To think that women don't actually need 2000kcal a day

For most women though, those aren't the 2 choices. Thin and surviving on lettuce or morbidly obese and chained to the fridge.

There's a middle ground that allows you to be a healthy weight and eat 3 satisfying meals a day with, dare I say it, a couple of snacks.

You’d rather women were fat, sick, eating themselves into an early death, with reduced mobility (and therefore dependent) and unable to fully participate in all aspects of life? With that invisible lead that chains them to the fridge? With their only life’s pleasure being yet another slice of cake?

Nah, fuck that.

When i was a size 20 i only ate 1300-1500 calories a day, however, i also had a metric fuck tone of calories in drinks which i never bothered to count or acknowledge. The calories to gain always come from somewhere. My diet on WLI is more restrictive than before, however it was cutting out the calorie filled drinks thats made the biggest difference for me. Im hoping now i have killed that habit, gone through caffeine withdrawal, and found drinks i like that are low calorie but not filled with artificial sweetners as im allergic, i can maintain once off the WLI's

I think you should speak to your GP - you may have a thyroid issue, amongst other issues. I think you'd be a good candidate for semaglutide injections because that's likely healthier than consuming 400 calories a day to lose weight. These jabs have completely changed my life.

@Crikeyalmighty
I know. I’m not being judgemental of her. I am overweight and eat way too much. I used to smoke and I have replaced it with food tbh.
I think people these days are so focused on weight that they forget slim doesn’t always equal healthy. My dad is very slim, always has been and is extremely judgmental of anyone overweight but he is a recovering alcoholic of decades, smoked til it gave him cancer and has literally never exercised as as an adult and his diet is awful. Another person in my family is very slim and people don’t realise she has an eating disorder. She literally only eats three types of food. They have to be from certain shops/ particular brands, have to be measured out. She eats a small amount every three hours on the button and spends a lot of the time in between preparing her food and she exercises excessively to burn it off. She also smokes and does drugs yet she is constantly criticising me for my weight and thinks she’s the picture of health.

and it was back then. LOL. Now I eat a lot. English breakfast, sandwiches, salads, cooked foods. Too much anyway

I think there's an interesting argument for refining the calorie advice system. Lots of people are vastly unaware of it!

I'm 5'3, losing weight for medical reasons. I eat 1200 calories a day and burn on average 2,800. I don't 'eat' my gained calories, apart from feeling they will mop up any of my underestimation.

I think the calories are restrictive, but absolutely fine. A normal day would be greek yoghurt (the proper stuff) and berries for breakfast. Cottage cheese/eggs and salad for lunch and fish, rice and veggies for tea. I'm learning to build in treats- I had a well earned galaxy bar the other day 🤣. I'm out for a meal tonight - I've looked at the menu (chain restaurant)

I think the brutal reality is we're designed to expect treats and we associate 'treat' foods with rewards - take away, g+t, chocolate whatever your vice is!

I think people also underestimate how active they are- many people drive everywhere and fail to notice their watch ticking over when they're moving slowly!

There is no magic wand to lose weight - it's eat less and move more. Of course people who do large amounts of exercise and are much taller will need more.

I think I might have issues with gluten....so it is a different ball game

Absolutely this.

I'm sorry but you don't get to a size 20 eating 1500 kcals either. You're killing yourself whatever you're doing anyway - my diet wasn't as bad as you're describing, as an anorexic.

The thing is with these threads posters claim they don’t eat anywhere near 2000 calories are probably living in denial, unless you weigh and measure every single morsel that passes your lips and count every single drop of liquid, (even zero calorie drinks have calories) then you are more than likely consuming a lot more than you think, accurate calorie counting is a job in itself, not many people do it with precision at all, how many people weigh their portion of broccoli or carrots for example, the “I eat nowhere near 2000 calories” brigade probably eat more than that, they just don’t know it.

There is a lot to be said for avoiding inflammatory foods and giving time to rest your gut. A lot of people graze on rubbish all day (biscuits with tea, cake day at work). Some willpower is required and your body will reward you by breaking it's sugar addiction and reducing your cravings for rubbish. Not eating stodgy carbs in the evening is also very important.

