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What Does 2,000 Calories a Day Look Like?

What Does 2,000 Calories a Day Look Like?

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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14 Comments

  1. Jennie @ Designed to be Fit

    I’m a relatively small person (just barely 5 feet tall) so I don’t have a very high BMR. I run between 10-15 miles a week, so I try to keep my calories around the 1300 range. Some days are easier than others. I try to listen to what my body wants, and if I need another snack or something, i try to keep it healthy with a good protein like cottage cheese or nuts with fruit. I live with a guy who burns about 1000 calories with every workout (he runs a lot!) so it’s difficult sometimes to keep up with my goals because sometimes I forget that I can’t eat like him!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It is definitely hard when a partner can eat more! When I first moved in with Michael I had to remind myself that I was 5 inches shorter than him and 40 pounds lighter so I CAN’T eat huge meals!

      In trying to lose my 100 pounds I was never able to get under 1500 calories a day. I was usually closer to 1700 for the day.

  2. Marilyn @ Lipgloss and Spandex

    Great blog post! It makes 2,000 calories look satisfying. For awhile I was going to a nutritionist and eating about 1,300 calories a day. I had to plan so much though, and it was kind of boring. I loooove food, and stopped following my meal plan, so I’ve gained some weight back. I need to be a little more conscientious about my caloric intake–mostly just getting more veggies and protein in!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It’s really easy to eat under 2,000 calories and still feel satisfied. I eat tons of veggies and fruit and that helps!

      I’m seeing a lot of comments about 1300 calories. That is so low to me. I saw a nutritionist and she went through all my eating and exercise and she said I was eating too FEW calories for my activity level!

  3. cindylu

    Yikes. Out of curiosity, I signed up for the MyFitnessPal and did the diet/fitness profile. With the info I inputted, MyFitnessPal recommends eating 1200 a day (at 1lb loss/week). Um… no. There’s no way I could do that and train for a marathon. I switched it to 0.5 lb loss per week which would put me at 1420. I think adding my calories burned from running makes that more manageable.

    Granted, I’m not trying to lose weight right now. I can stand to lose to be back at my WW goal weight, but I’d rather count points than calories.

    Maybe I should try using my Garmin heart rate monitor to see about how much I lose with each run.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I think 1200 calories a day is a starvation diet–but that’s just me. There is NO way I could exercise as much as I do and only eat 1200 calories.

  4. Diane Fit to the Finish

    2,000 good healthy calories is a lot more filling than 5,000 junky calories – believe me, I know exactly what you are talking about. I don’t track calories, but I’d estimate I eat between 1,800 and 2,200.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      SOOO true!!!! It makes a huge difference eating real, healthy food. I used to eat a lot of processed foods in order to stay within a small calorie range and I was so glad I switched to real, “whole” foods instead. I feel more satisfied, healthier and happier.

  5. Kristin

    I eat an awful lot because I run a lot. Most days I eat from 2000-2500, depending on whether I work out once or twice. My net calories after the exercise calories are usually around 1200. Sometimes more, sometimes less. On long run days i may net under 1000 but i will probably end up eating back the extra in a rest day. On the rare complete rest day I try to stay under 1800 if possible. I eat almost all very healthy foods, including LOTS of vegetables. I do realize if I was stricter about treats, I could probably cut 200-300 calories on many days… Psychologically, I fluctuate between thinking I eat WAY too much and wondering if my net calories are too low. I have thought about seeing a nutritionist/dietician but I would have to find someone who understood running. I can’t have someone telling me to eat 1200 calories total! This works for maintaining mybweight but I’m not sure how to bump it up to lose a few more pound. Though I suspect the answer may include lifting weights!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It’s hard to eat LOW calories when you’re training for things. If I go for a 4 hour bike ride and burn 1800+ calories it’s unwise for me to restrict my calorie intake. I need to fuel my workouts!

  6. Lisa @ I'm an Okie

    I love all your meals here–its good, its healthy, and that kind of food wont make you feel deprived!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I like eating real food!

  7. thehealthyapron

    I find that a lot of people don’t realize the calorie content of foods. They think just because it is healthy, they can eat as much as they want (aka peanut butter!). You have a wonderfully healthy day! I try to average about 1800-2300 calories on any given day. By the end of the week by average intake is ~2050cal//day. This keeps my energy up, cravings at bay, hunger satisfied, and weight in check!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I had NO idea what calorie counts and serving sizes were until I tried to lose weight! I was SHOCKED at what I was eating.

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