Is this too big a portion?

[fishfingergate]

Context that my dad said he couldn’t believe I was eating “all that”
don’t judge the oven food, it’s Thursday and I’m tired!

I love fish fingers, but I could not eat 5. I’d eat 3, and the veg, but that’s just me. I don’t have big appetite. Not sure what those crisp things are.

No no… it’s not too much for most people at all. It’s too much for many women under a certain height who do not exercise. It’s almost certainly not enough for most men or for women who are tall who aren’t sedentary or for average height women who are active. OP is over half a foot taller than the average woman…

If my TDEE as a 5’3, size 6-8 woman who is only lightly active is 1790. Then OP who is much, much taller than me will likely have a TDEE far over 2000. In fact, a healthy weight (75kg) woman of 180cm who does only light exercise needs to eat 2082 per day. If she is moderately active it’s 2,218!

So saying ‘most people’ shouldn’t eat 2000 calories a day is nonsense. It completely DEPENDS on individual factors.

They’re waffle fries not crisps. 3 fishfingers and the veg is about 230 calories all in. A child sized meal.

Well given we have an aging population its fair to say there are more older people than younger people therefore the stats should be based on the majority. The average height of a woman is 5.4 I believe. I am one inch taller than that and have a low TDEE.

It's the low end of the healthy weight so a healthy weight.

So you now want us to base ‘most’ people’s daily calorie needs… on the elderly?

I don't like fish fingers but if I did i think 3 or 4 would be about right. DS would eat that and be starving, but he's 17!

Well I'm not the biggest fan of BMI sigh that's a whole other discussion but pretty much the only whip currently used to beat women. I have a lot of experience in obesity both professionally and personally. So yes a BMI of 19 is bordering underweight and on most women of 5ft is pretty low and gaunt looking. 25 equally bordering overweight though as it goes up harder to judge because of female factors...

As I said, I don’t have a big appetite. I eat about 1000 calories a day. More than that, I’ll gain weight. I’m 5’8.5 and 9.5 stone and exercise 5x a week.

" BMI of 19 is bordering underweight and on most women of 5ft is pretty low and gaunt"

Sounds like quite a subjective opinion rather than a professional one. Whether someone looks gaunt or not depends on where they hold fat and I don't think most people with a healthy BMI of 19 look gaunt.

@soupyspoonalso calorie needs only properly start to decline after age 50 (200calories less a day on average) and then age 60 (400 less).

38% of the population is > 50. So that’s not most people either.

Are you 60+ or have some other physical difference? Because I would see a doctor about that otherwise. While everyone is different a very active 5’8 woman who is eating 1000 calories a day would be expected to be rapidly losing weight. You may want to investigate.

Far too much salt unless you have a medical condition that means you need more salt than normal?

It’s one meal of the day. You can’t know that it’s ‘too much salt’ without knowing how much salt she consumed in her other meals.

Cut out the inflammatory foods - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc and that will make a huge difference to your autoimmune diseases. Also highly recommend biologicals. If the one you are put on doesn’t work keep going back to try the next one up the ladder - they won’t put you on the decent stuff until you’ve tried the nasty crap first as it’s ££££. My injections are £10,000 a month and that’s only 2 injections a month! But omg the difference in life is amazing!!! I avoided them for years as I’d read the potential side effects. Of course autoimmune diseases also come along with multiple organ failure etc too so it’s the weigh up of having a better quality of life and less pain etc or the rare potential side effects 🤷‍♀️ I left it 20 years and found out I’d have been better on the biologicals 😂
Stopping potatos etc made a massive difference but was harder than giving up smoking for me 😁

i am on a biologic for 1 of them, the others aren’t treatable with a biologic (hashimotos, low white blood count)

Lol, older people are not 'elderly'. Im not elderly!!!

An aging population simply means we have more older people than younger.

And no I dont think there should be any base of calorie need because what is needed is education about what each individual needs and people dont understand that, they dont understand how to calculate it or how to measure what they need. There shouldnt be a 'women need x and men need y' proclamation anywhere. Its nonsensical.

It’s the performative restraint.

Thanks😂

I’m far from 60 and I’m really healthy. I just gain weight really easily.

Hopefully you realise Im making the point that no one would be concerned or say its unhealthy at someone right on the border of the other end, notwithstanding whether BMI is wholly or somewhat accurate. A BMI of 19 is perfectly fine and no need for shaming of people who are.

I can never fully suss out which posts are pisstake and which aren't about food portions on MN😂

I find it bizarre that so many adults would eat so little for dinner. My 4 and 8 year olds would easily eat the same portion as you OP! And probably ask for more. They’re both very slim.

Was a slightly sarcastic to said poster who was making huge digs at the huge portions and massuve 2000 cals 🙄

If you gain weight at 5’8 eating Just over 1000 calories while also being active 5x a week and you’re not an older person or have a physical difference - you’re either underestimating your calories or something in your body isn’t behaving as it should be. You should be losing weight on that lifestyle, if you’re not it suggests something is behaving unusually. All good if you are healthy and your body is just behaving differently to every other human’s but if not it’s best to just get some bloods etc to make sure.

I am 5 2 and have a BMI of 19 (am Asian). I have big boobs and a bit of a belly. Not gaunt and am v fit and healthy. V petite build overall. Are you a GP? As a fellow doctor, I am surprised at your comment. Sounds a bit ignorant and subjective rather than based on scientific knowledge.