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?

Basal Metabolic Rate. I'm 78/79kg. BMR means I need about 1500kcals if I was to sit and do nothing all day. Everything else I base from that

Oh gawd, i think i would faint on only 1600-1700 Kcals a day. I eat at least 2300 a day. I am 5' 11" and size 10. Gosh i feel so manly now.

I think the 2000 calorie guideline was set a long time ago when people were more active, didn't drive. In fact if people are eating 2000 a day and living sedentary lifestyles it probably explains why so many people are overweight. I reckon i eat 1500 or so a day on average and would gain weighg if i ate 2000 on a regulare basis. So yanbu.

Agreed - the 2000 calorie guideline has been around for a long long time and most of us are a lot lazier and greedier now.

I've done my standard calorie intake and I am at about 1500 calories if I do nothing but lay in bed.

It increases with activity.

My, lots of replies

Some of them have got MATHS in them though.

I like that lots of people have said IANBU. I'll just go with those and ignore the ones containing constructive criticism.

For some women, 2000 calories is too much. I'm on a diet at the moment and for the first 2 weeks ate only 1200 a day. I'm now on 1400 a day and not hungry or anything, so to me 2000 is too much. Its easy to see how you can eat more than 2000 though!

Yes I think activity is the key. As I said up thread I cycle or run most days (6/7). So that's about 500 "extra calories".

Stick in your fornula

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

Is the last bracketed item subtracted rather than added (it's come out as funny symbols on my phone for some reason!)

Sorry, meant to type Sticky!

If I eat 2000 cals a day every day I put on weight.
I'm also 5foot 3. I'm on a fast two days a week where I eat 500 cals. It seems to work, and I feel much healthier eating less than the recommended 2000.
I was eating too much, thinking that I could, and should eat 2000 cals, but obviously, with a BMI of 24 it's too many for me: I prefer being about 8 stone 3, a BMI of about 20, or 19.

I don't consider it smug to say that you're healthy, and can maintain your weight, and am a bit tired of the fat is normal thinking: it's in everyone's best interest that as a population we are all as healthy as we can be- fatter people live shorter, more disease ridden lives, and cost more to look after them. Same for smokers, and heavy drinkers.

Red toothbrush, while I agree with you, I do feel you come on rather strong in your posts! Maybe a bit off putting for some posters, and I'm sure you didn't really mean that you're glad to hurt someone, were you?
That would make you kind of mean.... and I'm sure you're just feeling emotional about this, rather than mean.

Let's chill out!

I aim for 3000 calories a day. I need this cos of the heavy workouts I do. I am 5'7 and a slim size 10.

I rarely eat over 1000 a day (sometimes a good bit less) and am overweight.

I always aim to eat 1500 a day and always fail.

It's nearly always 2000.

It's just a guideline..some need more, some need less...

I dont really know how many calories but nowhere near 2000! I hate calorie counting but I'm a large size 10/small 12.

I think 2000 is a lot for most of us (average height) esp if you hate exercise likeI do. So YANBU.

Completely agree with the 'Smug post' comment.

Posts like this always end in people telling what size they are, How much they eat and how they never put on weight. Who cares?

I read somewhere that most women underestimate the actual number of calories in what they eat, and forget about hidden calories in drinks etc. Just because I read it doesn't make it true.... but it is worth throwing into the mix. Perhaps all you people who only eat 1500 are actually delusional

I'm usually very active so need to eat more than average as I burn off a lot of energy. A PT instructor estimated my requirements at 3000+. My friends say life isn't fair because I have a fast metabolism. Rubbish.... if you chop logs for 6 hours you need more than if you watch TV.

I think OP is probably right. Think of all the over 50s. Something like 80% of working women take no regular exercise.

Problem is that there is no "standard" woman. But most of the women I know are heavy and take no exercise, and none of the women I know (besides me) are more than modest eaters. Recently, one lady was insisting that a 35g portion of dry porridge was a lot for a child. I checked later and it seems tiny to me, compared to what we eat.

ceeveebee it should be a minus sign.

Which means if I lie in bed all day and do nothing, I need 1900 cals to maintain my weight. On a realistic lazy day I burn around 2200 cals, on a normal day 2600 and on a busy day 3000. I think my max has been just over 3200 burnt in a day, but I was exhausted! I try to eat around 2000 cals of good food, not junk, per day.

I also think that BMI doesn't work for everyone, mind you, mine is 31 so I would say that. My midwife was shocked it was so high. I'm not skinny by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't look fat (if you ignore the recent addition of the bump!) I'm 6' tall, and pre-pregnancy was 17 stone and a loose size 16, aiming for a 14. I walk a lot, used to run, do weights, shred, and was generally pretty active, and fairly toned. According to the BMI scale I'm obese!

As for the OP, no I don't think someone like the OP needs 2000 cals a day, but I'm sorry to say, I can kind of see why people thought it was a bit smug. My post is probably pretty smug too. After years of feeling unhappy with my body, I was finally really happy with me before getting pregnant again, and I'm really looking forward to getting back there.

Sorry I'm late to the party. I just wanted to say YANBU.

I don't need 2000 calories either and I too get sly comments about my perfectly normal and healthy weight.

Worse I only have zero calorie drinks as I can't stand sugary tasting drinks.

Mind you, I am teeny. I am only 5'2" and can't do much due to disability so probably that is the reason why I am happy having little food.

stickys formula is right... however other things also affect how much you need such as medication and medical conditions.

So basically everyone is different and the only way to really know is to calculate it and monitor it to see what works best for you.

Regarding the healthy BMI range- I have/had an eating disorder and spoke to the consultnat psychiatrist about this. He said 20-25 was healthy for most people, the 18.5-19.9 range being healthy for SOME people but that people with eating issues ought to aim for 20-25 as this was better overall. But to bear in mind that BMI is a very blunt instrument and doesn't apply to athletes, some ethinicities (eg Inuit and Oriental) and that generally men needed to be at the upper end of the healthy range.