Short girls and hard time closer to goal
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Yes I second your correction! Muscle takes up less space Sundayt, though a lb of muscle and a pound of fat are the same weight.
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I'm 5'1" and currently 6 pounds away from my goal (well, my initial one... I might keep going a bit further once I get there, I'll see). And yep, I hear ya. Weight loss for us small shorties is slooooooooooooooooowwwwwww.
I don't think that increasing calories is the answer here. Maybe decrease a tiny bit more, if you can stand to, since you're in a pretty small deficit right now without much room for error, so even minor logging errors could easily be erasing your deficit more days than not.
A bit more cardio (without eating back) might help, and certainly won't hurt your overall heart health. That could be a decent way to increase your deficit without decreasing your calories.
But ultimately, I think there's nothing to do other than to be patient. Log and track daily, and set yourself up for the long haul. I mean, since you say you're in a 200 calorie daily deficit right now, then those last 10-15 pounds would be expected, mathematically, to take you 25-38 weeks, or between 6 and 10 months. That means you could actually be losing right now, but the rate of loss is so slow that it doesn't show up on the scale because it's smaller than your normal fluctuations. The only cures for that are to increase your deficit or increase your patience.
Despite the long haul being annoying lol it is comforting to know that I might be losing without even knowing with the added cardio hopefully it'll be a little more prevalent on the scale but ultimately I'm going by how I look, not how I weigh 0 -
taycupcake wrote: »Despite the long haul being annoying lol it is comforting to know that I might be losing without even knowing with the added cardio hopefully it'll be a little more prevalent on the scale but ultimately I'm going by how I look, not how I weigh
That's the spirit!0 -
I'm not sure why you think it is any harder for short people than for tall people. The last few pounds are just really difficult, for almost everyone.
If your goal is based at all on BMI, you should know that those tables are much more lenient toward the short.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »I'm not sure why you think it is any harder for short people than for tall people. The last few pounds are just really difficult, for almost everyone.
It's not harder or easier; it's just different. But those last few pounds can feel slower for short women, especially those already eating at or near the calorie "floor" of 1200 and not willing or able to go lower in order to create a bigger deficit. Smaller women typically are working with smaller deficits, which is fine since our bodies need less fuel, but means that there's much less room for error or for the occasional lapse.
But yeah, everyone has their issues, tall/short/fat/thin/whatever.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »I'm not sure why you think it is any harder for short people than for tall people. The last few pounds are just really difficult, for almost everyone.
If your goal is based at all on BMI, you should know that those tables are much more lenient toward the short.
No I don't pay attention to bmi. It's because my tdee is lower based on my height and weight so I have much less room for error. For example my taller friend can eat 1700 calories and lose weight whereas that's more calories than my tdee
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I'm in the same boat, I'm stuck around 128 at 5'1 and I'm feeling frustrated. I'm trying to up my cardio and remind myself that the number on the scale isn't everything (I do a lot of lifting and was a college soccer player, I don't pay attention to bmi). I just added you so we can support each other!0
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I'm 5'3", and for me, I don't require that many calories. Maybe because of my height, I don't know. 1200 calories a day works wonders for me. I walk about 30 min a day and do Zumba most days, and I lose about 2 pounds per week. I eat 80% healthy, mainly protein, and I save a couple hundred calories for junk food. It seems to work this way, and I'm not depriving myself of the food I really love.0
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I'm in the same boat, I'm stuck around 128 at 5'1 and I'm feeling frustrated. I'm trying to up my cardio and remind myself that the number on the scale isn't everything (I do a lot of lifting and was a college soccer player, I don't pay attention to bmi). I just added you so we can support each other!
Thanks for the add! 0 -
rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »I'm 5'3", and for me, I don't require that many calories. Maybe because of my height, I don't know. 1200 calories a day works wonders for me. I walk about 30 min a day and do Zumba most days, and I lose about 2 pounds per week. I eat 80% healthy, mainly protein, and I save a couple hundred calories for junk food. It seems to work this way, and I'm not depriving myself of the food I really love.
Hey I follow IIFYM so I've never felt deprived of foods i love which is nice 1200 would probably work for me though it's quite difficult to cut those extra calories so I'm just going to do it through cardio. 2 pounds a week is a lot! How close to your goal are you? 0 -
Have you ever tried drinking warm/hot water in the morning? Works wonders for revving up the metabolism!0
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Hey OP, just wanted to say I hear you on this. I’m 5’4” at around 133 (GW 123ish) and it’s a really pain getting there at this point. I got excited to see you also lift - I’ve been doing Starting Strength for a while now and just love it. I also add in a few weekly runs for cardio, and don’t eat back calories. I ate at 1200 for a while but that got old so I upped to 1300, except it’s killing me how slow my progress is. Besides, I really want to gain muscle too, not just strength, so I’m really torn about the best caloric intake. How do you balance food with weight training?0
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I have a hard time with losing weight. My body seems to want to stay around 140, and it's really annoying. Though at 5'2 a five pound loss (or gain) can look like a big difference. Weight seems to come off veeeerrryyy slowly. Yes, it's pretty frustrating... but I'm getting there! Goal weight is around 115-120 or when I feel confident!
