5'1 Ladies- what are your maintenance calories?

K8style

I'm 5 ft 2.6 inches and had a Med Gem Test to validate my rate, which, unfortunately, was right on par with what I'd suspected. Despite working out 1.5 hours a day (moderate strength, vigorous cardio, stretching) 5/6 days a week, at a weight of 112-116, my calories = 1258. I'm 44 yrs old and work at a sedentary office job, but I Do have a stand-up desk.

alias1001

Early 30s, 5' 1/2". CW: 111-113. Original GW was 105 but I've put on muscle. MFP tells me maintenance is 1440, but I'm trying to get to 108-110 so I'm doing 1200 again.

Keep fluctuating the same 2-3 pounds for the last two months. Maybe I should stay at 110?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

middlehaitch

xandra47 wrote: »

Oh right! I forgot the age factor. Sorry ladies, I didn't mean to be rude

That wasn't being rude, and no need to be sorry

If I was in my 20's early 30's my BMR would be similar to yours.
Between 24- 64 my BMR has dropped 200 cals ( at the same weight).

That is completely normal.

A person will lose berween 50-100cals per decade depending on height, weight, and gender. Average stats based on general population. Moving more and retaining muscle will help off set the age decline BMR.

Cheers, h.

gothchiq

Five three, 120 lb, 48 years old, and 1400 cals. bloody miserable imho

RoseGold1992

I'm 4'11 and 130 pounds. I eat about 1200 calories a day and try to work out everyday

niebla3

I'm 5'1.5 and trying to maintain 108 lbs. I eat low carbs which really helps (mostly just from fruits and veggies). Right now I'm eating about 1100 calories per day and I exercise (run or bike) at least 30 minutes each day. I usually have one day a week where I eat between 1400 and 1500. Good to know that I'm not the only one that has to keep calories so low. It does really suck to be short.

MySweetLavinia

Thank you to everyone who answered in this thread. I am 5'3" and still working on the weight loss (down 70, halfway to goal!) and seeing the range of maintenance calories is really helpful/interesting.

CoachJen71

kas1317 wrote: »

I'm 5'1, 31 years old, desk job. CW= 115. I like to be b/t 110-112, but find myself gaining a few pounds and then having to lose the same 5-6 pounds over and over to get my GW. I am obviously not hitting my maintenance calories correctly.

Two thoughts. One, perhaps your body likes to be at that weight? And two, maintenance really is losing the same few pounds over and over again. I diet for a while, enjoy a vacation or holiday season/birthday/anniversary, then tighten things up again.

bribucks

This thread has been really helpful. I've been super discouraged because my tall husband, who is on a bulk, gets to eat 3,000 cal a day and then complains that he's too full.

CoachJen71

brianneangell08 wrote: »

This thread has been really helpful. I've been super discouraged because my tall husband, who is on a bulk, gets to eat 3,000 cal a day and then complains that he's too full.

I hear ya! Hubby and I can go on the same hike, and while he needs thousands of cals to refeed and can't eat them all, I am pouting over my sad salad or telling myself that my Halo Top will eventually ease my hunger. Being short and cute has its drawbacks!

ritzvin

4'10", 115-120 lbs, desk job. Maintenance estimate is 1400 net calories. From charts of moving average of net calories and weight, I would guess that my true maintenance is close - probably ~1400-1500 net. + average of ~400 exercise calories (usually run or cycling or weight training + dancing).

WickedPineapple

I'm 5'1" and ~125 lbs. My TDEE varies between 1700-2000 depending on the time of year (I tend to be more active in the fall and winter). Right now since it's summer, I'm right around 1800. I currently have a part time desk job, but I fidget so I'm constantly moving around. I'm generally lightly to moderately active outside of purposeful exercise. Per week, I run 3x for a minimum of 30 minutes, vinyasa yoga 1x, other cardio 1-2x (walk, hike, step, hula hoop, etc.), and strength training 1x.

I usually eat 1400-1600 to lose, albeit slowly. If I eat anything less than that, my runs suffer.

DeniseWilson43

Hi Iam 5 ft my goal calories no more 1500 ... Denise

OregonMother

MySweetLavinia wrote: »

Thank you to everyone who answered in this thread. I am 5'3" and still working on the weight loss (down 70, halfway to goal!) and seeing the range of maintenance calories is really helpful/interesting.

. . . and a little depressing, honestly. I mean it's okay -- I think I knew all of this for a long time -- It also helps me see why I put on 10 pounds so easily just last summer while our house was being built and we didn't have a kitchen.

