The 2000 calorie standard

WalkingAlong

I think it's just a rough ballpark figure.

ILoveGingerNut

Women come in different sizes, age and activity level and therefore have different energy needs. 2000 is a very rough estimate and way too much for a petite sedentary like me. There are lots of websites where you can calculate your BMR and TDEE, including MFP....

No_Finish_Line

I think it's just a rough ballpark figure.

i think your exactly right. extreamly rough. like they basically had to pic a number, just to put the daily percentages on there.

perhaps thats what the 'average (man, woman or person)' should eat, but i don't see the FDA saying that anywhere.

totem12

The FDA might not say it but it is definitely widely reported across the media!

neanderthin

can someone show me where the FDA actually recommends women should eat 2000 calories?

I'm thinking its basically an artifact of whatever TV the OP is watching.

serriously, i tried googling it and i can't find an FDA.gov web page that says anyting other then 'daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet'.

no where do i see them claiming this is the the amount the average woman should eat

This

fushigi1988

5'11" 165 lbs, maintaining on 2300-2500 or so (working on recomp and strength).

arrseegee

Well the 'average' woman in the USA is overweight, so I think that's probably not too far off the truth

My maintenance is 2000 calories....and I am not overweight...right on the cusp and want to lose but to maintain it's 2k....

ETA: I am 41, 5ft 7 and weigh 163lbs...I do about 30mins of cardio a week and 3 1hour weight sessions...hoping my maintenance goes up actually

You are taller and leaner than the average American woman.

Stats from the CDC show the average weight to be 166.2 lb and height 5'3.8" (2012 data), plugged into a TDEE calculator is 1960 cal/day for a sedentary 40 yo female. I've no idea whether the 2000/day is including exercise or not but the figure isn't far off the TDEE for your typical, slightly overweight and sedentary middle-aged female.

birdiecs

Sounds about right, I lose steadily eating 1600-1800 cal. 2100 is right about maintenance for me at 5'2.5 129lbs 43yr old. My workouts aren't terribly long 30-45min 5x a week, maybe 6 if I feel up to it...but most often than not I don't hehe

jlahorn

God, you people make me so jealous. 40, female, 5' 6", 1-2 hours of cardio per day, and I maintain at ~1450. I do have Hashimoto's, but all my levels are normal. This is just all I can eat without gaining.

lexbubbles

God, you people make me so jealous. 40, female, 5' 6", 1-2 hours of cardio per day, and I maintain at ~1450. I do have Hashimoto's, but all my levels are normal. This is just all I can eat without gaining.

This. I don't have Hashimoto's, but my hormones are whacko from medication. The old meds I was maintaining right around 1800 or so but when those stopped working and they switched me onto new ones, I started gaining 1lb-1.5lb/week on that and now I would maintain at around 1,400 (no exercise). Went from 140lb right up to 175lb in about 9 months.

It took me a long time to find a figure I could lose at - 1,000-1,100 net after exercise. Although even that has only resulted in 5lb in 5 weeks or so (half of MFP's estimate for that intake). I started out at obese (175lb BMI 30.0), and still have 25lb to go before I get back into 'healthy weight' range at 145lb (BMI 24.9).

I dread to think what would happen if I even so much as thought about a 2,000 a day diet :laugh: I'd be huge!

obsidianwings

My TDEE is around 1925, and i'm quite small so sounds about right on average to me

cavia

My maintenance is approximately 2500. I'm 5'7" and 42.