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Im 5.2,weight 128,body fat %190
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I'm at 53.4 kg as of this morning (but probably at 54 kg for this week's average) so just shy of my first goal weight, 0.4 kg to go. but my ultimate goal is 50 kg (a nice round number of 110 pounds), just to see if I can actually make it. and hopefully will get that nice flat tummy at that weight.
I've been doing good for three months on 1200 kcal net and the weight is coming down nicely. I've been doing mostly just cardio to get some kcals for treats
the goal weight calories are nothing to get excited for though (sedentary - 1558 kcal), the short girl struggle is real
so most definitely will be continuing with running and stationary bike, hopefully some strength training is in my future, the lack of booty is getting sad. It's just that life is not kind to my priorities' management to include lifting heavy stuff as well (in-between places, building a home, full-time job, probably should be working on my thesis too). 0 -
Is the stationary bike working out well for you? I just got a cheap one (poor college student) recently and am hoping it gives me some good results!wick3tgirl wrote: »I'm at 53.4 kg as of this morning (but probably at 54 kg for this week's average) so just shy of my first goal weight, 0.4 kg to go. but my ultimate goal is 50 kg (a nice round number of 110 pounds), just to see if I can actually make it. and hopefully will get that nice flat tummy at that weight.
I've been doing good for three months on 1200 kcal net and the weight is coming down nicely. I've been doing mostly just cardio to get some kcals for treats
the goal weight calories are nothing to get excited for though (sedentary - 1558 kcal), the short girl struggle is real so most definitely will be continuing with running and stationary bike, hopefully some strength training is in my future, the lack of booty is getting sad. It's just that life is not kind to my priorities' management to include lifting heavy stuff as well (in-between places, building a home, full-time job, probably should be working on my thesis too).
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »I'm not sure why you think it is any harder for short people than for tall people. The last few pounds are just really difficult, for almost everyone.
If your goal is based at all on BMI, you should know that those tables are much more lenient toward the short.
Yoi're right about the current BMI tables. They actually have new tables out there now that compensate. So, on the old tables at 5'2" and 132 lbs I am at a Healthy weight, while on the new tables I am overweight. IMO the new tables are unfortunately more accurate for the short!
You are also right that the last pounds are difficult no matter your height, but the fact is that short people have to be even lighter to be healthy weight and lean, so the calorie goal is necessarily lower. The fact is that it takes fewer calories to support 120 lbs than 140 (I chose arbitrary numbers), and the lower your calorie goal, the harder it is to stay within the goal. Again, choosing arbitrary numbers, would you rather have to limit your calories to 1200, or to 1600? I know I would rather eat 1600 any day!
And please don't tell me that because I am smaller, I don't get as hungry!
OP, the road is long and hard. I'm on the backside of loss, having gotten down to 112 lbs (which is, btw, pretty much right in the middle of healthy weight for my height, just so no one jumps in here and says that is too low). Unfortunately I gained some back. Here is my story:
When I started MFP, (at 156 lbs, which gets me actually pretty close to obese for my shortness!), the loss was fairly easy. I could lose while eating around 1500-1600 calories per day. No sweat! I had to use good self control, and I walked almost daily for at least 30 minutes, but I saw steady loss. After about 20 lbs was gone I started running. The rest of the weight came off almost effortlessly (other than walking it had been years since I had done vigorous exercise, so I'm sure I burned more than average cals for my weight because of my lack of fitness!). I was disciplined, but I never felt that it was especially difficult. In all it took me 11 months to drop the 44 lbs.
But after a year of maintaining at 112lbs, the weight slowly started coming back. I really didn't change much. I was still running about 15 miles a week and I had added some circuit strength training via things like 30 Day Shred. As far as I could tell, I was eating right, using a maintenance goal set for sedentary and then logging and eating my exercise calories back. The best I could tell was that the margin of error from having a fairly low calorie goal was causing me to go over. (Going by memory, my sedentary goal was 1450 or so, and I was eating a total of anywhere from 1500-1900 a day, once I added exercise calories back in).
