Is cutting out sugar a bad idea while BF? Snack ideas?

[AllBoxedUp]

This is probably a bit silly but I am EBF my DD who is 8 weeks. I put on quite a lot of weight while I was pregnant and I'm not much below my weight immediately after the birth (I went on holiday last week and even put on some more ). I have a wedding to go to in 3 weeks and was hoping wouldn't look completely awful at it!

I have a very sweet tooth and am eating far too many cakes and biscuits. I'm not that hot on self control so have decided to cut out sugar altogether. I'm on day 4 and not found it too difficult but am now worried about the effect on my supply. I pumped last night for the second time and could only get 60ml when I got over a 100ml the first time I did it a week ago. DD has also just been weighed by the HV and she has dropped below the 50th centile - she was between 50 and 75 before. I have noticed my breasts are less full but I don't know if that is just because my supply has settled down.

I'm probably not exaggerating to say that I was getting about half my calories from sweet stuff before so I'm worried this might be too extreme for my body. I have been getting headaches since I stopped. I'm just struggling to find things I can eat quickly and often with one hand other than biscuits. I'm not cutting out anything else and am still having fruit.

Any suggestions? And any suggestions of non sugary snacks I can eat (or healthier sweet things?). Thanks.

[leedy]

Probably not a good idea to go on any kind of serious diet when you're early BF - not so much for your milk supply (you'd need to be pretty malnourished for that to be affected, I suspect any change you've seen is just your supply settling) but for you, I used to come close to passing out if I didn't eat ALL THE TIME when DCs were very little. The weight will go in time, honestly, or if it doesn't once baby is a bit older you can do something about it then.

Suggestions for snacks that are not biscuits: NAKD bars (they're basically like the middle of a fig roll, so they are sweet but it's all from dates and nuts, very filling, not too bad for you, can be eaten with one hand), nuts, wasabi peas, muesli. Also try to keep hydrated (again for you rather than your milk) as it'll help ward off headaches.

[Batmam]

Following as this is me too. EBF makes me ravenous and I'm a total cake monster. Didn't put on too mucb weight while pg though but have been slowly putting ON pounds since the birth

It's the evenings that are the worst for my cravings. I've read another thread where a poster said she lost weight by simply not eating after 7pm...this is so hard though esp as I'm up all night feeding!

Don't think I can go cold turkey on sugar like you OP (well done!) but I'm going to try to wean myself off slowly. Filling snacks I've been trying are brazil nuts, oatcakes and peanut butter, and cream cheese on a rice cake...doesn't give me the 'hit' though which shows how addicted I am to sugar! Also drinking loads of water to make sure I'm not confusing hunger with thirst.

Surprised that it's affected your milk supply, perhaps you've gone too hard too soon?

[Artandco]

Things I ate lots when bf:

Avocado - cut in half and put half in fridge for later. Filling, stabilises blood sugar and full of protein

Blanched almonds- easy to eat and take out in bag. Good energy boost

Blueberries - part of 5 a day and sweet kick

Bananas

Milk - drank a glass a few times a day at the point of constant feeding

Also make sure plenty of water, ideally a glass at each feed.

I really find excercise helps loads though. If seen doctor and fit enough I would try and put baby in sling or pram and go for a walk for at least an hour or more daily. You can increase speed and distance once you adapt to it and feel up to it.
I found walking 9-11am great as made me get dressed and ready, baby had first nap of day and slept well in fresh air, and even if I was super tired the air and excercise woke me up more

[NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown]

OP it sounds like you've given up sugar but you haven't replaced it with anything and as a result you're not eating enough. ..does this sound possible? I quit sugar a few months ago (and then got pregnant so started eating a little if I could keep it down) but I am making sure I eat enough other stuff so I don't go hungry. stuff like oatcakes with peanut butter, cheese and crackers, a banana. I am getting stuck for snack ideas but I'm now able to have a few chunks of chocolate or a couple of biscuits or a small ice cream without scoffing the lot and falling off the wagon completely

batmam it's easier than you might think, I had horrific cravings and addiction but going cold turkey they have completely gone, it took less than a day. I found that if I started the day with sugar I craved it on and off (probably as the 'high' wore off) throughout the day. Without it I don't get cravings and I feel more stable. I did the same with caffeine a few years ago. If you're determined and can get through the first few days I've found the benefits outweigh the 'loss' fairly quickly

