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Day 1, nursing mommy


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Hi All-

Starting Whole 30 tomorrow and I'm a little nervous! I am a sugar addict and it's getting really bad so I needed to do something extreme. I'm exclusively nursing my 5 month old daughter so that part is stressing me out a little bit too with all the food planning/ restrictions. Any support or advice greatly appreciated. Preparing for a rough first week but excited to make some healthy changes :)

 

 

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Eat up!  Four to six full meals per day.  Every time you see the "eat three meals a day" instruction, remember that it's not for you.  Eat plenty of food.  Include starchy carbs (sweet potatoes, squashes, beets, carrots are a few examples) at your meals.

 

And did I mention - eat up!

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I'm nursing my 22 month old daughter 4-6 times a day and what I've found is that as long as I'm eating enough starchy vegetables and fruit with meals I feel totally fine. If I don't eat enough carbohydrates I start to get dizzy/exhausted. I spent my first week and a half thinking we had to eat low carb so I was only eating meat and salads and non starchy veggies with a small bit of fruit. It was a disaster!

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I was really disappointed that I lost only 2 lbs on my first Whole30. I was nursing a 4-month-old at the time. It took me a while to connect the dots: my body didn't want to lose weight, it wanted to focus on making milk! If weight-loss is on your mind, it's helpful if your expectations are modest.

In terms of meal-planning, it's fine to eat similar foods often if that helps get good food in you. I have a couple standard breakfasts and lunches, and it's nice to be able to just grab something that I know I like and know will satisfy me.

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I'm nursing and doing the whole 30 too. I found it is really helpful to PLAN ahead. Before I started, I pinned a ton of recipes and made a meal plan for the week. Now, instead of focusing on what I can't have, I just look at my schedule. Steak and asparagus tonight? Sounds good! Looking forward to it! With a little one, you aren't going to have a lot of time to think, so knowing ahead of time what you are going to eat (even if you end up switching the days around) is very helpful.

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Thanks everyone for the tips and your input! I really appreciate the support. I completed day 4 today! Starting to feel a little better- more energy and less hungover feeling...My husband is doing it with me so that's been a huge support. As for nursing- my milk supply has been pretty good. Definitely felt the dizziness yesterday and realized I need to eat more starchy veggies so I piled on the carrots and sweet potatoes today. Weigh loss is definitely a goal but realizing that might not happen due to nursing so I've really tired to focus on resetting everything and kicking the sugar cravings.

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Made it to DAY 7. This has been really challenging for me on many levels. Juggling two kids (a picky 5 year old eater and 5 month nursing baby) is probably the most difficult piece of this puzzle. Missing sugar still big time in the afternoons but visualizing steamed broccoli and fish helps realize it is just a craving, not hunger. I feel like I am ALWAYS in the kitchen - prepping food, making food, eating food. It is exhausting. For someone who wanted to get away from food/sugar being a main focus in life...it has become the only focus when I am home. Hopefully it starts feeling quite so encompassing at some point. I am also really concerned about my weight loss expectation. I know, I know...don't do Whole30 for that reason. I know, I know...you probably won't lose any weight because you're nursing a baby and your body is focused on making milk. That doesn't help! I STILL would like to lose weight and I'm nervous about my reaction when/if I don't lose anything at day 30 when I weigh myself :(

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You're a week in! Well done!

I HEAR you on the weight-loss! Truly. One of the hardest things about my first Whole30 (and the time immediately after) was seeing all the "I lost 12 lbs!" success stories. Especially when there were pictures where the "before" looked 1000 times better than my "after." That sucked.

My point is: thinking about weight loss and hoping to lose weight is fine. And it's also good to remember where YOU are, and notice the non-scale victories as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How are things going for you now? I'm wrapping up day 2 of my second Whole30 here, and much more ravenous overall than I was the first time. I knew I'd have to eat more while breastfeeding, but wow . . . I have pretty much just finished one meal before I'm yearning for the next. The last couple of meals were a little better for me after I adjusted portions to include more protein based on discussion here, but still . . . hungry it is, until I figure out the right balance for me.

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  • 2 months later...

This is such a helpful feed. I'm on day 3 and I'm nursing my 11-mo. baby. He has asthma and still nurses quite often (including through the night). The first two days I was exhausted and head-achy and weak. I was eating non-stop and still felt ravenous. This morning was the same until I had a cocoa-bean slim smoothie (all ingredients are on the list) from The Orange Peel and I finally stopped shaking. I'm still exhausted and feel like sleeping all day, but I'm not hungry anymore. Either I'm over the worst of it or that smoothie is a secret weapon.

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I'm so afraid to start for the fear of losing my milk. But Because my little one has been spitting up so bad and I've been to addicted to sugar I need to do something I know it's going to be extremely hard but I need to do it for my little one. I would love to hear how everyone else has been doing! :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello, everyone.  I have to chime in on this thread, as an avid nursing advocate (but I'm not a CLC).  It is a myth that weight loss is more difficult when nursing.  I say this not to discourage those of you who didn't lose weight on your Whole30, but to make sure no one reads this and decides to quit nursing in order to lose weight.  Studies clearly show

- women who breastfeed lose their baby weight faster than those who don't (http://www.llli.org/faq/diet.html), and 

- that when it comes to lifetime weight maintenance, the longer you nurse, the better (http://www.llli.org/nb/nbjulaug01p124.html).

While you will find many women who were nursing and had a disappointing weight loss experience on their Whole30, you'll also find plenty of nursing women who had the opposite experience, like me.  The truth is, your body NEVER wants you to starve to death, whether you're nursing or not.  If you aren't losing enough weight, you probably aren't eating enough, but it's not due to nursing.

