AIBU to think that guideline ‘suggested calories per day’ should be reduce

[Crepid]

We all know that the NHS guidance is that adult women should eat 2,000 calories per day and men should eat 2,500.

I’ve also just seen that a 7 year old girl is suggested to eat over 1,500 calories a day - again, the source is the NHS.

I’m 5ft 6, and have a BMI are the upper end of normal (very close to overweight) and I would say that I am probably a little overweight (fat around my abdomen and generally not as slim as I’d like but I’m on track).

In the past year I’ve taken to the gym where, combined with eating less and healthier food, I’m happy to say I’ve managed to lose about 1.5 stone (9.5kg).

For motivation, every time I attend the gym I use a new body sensor device that gives me a detailed breakdown of my stats and it clearly states that to maintain my weight and physique I should eat no more than 1,350 calories per day.

Obesity is causing a huge strain on the NHS and robbing people of their mobility and broader health.

Why are they recommending that people eat 2,000 calories per day when myself - a woman of larger than average height and medium activity levels is being told on both the gym equipment and the GP surgery machine that 1,300 calories will suffice in keeping me at the upper region of ‘healthy’ if not close to overweight?

That’s less than a 7 year old child.

AIBU to think that the calorie suggestions should be lowered to combat it?

YABU - calorie guidance should stick at 2000/2500 calories

YANBU - calorie guidance should be reviewed and lowered

How do you track your calorie intake OP if you don’t record everything?

My Fitbit is telling me I have averaged burning 2300 calories a day this week. My BMI is about 19 and easily slips to less than this if I don’t eat enough. I work in a school and cycle 30 mins a day. I need
more than 2000 calories.

Doing that amount of cardio, I’m pretty certain (but no expert before anyone asks for my credentials 😆🙄) you could eat more than 2000 every single day, possibly quite a bit more but cardio varies right? I never used to drip with sweat doing cardio but my husband does and burns hundreds of Cals.

who is this to? I’m assuming pp as I noted I was taller than average (but not by much admittedly!)

You mean if I don’t record the splash of semi skimmed milk in my tea as per pp?

I would say I measure it as most people do. I.e. I’ll eat a single serve of fish (single serve from a supermarket as opposed to me just eyeing up what I think a serve is), with rice and a weighted portion of vegetables and use the noted calories. I don’t track the minutiae of detail

This!👆👍

I don't measure my calorie intake, but I've just had a look at my garmin stats and they say I burn usually about 2300 a day, rarely less than 2000.
I exercise a lot, am 5'8" and very slim.
I follow my appetite and think that I would naturally lower my intake if I wasn't as active, in the same way that after say a day of lots of food (wedding, Xmas) I naturally eat less the next day or so.

I agree op
Height makes a big difference
Those 5'9 etc are almost as tall as average man. So almost 50% of men could eat that amount (obviously muscle differences etc)

I wonder if theres mire a larger height difference.
Previous generations of our families 5'0 but also a 5'6 and 5'7 so up to 7 inches difference. The 5'7 was 2nd tallest in her school.
By my generation and dc one there is more like 10inches difference between tallest and smallest.

Menopause reducing calories too which if you were 5'2 say wpuld make a big difference.

However there is a huge metabolism difference one relative is like a stick but as a child ate a full plate of pasta a 5.

@Crepid I do tend to eat the same breakfast every day and a small range of lunches and snacks so the app remembers it all for you. I don’t bother doing it as strictly at the the weekend evenings when I might be a bit more off piste

That splash of semi skimmed milk in tea could be multiple times a day though, it all adds up, if someone had 150ml in tea and coffee each day and didn’t count it in their calorie allowance that’s around 455 calories they are not accounting for each week.

The 1300 calories is your basal metabolic rate (BMR) so literally what you burn just to stay alive. Any every day movement or exercise will mean you burn over that so your total even on a non-gym day would be much higher, unless you literally lay in bed all day!

I allow 200ml of semi skimmed milk in my calculations each day. I track my protein primarily but it also obviously calculates my calories and carbs/fat etc

@Blackalice doesn’t the BMR vary significantly between people based on a range of factors, not least height and current weight?

I think that in general people eat too much and the published calorie guidelines only encourage that.

Most people are far too sedentary to need 2000 calories a day.

I'm 47, overweight, pretty active..average 15k steps a day. Fitbit says I burn about 2.4k a day. My intake is 1.5-1.7k, mainly whole foods and no meat. I'm losing weight so must be at a deficit.

@BoobyDazzler couldnt agree more. The days where I burn through more than 2000 calories are when I’ve done well over 10,000 steps, weights and a bike ride. Would be surprised if the average person is that active. Even a relatively small excess over your daily calorific need can add up to significant weight gain over a year and a massive gain over a decade.

Even a relatively small excess over your daily calorific need can add up to significant weight gain over a year and a massive gain over a decade.

I once read that an extra tablespoon of mayonnaise every day would be a gain of one stone a year.

It's a guideline not a law, surely if people are smart enough to calculate calories they are smart enough to work out what works for them?

I’m 72kg,5ft 9 45 years old. So average weight/ age.

I eat around 2000 calories, 3 normal meals and occasional snack. Active life for getting about, but no gym or workouts. I don’t diet or track.
While I could look better, soft middle, Tbf the advice sees me in the healthy weight range and I’m in good health. No health issues, prescriptions etc

Do people really eat this way though?
Are people sitting at home at 9pm thinking "shit, I've only eaten 1500 calories today, I'd better have an iced bun" or "ohh look at me, I've got a spare 400 calories, I'm not hungry but I'll have a KitKat anyway".

I know there are outliers, but for most people following your hunger is a pretty good measure of how much you need.

That's preposterous.

According to my watch (and it isn't 100% accurate of course!) but my BMR is running at 1860 per day and my average 'active' calories are around 300-500 (I have a sedentary job and do very little exercise) so to maintain my weight, I could eat anywhere between 2160 and 2360 per day; which is what I have been doing as my weight has been static for years. I am overweight though.

But everyone is different.

I think we can safely assume that the general pop are not partaking in moderate exercise as much as they would need to be to consume those calories simply from the obesity crisis that we’re facing - I listened to a Zoe podcast the other day which included Michael Moseley and he quoted some stats that people 'say' they are doing the 150 minimum minutes per week of exercise but when properly assessed, less than 10% of the study group were doing those minutes (despite the fact that they thought they were?!)

I reckon the only people who look at calories on a packet are people who are already aware of what they need to do to lose / maintain their weight, so arent really giving a hoot about the recommeneded amount anyway.

You could put 'this will make you morbidly obese' in capitals on the front of the packet, or put it in a restricted zone in the supermarket behind a curtain and people will still eat it because they don't care. We all know what's unhealthy, or too much food or when our clothes get tight etc.

personally I don’t do that but for example I’ve eaten less calories than normal this week because I’m going out for dinner tonight to make up for it, works well for me.

I probably eat about 1500-2000 calories a day, 5'10, 70kg and age 65, I have been this size for years but am bigger than average for a woman, though not overweight. Exercise is quite erratic, some days hardly any but other days 10-15 mile walks, I think if I ate 2000 every day I would be a bit overweight.