And it gives me solid arguments for my husband when he begins to complain (as he has done in the past) that I am "working out too much." Unless he wants a fat wife or a wife who can't eat more than about 1100 calories a day, I must walk, hike, run, bike, or dance at least an hour a day just to get to a reasonable number of calories for maintaining! Never mind losing.

/vent

OregonMother

brianneangell08 wrote: »

This thread has been really helpful. I've been super discouraged because my tall husband, who is on a bulk, gets to eat 3,000 cal a day and then complains that he's too full.

I could have typed this!! Yes. Yes. Yes. My husband is six feet tall and feels uncomfortable under 200 pounds. I am right there with you, girl!

OregonMother

CoachJen71 wrote: »

brianneangell08 wrote: »

This thread has been really helpful. I've been super discouraged because my tall husband, who is on a bulk, gets to eat 3,000 cal a day and then complains that he's too full.

I hear ya! Hubby and I can go on the same hike, and while he needs thousands of cals to refeed and can't eat them all, I am pouting over my sad salad or telling myself that my Halo Top will eventually ease my hunger. Being short and cute has its drawbacks!

I won't say any more about it because I ended my vent in a previous post.

ccruz985

I'm 5'3, when I'm maintaining it's about 1500 - 1900 calories. My exercise routine is intense though, I did not change that from what I was doing to lose the weight, I just started eating more.

SummerSkier

great thread. I have to say I cringe whenever I see folks act like it is a LAW that you cannot eat under 1200. I am 58 almost 59. 5'2 but lately I think I have shrunk a little bit. I am a math major so I am always keeping track of a zillion things. The most important thing IMHO we have to remember is that there are way too many variables to be able to mimic anyone else's success or failure. I started at 131 and have been strict about 1050 total cal or less per day. I added CT5K from the start to get more exercise but I do NOT eat any of them back. My loss rate for the first 15 lbs has been 1.5 lbs per week but I can see it slowing for the balance to get to 105 down to about 1-1.2 lbs per week even with significant exercise.

Variety is also important because I just don't trust all those "calorie counts". So if you have a favorite treat you are eating a lot, what happens if instead of 100 it's really 150? You are hosed when you are short and don't even know it!

I downloaded from another thread on here a excel spreadsheet which keeps track of your TDEE. The more data you put in it the more info you get. Right now it is calculating my TDEE (which is BMR + exercise etc) at 1900. The more weeks of data it gets the closer it will be. I plan on using it when I hit maintenance to continue to see what my calorie intake goals needs to be.

I have starved myself before and 1050 is definitely NOT starving myself. I have energy to work out and I only find myself hungry occasionally. However, what is a diet if you are never hungry? LOL.

My plan once I do hit my weight goal is to gradually add calories and not just try to jump up to 1900 or whatever the file says my TDEE should be all at once, but being a shorty, adding 100 cals at a time and watching for a few weeks should provide some data.

I do know that the exercise calories which my fitbit sends over to MFP are a little inflated and I would not lose weight at all if I ate them all back but I watch and keep track and hopefully over time I can figure out exactly what is correct for me!

Here is a snap of the spreadsheet. Good luck everyone and keep up the conversation. It makes me feel better to know I am not the only one....

Goober1142

4'11, sigh. 106 pounds, maintain on 1450. Lifting heavy 3x week with daily walks and 2 1/2 hours stationary bike per week.

jrwms714

5'0" here and 70 years old. 135.0 and maintaining for almost 3 years now. I work out 5x/week, an hour each time, cardio, weights, Pilates, etc. I have a muscular build from the waist on down, and have never been the weight all the charts say my height should be. As I age, I know that my 110 in youth is not where I can be now. I am a size 6 - 8 Petite and feel and look good. And yes, those of us on the small side just plain can't consume what taller people do unless there is a ton of calorie burn through workouts, etc. I maintain at 1500 if there is no exercise except maybe walking, and around 1600-1800 if there is. If I need to lose, it's 1200. I think other people have said that your maintenance calories are very individual and that is what I believe. It took a while for me to find what works for me and I have to readjust that as each year passes, so just find what works for you. I, too, have a tall husband who has never had a weight problem and always been able to eat whatever he wants. Luckily, he is a fairly healthy eater, but even as he ages, he finds he needs fewer calories. The other thing I would suggest for all of you shorties out there ... there is a wonderful group called Petites in Maintenance. If you are one of those and are in Maintenance, you should join. There are issues and positives only those of us 5'4" and under relate to!