So... Does The Average Woman Maintain On 2000 calories?

Sued0nim

Sedentary me my maintenance is around 1900

New fit active me with 3 hard workouts and 10k daily steps my maintenance would be 2300 (tracking average via fitbit and HRM over a few months)

So old me, fat and lazy me, would have gained at 2000 very slowly - I'm 5'8

michellemybelll

neandermagnon wrote: »

the numbers vary wildly depending on the amount of exercise you do....

...The moral of the story is that a major part of the obesity crisis is due to the fact that people are sedentary. If modern people were to eat what people in the 1950s ate, they'd still be obese, because people in the 1950s were a lot more active. (and all the people who blame the obesity crisis on wheat, HFCS and other demonised ingredients need to realise that).

QFT

I'm 5'1", but once I'm happy at my weight, I think I may try 1850 - 2000 cal/day for maintenance. BUT i am a distance runner. i run 9 miles/day, every day. So i think i'll try it out, monitor my weight, and adjust if necessary.

Angierae75

Right now I would maintain on 2100, according to my fitbit, but I still have 50 pounds to lose, so I suspect it'll be closer to 1800 once I'm done. We'll see. (I'm only 5'1")

cwolfman13

Graelwyn75 wrote: »

I replied to a topic about 2000 calories on another forum, where I said that the majority of females, other than those who are older, shorter or have medical conditions, can maintain their weight on 2000 calories a day (which seems to be the common recommendation on nutritional labels etc) to which another poster replied with :

Average is average...average doesn't mean majority. There are going to be women that fall below that and women that can maintain on more than that.

5'4" is considered the average height of the average woman in the U.S....if I put the average stats of the average woman into a TDEE calculator and assume light activity (I don't think the average person is sedentary), I get right around 2,000 calories per day to maintain.

nuttynanners

I would slowly gain on 2000. I'm somewhere just below that depending on how active I am. I'd bet 1800-1900. I'm 5'5.

Francl27

I don't think the 'average' in the US is really 2000 though, the average American is overweight and doesn't exercise, so you're probably looking at 2500+ for them to maintain... 'average' is all relative.

MKEgal

Harvard Medical School says that if someone is minimally active (30 min per day), they should expect to maintain weight on about 15 cal / lb / day.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm

2000 / 15 = 133
So if 133 lb is a healthy weight for a certain person* then they could maintain by eating 2000 cal/day.

* which would be from about 5'2" to 5'11" going by BMI http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
I'd say that that height range encompasses what would be considered "average", as well as a few inches on each end which are beyond "average".

ana3067

The averages are based on lean individuals who exercise, although I will be a lean individual who exercises and my maintenance is estimated to be around 2200-2300 once I reach my goal weight of 145lbs. Might stop at 150 or higher though, depends on how much fat I have to lose to get to my goal lean-ness.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I maintain at about 2500 calories a day, however I'm also pretty big (5'9" and 156lbs). I lose weight at 2000 calories a day.

Graelwyn75

herrspoons wrote: »

2,000 is an average. Maintenance numbers, as calculated by formulae like M-StJ, depend on gender, height, weight, and (sometimes) body fat.

Calculate your own numbers or be prepared to be disappointed.

I am fully aware of my own numbers.
This post is not asking for myself, lol.
I make it quite clear in my post that I am aware of what I maintain on since I have been pretty much the same weight for a good many years.

peleroja

Average is meaningless unless you are the same weight, age, and activity level as whatever that average number was calculated with.

I maintain on around 1500/day because I'm under 120 pounds and pretty sedentary. If I were more active or heavier, I'd maintain higher.

JulieAnneFIU

I'm 5'5 and 130 pounds. I HIIT three times a week, lift heavy (madcow) three times a week and walk five miles a day and maintain at 1950. Days I don't work out is 1400.

