The 2,000 calorie govt guideline is just nonsense, isn't it?

EmsyLou77
EmsyLou77 Posts: 47 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Apparently it's based on a 132 lb woman who is moderately active and does 30-60mins exercise 3x a week.

I weight about 132 lbs. My maintenance cals would be about 1,600 without exercise. I would have to exercise for about an HOUR A DAY to earn 400 extra calories!

Have I missed something or does that make the 2,000 cal guideline really misleading?

(p.s. am in the UK. I don't know if there is a US guideline and if so if it's the same.)

Replies

  • I'd end up gaining on 2,000, or maintaining if I pushed myself really hard at the gym.
  • poseyj88
    poseyj88 Posts: 140 Member
    I'm at 1510 calories on a 500 cal deficit. I can imagine at my maintenance will be close to 2000. But like anytging else, it's just a guidline. We all know there's no one size fits all in the world of health!
  • megruder
    megruder Posts: 216
    Yes, the US has the same guideline, 2,000 cal. I'm 240 and I'd probably maintain, but 240 ain't healthy on a 5'3" person.
  • Dani_Scott
    Dani_Scott Posts: 21
    2000 calories is quite a lot if you are eating healthy food, I'm quite big so they say that I could eat over that amount and lose weight but I really couldn't I have to be well below the 2000 as well as go nuts at the gym to lose weight
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    I'm 44 and 137 pounds....on days when I do an hour of kickboxing plus circuit training or zumba, my goal will be over 2000. On days when I only workout for an hour, it isn't quite that much. A friend who's one of those nutty conspiracy theorists thinks that "they" (that is, the gov't) want us all to be fat and happy so we won't notice how badly "they" are running the country. Sometimes I wonder if my friend isn't so nutty after all!
  • chippywelsh
    chippywelsh Posts: 23 Member
    I wish I could eat that much just to maintain! I can't lose any eating 1000 - 1200! If I stick to 1200 regardless of exercise I'd just about maintain where I am. 2000 and I;d be huge!!
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
    My maintenance is 1940 (with a 'lightly active' lifestyle), I'm 5,5 and 156 (I still have 10lbs or more to lose) and I'm using only my exercise calories as a deficit.

    I burn around 400 a day and I've been losing more consistently since I ditched my deficit and trusted my exercise cals.

    It takes all sorts but some of us aren't just greedy - we do need to eat more! :laugh:
  • hemlock2010
    hemlock2010 Posts: 422 Member
    The US guideline is the same. I looked it up when the new food guide image was announced. The US guideline also say 30-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity 5 days a week, so I have to assume they're including exercise cals.
  • sooh2011
    sooh2011 Posts: 134 Member
    I'm 44 and 137 pounds....on days when I do an hour of kickboxing plus circuit training or zumba, my goal will be over 2000. On days when I only workout for an hour, it isn't quite that much. A friend who's one of those nutty conspiracy theorists thinks that "they" (that is, the gov't) want us all to be fat and happy so we won't notice how badly "they" are running the country. Sometimes I wonder if my friend isn't so nutty after all!

    There could be something in that theory because I recently noticed that we have a box of pasta that we bought in France...and on the box it says the guideline for women is 1900.....and they do strike a lot in France don't they....which could well be the direct result of eating fewer calories. :laugh:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Apparently it's based on a 132 lb woman who is moderately active and does 30-60mins exercise 3x a week.
    Seems a little on the high side but not overly so. I think about 1,800 - 1,900 is a reasonable baseline figure for a moderately active woman at that weight
    I weight about 132 lbs. My maintenance cals would be about 1,600 without exercise.
    Only if you were largely sedentary and did very little activity during the day (eg a desk job) If you spend more time on your feet then it would be higher. People separate out general activity from exercise and treat exercise as somehow special or distinct. It isn't really. Upping your general activity level (by walking, standing, doing more per day) can be just as effective, if not more effective, in the number of calories you burn per day or need to maintain your current weight.
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    It seems yet again that the goernment has high ideals for what Americans really look and exercise like, since most of us are weekend warriors at best that are above size 14. Maybe not everyone here kicking butt trying ACTIVELY to lose weight but that is the key....we are actively trying and putting in the time and effort. Major America is really not like that.

    Where do they come up with this stuff....I'd like to know a woman who was 132 or whatever their baseline for the calories guidelines are. I don't know too many of those chicks and even stil I am sure they are not eating 2000 calories a day unless she feels like she put in the hard work daily to earn it.

    Too Funny, Again the government falls short on representing the people.

