Who is that "average woman" who needs to eat 2,000 cal?

Options
2456789

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    Is the 2,000 calorie diet a myth, and women who eat that will be slowly gaining weight?
    WHO is that average woman that can eat 2,000?

    Me. I am pretty average. 5'5", medium frame, I exercise but not to excess (30-60 min a day a few days a week - aerobic and strength, but no heavy lifting or marathons or competitiions). I can maintain my weight on roughly 2000 total calories per day.

    ETA: I don't "eat clean", but I do eat healthy (focus on vegetables, lean meats, etc.) But that's the focus, not my whole diet. I probably eat too much fat.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
    Options
    So they are assuming that average woman and average man exercise almost every day?
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Options
    'They' are using results of investigations by scientists who base their results on massive amounts of research, hard data. PhDs will have written papers on this, years will have spent, thousands of numbers will have been crunched using a large sample size. Care will have been taken and the numbers will be updated year on year.

    This stuff isn't just picked out of the air! :bigsmile:
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Options
    The thing about averages is that you're taking a bunch of women, some are old, some young, some tall, some short, some active, some sedentary; some are pregnant, even; and coming up with an average for them all.

    If I eat 2000 without exercise (I have been very lazy about both my measurements and my exercise the last 2 weeks--adjusting to chilly fall weather--so I really am averaging around 2000/day) I maintain. I guess I am that average woman? 5'6", late 20's, 5 pounds overweight, desk job, 2 kids, after-work activities all over town...
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    So they are assuming that average woman and average man exercise almost every day?

    I would think so, or have an active life without "exercise". I have a desk job, so without regular "exercise" I couldn't eat that much. Though maybe I could have when I was younger (I'm 52)
  • WestCoastJo82
    WestCoastJo82 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Options
    5'5", 135 and that's about my maintenance calories, and I'm active but nothing crazy (walk to work, lift at the gym twice a week, run twice a week, occasional yoga).
  • Mama_Jag
    Mama_Jag Posts: 474 Member
    Options
    My maintenance is around 2200.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    Options
    Me. 5'9" 155 pounds. Even when I'm not working out 5 days a week.

    I maintain around 2300.
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
    Options
    Hi, my maintenance is 2,000 calories a day.

    I was losing weight on 1,500 per day which is actually a 500 calorie deficit. Seeing as how you are on 1,500 calories too, I'd say that your maintenance level is 2,000 calories per day as well. :flowerforyou:
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
    Options
    So they are assuming that average woman and average man exercise almost every day?
    No, but that's why they are averages. There are people who don't burn those 500 but there are lots of people who do - or maybe even more. Or less and just burn more calories in daily life. Like said above, it's small people, big people, old people, young people, people with kids, desk jobs, busy jobs ... all kinds. Some really maintain at lower than that and some higher but again, the nutrition label and other places are not usually the forum to get in to the much larger description of what your own personal calorie level is. It's just an average.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    Options

    WHO is that average woman that can eat 2,000?


    <--- this woman.

    I eat 1700-1900 to lose weight at a 500 cal a day deficit. I need at least 2200-2400 to maintain if I keep my current activity levels.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Options
    If I just get 10K steps in my average is like I worked out 3 times/week (which I ALSO do) so as long as you're not sedentary and you have an average height (I'm 5'6") then I would think that's about right.
  • KimJohnsonsmile
    KimJohnsonsmile Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    My sister in law is a stay at home mom, who chases her kids all day, and who is very OCD about a clean house, and who works out every day. I'm quite sure she needs 2000 or close to it just to have enough energy to get through her normal day.

    I'm 5'11" and MFP set my maintenance at 1950... that's pretty close.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    Options
    I'm 1m58cm, 68kg, 44yrs. My TDEE (lightly active) is around 1750...with daily exercise (30-45min) I can maintain with around 2000cals. But I'm not in maintance mode yet.

    Just not normal enough in lightly active mode :smooched:
  • running_shoe
    running_shoe Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    I'm 5'8", 43 years old, 150 lb. I consider myself at maintenance. I have MFP set to sedentary due to my job and get 1700+ per day. When I exercise, usually something to count every day, I am over 2,000 and usually eat back every last bit of it. I have been doing this for a month now and holding steady, weight-wise. Incidentally, I also started a lifting program a month ago.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Options
    I eat around 2000 and work a desk job. I workout for about 30 minutes a day average 5-6 times a week.
  • bunnies26
    bunnies26 Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    I really think they MUST be assuming the average woman does exercise. Otherwise we (in our middle years) would certainly be gaining at 2,000. But MFP has 1900 for me to maintain at a sedentary lifestyle at 38 years old and 5'7. I think the average woman probably eats between 1800 to 3500 on any given day (higher?) that is why we are so fat as a nation.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Options
    On shows about weight, such as "supersized vs. superskinny" or "secret eaters" they keep repeating that an average woman needs to eat 2,000 calories a day and average man 2,500(that is so not fair, btw :o).

    But all online calculators tell me that my maintenance rate if I am not active is 1,300 calories. That sounds extremely depressing. (BTW, I've been losing eating 1,500 NET calories, so I think this might be inaccurate). Sure, I'm active, but since I eat back all of my workout calories, that should not matter for this calculation.

    Is the 2,000 calorie diet a myth, and women who eat that will be slowly gaining weight?
    WHO is that average woman that can eat 2,000?

    You'd have to be extraordinarily small to maintain at 1300 calories.

    Your BMR might be in the neighborhood of 1300 calories. That's if you were in a coma. Just regular daily activity, no exercising of any kind, and you're looking at more like 1550 to maintain. And as you say you're losing at 1500+exercise.

    Anyway, 2000 is not reasonable for an average woman. 2000 is for an average human. Average woman can probably maintain at about 1800.
  • upscalelifedownscalebutt
    upscalelifedownscalebutt Posts: 90 Member
    Options
    A moderately active 5'3"-5'7" 30-50 woman who weighs between 130-160.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Options
    Anyway, 2000 is not reasonable for an average woman. 2000 is for an average human. Average woman can probably maintain at about 1800.

    You just make it up as you go along, don't you... that REALLY isn't how science works - you don't just say stuff for the sake of it. It's important to know what you know and know what you don't know - otherwise you come across as uninformed and no one respects that.

    It's 2,000 calories a day for the average woman. Unless you know better than the UK Department for Health, of course?

    http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1126.aspx?categoryid=51

Categories