ILuvCupcakesNLifting87

I am a 26 year old, 5'1, female that eats 2000-2200 cals a day (within macro range) & I have been maintaining my weight for the last 3 weeks. Not a single ounce gained. Yes I am active (workout 5-6 days a week 2+ hours a day mostly lifting) so I know it is possible. If I wasn't active though & my BF% were higher I probably wouldn't maintain. I guess it's all relative in context to what someone considers average or "normal."

DawnieB1977

I'm 5'6 and my maintenance is apparently 2000. I was 154lbs pre third pregnancy, and gradually increased calories to maintenance for my third trimester. I exercised around 4 times a week until I was 38 weeks pregnant, plus being very active with my other two who were 2 and 4 at the time. I gained loads of weight. Now, it may just be how my body deals with pregnancy, but I think 2000 for me is too high to maintain.

I'm around 192lbs now, exercising 5/6 times a week and am incredibly active with 3 kids, I'm eating between 1400-1550 calories and losing just over a pound a week. I think I'd probably maintain on around 1800 now. And yes, I weigh everything, and it's incredibly rare that I eat back any exercise calories.

snoringcat

mamafelfleh wrote: »

I'm losing at 1900! I think 2000 is a reasonable AVERAGE but 1200 really?! I mean my one year old needs 1000 calories a day

You shouldn't be surprised that a 1 yr old needs 1000 cals - they are growing & are experiencing massive cellular division at that age.

2000 is an AVERAGE across all ages & builds & is therefore meaningless on a specific basis. With a sedentary lifestyle, I'd need around 1440 to maintain, with exercise that' go up to around 1750. I'm 5'2" and 51 yrs old.

flumi_f

Fruitylicious03 wrote: »

Uh... I'm 5'2 and I LOSE on 1200. I maintain on 1650 if I'm sedentary, and on 1800 if I'm active.

^^yup, this is true for me too. 5'2'' just isn't average, I guess ;-)

jazzcatastrophe

I would probably maintain around 1600-1700 but any more than that and I would gain (but I'm tiny - 5'3 and <120 lbs and lightly active)

cheripugh1

Graelwyn75 wrote: »

I replied to a topic about 2000 calories on another forum, where I said that the majority of females, other than those who are older, shorter or have medical conditions, can maintain their weight on 2000 calories a day (which seems to be the common recommendation on nutritional labels etc) to which another poster replied with :

This is not correct. The average woman on a 2000-Kcal/day diet will gain weight, especially if she is minimally active. Smaller women can maintain weight at 1200 kcal/day if they're not active.
http://www.lisajohnsonfitness.com/who-benefits-more-from-the-usrdas-2000-calories-per-day-you-or-big-agra/
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/07/issues-with-based-on-2000-calorie-diet.html

So...are there any studies that have proved or disproven the 2000 calories a day being correct for the majority?

How many other women here maintain their weight on 2000 calories a day?

For me, personally, I maintain on 2000 or so, when not very active.

You need to understand that most all of these numbers have been in place for a VERY LONG time...and almost all studies done, were with MEN, 6 foot, 180-200 lbs. to be exact, medications, health weight, calories etc... then the 'experts' would say for men and women blah blah blah...

What everyone needs to do (this includes men) is, when you get to goal, increase your calories S L O W L Y until you feel satisfied or you gain, if you gain - back up and that will be YOUR limit. Just like with diet and exercise, what works for one does not always work for others.... stop trying to lump everyone together and just focus on what is right for you!

ILoveGingerNut

lol.. i think women from different etnic groups have different average sizes and desiderable weight? i am average size in italy, petite in the uk. at the same weight, i am -considered tiny in the uk, a bit chubby in italy. i maintain at 1700-1800 cal if lightly active, 1400 if sedentary, and although i could settle at my current weight, i'd like to lose a little and look like in the picture again.

echofm1

I'm 5'9, 24 years old, and on 2,000 calories I could maintain at about 150 pounds. That's solidly within healthy weight range for my height. Right now I'm losing weight on 1910.