2000 calories for women too much?

2

Replies

  • KBurkhardt08
    KBurkhardt08 Posts: 141 Member
    The total I wanted to lose was 59 pounds. I have about 25 left. I'm not as concerned with the number as the way I look though so it could be a little less or a little more. I have it set to lose 2lbs a week which is what its been set at for the last 4 months. This isnt the first time I've thought of adding more calories. Someone did tell me that I should consider adding more after losing 30 pounds but I wasnt sure. I dont feel hungry or anything but I do want to make sure I can keep the weight off once I reach my goal.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    What is your current weight?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    KBurkhardt08 wrote: »
    The total I wanted to lose was 59 pounds. I have about 25 left. I'm not as concerned with the number as the way I look though so it could be a little less or a little more. I have it set to lose 2lbs a week which is what its been set at for the last 4 months. This isnt the first time I've thought of adding more calories. Someone did tell me that I should consider adding more after losing 30 pounds but I wasnt sure. I dont feel hungry or anything but I do want to make sure I can keep the weight off once I reach my goal.

    With only 25 lbs left to lose, yes, I think 2 lbs/week is too aggressive. Is that the rate at which you have been losing? I would up it to 1 lb/week which should give you some extra calories (probably not 500 extra as I bet 1200 isn't a 1000 cal deficit from your TDEE). I would continue to eat back exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.

    Also if you are up for some reading, this is one of my favorite posts for people getting started, there is a lot of helpful info in here (mixed with a healthy dose of sarcasm) including the link to other helpful threads like the sexypants and setting your calorie targets links.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here#latest
  • KBurkhardt08
    KBurkhardt08 Posts: 141 Member
    forgtmenot wrote: »
    What is your current weight?
    154. As of now my goal is 130. I dont know what 130 looks like on me though so I'm not sure yet if that is too low or too high.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
    Currently, 2000 calories without exercise is just under maintenance for me, with my stats. But my stats involve alot more information that just my sex. Basically, anything that is going to shove half (or a little more) of the world's population into one box is just stupid.

    It's a population based figure. It's only stupid if you try to use it as anything other than what it is. And then, it's still not really the figure that is stupid.

    So much this
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    My maintenance is around 2600. I'm 5'6, 123. I'm trying to lose a few more lbs and have been eating 2000-2300 to lose.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,802 Member
    my maintenance according to calculators is 1600. It's probably closer to 1700-1750 ex sport. i'm 5'65 at 41 and 129 lbs. I'd certainly gain at 2000
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2015
    segacs wrote: »
    SyzygyX wrote: »
    I'm 5'10. My TDEE is around 2300. I'm doing 1850 right now for weight loss. I drop down to 1500 now and then if I think I need to. I think 2000+ when I reach my goal is totally reasonable.

    And I'm 5'1" and when I reach my goal weight my TDEE will probably be around 1600-1700 with exercise. So no, I won't be eating at 2000 anytime soon. However, I'm well aware that I'm on the smaller side of the bell curve and would need to adjust those numbers downwards for me.

    Yeah, I'm 5'3 and 45. My maintenance level probably is around 2000 when I'm active, but without exercise it's more like 1500-1600.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    KBurkhardt08 wrote: »
    http://www.bikinibodyguides.com/kayla-itsines-review/

    I read this review mainly because I wanted to see what she thought. She's pretty accurate but she said that a woman needs at least 2000 calories a day without any kind of exercise. More if you do exercise. Does anyone else think thats a lot? Im eating around 1400-1500 when I do exercise and I know if I ate 2000 without any exercise I would slowly put on all of the weight that I lost.

    It's a population based figure, meaning they're using averages...there will be people below that average and above that average. My wife is 5'2" and 40...she exercises regularly and maintains on 2300-2400 give or take.

    In my experience, most women maintain somewhere between 1800 - 2000 calories depending on their particular stats and activity.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    KBurkhardt08 wrote: »
    forgtmenot wrote: »
    What is your current weight?
    154. As of now my goal is 130. I dont know what 130 looks like on me though so I'm not sure yet if that is too low or too high.

