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Original poster

to think 2000 calories a day is too high

94 replies

kepler10b · 21/01/2011 14:29

for a lot of women.

i've never been overweight but after several years of happy marriage, too many hours at the desk and nights on the sofa i have put on a few too many pounds for my liking.

so i decided to get down the gym and also take a look at my diet.

i've never counted calories before but decided i'd look at how many i was eating.

definitely below the recommended levels of 2000 a day for a woman. honestly if i ate that much everyday i would be obese.

my typical calorie intake has probably reached more like 1500 and i reckon without doing loads of exercise in order not for my weight to creep up as it has been it needs to be more like 1300.

i am small frame and 5'2" but that isn't that unusual surely?

i just wonder where this 2000 calories a day recommendation came from and how people are supposed to lose weight if they keep to it?

OP posts:
BooBooGlass · 21/01/2011 14:31

Depends on your metabolism

JaneS · 21/01/2011 14:32

It's not meant to make you lose weight!

It's too high for me too, but I am 5'4 and don't do a huge amount of physical exercise.

BettyCash · 21/01/2011 14:32

You might want to look at fat and sugar content as well as calories. I'm keeping out of this one tho.

Tee2072 · 21/01/2011 14:33

Isn't 2000 calories a day for maintaining, not losing? Of course you need to eat less if you're going to lose.

I just found this calorie calculator and it says for my height, weight and exercise amount, just under 2,000 will maintain my weight.

So I'd need to eat less than that to lose. Which I do because I'm trying to lose!

Bogeyface · 21/01/2011 14:35

But the recommendations are probably based on a mythical person who also take the recommended exercise per week, doesnt drink more than the recommended amount per week, and basically follows all of the "guidelines" set out. Aswell as being of average height (so taller than you) and of medium build.

The guidelines are just that, a guide, and not to be taken as gospel. You adjust them to suit surely?

Chil1234 · 21/01/2011 14:35

2000 is a working average. The actual number for an individual is to do with your size... bigger/heavier people need more calories to maintain their weight... age... younger people need more calories than older ones.... and level of activity.... sedentary people don't need much to eat.

Someone 2 or 3 stones overweight can usually get the ball rolling on 1500 cals a day, provided they're physically active every day. If they're only a few pounds overweight and do no physical activity either, in order to lose weight that number drops sharply.

rinabean · 21/01/2011 14:36

I'm 5'3, small framed and lazy and I maintain my weight by eating about 2500 calories a day. Although I'm in my early twenties so maybe that helps, metabolism-wise? But Tee's calculator thinks I ought to be getting fat like this, too :/

Original poster
kepler10b · 21/01/2011 14:38

thanks for the calculator. mine comes out at just under 1600 calories to maintain current weight without doing any activity. but as you say...if you want to lose.

i am doing exercise now so should probably lose on that level anyway.

agree it's the content of the calories as well (not too much of the bad stuff).

i just think the 2000 cals thing is touted around too much and could lead to people putting on weight. a lot of people don't do any exercise or even much activity.

OP posts:
tyler80 · 21/01/2011 14:39

I think for most women 2000 would be about right if someone was taking the recommended amount of exercise. I think most women may not have a high enough activity level to eat 2000 and maintain weight.

The 2000 is a recommendation and as such it makes sense that it also assumes that activity levels are also at recommended levels.

klauskinskiinthekinotech · 21/01/2011 14:40

It is if you are on mnet all day sitting on your derriere like meWink, I shall have to limit myself to 500 in future especially as I had a donut for brekkie

JaneS · 21/01/2011 14:44

It used to be they put different ones for men and women on packaging, didn't it? 2000 for women and 2,500 for men - and I noticed the other day M&S stuff just has 2000 as a limit for anyone. Is that because they think only women care, or has the recommended limit for everyone been reduced, does anyone know?

I'm thinking, if 2000 is a recommended average limit for everyone, would women's be 1,750 and men's 2250, or something like that?

annapolly · 21/01/2011 14:44

I think as an average it may be ok.

I thought this my self and usually eat around 1400 on a normal day.

But when there is a party or celebration, or any other excuse for a bottle of wine, I consume a lot more.

DilysPrice · 21/01/2011 14:44

If you're 5 2 with a tiny frame and really sedentary then 2,000 is probably too much, but I'd be staggered if 1,300 or even 1,500 would be enough to maintain a stable weight. You might have a freakishly low metabolism, but it's more likely that your portion size estimation is out of whack when you did your sums - people are notorious for underestimating their calorie input when keeping food diaries - there was a woman on a recent documentary who was a full 50% out - even more when she did the diary at the end if the day rather than live.

TrillianAstra · 21/01/2011 14:50

www.foodfocus.co.uk has a good calculator.

2000 is to maintain weight, for an average-sized woman. Which you are not. You are small.

Original poster
kepler10b · 21/01/2011 14:50

@DilysPrice - you may be right i am not calculating correctly. i get a lot of my intake from the high street food chains (soups at lunch etc) and tend to go with the calorie calculators on their website though.

OP posts:
DilysPrice · 21/01/2011 14:53

Interesting link though - it says I need 1,980 calories per day, I am clearly very average indeed.

Original poster
kepler10b · 21/01/2011 14:53

looks like i am average female height in lots of countries. the rda doesn't make reference to ethnic background. i can't imagine many indonesians get through 200 cals a day.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height

OP posts:
EricNorthmansMistress · 21/01/2011 14:55

2000 is a bit high for a short woman who lives a moderately sedentary lifestyle. I could maintain my current weight on that, but I'm 1.5 stones overweight. And short.

mayorquimby · 21/01/2011 14:59

apparently I need 3,122 a day.
That seems very high

Foreverondiet · 21/01/2011 15:00

I think it depends on lots of things:

  • height
  • current weight (ie would ok to maintain BMI at top of normal eg 24 but not at lower end) of normal
  • activity levels
  • build / frame
  • metabolism

I have a close friend normal/average build and around 5 foot 6. She had discovered to maintain her BMI at the lower end of normal she can't go over 1500.

Original poster
kepler10b · 21/01/2011 15:01

did the food focus one and i need to eat 1283 calories a day to reach my goal weight of 53.1kgs by 4th march. i'm currently 55.8kgs.

OP posts:
TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 21/01/2011 15:03

Depends what exercise you do.

Original poster
kepler10b · 21/01/2011 15:05

moderately active means doing 30 - 60 mins of exercise a week (not just walking, proper cardio stuff). i'm doing that now but i wasn't before.

i don't think i'm that unusual.

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 21/01/2011 15:08

mayorquimby are you very tall, young and with an exceedingly active life-style?!

I need 2042, apparently.

GrimmaTheNome · 21/01/2011 15:09

I'm 5'1", sedentary job, but do exercise/walk a fair bit- to lose weight I have to eat pathetically little, even if I up my exercise level. That calculator thing reckons 1300 cals to lose weight if I put myself as 'lightly active' and 1076 if I choose 'sedendary.

Being older makes it worse too. Humph.