Short, relatively small women in long-term maintenance
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Hello, I am 5'3, 60 years old and 115. I've been in maintenance for a couple of months. I have found some good petite clothing at White House Black Market however their sizing is consistent, sometimes I wear a 2, sometimes a 4. I track. I aim for 10,000 steps a day plus jog, currently as the weather is workable, every other day. I will probably go down to three times a week in the winter. Jogging regularly is new for me. I started with a 5k beginner plan in late August and will be completing it mid-October. I know I need to incorporate other types of exercise into my routine: yoga or something else for flexibility and stretching and definitely need to get back to strength training. I find it difficult to make more than one shift at once, so once I am up to running 3 miles several times a week, I will add in one other thing. I am very lucky as far as my shoe size - it's 6.5, regular width. It's not a popular size, but it's a size that's regularly manufactured so there are often good sales. My base is 1200 plus I eat back about half to three quarters of my exercise calories. I set MFP to sedentery but bring in my Fitbit activity. My youthful standard weight was 105. I'm curious about whether I will drop again when I increase my physical activity, but it's not a goal for me right now.0
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Another shorty.RunRutheeRun wrote: »5ft 2 / 46 yrs/ maintaining 133lbs for 2 years now (am slim/fit at this weight)
I'm a UK size 8-10 depending on brand/retailer.
I maintain on approx 2200 cals gross.
I'm in awe of your maintenance calories! Any calorie calculator I use to calculate my calories (height, weight, workout 5 days a week) give me about that as maintenance - but at 1800 my bf has been increasing. It's under 20% still, but not a trend I want to continue. Boo!
I have a Fitbit which I find accurate, it keeps me right..and keeps me moving
My calories are higher than someone who would be 20lbs lighter but I'm at my happy place and I'm slim. I feel as you get older that thin is not a good look, I have my curves in the right places and am happy as a pig in muck LOL0 -
I wear a size 6 shoe (occasionally 5.5). Best thing about that is that it is usually the display size, so it's easy to try on shoes without waiting for a sales associate to go to the stock room. Of course the disadvantage is sometimes the display model is the only 6 in stock and might be stretched out or scuffed.
And side some have mentioned bra size, I am a 30D...actually, I can wear a 28DD...but they are much harder to find. Even 30D is rare outside higher-end department stores and specialty shops. I can get away with some 32Cs in a pinch.0 -
Thanks for starting this thread! Great to find others out there like me. I am 43 years old, 5'0 and maintain between 100-105 lbs. I do TDEE as well. Right now I am in marathon training and running 50+ miles/wk, so I average about 2000 calories per day. But when I go back to my normal routine in a few weeks I will drop down to around 1700. I have noticed that TDEE for me seems to be less of a number and more of a range. If I am consistently hitting between 1600-1800 calories, I neither lose nor gain.
Can I just add, I HATE shopping. Us small ladies have gotten the short end of the stick due to vanity sizing. Most retailers have just sized us right out of their stores. I usually end up having to alter my pants. I end up finding the most clothes at places like TJ Maxx and the Off 5th Avenue outlet because they tend to carry more boutique brands that offer smaller sizes. I also have recently realized that I can shop kids departments. I am not sure why I never thought of it before. Selection can be a little tricky, but it's good for things like workout gear especially.0 -
Good thread, segacs! Just started maintenance last week.
Stats:
31
5' 1/2"
107.4, with a range of 106-109 (?)
MFP gave me 1450 for maintenance, but I have set it sedentary.
Strength train 2 days on, 1 day off. Between that and my FitBit I usually get 1700-2000 calories. I don't have the courage to eat them all back, at least not yet.
And yes, shopping is a chore now, especially on a budget. Banana Republic and Ann Taylor are the only two stores I really like. Macy's petites is just PITIFUL.0 -
Hi! I'm 5'2 (and a half), and maintaining at around 105 lbs for over 10 yrs now. I originally had lost about 20ish pounds (freshman 20). I maintain on around 1500 cals, and only cut back to 1200 when I feel like I'm gaining (if clothes start feeling snug).
Exercising regularly definitely allows me to eat a bit more, but in general I'll never be able to eat 2000+ calories without gaining weight. It sucks, but I've accepted it.0 -
I've gotten over feeling like it's unfair that other people can eat more food than we can and still maintain. That's just a recipe for me to be bitter and angry. I choose instead to look at it as a bonus: We can eat less food and still feel as full and satisfied as other people do on more food, which is great for the budget. I probably spend half as much on groceries each month as a full-sized man would. Not to mention, I can get a bit tipsy on far less alcohol, which is also great for the pocketbook. Focusing on the positive here.
Clothes shopping just plain sucks, though. I'm bitter about that for sure.
