Starting Strength: Nutrition while breastfeeding

[bntbnr]

Hi Jordan,

I need your advice for my wife (35 years, 5'7") who has begun Starting Strength. She gave birth to #3 in February and is still breastfeeding him. Back then she weighed 150 lbs and at the moment she is 137 (she did not diet) and would like to lose another 8 to 10 lbs. She is fine with prioritizing strength gains over weight loss for a while and not lose weight, but gaining it is not an option.

I'm really unsure about her nutritional needs. There are few online calculators who have a breastfeeding checkbox and their results vary a LOT (between 2000 and 3000kcal...). But even if I knew her TDEE I still wouldn't know how breastfeeding affects her protein needs and whether we could go for a slight deficit or should better try to maintain her bodyweight. Which approach would you prefer? Can you recommend macros? Also, is there any supplement that might help with her sleep quality and recovery and is safe while nursing?

Thanks a lot!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Interesting questions, let's address them in line:

1) As far as nutritional "needs" her protein requirements have increased by 25g/day (depending on the source this will be about 75g/day). Additionally, the current recommendation is to have mom take fish oil at 300mg of DHA/day.

2) With respect to weight loss and dieting post partum, it doesn't really appear to affect milk output quantity or quality until caloric restriction is marked (<1500kCal/day).. Losing weight does not appear to affect lactation either. Most medical literature suggests that breast feeding "burns" an extra 500kCal/day, but as you know there are multiple inputs that the BMR reflects- thus, I would say this recommendation is "soft" at best

3)I can't accurately recommend macros because I don't know what she's doing now, macro wise.

4) You're definitely going to want to talk to her health care provider about sleep issues post partum.

[Viola]

I suggest that OP's wife read a few womens' training logs.

SarahBeth posts a log in the Starting Strength forum. She has a 13 month old still-nursing baby. She also discussed some health/energy issues with Rip in this thread.

Bluebutton is also a mom with young children who posts regularly in the General training logs.

La Leche League International is an excellent source of info for nursing moms. (I am involved at the grassroots level as a volunteer support counseler.) They would be able to provide information and support on nutrition and sleep issues. They handle questions like "I'm a vegetarian, can I still nurse my baby?" and "I am allergic to milk, can I still nurse my baby?" So "I want to eat more protein, can I still nurse my baby?" would not be a big stretch.

I don't think that strength training and nursing are incompatible, or that it will lead to complicated nutritional requirements. Eat lots of protein and other healthy foods, watch your milk supply, energy levels, and weight, and adjust accordingly.

[16bit]

does the epa in the fish oil come into consideration or is it mainly the dha that you need to worry about?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

does the epa in the fish oil come into consideration or is it mainly the dha that you need to worry about?

Both are good :-)

[bntbnr]

This might be a double post - the forum just displayed an error message when I hit reply for the first time. This is my second try.

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Thank you for your replies, Viola and Jordan!

I guess this means it's a good idea to track her food intake for a while and add in some extra protein after her workouts (while not letting it go through the roof). As if 3 kids and a husband weren't complicated enough... But she's determined and we'll find a way.

I think we do both eat healthy already - we both grew up in families where food was still cooked and not only heated, and this is what we do now. Thank you, parents.

I'll read and translate the important parts of the training logs for her - we are German and she hasn't spoken English since her school days.

As far as the sleep issues are concerned, I should have given you more information. She doesn't have any issues apart from the obvious - nursing one to three times each night, having to get up early. I just thought that you have any ideas nutrition wise, I'd be grateful.

I'm really looking forward to seeing her getting stronger, she'll probably feel much better.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

As far as the sleep issues are concerned, I should have given you more information. She doesn't have any issues apart from the obvious - nursing one to three times each night, having to get up early. I just thought that you have any ideas nutrition wise, I'd be grateful.

Right. So I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what you want the outcome to be, i.e. what is the problem right now that could potentially be modified by nutritional intervention? In other words, since it's unlikely that any diet will result in less nightly feedings from the kids and the need to wake early, I'm unsure what exactly you're asking.

[bntbnr]

This is probably what happens if you focus too much on how to say something in a foreign language instead of on what you want to say...

- Question about required energy: answered.
- Question about macros: answered.
- Question about sleep: Not a serious issue. Is there any supplement nursing women can take that is said to improve the little sleep they get?
- Question about goals: Would you say she can try to lose weight at a slight deficit when doing her first weeks of LP, or should she go for a recomp (which she is willing to do although she wants to lose the last pounds she gained during pregnancy)?

I hope this makes it a little clearer, sorry for the confusion!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

There currently is not a supplement that improves sleep efficiency markedly, pregnant or otherwise, in a sleep deprived person.

She can lose weight slowly, though my bias for a non obese person- post partum or otherwise- who is just beginning training is that they should try and maintain weight or thereabouts with high quality food.

[bntbnr]

Then we'll follow your recommendations! Thanks again for your advice and support!