I only speak from experience. I began my first Beachbody Challenge Group with Insanity and Shakeology RIGHT after my 2nd baby was born. I was 7 weeks postpartum after my 2nd C-section when I began working out again and I started Insanity when I was about 8 weeks postpartum! I know, crazy. But I just put my head down and went for it.
My goal with nursing was to nurse FULL TIME until my baby was at least a year old (no pumping, no bottles, no binkies, no formula). My nursing experience with my first was a major struggle that I won't get into here. I could go on for hours about nursing, but I won't. So I was determined. Also I never lost any baby weight from my first pregnancy (30 lbs) so I was determined to lose weight this time!!
I followed the Insanity meal plan to the T!! I drank Shakeology daily. ALL I did for nursing, was added an extra 500 calories to my diet. Of course all calories are not created equal. I added 500 calories more of the good stuff, the same stuff I was already eating. I loved the Insanity meal plan because each meal/recipe was 300 calories. Then if you needed more calories it gave suggestions to add on 100-200 extra calories per meal. So that's about what I did. I ate 5 meals a day each of about 400 calories.
When you want to lose weight the first thing you need to do is determine your CALORIC NEEDS. You also need to know how many calories you are burning for your workouts (if you have a Beachbody program that's easy, if not you might want to get a calorie tracker or app or something to help). You just need your weight, height, age, gender and activity level (including your workout).
After you have those numbers...you can use this equation to figure out YOUR caloric needs. It's called the Harris Benedict Equation (since we're talking about nursing women, this equation is only for women). Bear with me and get out your calculator and a piece of scratch paper:
Step 1:
655+(4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) = ________
This is the amount of calories you NEED daily in order to maintain your current weight.
Example: 655+ (4.35x143) + (4.7x65) - (4.7x 28) = 1450.95 (these were my real numbers when I began)
Step 2:
Now take your number from Step 1 and multiply by the level of exercise (Exercise Factor) listed below.
Exercise Factor Category Explanation
1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise 1-3 days a week
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week
1.7 Very Active Hard exercise 6-7 days a week
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise and/or a physical job
Step 2 Example: 1450.95 x 1.7= 2466.6
This number will tell you how many calories you will need daily to MAINTAIN your weight WITH exercise.
Step 3:
NOW, if you want to LOSE weight, subtract 500 from this number.
Step 3 Example: 2466.6-500= 1966.6
Step 4:
NURSING: If you are nursing FULL TIME (baby is not eating any other food other than breastmilk, typically under 4-6 months) ADD BACK 400-500 calories. If your baby is over 6 months you might only want to add 300 calories. You be the judge based on how many times a day you are nursing your baby.
Step 4 Nursing Example: 1966.6+ 400= 2366.6
This may seem complicated, but its the most scientific and accurate way to figure out your caloric needs based on YOU and your needs. As you continue your exercise program, you may need to adjust your calories if your milk supply is too great and you are not losing weight, reduce by 200 calories for a week or two and see how it goes. If your milk supply is dwindling after a week or two, increase your calories and make sure you're drinking pleanty of water. You should be drinking half of your weight in ounces a day. So if I weigh 120 lbs I need to drink 60 oz of water daily. And even more if you're nursing! Also recalculate each month. As your metabolism speeds up you may need to eat MORE! But as you lose weight you may not need as much either. So make sure you always know what you need, and make sure to get what your BODY needs!
There are many ways to track your calories. Do whatever works best for YOU! I personally keep track the old fashioned way. I found it easier to have a white board on my fridge and after I prepared each meal, I'd estimate how many calories were in my meal, and write it down on my white board. Then at the end of the day total it up. If I kept each meal to about 400 calories, I usually hit my mark. If you're within 100 calories of your Caloric NEEDS you're good. I personally didn't get TOO picky or EXACT with my counting calories. I usually estimated each item I was eating to the nearest 25 or 50. I would just add it up in my head and jot it down. For example if I had an egg scramble breakfast burrito I'd say "OK roughly 70 for each egg, 100 for olive oil, 25 for peppers, mushrooms and onions, 100 for a whole wheat tortilla. That's about 365 calories.
At the end of the day my white board on my fridge would look like this (for example):
365 eggs
400 apple/pb cott cheese
450 soup/sand
350 shakeology
+500 salmon/veggies
=2065
Make sure you're eating often (every 2-4 hours), 5 meals a day or 3 meals and 2 snacks. Make sure your meals are balanced with lean proteins, whole grains or veggies, and a small amount of natural/plant fat with each meal. Add fruit if you need more calories. If you want more tips on what to eat...Check out my other blog post on what to eat.
I hope that wasn't too complicated! Even if you're nursing, you can still lose weight....FAT! You must feed yourself, and your baby the RIGHT foods, but with the right diet and exercise you can easily shed 1-3% (healthy amount) of your body weight each week! I averaged anywhere from 1-3 lbs lost per week. I weighed and measured myself each week to see progress. Some weeks you might lose inches and not weight. Some weeks you might lose both. Either way...its a success!
Here's My results:
In the first 2 months of Insanity I lost 18 lbs and 18 inches. I reached my goal of losing 30 lbs one month later. So I lost 30 lbs in 3 months. I went from a size 14 to a size 6 and continued to exercise daily and eat healthy. I was able to droop another 20 lbs over the next few months. I also nursed my baby for 14 months!! My milk fluctuated a little, but my baby always got enough. My milk supply was very sensitive, to where I could tell if I ate a little too much or too little the day before just by how much milk I produced. If you don't get enough calories, your milk will be the first thing to go, so make sure you hit your Caloric needs daily, not less by more than 100-200 calories. Listen to your body, and your baby.
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