    Hey all remember when they also said 6-11 servings of grains and cereals a day was a healthy guideline too? HA HA not so for a chick with insulin resistance socking that away as blood sugar and fats if she can't use it all.....maybe that guideline was for a marathon runner and not an average American.....oh wait....doesn't the government support the grain industry and vice versa....oh well then there you go! Of course they are going to push where for where the $$$$ is.
  • jesscsock
    jesscsock Posts: 25 Member
    I am in the uk too and I've been wondering about this a lot over the last few weeks since I've been keeping track of my calories. I don't think I could get to 2000 calories eating healthy food in one day. and if I did I would definately be putting on weight and I exercise every day. I definately agree that it's very misleading to be giving this as a guideline to the general public.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I'm 44 and 137 pounds....on days when I do an hour of kickboxing plus circuit training or zumba, my goal will be over 2000. On days when I only workout for an hour, it isn't quite that much. A friend who's one of those nutty conspiracy theorists thinks that "they" (that is, the gov't) want us all to be fat and happy so we won't notice how badly "they" are running the country. Sometimes I wonder if my friend isn't so nutty after all!

    You know...that doesn't sound so crazy! LOL! Not to mention it keeps people buying prescriptions and going to the doctor. Healthcare is big business baby! On no! I'm going conspiracy! :-D
  • splendidly
    splendidly Posts: 10
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  • Elle408
    Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
    I'd agree with it! I find that with my cals set at maintenance on a sedentary lifestyle are about 1650, which seems perfectly reasonable if i'm not doing anything. But then when I change my level to lightly active it goes up to 1790 and if I do any exercise above that i'm on or over 2000.

    Also, I just spent the week staying with friends and eating what they ate. I'd often end the day on 2000-2500 and none of them were or are overweight despite eating that type of calorie intake every single day. And they were drinking calories too which I wasn't doing!

    Not to be controversial or anything but I believe there's a reason skinny people are skinny people (genetics aside)! My friends would have a cookie and stop, because that's all they wanted. I had a cookie and would spend the next hour convincing myself not to eat the rest of the pack. My friends are naturally active, walking everywhere, going for bike rides, heading for hikes in the mountains and this was just normal for them. For me it was something to plan and log and account for and gear myself up to.

    I've had quite a lot of days since I hit maintenance where i'm regularly consuming 1800cals+ and I haven't gained weight and my clothes aren't tight.
  • DBabbit
    DBabbit Posts: 173 Member
    I'm 48 and weigh 191lbs. If I exercise 3 days a week, my goal is 2194 calories. I can't eat that much unless it's mostly high carbs, and then all I'd do is gain weight.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I am 5'5", 153 pounds (and 50 years old!!). I know exactly how much I burn because I wear a Fitbit. The average is 1950. I don't have any humongeous workouts, although I run (1 - 1 1/2 miles = 100 to 150 calories) 3x a week. I lift weights, but that doesn't burn huge calories either. I sit at a desk, working 2 jobs, for 11+ hours a day. On days I don't workout and sit around at home watching TV or playing on the computer, I might only burn 1800. On days I am active, on the go, and do some sort of purposeful exercise, I can easily burn 2100-2300.

    I eat well, plenty of healthy snacks, occasional cake/ice cream/chips, but usually reasonably nutritious food. It's extremely easy to hit 2000 calories a day if you use olive oil to cook, have a carb with dinner, increase your protein serving size, eat less fat free or reduced fat products and have a snack of almonds every day.

    So 2000 a day is just slightly higher than what I currently burn.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I'm just glad I'm taller (5'9") and my healthy weight range is 125-169 pounds, because I would DIE if I could only eat 1600 calories a day. That little food feels like punishment to me! LOL

    I would like to lose about 30 additional pounds to be right in the middle of my healthy range. So far, I've been eating 1800-2100 calories a day and consistently losing about two pounds a week.

    I feel like I'm eating an amount and variety of foods I could easily maintain for life now. I'm happy being whatever weight I eventually end up being eating the way I am currently eating.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Not to be controversial or anything but I believe there's a reason skinny people are skinny people (genetics aside)! My friends would have a cookie and stop, because that's all they wanted. I had a cookie and would spend the next hour convincing myself not to eat the rest of the pack. My friends are naturally active, walking everywhere, going for bike rides, heading for hikes in the mountains and this was just normal for them. For me it was something to plan and log and account for and gear myself up to.

    Nail meet head.

    This in my opinion is exactly right. People go on about fast and slow metabolisms when, outside of metabolic disorders, most people metabolisms are roughly on a par (in fact obese people tend to have faster metabolisms then slimmer people)

    However, slimmer people seem to have a finely tuned self regulation feedback loop. Its almost like they can sense when they have eaten too much and then stop be that on a daily basis or averaged out over a few weeks or so. In addition, they tend to do far more spontaneous physical activity (as opposed to planned exercise) then their heavier counterparts which they find enjoyable.

    That person who can "eat whatever they want and still remain slim" if you tracked and followed by their food intake and activity over a sufficient length of time probably eats less calories and / or does more activity than is imagined...
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