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?

Just shows the utter ridiculousness of having a guideline on packets. People have a wide range of calories needs depending on their height, activity level and existing weight. I too would be overweight on 2000 a day, even if I did the govt recommended amount of exercise.

Good I'm glad it hurt. Its a two way thing and I am bloody sick to death of people criticising thin or short people's weight WHEN THEY ARE IN THE HEALTHY RANGE.

Why shouldn't they just tell the truth? Why is is suddenly unacceptable TO BE HONEST?

Why is it SMUG to simply state what you are? Why are other people so fucking offended by other people? Why does that make them feel so insecure that they feel the need to pass comment on it.

There is no reason to say anything.

It was perfectly relevant to the question and perfectly relevant to making the point that the guidelines are bollocks. If the OP hadn't have said it someone would probably have asked her!

Honestly. You'd think that being 19 BMI was a socially unacceptable disease these days from the reactions you get from some people.

And yes IT IS reverse snobbery, whether you admit it or not.

Yanbu, I'm 5'5, and rely struggle to eat 2000 calories a day, I can manage to eat about 1500 a day. I walk an hour every day, but even when I was at the gym every 2nd day and walking much more often too I still struggled to eat 2000 and always averaged at about 1500. I'm not very skinny either and could do with losing some weight.

Standard is irregular. (smile)

I would put on weight if I eat 2000 calories a day every day. I'm not smug. I presume its because my I don't do enough exercise to burn off all of those calories, so I don't need them.

I am in the healthy BMI range - but 23 so not particularly thin. I'm taller than the OP though - 5'9.

I don't understand why people said the OP was smug. Although I can see that 2000 is only a guideline, I think that you would have to have either a fast metabolism or a fairly active lifestyle not to put on weight at that level.

RedTB
You seem very angry - is this something that has touched a personal nerve with you?

To reiterate, you have no idea what my personal BMI is, so I could be in any range at all. Does this make my opinion more or less valid? And the reverse snobbery thing is a matter of opinion too. In my opinion!

I am 5ft 2 and at a healthy weight. I couldn't eat 1,500-600 cals a day without gaining unless I exercise loads. I have to eat very little to maintain my weight so we are all different. It all depends on your build and activity levels but I don't know many woman who can eat 2000 calories a day and not gain weight unless they are pretty active.

I do have a low thyroid and I am pretty sure I messed up my metabolism by losing 5 stone pretty quickly two years ago.

I have to work really hard to keep this weight and I hate exercising and very envious of people who can maintain a nice weight on a decent amount of calories without having to exercise like crazy.

I'm angry, because the message that I see repeatedly on MN and in real life is that it is not ok to be 19 BMI.

It is happening more and more that you get rude remarks about it, in person, when to do the same to someone overweight is completely unacceptable.

Why is the converse becoming socially acceptable? It should be challenged every bit as much as rudeness to someone who is overweight.

I don't even know why you are asking this question. The answer is so obvious. You are small, your life is fairly sedentary. (Pilates hardly burns off loads of cardio excercise calories.) The 2000 calories is a guideline. Some women will need 2300, some (like you) need 1700.

As it happens 2000 cals suits me quite well to maintain a healthy BMI, active-ish lifestyle and stable clothes size.

Some of you are getting v arsey. Low blood sugar?

Why is that acceptable Bread? Why is that more acceptable than saying "here have another pie fatty?"

Thank you for illustrating the point, I'm trying to make.

woman=women*

I'm 5ft 8 and eat pretty healthily am not sedentary (walk and dance) and I would put weight on if I regularly ate more than 2000 calories a day. I do sometimes have a feast, if I go out with friends or dp for meals or if Dp and I pig out at home. But generally eat ok. Home cook almost everything. So yes OP I think you're right as I am taller than most of my friends. I am a bit overweight and would like to get to 11.5 stone, got around half a stone to go. But I just need to move more (Shred perhaps?) as eat healthily already.

You sound lovely btw

Ha ha Bread - not in my case!

Here is my manifesto....

It is perfectly ok to have a BMI of 19. It is not perfectly ok to expect everyone to have an BMI of 19.
It is not ok to be rude to people who are overweight.
it is not ok to judge people solely on their looks.

So why past comment on someone, suggesting they sounded smug for merely saying their BMI...

Because the implication was that anyone whose BMI was more than this (ie ate more than 2000 calories a day) was a greedy biffer.

I have been trying to gain weight. For me to eat 2000 calories I literally have to eat every hour of the day to fit it in! It's lots of food!

In 5'4 and doctor said the average would be 1500-1600

Its an average. If a woman is breastfeeding then she eat tons of cake and still lose weight.

Yanbu, I certainly gain weight on 2000 calories per day. But I am smaller than average and more sedentary than average and even older than average! I definitely eat less than 2000 calories per day and have a bmi of 29 .

I get your point Red I am amazed at the amount of people who have called me too skinny and told me how much better I would look if I had more curves etc etc

In general, it does seem more acceptable to talk negatively about slim people and most people don't seem to realise what a healthy weight looks like anymore. I am not underweight but you would think I am anorexic by some of the negative comments I have got about my weight and I am in the middle of the healthy BMI, although with my build I do look smaller than what I weigh, but in no way I do I look unhealthy.

When I was 5 stone heavier no one would tell me that I would look better if I lost weight or tell me I looked unhealthy but it is fair game if you are slim it seems.

Sorry!!! fewer than

Calculate your Basic Metabolic Rate as follows:

BMR for Women = 655.1 + (9.6 weight [kg]) + (1.8 size [cm]) − (4.7 * age [years])

Then times your total according to how active you are:
Little/no exercise: BMR * 1.2 = Total Calorie Need
Light exercise: BMR * 1.375 = Total Calorie Need
Moderate exercise (3-5 days/wk): BMR * 1.55 = Total Calorie Need
Very active (6-7 days/wk): BMR * 1.725 = Total Calorie Need
Extra active (very active & physical job): BMR * 1.9 = Total Calorie Need

The end figure is how many calories per day your body actually needs. Apparently.

Shows that talking about average needs to be careful as there are basically four variables - weight, height, age and activity.

people are so jealous - if you're not happy with your weight, do something
about it instead of accusing anyone who dares to even mention the word
of being smug.

Is this forumla right? I plugged in the fugures for the lowest level of excercise and it came up with 2125 for me??? At the level I aculaly do (moderate) I could allegedly eart 2700 calories a day. I actually probably eat around 1800 a day to maintain weight of nine and a half stone for a height of Five Seven and an age of 52.