QuestionHello. I'm not completely sure whether this falls in your area of expertise but I'm hoping you'll be able to give me some advice. I just had my third baby about a month and a half ago and I'm finding myself constantly hungry. Sometimes it feels like regular hunger, sometimes it just feels like low blood sugar, maybe? I get stressed or tired and eating makes me feel better, so I do. I'm just not sure whether I should be giving in to these cravings or not. Is all of this hunger a sign that I need to eat, or should I be limiting myself to three meals a day?
If any of this helps, I weighed about 51 kg before this baby, and about 64 kg right before giving birth. Now I'm down to about 54. I hope to be back around 50 kg someday but I know I shouldn't rush weight loss at this point. I do eat three meals a day, breakfast and dinner are usually home cooking and as well-balanced as I know how to make, but lunch is sometimes instant. I am breastfeeding exclusively. I don't really remember if I had this same appetite increase with my other children.
Sometimes I worry that I might be setting myself up to gain a lot of weight or ruin my health. Other times I think that constant hunger must mean that my body needs more calories right now. Would you recommend giving in to the cravings for now or forcing myself to stick to three meals a day?
Thanks!
Mia
AnswerTo get to the bottom of this, you'll need to unravel several issues.
You say that you feel increased hunger, which is normal after childbirth. During pregnancy, you need 100 calories or less over your basal metabolism in your first trimester, then an additional 300 calories per day in the second and third. Breast feeding demands an additional 500 calories; 40% more than before child birth.
After my son was born, I felt really, really hungry too, especially after a mid morning or mid afternoon nursing.
Low blood sugar can give you the feeling of being a bit dizzy and/weak. But the thing that jumps out at me is your statement about eating when stressed or tired to help you feel better. This is emotional eating and not tied to feelings of actual hunger. Cravings usually involve a particular food group, and is also generally not tied to actual hunger.
It sounds like you are eating mostly good foods. To improve your diet, make a list of five or six quick and healthy lunch options, and make sure that these foods are on your regular shopping list.
I also recommend that you spread your caloric intake more evenly throughout your day. If you eat slightly less at each main meal, then you can eat a healthy snack or two between meals. This will help regulate your blood sugar.
If you eat a high quality diet in the amount that meets your daily caloric needs, then you won't need to worry about weight gain or "ruining" your health. And since at 6 weeks pp, you are only 3kg over your pre-pregnancy weight, over all, I'd say you're doing GREAT!