I dropped to 1500 calories a day with next to no exercise (desk job) and lost two stone in a matter of months but I am 5'10" and 55. A maintenance intake of 2000 would probably be fine for me.

Thank you, it might be the case. Will check it out

Haha this is me with my small children, I eat loads but am relatively slim (and short). It's not running exactly but I am constantly up and meeting various needs/demands, plus they do often head in two different directions so I'm herding them... Constantly moving rather than sitting. Also have to pick them up a lot so have huge biceps 😆

Maybe gluten intolerance and the bread is causing inflammation?

And so I was 10 when first married. Since then I have had to cook varied menus and as I come from a country in which we eat each cooked meal with bread, I just put on too much, having added some bread to my overall eating. This is why I do not trust the official measurements or calories they put on labels. Nor trust any labels for that matter. My own experience is the test here.

so basically on top of the two porridge portions I eat fish, veg, diary and fruit into small portions. A boiled egg sometimes, not all in one day, but over a week. I put in very fast once I add 1 slice of bread to this type of eating.

I am size 20 now and eat 1500; when I am size 10, I literally eat two porridges a day, even topped with banana, nuts, honey - these two are about 300. Fruit, veg, meat ( I am not meat eater so will be fish couples of times a week)

Agree. I’m a healthy BMI by eating everything more or less in moderation and exercising five times a week.
I’d have to eat less to be teeny tiny, like I have been in the past, but I was mostly eating salad back then and didn’t even have energy to exercise.
Definitely not worth it for me.

Same here! Have three kids, but never really understood what people meant by “running around”.
I get it that you might not get the chance to sit still for very long, but even when you take the kids to the park or a playground, how much actual running around do you do as a parent?

Is there a medical reason you're trying to lose weight? If you can maintain easily, and look healthy, it would suggest your body is happy where it's at... maybe increase activity rather than decrease food?

I've had an eating disorder most of my life, and you're talking absolute bullshit. You aren't size 20 consuming 400 calories a day. You're not a size 10 consuming 400 calories a day either. A size 10 - 20 wouldn't be able to hack 400 calories a day for a month. What's your 400 calories coming from in a day out of interest?

@MisterMeeseeks yep I know someone like this too -exists on a few sweets, one reasonable meal a day and the odd couple of biscuits and a banana or a few grapes but she doesn’t drink . Never has what I call 3 healthy balanced meals a day but is always an ok healthy weight , never overweight. I can’t help but think unless you eat a lot of salad and just fruit that eating 3 nutritious healthy meals a day with plenty of protein as advised, many who eat well would struggle to get under the 1250 that many need to actually lose weight. I’ve always ate really well , lots of healthy stuff and have struggled since40 with putting weight on - I can maintain it easily but struggle to lose and I think it’s my mental version of the ‘3 meals a day ‘that’s doing it- I’m on my 2nd week of mounjaro too but won’t go beyond the initial 4 weeks as it makes me feel sick constantly- not really lost anything either - so am going to switch to 2 meals a day of 500 each plus a small bowl of fruit and a small dollop of Greek yoghurt - I’m overweight by quite a few stone but ironically my friends in their 40s and I’m 63 say they think I look great and look well if not exactly slim - I asked them for very honest feedback - sometimes as you say ‘some’ very slim people aren’t always slim through good habits that contribute to overall well being

Animal fats contribute to heart disease. Yes, refined carbs aren’t good but carbs per se aren’t bad. I have Type 1 diabetes and I’m heartily sick of all this crap about ‘glucose spikes’; the selling of CGMs to the worried well; and the vast number of influencers with their stupid glucose hacks. Eat a healthy diet and forget that rubbish.

Yes, visceral fat is bad, but women who eat 2000 calories a day don’t necessarily have visceral fat. My body fat percentage is very low. You say most people don’t need three meals a day - I do, and - shock horror - I also eat snacks too! My BMI is 19.6 because I just checked. This fake horror at women eating normal amounts of food is so sad.

More than that, it distracts from the aim - to be healthy. It also demonises food rather than appreciating it for the vital fuel it is.