    2lbs/week is too high at your weight/height. You need to lower it to 1 or 1.5 lbs a week. I am your height but 20lbs heavier and I had to lower mine to 1.5 lbs a week. As you lose weight you need to reevaluate your goals and readjust them.
  • KBurkhardt08
    KBurkhardt08 Posts: 141 Member
    forgtmenot wrote: »
    KBurkhardt08 wrote: »
    forgtmenot wrote: »
    What is your current weight?
    154. As of now my goal is 130. I dont know what 130 looks like on me though so I'm not sure yet if that is too low or too high.

    2lbs/week is too high at your weight/height. You need to lower it to 1 or 1.5 lbs a week. I am your height but 20lbs heavier and I had to lower mine to 1.5 lbs a week. As you lose weight you need to reevaluate your goals and readjust them.

    I think I will change it to 1 pound a week and see how it goes. Thank you for the advice. :smile:
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    edited May 2015
    311snowwhite wrote: »
    In my humble option, blindly saying that a woman should be eating at least 2,000 calories a day with out exercising seems high.

    I personally think it's from a younger age that you can probably get away with eating 2000 cals with no exercise.
    As you get older, you do have to start watching how many calories you consume.
    But, as we now know.... exercise sorts that out! ;)
  • 89Madeline
    89Madeline Posts: 205 Member
    I think it's also high. I'm not sure how it's calculated, but if they use the average women's weight it might be correct since most people are (a little) overweight? At my heaviest, I was 84 kilos and 1.76 tall. I don't remember exactly how much cals I was allowed to have, but it never exceeded 2000 calories and my BMI was too high. So I don't understand how 2000 could work for the average woman to maintain. Sure if you're overweight, but a 'healthy' body would gain from 2000 I suppose. I definitely would go back to 'overweight' according to BMI cals and similar and I would look (slightly) overweight as well.
  • eseeton
    eseeton Posts: 80 Member
    I am eating an average of 2000 cals/day. Depends on how much I'm moving around that day.
  • physioprof
    physioprof Posts: 24 Member
    I'm 5'0, 127 lbs, exercise hard 1-1.5 hrs/day 5-6 days/week, and I can maintain at ~2100 calories.
  • 89Madeline
    89Madeline Posts: 205 Member
    Oh, sorry I should add that with less than 2,000 I did mean with 'little to no exercise' since I log extra calories from exercise only when I worked out. So yes, in those days I could easily go over 2,000 (after a 1,5 mile run). But I don't think the 'average person' the 2000 is targeted at is someone who works out 5 days a week... I still wonder if it really is the average that women need. Interesting to see all these differences :)
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    myfitterlife wrote: »
    I think it's also high. I'm not sure how it's calculated, but if they use the average women's weight it might be correct since most people are (a little) overweight? At my heaviest, I was 84 kilos and 1.76 tall. I don't remember exactly how much cals I was allowed to have, but it never exceeded 2000 calories and my BMI was too high. So I don't understand how 2000 could work for the average woman to maintain. Sure if you're overweight, but a 'healthy' body would gain from 2000 I suppose. I definitely would go back to 'overweight' according to BMI cals and similar and I would look (slightly) overweight as well.

    As others in the thread have said, it completely depends on you as an individual.

    Even at my goal weight (which is mid-range BMI and body fat wise) I would lose weight eating 2000 calories and I'm shorter than you are.

    I do also acknowledge however that I meet a lot of the criteria for a population based statistics like that.

  • 89Madeline
    89Madeline Posts: 205 Member
    365andstillalive wrote: »
    myfitterlife wrote: »
    As others in the thread have said, it completely depends on you as an individual.

    Even at my goal weight (which is mid-range BMI and body fat wise) I would lose weight eating 2000 calories and I'm shorter than you are.

    I do also acknowledge however that I meet a lot of the criteria for a population based statistics like that.

    Yes, interesting :) I love statistics (studied quantitative sociology) so would like to know on what criteria they based it on. I wish I could eat 2000 :) lol!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    2000 is getting close to my maintenance for my current weight (Which is not my goal weight)

    calorie needs are going to be different for everyone. Someone who is 4'10 is going to need much fewer than someone who is 6'8. Not to mention additional differences for goal weights, ages, activity levels, etc.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    I'm 40, 5'7", 180.4 lbs (I only added the .4 because it's what I've weighed every single morning for the past 2 weeks.) and at maintenance right now. MFP sets my calories at 1900 before exercise.

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