Nutrition question about weight loss while still nursing

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to the forum and for all intents and purposes brand new to cycling as well. I got bit by the biking bug last spring but being pregnant and totally new to cycling and fitness in general took things very slow. Like slow to the point that it took me weeks to be able to ride 10 miles in a hour. Fast forward to now, I'm 7 weeks post postpartum and want to ride a century in the fall. I've been doing tons of research on training and nutrition and logging miles indoors on a stationary bike for now (3 kids under 4 and cold cold weather don't let me get outside) but my question is about the nutrition. I still have nearly 30 lbs to loose to get back to my prepregnancy weight and I have no idea how to balance the nutritional needs of around 100 miles a week, needing to loose the rest of the baby weight and making sure that I am eating right for nursing a baby. Any thoughts at all?? TIA!

My thoughts are that if you are nursing a babe and cycling 100 miles a week, eat whatever the heck you want, and a lot of it!!! :) Hope you "want" good food, though.

Karen

and keep weighing the baby. If the baby continues to gain weight, you're doing the right thing. I can't imagine doing what you're doing! good luck.

Wow! That's really impressive!

I agree that making sure the baby is thriving is the most important thing right now. La Leche League is always a good source of info (1-800-LALECHE) or you could find a local lactation consultant who could give specifics.

Sounds like you might need one of those Dutch bikes with room for lots of little people!

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Originally Posted by malkin

Wow! That's really impressive!

I agree that making sure the baby is thriving is the most important thing right now. La Leche League is always a good source of info (1-800-LALECHE) or you could find a local lactation consultant who could give specifics.

Sounds like you might need one of those Dutch bikes with room for lots of little people!

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+1

After my pregnancies, I lost about 10-15 lbs. in about 6 mos. while breast feeding without even trying. From what I gather, that's really not that unusual. Some women are known to drop more. Unfortunately, some of us:rolleyes: gain some of it back after the baby stops breastfeeding due to not reducing our caloric intake when we no longer need those extra calories.:o

Anyhow, I recommend to take it slow. Eat sensibly. Try to eat nutritionally dense foods. Keep taking your prenatal vitamins or whatever your doctor is recommending. Don't skimp out on the fat in your diet - just choose healthier options. Your baby needs the fat in breast milk for brain development. And keep in mind that pregnancy is hard on a woman's body. It takes almost a year for our bodies to recover the calcium that is lost from our bones during pregnancy. And, please, let your doctor know so they can monitor you and the baby for any nutritional deficiencies.

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Originally Posted by sgtiger

+1

After my pregnancies, I lost about 10-15 lbs. in about 6 mos. while breast feeding without even trying. From what I gather, that's really not that unusual. Some women are known to drop more. Unfortunately, some of us:rolleyes: gain some of it back after the baby stops breastfeeding due to not reducing our caloric intake when we no longer need those extra calories.:o

Anyhow, I recommend to take it slow. Eat sensibly. Try to eat nutritionally dense foods. Keep taking your prenatal vitamins or whatever your doctor is recommending. Don't skimp out on the fat in your diet - just choose healthier options. Your baby needs the fat in breast milk for brain development. And keep in mind that pregnancy is hard on a woman's body. It takes almost a year for our bodies to recover the calcium that is lost from our bones during pregnancy. And, please, let your doctor know so they can monitor you and the baby for any nutritional deficiencies.

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+2, I lost weight just nursing.

Think of food going in as food going to your baby. That's priority 1. The joy you get from cycling is #2, and feed yourself to fuel that AFTER thinking of fueling to make food for your baby.

;) Congrats on your new bundle and La Leche league is AWESOME especially when you're in tears and no one seems to undertand. ;)

The nurse told me when I was BFing my son that I could lose weight by eating 500 less calories. She did not take into consideration the physical activity. If you are trianing, I don't think you should cut back on calories. I ate a lot while BFing because I was hungry all the time. I was not part of the BF=weight loss propaganda.