Is 2000 cals a day REALLYneeded by an "average" woman?

[absolutelynotfabulous]

I'm constantly reading that the average woman uses 2000 cals a day. I think I'm pretty average, at 5'4 and 10st 7, and I put on weight at 1400 cals. I find it hard to lose, and I'm constantly battling that final stone. Not only would I struggle to eat 2000 cals, particularly on a regular basis, but I rarely expend 2000 cals even on a particularly active day (15000 steps).

I've just been reading yet another site in which 2000 cals daily is recommended.

Am I the only woman for whom 2000 cals is waaay too many?

[onwego]

2000 is way too high for me too, I think mainly because of my height - I'm 5"1.5. I've recently worked out that to lose weight, I need about 8000 calories a week. That gives a weight loss of about 1.5lbs per week. I was worried that the amount of calories was too low but when I looked into it a bit more, if I increased only by a relatively small amount, I'd put on weight. I've lost a a stone and a half and I'd like to lose one more before I try to work out how to eat to maintain.

[HalloToJasonIsaacs]

No, YANBU, 2,000 calories is far too much for an average height middle aged woman in a sedentary job - and there's a lot of us about.....

Maintenance calories for someone in that situation is more like 1,500 or even less.

[LeopardPrintSocks1]

I thought it was 1500 for women and 2000 for men

[bittapitta]

RDA guides tend to say 1800 for women and 2000 for men I think. Depends a lot on how active you are of course.

[APlaceOnTheCouch]

I don't think it's needed. If I eat 2000 cals I gain weight.

[ACatastrophicMisintepretation]

Have you heard of the Basal Metabolic Rate calculator? Have a look at this and pop your details in; id say you are probably right!
Mine is definitely lower than 2000 even with the extra weight I have at moment!
www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm?sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjhvfPbx8nPAhWHC8AKHaDcAs4Q9QEIDjAA

[Passthecake30]

I think I have about that. I'm 6ft, 10st7 and my basal metabolic rate (calories needed before doing any exercise) has been measured at 1500 cals. People do say I eat a lot thou😀

[oldlaundbooth]

2000 is far too much for me.

I'm your height OP and eat 1500 per day.

Don't know any women my size and weight that eat 2000, it's too much.

[KanyesVest]

I'm sure I read that the 2000 / 2500 cals recommendations were developed in the 1960s when we were dramatically less sedentary.

[GreatPointIAgreeWithYouTotally]

I easily go over that, but I'm very active.

[OdinsLoveChild]

2000 is too much for me. I need only 1100 a day because I'm only 5ft tall and not as active as I should be due to a long recovery from a broken leg . It's bloody difficult to only eat 1100 calories,breakfast, a few cups of tea and a couple of hob nobs and a reasonable dinner usually takes me over. Even if I were active I would only need 1400.

[QueenLaBeefah]

2000 is too high for me but I have an under active thyroid and a job where I sit on my arse all day.

I think if you have quite a physical job (nurse?) then 2000 might be about right.

[Puppymouse]

5ft 7 and 11 stone and I can maintain my weight quite happily on around 2000 a day.

[3luckystars]

You had me until you said you would "struggle" to eat 2000 calories.

[nennyrainbow]

2000 isn't enough for me. I need about 2800 to keep a steady weight. I once counted calories over 4 consecutive days (that was all I could manage as it was so tedious weighing / measuring everything) as an experiment as I have always suspected I eat more than other people, and this confirmed my suspicions. I ate normally during the experiment and there was only about 300 kcals difference between the highest and the lowest days, so I think it was probably representative. I have been the same weight ( around 55kg, BMI about 19) for the past 10 years bar pregnancies. No idea why my calorie intake is higher than other people's - I have had thyroid tested and its normal.

[snakesalive]

Interesting thread...I've yo yo dieted for years.i think that has lowered the amount of calories I need before putting on weight.....I'm the person who puts on weight at slimming world and ww

[pettyprudence]

I am 5'5" and weigh 11 stone. I would like to lose about a stone more (I've lost almost 3 stone already). When I was fatter, I lost weight eating 2000cal per day but now I need about 1500 to maintain and 1200 or less to lose. I'm finding it very tough to be honest. I was at my ideal weight 11 months ago but it has clearly been hard to maintain. I actually started to put weight back on when I started running - it's not bulk sadly, just purely overeating but running (training for 1/2 marathon) just made me sooo hungry all the time! Anyway it's done now so scaling back on food and exercise

[GreatPointIAgreeWithYouTotally]

I don't count calories in my food, I had no idea about calories until I got a FitBit, which tells you how many calories you are burning. I'm guessing I'm eating as many as I burn as my weight is steady.

[snakesalive]

Rainbow,I bet you have never dieted...that's my point.dieting lowers the rate you burn calories

[ThisUsernameIsAvailable]

I am very very active and myfitnesspal says I need 2120 cals a day to maintain, I've been eating 1200 to lose so there's no chance I can nearly double that

[GreatPointIAgreeWithYouTotally]

It's interesting how everyone seems to burn energy so differently.

[AgainPlease]

It depends what you get your calories from OP.

I regularly eat around 2000 cal a day and I'm a size 8-10 and 5"7. I don't like exercising because I'm lazy

[ThisUsernameIsAvailable]

Th calculator further up says bmr is 1410
Fitbit says I burn around 2400 (my daily goal) and above a day, atm it says I've burned 2672 so far (I've done 3 fitness classes today)
It only asked height and weight, not build, I thought muscle made a difference

[FV45]

great is that cals burned exercising and existing or just exercising? If the latter then what are you doing??

I go on a 10 mile run and that's about 1000 cals (apparently, I don't really have much confidence in these estimates).

[HalloToJasonIsaacs]

Some people just fidget more. There's research and everything.