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

@shearwater2 its not that preposterous. A tbsp of mayo is roughly 100 calories. A 100 calorie excess a day equals 10lb weight gain in a year so it’s free edible that a heaped tablespoon could pretty much equal a stone. Certainly a couple of biscuits a day will do it.

@Teddleshon Well, yes, if it's an excess. A couple of biscuits or a spoonful of mayonnaise won't of itself make you overweight though.

Well obviously but surely the point was adding just a tbsp of mayonnaise to your diet on a daily basis could potentially add up to a stone in weight gain over a year.

Which is totally incorrect @Teddleshon unless you make it clear that you are talking about excess calories over what you need to eat that particular day!

Mayonnaise doesn't make you fat, neither do avocados or biscuits or chocolate. Some people seem to think they do.

When I was very lean and had a chocolate from a box handed around at work one of the secretaries used to ask me "How can you eat that and stay slim?" Because that's not how it works!

It's really not, a measured tablespoon of mayo is 100 calories, that's about 13g. Most people do heaped spoons though, I measured what I'd consider a tablespoon of sauce to be and it was 19g (so about 130-140 calories).
100 calories too much every single day is almost a stone a year. 140 calories extra every day is over a stone a year.

Gah, I give up.

Absolutely. The calorie guides are useless, frankly. The focus should be on eating actual food (not junk), increasing fruit and veg, wholegrains, protein and good fats and cutting out the processed carbs.

I don't count calories anymore but work off the nutritional value on my plate. I cut processed foods carbs, increased fat and protein and my appetite has dropped drastically with no more episodes of hangry or binging. It has to be tailored to the person. No one size fits all and I think calorie counting dooms people to fear, guilt and weight regain. It should be about life style and balance.

Absolutely this.

It’s 5ft 3

l used to be a womenswear designer. Even at 5ft 6 it can be a struggle to find things long enough.

I'm a man who has always struggled to lose the last belly / chubby fat, and was eating 2000-2500 a day.

For the last 4 months I've averaged 1700 and lost weight.

You are completely right.

Side note I really like that so many places put calories on menus, it makes it easy to make a smart choice!

@shearwater2 i think we are all assuming that most people are of sufficient intelligence to understand that you will only gain weight if your total calorific intake is greater than your output.

I think a lot of people would however be surprised that just 2 extra digestives a year could potentially add a stone in just one year.

Side note I really like that so many places put calories on menus, it makes it easy to make a smart choice! Me too. It's quite an eye-opener. I usually just eat what I fancy but, as I pp, I eat out so infrequently I might as well enjoy it.

With things like bought sandwiches, I'd much rather have a filling one than a low calorie one, so I tend to look at the nutritional values - a decent amount of protein is likely to be more satisfying. Again, I hardly ever buy a sandwich.

when my friend trained to teach she quickly put on weight. She swore the only thing that’d changed was biscuits. I was dubious but makes sense when you put it like this.

Switching from getting up and changing TV channels to remote controls is supposed to make us put on 2lb a year if nothing else changes. It is a very finely balanced system.

I have been really surprised at the calories counts on some menus.

I have been really surprised at the calories counts on some menus.

Same, I saw a prawn starter and it was 750 calories, a steak, chips and watercress main was 1050.

I was vastly underestimating before getting my act together last July. Before then I’d have the prawn starter and the steak and then a big sandwich and about five chocolates later on. No wonder I was a porker.

I don’t drink coffee but have given up my three or four 250 ish calorie hot chocolates out per week and swapped to 38 calorie hot chocolates once a day at home. This change alone has meant a 5.5 lb weight loss in 6 months and has been easy peasy to do.

I think it's just a guideline, our bodies are all different and it changes as we age also. And even if you could eat 2000 calories per day and maintain weight, it needs to be 2000 calories every single day and no more. Not 2000 calories most days then a takeaway and 2 bottles of wine over the weekend. Or 2000 a day mostly but 3000 per day over christmas, birthdays, holidays and special occasions. Or 2000 calories per day plus a few cups of tea/coffee that you don't count the milk in, a half eaten biscuit your child handed you, a chocolate from the christmas stash you didn't bother to count, 1/2 tablespoon extra olive oil on your salad where your hand slipped etc... It adds up quickly and is so easy to lose track of.

Yes the calorie count on some menus is horrific, just shows how much fat and sugar goes into some things.

I remember a French chef some years aho was famous for his pomme puree / mash which people used to wax lyrical about. Turns out it was almost 50% butter. To me that would taste disgusting but I guess people get acclimatised to very rich foods if they eat out a lot.

Thats right

On another thread someone was talking about obesity and saying people dont just get obese by having a few too many chocolate biscuits!

Thats exactly how people get obese. People that generally have an ok diet/intake but its just too much each day on average

The post was clearly talking about 'extra' spoonful, it was implied this was a calorie equivalent of the tablespoon of mayo, ie about 100 cals or so, probably more, mayo is virtually just oil - above your calorie need.

This would allow you to gain weight slowly, virtually invisibly over the year and suddenly you're a stone fatter

shearwater2

All the other posters understood my mayonnaise post.

@NewYear24 I understood. But it was poorly expressed and misleading.

I've also had the opposite experience with menu calories, where I've ordered a starter which was supposed to be 500 calories, and it's like a couple of prawns and a lettuce leaf, and I feel short changed! And hungry.

I think that's quite common and a good way to maintain a healthy weight - knowing you're eating a big meal later in the evening, so 'working up an appetite' by having a smaller lunch than usual, or maybe a larger breakfast and skipping lunch.
It's OK to be hungry - if you've chosen to do so, and know you're going to eat later obviously.