Today (5 years after starting MFP) I am still logging. I have missed very few days, and I think my current logging streak is 1830 days.
Most days I stay under goal. I am currently at 131.6 lbs (in all I gained 20 lbs back off my initial loss), and this time I am having to fight for every ounce I lose.
I strength train (no longer circuits, real strength training) at least 2 times per week, but I definitely have to do a Good bit of cardio to see any loss. Yes, some of my gain has been muscle, as my bodyfat percentage is still in the healthy range, (25%) although I would like it to be lower to get rid of the muffin tops.
In reality, I hope to get back under 125, but I don't plan on going lower, even though most ideal weight charts put my goal between 110-115. For me the psychological toll is too much.
Yes, I could get there if I cut out all the treats in my diet (I include a mini Reese's or 2 Hershey kiss each day--total of under 50 calories--and two or three glasses of wine or beer a week). If I ate only lean meats, fruits, and vegetables, I. Sure it would help me feel fuller with lower calories. But even if I cured the hunger monster by eating so well, I would still be psychologically deprived in that so many of my family's celebrations, holidays, etc include food. Much of my husband's and my entertainment comes from eating out. And many of our church fellowships include food. I not saying you can't attend these events and just sip bottled water, but it is hard to do this without feeling deprived. What I am saying is that when you are looking at this as the rest of your life, and not just a "diet" then you've gotta make some concessions. You've got to be able to live a little. And a short small gals goals don't include much room for anything I her than the fruits, veggies, and lean proteins.
So for me, that means finding peace with a higher weight goal while continuing to focus on fitness and health. That will not be everyone's choice, but it is mine.
So OP, you are not alone. It is difficult for shorties!
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Cardio is a great fat burner and you should really be aiming to do at least 30mins a day...For better weight loss you should do interval training 2min work /1min recover or for more intensity 4min work/1min recovery as this increases fat burn. The personal trainer I work with said you need to be using both cardio and strength to your advantage in order to boost your muscle metabolism and weight loss.
You may also have found a weight that your body is perfectly happy with and reluctant to shift, gene transcription for certain catabolic processes may slow and prevent further breakdown of fuels...and that's ok too, if this is the case you can simply use the exercise to stay fit and maintain calories whilst toning up.
As someone who studies physiology, I can tell you the theory of people not losing because they are not eating enough is BS...you body has a BMR which is the minimum number of calories your body needs to do absolutely nothing other than its own function. If you don't eat that number or even slightly more given you will have basal exercise...walking around etc, you will lose weight as it burns other fuels such as fat and protein to compensate and keep your body healthy. If you have a deficit you will lose weight.
This link explains some more http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/0 -
FluffySandwich wrote: »
Is the stationary bike working out well for you? I just got a cheap one (poor college student) recently and am hoping it gives me some good results!wick3tgirl wrote: »I'm at 53.4 kg as of this morning (but probably at 54 kg for this week's average) so just shy of my first goal weight, 0.4 kg to go. but my ultimate goal is 50 kg (a nice round number of 110 pounds), just to see if I can actually make it. and hopefully will get that nice flat tummy at that weight.
I've been doing good for three months on 1200 kcal net and the weight is coming down nicely. I've been doing mostly just cardio to get some kcals for treats
the goal weight calories are nothing to get excited for though (sedentary - 1558 kcal), the short girl struggle is real so most definitely will be continuing with running and stationary bike, hopefully some strength training is in my future, the lack of booty is getting sad. It's just that life is not kind to my priorities' management to include lifting heavy stuff as well (in-between places, building a home, full-time job, probably should be working on my thesis too).
someone else on the forums stated something like this, which is very true: 'the stationary bike is a tool. use it and it will work.' I too have a cheap and oooold bike which is stuck on one rather hard setting and it's been working for the last 3 months just fine, albeit being a little creaky
I stand up on it if I feel I need more of a challenge
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taycupcake wrote: »rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »I'm 5'3", and for me, I don't require that many calories. Maybe because of my height, I don't know. 1200 calories a day works wonders for me. I walk about 30 min a day and do Zumba most days, and I lose about 2 pounds per week. I eat 80% healthy, mainly protein, and I save a couple hundred calories for junk food. It seems to work this way, and I'm not depriving myself of the food I really love.
Hey I follow IIFYM so I've never felt deprived of foods i love which is nice 1200 would probably work for me though it's quite difficult to cut those extra calories so I'm just going to do it through cardio. 2 pounds a week is a lot! How close to your goal are you?
