to think a standard woman does not need 2000 calories a day?

[CardinalRichelieu]

I know it says on packaging etc that 2000 is the standard intake for a woman but it sounds like kind of a lot. I reckon I eat maybe 1600-1700 per day? I am quite small (5 ft 3) and don't do much exercise except walking around and a bit of pilates. I work partly from home and partly out of the home and don't really burn that much off in daily activity. I am in the healthy BMI range (19).

I don't think someone like me needs 2000 calories a day - am I right?

Smug post.

Well, you're quite small and at the low end of the healthy BMI range. Its a bit judgemental of you to assume that what suits you works for everyone else

FWIW I'm losing weight on 1800 caps a day at the moment, so 2000 is prob about right for me

Vair smug post.

I agree. When I need to lose a few pounds, I use weightlossresources. That calculates my daily cal requirement at around 1750. I'm a bit taller than you with an office job. Any exercise gets added to that though, so I guess if you are expercising 3 times a week and burning around 500 cals a time, 2000 a day wouldn't be far off the mark, but most people don't do that.

I think you're reading too much into it! If I said I eat a shitload and I am skinny then perhaps that would be smug...

Bread, I said 'someone like me' not 'everyone in the world'

Its not smug fgs. Some people are like that. So people who are slim cant mention weight without being called smug now ? I have a bmi of 17 and i need at least 2000 or i loose weight. Everyone is different.

I don't think there's any such thing as a "standard woman" to be honest.

What's smug about not being able to eat an average amount of food without putting on weight?

Anyway, 5'3 and sedentary is probably not the typical woman. I'm significantly taller than average and have a physical job, so I could say that 2000 calories is not enough for a woman, but that would be biased to my size and activity level.

Bully for you.
I'm 5ft 7, in the healthy BMI range (although the higher end) and I eat more than 2000 calories per day.
But that's because I'm PeppaFuckingPig.

People are different. They need different things.
Eat as much, or as little, as works for you.

What's a standard woman?

it came over to me as "I'm petite and slim and i don't need to eat this much so anyone who eats 2000 calories a day is a greedy biffer" (paraphrase perhaps)
But why does it matter what anyone else needs? You're happy with your weight and calorific intake which is great. I'm really not certain of the point of the post.

Ok fine - for a small person who does little exercise then of course you're not being unreasonable. But that's a bit of a pointless AIBU isn't it

Why do you care? I don't know my BMI but I'm the same height and a size 10 and I don't really give a rat's arse what other people eat. I'm always astounded at how many people have time to care about utter nonsense.

See i read the OP as the guidelines maybe inaccurate..

Yep, at 5'3 it's not very surprising, is it?

Ehm, yes, but is an average, isn't it? Nobody would actually blindly follow this sort of guideline, and top up on a mars bar in the evning if they had not met it, regardless of being hungry?!

To show you how average, or standard works, I will let you know that as a 6ft1 sporty woman I find 2000 cals a very LOW number.

I'm an inch taller than you OP, am also BMI of 19 and eat like a fecking horse! My brothers are both a foot (yes) taller than me and eat even more and are like racing snakes. Everyone is different and it depends on your genes, lifestyle and general health.

So YABU to judge what is an across-the-board average recommendation by your own specifications.

Yeah I guess so. I've already lost interest in it myself, to tell you the truth...

I have approx. 1800kcal per day, am 5ft 6.5, and BMI is just under 22. I am also breastfeeding. I've actually gained 4 lbs in the last month. I obviously am not the 'average woman' who needs 2000kcal per day! I agree, OP, that for some women, 2000kcal is far too much.

I don't know what 'standard' is, but you have said you are small so you don't count anyway.

I'm 5'2 and BMI of 19 too. I struggle to eat less than 2000 cals. I think it's so easy to eat 2000 cals, and I don't know how anybody eats any less!
I have a mainly office job 3 days a week, but on the other days I'm always walking around , looking after 2 small kids and I do Zumba twice a week and cycle in the weekends, so I think for my height and weight and activity level, 2000 cals a day is probably about right.

YANBU, CardinalRichelieu; I can see no reason at all to have potentially misleading guidance like this on food packets or as advice from the NHS; it's unhelpful.

too late, this thread will kick off!

No, just kidding, it wont, I am sure.