I do think you have to be careful with your carbohydrate intake if you're giving up sugar though..After I first quit I found myself filling up on and craving carbs, I'm no expert but I think your body turns them into sugar. my aim now is to try and get as much protein as possible, which is hard because I'm vegetarian but a big omelette (3 eggs but only using 1 of the yolks) stuffed with vegetables and a little cheese for breakfast gets me right through the morning no problem and something like a hummus and grated carrot sandwich for lunch with a huge salad means I'm really enjoying my food again.

I'm breastfeeding a toddler 4-6 times in 24 hours (which I think uses 200 calories, a small baby more like 500) and have not noticed a drop in my supply, so it might be worth using an app to track what you're eating to make sure you're getting in enough calories

[minipie]

I don't think cutting out sugar is a problem but you do need to replace the calories. I read somewhere that a BFing mother needs as many calories as a dock worker who is doing heavy lifting all day!

I don't really like sweet stuff and here is what I snacked on while BFing:

• Avocadoes and bags of nuts like Art says
  
• Cheese
  
• Pasta - I would cook (or get DH to cook) excess pasta so there was always cold pasta in the fridge, easy to microwave and eat with cheese or butter
  
• Salami
  
• Cereal (a less sugary one eg shredded wheat)
  
• Mini pork pies
  
• Peanut butter on toast
  
• Cold cooked meat (if you/DH are cooking at weekend try to cook extra)
  

Yes it's all pretty high fat but I still managed to lose a lot of weight eating this lot! BFing really does use a lot of calories so please don't try to cut calories too much. Just try to shift away from sugar. If you manage to fit some exercise in (I had to take DD for long walks to get her to nap) that helps too.

[minipie]

Oh yes hardboiled eggs! If you do a big batch they last several days.

[NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown]

Ps I think your breasts are likely to start feeling less full as your body gets used to breastfeeding. I remember being a bit panicked when I wasn't feeling engorged any more but it's quite normal for production to settle down after a couple of months

there's a no sugar thread somewhere on these boards that might be worth a look for tips

[AllBoxedUp]

Thanks for all the replies and helpful responses. I think I just had HV inspired fear and make sure I wasn't doing anything really silly. I have been trying to eat just as much but I've not been very inspired. I've mostly been snacking on crackers and butter or cheese. I had a chicken wrap for lunch with a big dollop of creme fraiche so I'm really trying to eat as much fat as possible! I did have the (probably slightly crazy idea) that I would try eliminating a different thing each week in the run up to the wedding and see what happens weight wise - so have a sugar free week, wheat free week and dairy free week and all junk food (shop cakes and biscuits and crisps) but was starting to worry this may play havoc with my body! I guess I'm trying to not overeat as much as diet.

This is DC2 and last time I cut out dairy for a month to see if it helped with DS's reflux and I lost a load of weight as a side effect. I walked loads with DS but it's a bit harder with two.

I have tried MyFitnessPal but I tend to weigh cereal for breakfast then give up as the day goes on because it's too fiddly to calculate lunch and dinner without weighing everything.

There's some good snack ideas here though. I do love the NAKD bars but it would take quite a few to replace half a packet of chocolate digestives!

I've been thinking about it and DD was in a carrier most of last week as we were away and sleeping a lot during the day so maybe wasn't eating as much as usual so hopefully that was why there was a drop in the centiles. I was also trying to pump while fending of my inquisitive DS so not the most relaxing of situations! Thanks for the advice.

[FoodieMum3]

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and cut out sugar at the beginning of the pregnancy (I was overweight). By sugar I mean chocolate, cakes, breakfast cereals, white bread, etc.
whenever I get a craving I have a big juicy apple. Try it, it works! Or a banana, meat and tossed salad on wholemeal bread, natural yogurt, etc etc.

I have lost weight in the process (although that was not my aim) and my baby is measuring exactly 30 weeks so hasn't been affected at all.

I intend to do the same while BF.

To sum up, ditch the bad sugar but REPLACE it with healthy alternatives.