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Calcimator

Breastfeeding Calorie Needs Calculator

Calculate additional daily calorie and nutrient needs during lactation based on body stats, activity, and breastfeeding intensity.

Inputs

lb
in
years
months

Results

Total Daily Calories Needed

2,384 kcal

≈ 8 slices of pizza

Basal Metabolic Rate1,370 kcal
Maintenance Calories1,884 kcal
Extra Lactation Calories500 kcal
Extra From Diet335 kcal
From Fat Stores165 kcal
Daily Protein Needs72 g
Daily Fluid Needs105 oz
Est. Weekly Weight Loss0.33 lbs
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Current Weight, Height, and Age.
  2. Set Activity Level (1-4), Breastfeeding Intensity (1-3), and Months Postpartum.
  3. Review the Total Daily Calories Needed (kcal) result.
  4. Use Basal Metabolic Rate (kcal) and Maintenance Calories (kcal) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Height

HeightTotal Daily Calories Needed
1382,152 kcal
1582,324 kcal
1822,530 kcal
2022,702 kcal

What each input means

Current Weight
Your current postpartum weight in kilograms.
Height
Your height in centimeters.
Age
Your current age.
Activity Level (1-4)
1 = Sedentary, 2 = Lightly active, 3 = Moderately active, 4 = Very active.
Breastfeeding Intensity (1-3)
1 = Exclusive breastfeeding, 2 = Mostly breastfeeding, 3 = Partial (supplementing with formula).
Months Postpartum
How many months since delivery. Calorie needs may decrease after 6 months.

What each result means

Total Daily Calories Needed
Total estimated daily calorie needs including lactation.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Calories burned at rest (Mifflin-St Jeor equation).
Maintenance Calories
Calories needed to maintain weight without breastfeeding.
Extra Lactation Calories
Additional calories required for milk production.
Extra From Diet
Additional calories to get from food (per IOM: ~67% of lactation cost).
From Fat Stores
Calories mobilized from pregnancy fat stores (per IOM: ~33% of lactation cost).
Daily Protein Needs
Recommended protein intake during lactation (1.1 g/kg/day).
Daily Fluid Needs
Recommended daily fluid intake for breastfeeding (IOM: ~3.1 L).
Est. Weekly Weight Loss
Estimated gradual weight loss from fat store mobilization during breastfeeding.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Current Weight = 65, Height = 165, Age = 30, Activity Level (1-4) = 2 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Total Daily Calories Needed
    Total Daily Calories Needed
    2384 = 2384
  3. Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate
    Basal Metabolic Rate = 10 * weightKg + 6.25 * heightCm - 5 * age - 161
    1370 = 1370
  4. Calculate Maintenance Calories
    Maintenance Calories = bmr * activityFactor
    1884 = 1884

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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