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Government calorie advise misleading?

Pfanni85
Pfanni85 Posts: 1 Member
in Debate Club
So, I have a question here. Me and my hubby are both 169cm high, about 70-80kg heavy. According to UK BMI guidelines we're both on the verge of obesity. My husband was shocked, when I made him calculate his maintenance calories and it only came out as 1800, whereas the UK recommends 2500 for the average man.
Now we can have a long discussion, who's average, but if I look around me, we're neither that much smaller than the people around us, nor do we see everyone hitting the gym.

Don't get me wrong I understand if we were 2cm higher and more active, he would come closer to it. But to me it feels a if the government guidelines cater for the upper end of societies calories usage. And I just wonder, as one of the most obese nations in the world, maybe this message needs to be revised, reflecting the sedentary lifestyle of the majority. Or calling out " this assumes xx min vigorous activity per week"

What do you think?

Replies

  • Redux6x86
    Redux6x86 Posts: 16 Member
    edited February 1
    I'm in the UK and I largely agree. I think it goes to show that no guideline can be taken absolutely, although I would say that it does seem rather outdated and generic advice - but it's impossible to give a one-size-fits-all number given the variation in shapes, sizes and lifestyles.

    The guideline actually does come pretty close to my requirements, I'm just shy of 6'2 (187cm) and hover around 190lbs. Factoring in some exercise, 2500 is about right, if not a bit low depending on how active I am.

    But here's the thing - per Google, the average UK man is 178cm and 187lbs, he is increasingly sedentary and people with higher bf% require fewer calories than people with lots of lean body mass. According to the TDEE calculator, your average UK man, assuming 20% body fat and sedentary lifestyle, needs only 2200 calories.

    The numbers perhaps need revisiting, but, just as is the case with BMI, it's incredibly hard to come up with a one size fits all!

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