Breastfeeding Healthy Extras

[lemonandlime1]

Hi everyone,

Today is the first day for me on sw. I am exclusively breastfeeding my 5 month old daughter at the moment so I understand that I have to have extra healthy extras. However, today I struggled to fit them in. I think the reason was that I ate so many free foods with my meals that I didn't realise I wasn't using the healthy extras until I just completed my food diary. I don't want my supply to drop or to not have enough calcium but does anyone know if you eat big meals of free and super free foods whether you can cut down on the hexb (still keep the extra hexa so i get the calcium)? I feel stuffed this evening which is brilliant as breast feeding makes me constantly starving!

Today I had two lots of cheese and milk (so three hexa) but no hexb, would that be ok?

Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Pebblesx]

Hi ya

From what I understand you must use your healthy extras or you will not lose weight. What plan are you doing? As if you are doing red things like pasta, rice, noodles and potatoes are classed as a healthy extra b choice (as well as cereals, bread etc) and if on green meat is a healthy extra b(as well as cereals and bread etc) Doing extra easy would be cereals, whole meal bread and cereal bars etc are the healthy extra b choices. Even such things as olive oil are a b choice as well.

I do a mixture of all 3 plans depending on what I plan to eat that day, if I don't have a b choice planned I'll try and fit in an alpen light bar (you can have 1or 2). At least then you know are following 100% and getting the fibre)

Sorry for the essay, hope that helped! Xx

 

[lemonandlime1]

That is great thanks I am doing EE. Today I did much better at getting the hex in as I planned it a bit better so starting using them right from breakfast! I feel completely stuffed again, such a strange feeling on a diet!

Do you plan your meals for the week in advance or just decide on they day, I feel like I may need to get more organised! Do you know why it can be 1 or 2 for hexb, does it depend on the type of alpen light bar you are having?

 

[CraftQueen]

I'm not quite sure about the answer.

But calcium is in loads of foods, not just cheese and milk. It's in loads of veg etc.
how many healthy extra's are you supposed to eat?

 

[lemonandlime1]

Thanks for your reply
They say I am meant to eat 6 healthy extras!! I am finding that a lot when combined with all the free and super free foods.

 

[missy1978]

Hey, I'm currently doing green days (7 HEXs!) and bfing my two month old son although not exclusively anymore I find it pretty easy to use my HEX's as I love bread, cereal and cheese! I have 2 x HEXB for breakfast as cereal or toast, 2 HEXB with lunch as bread, 1 HEXA as milk for tea, 1 for cheese with lunch or dinner and 1 for milk which I either drink on it's own or make hot chocolate with.

If you'd struggling to use them maybe try using full fat milk? You get less for a HEX so it's easier to use more. Or make a rice pudding or have a hot chocolate before bed? Alpen lights are 2 for a HEXB btw!

You can have any mix of HEXA and B out of the 6, the SW leaflet advises that you use most of them as A choices. So you could have 1 HEXB and 5 HEXA if you find that easier? Hope this helps! xxx

 

[Pebblesx]

No it doesn't matter which type of alpen light bar you have, I tend to only have 1 as I eat pretty well anyway and I don't like to be too repetitive as I get bored easily!

 

[lemonandlime1]

Thanks missy and pebbles, appreciate you taking the time to reply

I unfortunately don't drink milk as I hate the taste so my a choices are essential cheese! Is it really ok to eat 4 lots of cheese as that seems a lot of calories and fat!

I am finding it easier to use the b choices the more time goes by as I have discovered a love for the alpen bars and today I picked up scan bran from holland and Barrett.

missy well done on getting back to sw so fast after birth, I spent 5 months stuffing my face before I got myself in gear. How are you finding it? Do you feel very hungry with feeding?

 

[lemonandlime1]

Ps, I love the name Seth

 

[Pebblesx]

Do you not drink milkshake? I don't necessarily like milk but with a bit of choc or strawberry nesquick in it and it's gone in seconds x

 

[lemonandlime1]

I don't, I am really odd I admit! When I was a kid I had asthma and it was made worse by milk so I never took it and even now I can't stand milk or cream or anything like that to the point I usually use water on cereal and take black tea and coffee. It is about the only thing I don't like, I might try to hide it in hot choc!

 

[missy1978]

How are you with soy milk or oat milk? Would it be worth trying that? There are things like soup and olive oil you can have as a HEXB too so that could be an idea.

Calories are calories at the end of the day, so even with all the extra fat I'm still losing weight even with having at least one lot of cheese per day! If you wanted something lighter than would Philly be an option?

I'm finding it ok but I'm generally starving! I eat a lot and it never seems to fill me up, I'm guessing it's the extra calories I need being used up. I'm enjoying the food though, it's nice to be eating well again. Although I am massively craving chocolate at the moment which is taking me off plan quite a lot! xxx

 

[lemonandlime1]

I have never actually tried soya or oat milk, I didn't realise that was a hexa choice so I must give those a go. Thanks for that, it is a great idea. I like Philly and also have the light babybel most days. I guess four servings of cheese just seemed a lot but I am probably overthinking it as feeding apparently uses 20cals per oz so I must be using close to 600 cals given she is over 5 months now.

You are doing really well, especially managing the chocolate cravings! I popped over to get some inspiration but don't think I have access yet so I will pop over once I get to that stage. Thanks for taking the time to reply