I was having a discussion with another breastfeeding mom this morning, and I’m having issues with one of the topics we were discussing. Breastfeeding moms know that the extra calorie intake you need during pregnancy doesn’t end with birth. If you are breastfeeding you need an additional 500 calories a day for milk production. In fact you a higher calorie intake while breastfeeding than you do during pregnancy.
I admit sometimes this makes me feel like I’m always hungry and eating like a pig, but the truth is 500 extra calories isn’t a lot. It doesn’t mean you’re free to eat a whole bunch of junk. For me it meant adding 2 extra healthy snacks (since I don’t normally snack much) during the day and not letting myself forget to eat breakfast.
My issues are with what the other mom is doing to make sure she’s getting her extra calories each day. She told me she’s been drinking weight loss drinks between meals that have about 190 calories each. She says this allows her to add the calories without having to worry about eating anything. Personally I think this is totally the wrong way to go about it. Sure weight loss drinks can cause you to gain weight if you don’t follow the diet plans right. Most require that you eat only a 1000-1500 calorie diet to see results (which I think is very unhealthy), but I’ve never heard of anyone using them to add extra calories to their diet. I can see why she thinks it’s a good thing because yes she is adding calories, but a lot of those drinks contain a high amount of sugar. When I find the article I’ll link to it, but I remember reading recently about how the same amount of 1% milk provides the nutrients you need without all that added sugar!
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