Those who are 5'3-5'5, how much do you maintain on?

CaloricDisaster

For those of you who are 5'3-5'5, how many calories do you maintain on? I'm 5'4, sedentary and eat 1500-1600 calories a day. I'm curious what other peoples' intakes are?

melimomTARDIS

depends on my activity level, if I am being lazy, 1600. If I am active,1800.

burns429

I'm set to 1580 at 5'6, sedentary, maintenance. My average consumption is 1800, though, with the activity I am doing. I've been fluctuating between the same 3 pounds for 6 months (I weigh daily which is why I see so much natural fluctuation).

hollen_carol

Great question as I am about to go on maintenance and do not want to screw up all this hard work! I'm scared. I will be anxiously awaiting more replies to this thread. I am 5'3" and currently eating 1218 or so calories per day so 300 calories to me seems like alot more calories and I don't want to gain.

WildePillar

I'm on the shorter side of this height criteria (barely 5' 3"). I get 2,200 a day... But I am also breastfeeding so I need more calories, and I'm very active (get a lot of exercise).

molnardrea

1700-1800 when staying home all day. 2100-2200 when doing horse riding and cycling + 3 times lifting a week. Sadly I'm off of everything due to lower back pain. Got injured on jumping lesson. But my hunger didn't diminish, so I'm getting fat.

Alassonde

I'm 5' 4" and with no exercise I'm at 1530. Most days I do exercise so get more than that.

TavistockToad

I'm 5ft5 and maintain on 1900 plus exercise cals

Francl27

5'5" and 2200 calories, I do some kind of cardio one hour a day or more, and weights once in a while. I have no idea what my sedentary maintenance would be... I guess I'd be lightly active otherwise (I sit quite a bit but I'm often doing chores, groceries, cooking etc). i take a rest day maybe 2-3 times a month.

I'm 37.

arditarose

I'm 5'4" and when I'm between 130-133 I maintain on 1800-1900, lightly active, lifting, no cardio.

MissJay75

CaloricDisaster, if you are simply interested in how much other people your size can eat, that is cool. If you are looking to use this information to try and figure out your own maintenance calories, that is not going to be so helpful.

The best way to figure out what you will maintain on, is using your own numbers. Hopefully you have been tracking well. You can go to the reports section of MFP and see your total calories, net calories, exercise calories, all sorts of helpful numbers. Look at your calorie deficit over the past couple months, and look at your weight loss over the same period of time.

Lets say for example you ate on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. Over the last 3 months you have lost 6 pounds. That would tell us your calorie deficit was 6 x 3500 or 21,000 calories under maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 233 calorie per day deficit. Meaning you should maintain at 1725 - 1750 + eat your exercise calories back.

If you were eating on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. And over 3 months you lost 10 pounds, that would tell us your calorie deficit was 10 x 3500 or 35,000 calories under maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 388 calorie per day deficit. Meaning you should maintain at about 1875 + eat your exercise calories back.

If you were eating on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. And over 3 months you gained 3 pounds, that would tell us your calorie surplus was 3 x 3500 or 10,500 calories over maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 116 calorie per day surplus. Meaning you should maintain at about 1385 + eat your exercise calories back.

I'm saying to eat your exercise calories back as an example because that is what 'you' did in the example while tracking. Whatever you did in real life, figure that into the equation for what you need to do moving forward. Plug in your own numbers and see what you get!

If you haven't been tracking well, it's never too late to start. Try eating what MFP tells you your maintenance calories should be for a month. Be diligent and try to stick to it, record everything. At the end of the month, walk through the math I just gave you.

Faithful_Chosen

5'4, about 118 - 120 lb, maintaining at 1730 (lightly active). I average out at about 2000 calories a day including exercise.

cwolfman13

my wife is 5'3" and she maintains on around 2300ish calories...she is a runner and she lifts.

amw8675309

I'm 5'5, 30 and around 140. I maintain on an average of 2200/day and workout 4-5 times of week between crossfit and running

jvs125

I am not at maintenance yet, but MFP has me at 1650 cals for maintenance. However, based on how much I eat and exercise and how slow I'm losing, I'd say my maintenance is probably lower than that.

RockLissa

5'3 and I'm on 1250 per day... Run 5 miles every day..

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ExRelaySprinter

I'm around 5ft,3"-5ft,3.5", 128 pounds.
Sadly, i've got a calf injury, so i'm not doing much exercise at the moment, I'm now eating 1700.
When i'm exercising 5-6 days a week, i can eat 2000-2100 calories.

