[RUNNERBUN]

Now that you have confirmed that you have the correct dipstick and that you are filling with the correct volume of oil you must assume that your problem is elsewhere. Using 2 pints of oil in 40 miles is far from normal and should be addressed. Reducing the oil level to solve your problem would only be a band aid fix and also put you at risk of doing further damage to your engine.
There are many reasons for oil loss, more than likely your rear main bearing is very worn or badly damaged. Other problems which may also cause leaking include excess blow-by due to worn rings, restriction in your crank-case breather, oil return pipe in rear main may have broken off. Was your crankshaft modified to accept the modern rear main seal which has now failed.
Do you know the history of your engine. Is it just an old banger that has never been rebuilt. If it has had a rebuild, was it done by a competent builder. As Mitch said in a previous post "a tight engine is capable of taking 5 quarts of oil without leaking.