 

Let's remember why we're doing this - to improve our health!  Here's an article that talk about some of the benefits of nursing for moms, including reduced risk of heart disease and GREATLY reduced risk of breast cancer.

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/why-breast-is-best/7-ways-breastfeeding-benefits-mothers

 

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.   :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I am on day 4 and exhausted and starving. I am nursing my 3.5 month old baby that was sleeping 5-7 hours at night and is now eating every 2 hours so I am hungry around the clock. I eat and 20 minutes later I'm hungry again. I am trying to follow the mini meals template but find it very difficult to find the time to prepare these foods when my baby is constantly eating and I am so darn tired. I seem to have a depletion in my supply but I am not sure if that is because of the changes in my diet or the fact she is eating every 2 hours. I have seen Melissa's advice of eating olives and sipping on coconut milk, both of which make me gag. I am at a loss and ready to give up.

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I am on day 4 and exhausted and starving. I am nursing my 3.5 month old baby that was sleeping 5-7 hours at night and is now eating every 2 hours so I am hungry around the clock. I eat and 20 minutes later I'm hungry again. I am trying to follow the mini meals template but find it very difficult to find the time to prepare these foods when my baby is constantly eating and I am so darn tired. I seem to have a depletion in my supply but I am not sure if that is because of the changes in my diet or the fact she is eating every 2 hours. I have seen Melissa's advice of eating olives and sipping on coconut milk, both of which make me gag. I am at a loss and ready to give up.

 

Don't give up! You have to eat a lot when you are breastfeeding. Aim for 4 meals a day and go for the higher end of the meal planning template. Eat plenty of fat and starchy vegetables. If you are hungry 20 minutes later than you need to eat more at meals. Any easily available fat can be substituted into Melissa's advice. Do you like coconut butter (unsweetened)? What about avocado. I'm not an expert but it is likely the change in your baby's needs could be a growth spurt and will likely even out again. Get as much food and sleep as you can and remember this too will pass.

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I am on day 4 and exhausted and starving. I am nursing my 3.5 month old baby that was sleeping 5-7 hours at night and is now eating every 2 hours so I am hungry around the clock. I eat and 20 minutes later I'm hungry again. I am trying to follow the mini meals template but find it very difficult to find the time to prepare these foods when my baby is constantly eating and I am so darn tired. I seem to have a depletion in my supply but I am not sure if that is because of the changes in my diet or the fact she is eating every 2 hours. I have seen Melissa's advice of eating olives and sipping on coconut milk, both of which make me gag. I am at a loss and ready to give up.

This sounds like a growth spurt.  Most of us make enough for about four babies.  Really.  It's hard when you're used to one schedule, but basically for the first year your schedule is nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse, and then nurse.  And eat.  Hang in there. 

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  • 2 months later...

I'm also nursing, and don't like olives. Coconut milk is good in coffee and such but I can't just chug it. I started to drink unsweetened almond milk to add a few calories, or eat cashews. Hope that helps!! Definitely hard to eat enough calories with the selection of food, food aversions, and nursing a little one. Good luck!

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  • 2 months later...

This thread is helpful!! I'm a newbie to the program and am nursing as well. I think I'm going to plan for 4 meals a day. Unsure of how much starchy vegetables you're suppose to or can have daily (w/o nursing). Anyone? This way I can have an idea so I don't totally over do it when considering the extra meal for producing enough for my milk supply.

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This thread is helpful!! I'm a newbie to the program and am nursing as well. I think I'm going to plan for 4 meals a day. Unsure of how much starchy vegetables you're suppose to or can have daily (w/o nursing). Anyone? This way I can have an idea so I don't totally over do it when considering the extra meal for producing enough for my milk supply.

You can eat starchy vegetables with every meal if you like. Whole30 is not ever about going hungry. We really want you to eat. :wub:

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I am a newbie to this and am exclusively nursing my six week old. I want to do the whole 30 for my daughter. For the last week she has been getting a slight rash on her face at nursing time. Wondering if she has a sensitivity to something I am eating. Anyone else here for a similar reason? Iwant yo start today but have a few questions. Is almond milk okay to drink? I have it on hand already.

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  • 1 month later...

I am a newbie to this and am exclusively nursing my six week old. I want to do the whole 30 for my daughter. For the last week she has been getting a slight rash on her face at nursing time. Wondering if she has a sensitivity to something I am eating. Anyone else here for a similar reason? Iwant yo start today but have a few questions. Is almond milk okay to drink? I have it on hand already.

Almond milk is OK provided it does not have carageenan, sugar (in any form, listed in the ingredients list), or other non-compliant ingredients.

 

As a nursing mother, you will eat at least four FULL meals per day. Plus you can sip on a can of compliant coconut milk throughout the day to get even more fat in.  Here's what we want you to eat:

 

1. 1-2 palm-size portions of protein (aim for 2 at least)

2. 1-2 OR MORE thumb-size portions of fat (aim for OR MORE)

3. 1-3 cups of veggies

 

You'll see that for non-nursing Whole30ers, we recommend that you do that three times a day. For nursing mothers, we recommend that you do that four times a day (and more if you are hungry). Also, keep that high-fat coconut milk handy if you like.

 

Hopefully some nursing mamas will chime in about foods causing/helping rashes. Congrats on your new little one, and welcome!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Has anyone experienced milk reduction? Oats & grains are said to help production so to cut them out is a little scary for me! I haven't started yet, have to get prepared! :) I am nursing a 9 month old. Just want to make sure this is safe for Breast feeding mommas! Nursing my baby is my #1 priority!

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Oats and grains help production because they're starches. Eat plenty of starchy veggies (like at every meal) and you should be fine. Bottom line doing this while nursing: EAT YOUR FOOD AND DON'T GO HUNGRY. Plenty of fat, plenty of starchy veggies on top of your normal meals and you should be just fine!

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