UK Calorie Recommendations To Increase?

A draft report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition suggests that the UK's recommended daily calorie intakes (currently 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men) might need to be revised. The good news? They're thinking of putting the figures up, perhaps by as much as 16% - around 400 calories for men.

And the bad news..?

This doesn't mean we should all go out and scoffing an extra donut every day. The BBC News reports inRethink for calorie eating levels:

[T]he panel stresses that people should only eat more if they exercise more, given rising levels of obesity.

The reason for the proposed increase is because the researchers believe they have presented a more accurate estimate of how calories are burnt off during exercise.

Are the Recommendations Helpful?

As a five foot two woman with a small frame, I've been aware for years that the recommended maintenance calories for women (2000/day) would lead to me putting on weight. Few of us are "average" -- we might be short or tall, or exercise regularly.

Although recommendations may provide a good rule of thumb, if you're trying to lose weight or maintain your weight loss, you need to take in the number of calories that's right for you. You can use Diet Blog's Daily Calorie Calculator to figure this out.

Do you find that your daily dieting or maintenance calories need to be significantly higher or lower than "official" recommendations?

By Ali Hale

Repinted by permission from Dietblog