Is 2000 calories a day too much?

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I’m once again trying to take control of my weight gain as I have been steadily getting bigger for the last 13 years.

I’m being honest on my fitness pal, and I come in at around 2300 calories every day.

without tracking calories I would have thought I was really healthy. I eat mainly whole foods, no upfs, and 3 balanced meals per day.

each meal is over 700 calories.

I’m wondering if I just pull it down slightly to 2000 calories per day would that be slow and steady way to live?

I’m around 75kg and 5’6.

im really active and run a lot. When I started running I slimmed down massively- it’s all piled back on though.

would love to get under 70kg.

Walking is definitely exercise.

Absolutely is! Until my husband had a long period of ill health, I walked an average 9/10 miles most days. I could eat and drink whatever I wanted and stay slim and lithe.
Had to stop, diet didn’t change, weight piled on.
He’s much improved now and I’m ramping up the walking again. No real change to eating habits but noticing the difference already after just a few weeks.

Me too. I've just lost 5 stone, it's taken me a year and at no time did I fo above 1200 calories. i lost about 2 pounds a week on that.

Mid 40s, 165 cm (5'5" ish) and 48 kg (7 st 7lb) here. I eat 1800-2000 calories a day and also eat back my exercise calories, which can take it up to 2300. I have a high stress, fairly active job and lift/cardio/run 5-6 days a week. I had to up my calories by 200-400 a day after I had a stress fracture and was diagnosed with osteoporosis. And I haven't gained any weight doing so. Consuming enough fuel is so important, particularly if you run. I hate it when people make blanket comments about 2000+ calories being 'too much' or 'loads of food' for a woman and then bang on about eating 1000 calories a day. It feels almost shaming and can be actively harmful.

This is genuinely a fate worse than death in my book. 1500!

One meandering dog walk is not exercise unless you're in cardio rehab or similar

Agreed, walking is great exercise! We don't actually know from this poster who's being so chastised for her laziness whether she's 'meandering' for 1 mile or pacing briskly for 5 but either way it will be having a lot of health benefits. And as most gym bros will tell you, if taking strength training seriously it's important have rest days rather than trying to be in the gym 7 days a week as you need to allow time for muscles to recover between sessions - 'active' resting where you do some low impact activity such as walking the dog is perfect.

But honestly, even if that poster was genuinely doing very little (which it doesn't sound as though she is), there's no need for anyone to be so discouraging about it, it's much better with exercise to encourage and support people to start small and build, every little helps type mentality than imply that however much they do it'll never be enough unless they're running daily ultra marathons!

Of course it is. I will never agree with anyone who thinks walking isn't exercise. It is! It's great for you in many ways.

Competitive dieting and competitive exercise is so extremely tedious and obnoxious

I am 5'7, 65kg, I run x 3, lift x 3 and do 2-3 hybrid sessions per week and my maintenance calories are about 2800. If you run and train fairly hard please do not listen to the nonsense about 1200 calories. This is maintenance for tiny people who don't move much. If you drop this low you will either end up binging or getting injured on your runs or both. Track properly for a week so you know what you're really consuming - by the gram, everything that passes your lips - then drop it by 300 a day to start and see what happens.

You seem weirdly overly invested in my exercise routine 😂 5 days a week in the gym is more than most people manage.

To reassure you, my dogs walks are vigorous, I go at a heart rate elevating pace and for at least an hour. I do lots of exercise, believe me, and I’d struggle to fit in much more with a ft job.

Tell me about it! Menopause has a lot to answer for.

I don't believe it's universal but if this comes for me I'm going to take up smoking and doubling the booze.

I'm sure it's not universal, and I've actually been luckier than most in that my metabolism hasn't slowed down that much (I've always had to work to keep weight off), but it doesn't seem fair to spend every spare minute exercising and STILL not be able to eat a packet of crisps or some chocolate without worrying!

Far too much. Try c.1440 with at least 75g protein per day.

I am making some Bailey's hot chocolate in reaction to this thread

I need to stay below 1600 to maintain/ not gain. If it actually want to lose I need to get it down to 1200-1400 range.

Obviously everyone is different, but I would be surprised if you could lose while eating 2000.

Someone who is 76kg could lose on 2000 a day
someone who is 60 kg would gain

I wonder if this is why people stall when losing weight - they start on 2000, lose weight quickly but at some point they have lost so much that 2000 becomes the stable point not the losing

I think 2300 (or even 2000) is possibly a lot at your height. I’m slim and 5’10, do a lot of exercise (almost every day) and I’m still only “allowed” about 2000/2100 cals to maintain my weight, according to all the calculators. Try plugging the numbers into a reliable calculator to find your TDEE.

🤣

❤️

Just updating as it’s all very interesting.

I have been coming in at around 1700-1800 calories each day unless I have a drink. It’s shocking to see how much a difference drinking makes!

the days when I’ve gone out for a drink I’m on around 2700 calories for the day 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

likewise if I’ve had dessert or a mince pie I shoot right up.

I know. Those TDEE calculators gave me a shock. And then tracking calories. Wow.

I have started weighing myself every other day. Interesting to see the impact of 4 glasses of wine and the poor dinner and breakfast choices as a result of that.

makes me much more mindful about what I consume.

Best of luck with re-educating yourself.

Yes a smaller body needs less fuel.

I don’t eat breakfast (and sometimes lunch) when I want to lose a few pounds. It’s essentially fasting.

Edit: I also ditch (liquid cake) wine.