If you ask me, I'm 42 now, and during my 20+ years of yo-yo dieting, I've found that there is just a load of crap out there on HOW to lose weight. It's enough to make you go insane. I've finally realized that there are two things I know for sure. One is, you have to eat a lot less calories, and two, I'm still not sure if WHAT you eat for those calories really matter as far as fat loss. I only know that each person is different and when you know what works for you, it doesn't matter what the crap anyone else says. I've went through some tremendous stress lately and packed on 50 pounds from eating waaaayyy too much. I just started losing again and having 40 to go, but so far, I'm having the same success eating 1200 and walking 30 min a day, and doing my Wii Zumba just about everyday for20min. I'm eating a lot of protein and saving 200 to 300 calories for junk food to keep my sanity. Hang in there, you will most certainly get there as long as you don't lose your motivation. Keep your eye on the prize!0 -
FluffySandwich wrote: »I have a hard time with losing weight. My body seems to want to stay around 140, and it's really annoying. Though at 5'2 a five pound loss (or gain) can look like a big difference. Weight seems to come off veeeerrryyy slowly. Yes, it's pretty frustrating... but I'm getting there! Goal weight is around 115-120 or when I feel confident!
140 was a very hard hump for me to get over. I started upping my calories to .5 lbs a week and there was no room for error, and obviously I was making mistakes. Also, for the first 20-25 lbs I focused on strength training, and it was amazing. Weight came off, kept muscle. But now I find I need to do more cardio but just hate it...I'm supposed to be running while I'm typing this
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Thanks! I'm going to get to stationary biking in just a second. I was wondering if it was working at all because I didn't feel like it was giving me much of a burn or anything, but after the 15 minute mark I start to actually sweat. Just got to keep at it :P I have this thing: http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/1396180/stamina-instride-cycle-xl.jpgwick3tgirl wrote: »
someone else on the forums stated something like this, which is very true: 'the stationary bike is a tool. use it and it will work.' I too have a cheap and oooold bike which is stuck on one rather hard setting and it's been working for the last 3 months just fine, albeit being a little creaky I stand up on it if I feel I need more of a challenge
I prefer cardio to weight training as of right now, but after seeing the results people around here get from weight training, I am definitely intrigued!!!arditarose wrote: »140 was a very hard hump for me to get over. I started upping my calories to .5 lbs a week and there was no room for error, and obviously I was making mistakes. Also, for the first 20-25 lbs I focused on strength training, and it was amazing. Weight came off, kept muscle. But now I find I need to do more cardio but just hate it...I'm supposed to be running while I'm typing this
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FluffySandwich wrote: »
Thanks! I'm going to get to stationary biking in just a second. I was wondering if it was working at all because I didn't feel like it was giving me much of a burn or anything, but after the 15 minute mark I start to actually sweat. Just got to keep at it :P I have this thing: http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/1396180/stamina-instride-cycle-xl.jpgwick3tgirl wrote: »
someone else on the forums stated something like this, which is very true: 'the stationary bike is a tool. use it and it will work.' I too have a cheap and oooold bike which is stuck on one rather hard setting and it's been working for the last 3 months just fine, albeit being a little creaky I stand up on it if I feel I need more of a challenge
I prefer cardio to weight training as of right now, but after seeing the results people around here get from weight training, I am definitely intrigued!!!arditarose wrote: »140 was a very hard hump for me to get over. I started upping my calories to .5 lbs a week and there was no room for error, and obviously I was making mistakes. Also, for the first 20-25 lbs I focused on strength training, and it was amazing. Weight came off, kept muscle. But now I find I need to do more cardio but just hate it...I'm supposed to be running while I'm typing this
Right? I'm happy I started right away. I know my body would look very different right now without it. Saving that muscle helps with aesthetics, as well as daily day to day living 0 -
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »
Actually, I heard the opposite, that cold water does that because your body has to heat it up or something. First I've heard of warm water.0 -
sorry I meant to quote TsaiHo.0
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And please don't tell me that because I am smaller, I don't get as hungry!
Oh, I don't think that is true at all. Hunger, or perception of hunger, seems to be very individual. I don't think that it has anything to do with height.
I am very tall, but I eat less than many short women. I have to do that because of metabolic issues. I rarely, if ever, feel hungry. I could do just fine of 1000 calories a day if preventing hunger were the only reason to eat.0 -
I wish I could give OP some advice. I'm in the same place, only 5'1.5" , with the added disadvantage of being 56 years old. I haven't been able to stay below 120. I had my BMR done in the late fall, and it's only 1136 if sedentary, so even eating 1200 doesn't get me a deficit. I've set my lower thresh-hold to 1000 and am adding exercise calories, but still no dice. I'm starting to look at 1200-1300 as the "new maintenance."0
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