Running the Numbers

Spurred by Leonie's question about if my caloric intake was high enough, I decided to run my numbers today. First I weighed myself. Then I did my WW calculations. To lose weight as an exclusively breastfeeding mom I need 31 points per day which is approx equal to 1550 calories. Wow! Really? (EDIT Actually, not really. I forgot about the discretionary points which, if you divide them evenly across the week, would add approx 250 cal a day. ) This reminded me of Elizabeth's blog comment that most dieters are eating less than people in concentation camps did. I'd like to know what that number is guessed to be, but I can't find it online. Now, I'm not trying to lose weight, but I'm also not exclusively breastfeeding, so I'm hoping the WW numbers average out.

Next I checked out what a nursing mother needs to maintain a healthy milk supply. I found that nursing only 2 or 3 times a day means only about 100 extra calories.

Then I calculated my BMI. 22! I was pretty impressed, but also sad that I can feel a bit squashy and not be totally satisfied with my weight when I weigh less than 78% of American women my age. Of course, I really have to compare me to me. Am I where I need to be? That's an ongoing question....

OK, then I calculated my caloric needs here 2121. Whoa! And I need to add 100 cal or so because of the nursing. That means WW is shorting me 700 cal a day. I'm going to call them to check my math. Also, I need to go back and calculate what I am actually eating per day. I'll be back with more numbers.