise the omega 3 side of the balance.

This will help improve matters immediately but in the long term cutting out industrial vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, safflower and sunflower oil, and everything that contains them is the only answer.

Ditch the margarine use butter or coconut oil.
Coconut oil is a good source of medium chain Triglycerides and MCT oil is a major component of breast milk and hopefully you will breast feed for as long as you can and so using CO (that also speeds weight loss) will help.

No, i understand it. I meant OTHER people might have a problem. i appreciate all your information I just wanted you to be able to reach masses, not just the few that understand it the way you write it. Thanks

I understood it. Thnx Hutchinson. I am bfing my 9 mo old and found you info very interesting.

Aw, now I sound like an ass. Nevermind what i said...