TavistockToad

RockLissa wrote: »

5'3 and I'm on 1250 per day... Run 5 miles every day..

you maintain on gross 1250 cals per day?

LivingtheLeanDream

5ft 2" - maintain on 2200 cals. Normally average 17k steps/day but have now cut back on cardio to make more time for strength so my maintenance calories will drop to around 2000 ..time will tell! (still will aim for 10-14k steps a day though)

hekla90

5'3 98 lbs and maintain eating between 1700-?. I eat to lose 0.5/week when I'm at home but go out of town frequently (every couple weeks for 4-5 days) eat and drink whatever I want and don't log when I'm out of town generally. Been maintaining for about 4 months this way. Works for me anyways.

kdiamond

5'3" 112 pounds and maintain on 1500 on low activity days and 1900 on high activity/weight training days.

eveunderground

5'2.5" (close enough to 5'3" right? ) I maintain 100-110 lbs on about 1500 calories per day...but there are definitely days when I go above that, and occasionally I'll drop below that. I tend to adjust my portions based on how my clothes are feeling.

ewrook

I am 5'3, this morning, 114.8 pounds. 120 was my goal but I went on a computerless vacation and overestimated calories I was eating and lost. I set my activity as sedentary because I use a fitbit, which is linked to mfp and earns calories. MFP "gives me" 1350. (This morning, 1550 because I am below my target.) I eat back about 75% of the exercise calories since I think mfp overestimates calories burned, food calories are not always accurate and it's not unusual for me to miss logging a snack or a side dish. Plus eating out is such a guess.

fobs13

I'm.5ft2.5 and maintain on 1330 plus exercise calories

DeterminedFee201426

5'5 120 lbs maintain 1790-2000 sometimes 2200 with extra exercise

onyxgirl17

5'5 , maintenance is 1700. I weigh 135.

ydyms

I'm 5'3" and maintain on 1400 plus exercise calories. I would like to lose 5 more but that's a bonus

swift13b

I'm 5'4", 105 pounds and MFP has me at 1530.

raywoodhams

MissJay75 wrote: »

CaloricDisaster, if you are simply interested in how much other people your size can eat, that is cool. If you are looking to use this information to try and figure out your own maintenance calories, that is not going to be so helpful.

The best way to figure out what you will maintain on, is using your own numbers. Hopefully you have been tracking well. You can go to the reports section of MFP and see your total calories, net calories, exercise calories, all sorts of helpful numbers. Look at your calorie deficit over the past couple months, and look at your weight loss over the same period of time.

Lets say for example you ate on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. Over the last 3 months you have lost 6 pounds. That would tell us your calorie deficit was 6 x 3500 or 21,000 calories under maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 233 calorie per day deficit. Meaning you should maintain at 1725 - 1750 + eat your exercise calories back.

If you were eating on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. And over 3 months you lost 10 pounds, that would tell us your calorie deficit was 10 x 3500 or 35,000 calories under maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 388 calorie per day deficit. Meaning you should maintain at about 1875 + eat your exercise calories back.

If you were eating on average 1500 calories per day + all your (low estimate) exercise calories every day. And over 3 months you gained 3 pounds, that would tell us your calorie surplus was 3 x 3500 or 10,500 calories over maintenance you ate. Divide that by 90 days gives us 116 calorie per day surplus. Meaning you should maintain at about 1385 + eat your exercise calories back.

I'm saying to eat your exercise calories back as an example because that is what 'you' did in the example while tracking. Whatever you did in real life, figure that into the equation for what you need to do moving forward. Plug in your own numbers and see what you get!

If you haven't been tracking well, it's never too late to start. Try eating what MFP tells you your maintenance calories should be for a month. Be diligent and try to stick to it, record everything. At the end of the month, walk through the math I just gave you.

MissJay75 is spot on. height has little to do with the level of calories you use to operate your body. Body mass and activity level are key, but don't forget metabolic rate, that's so personal that it can make a nonsense of a diet based on someone else's numbers.
Forget what other people's numbers are and concentrate on the basics, keep accurate records, if your weight goes up, drop a few calories, if it goes down add a few, but don't forget that fluctuation is normal too, over time 2-3lb fluctuation will be observed even in the most rigorous regime, so don't over compensate, and most important of all remember that weight loss and weight maintenance are not goals in their own right, merely means to an end - enjoying life is the key goal. Aim for that and the rest will fall into place.