Shoe size... I used to be that nice, easy-to-find standard size 6. Since losing the weight, my feet appear to have shrunk a bit and now I'm more like a 5.5, which sucks 'cause it's a much harder to find size. I also have extremely narrow feet, so most shoes slip right off my feet. 5.5 Narrow is a size that doesn't exist anywhere; I asked the one store in Montreal that carries narrow shoes and they said they simply don't know of anything that comes in that size, period, so basically I'm SOL. What I find frustrating is how many stores have stopped ordering size 6 altogether and gone straight towards starting at size 7, arguing that "well, people's shoe sizes have gone up lately". It seems like everyone these days is carrying shoes for wide feet, but nobody's catering to narrow ones.
Still, I love shoes, so I've figured out ways to make them work for me. I look for Italian brands (when I can afford them) 'cause they tend to be made narrower. Certain other brands, like La Canadienne boots or Naot sandles, are also made narrower so I know they work for me and tend to go back to them. I buy boots or shoes with straps, which stay in place better than mules or pumps. My favourite trick is to add these sticky inserts on the balls of the feet of most dress shoes; they add cushioning and help keep the forefoot in place, making far more shoes wearable.
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sobriquet01 wrote: »And yes, shopping is a chore now, especially on a budget. Banana Republic and Ann Taylor are the only two stores I really like. Macy's petites is just PITIFUL.
Macy's petites used to be excellent. I'd plan an annual shopping trip to New York just to shop the wonderful, wonderful petites floor at the Herald Square location. Except now it no longer exists; they've cut back most of their petites clothes and mixed them all in with the regulars, and you can't find anything there anymore and it's just ... well, pitiful is a great word.
Step it up, retailers. Half of all women in North America are 5'4" and under. Stop claiming we're a "niche" market. Half isn't niche.0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »My calories are higher than someone who would be 20lbs lighter but I'm at my happy place and I'm slim. I feel as you get older that thin is not a good look, I have my curves in the right places and am happy as a pig in muck LOL
If that's you in your profile photo, then you certainly don't need to be 20lbs lighter. You look great!
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I wear a size 6 shoe (occasionally 5.5). Best thing about that is that it is usually the display size, so it's easy to try on shoes without waiting for a sales associate to go to the stock room. Of course the disadvantage is sometimes the display model is the only 6 in stock and might be stretched out or scuffed.
Yep, walking around shoe stores trying on the sample sizes is the best part of being a size 6. Unfortunately more and more stores are using 7s as sample sizes now and no longer stocking 6s. *Sigh*And side some have mentioned bra size, I am a 30D...actually, I can wear a 28DD...but they are much harder to find. Even 30D is rare outside higher-end department stores and specialty shops. I can get away with some 32Cs in a pinch.
Same here. Exactly the same size. 28DD or 28DDD/28E would fit, in theory, but doesn't exist anywhere in Montreal. My specialty bra shop where I buy bras starts at 30, and only carries D and above. I'm wearing 30D right now, and if I lose any more weight and go to 30C I won't be able to shop there anymore. The department stores only start at 32.
Nobody told me that getting down to a healthy weight would be so frustrating. Bras were much easier to find when I was wearing 34s and 36s.
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I count myself fortunate now to have big wide duck feet.
Still, I went from an 8.5 wide shoe to a 7.5 regular. I have to wonder if the trend toward larger and wider shoes is related to rising obesity numbers, because I had no idea that losing weight would make my feet smaller.
Clothes are indeed a PITA, one that has me contemplating a reorganisation of living space to set up a permanent sewing machine nook with a fitting dummy. It's not just re-hemming pants and skirts, it's re-sectioning cuffs, re-seating buttonholes, re-cutting shoulderlines, and darting necklines. Now that I can wear tailored and bodycon dresses, I need to virtually rebuild them to a backwaist length of 14" when the average in ladies wear is 21".
Gloves? Kid's department.0 -
I count myself fortunate now to have big wide duck feet. Still, I went from an 8.5 wide shoe to a 7.5 regular. I have to wonder if the trend toward larger and wider shoes is related to rising obesity numbers, because I had no idea that losing weight would make my feet smaller.
Hahahaha. Me neither. That came as a real surprise to me. I've been a 6 or 6.5 my entire adult life. I had no idea my feet would shrink.Clothes are indeed a PITA, one that has me contemplating a reorganisation of living space to set up a permanent sewing machine nook with a fitting dummy. It's not just re-hemming pants and skirts, it's re-sectioning cuffs, re-seating buttonholes, re-cutting shoulderlines, and darting necklines. Now that I can wear tailored and bodycon dresses, I need to virtually rebuild them to a backwaist length of 14" when the average in ladies wear is 21".
Same problem here. Taller women always think that it must be "no big deal" for petites because we can always just buy regular clothes and hem them. They don't understand that things like sleeve or pant hems are the easy part; the real problem is that the shoulders are too wide, the armholes too low, the back length too long, the waist hitting at the hips, etcetera.
I'm not nearly as skilled at sewing as you are. I do some quick fixes, but complicated alterations like the ones you mentioned are simply beyond my skillset. So I either splurge on tailoring ($$$$$ for the alterations mentioned above!) or wear things that don't fit properly.0 -
I'm 5'2", and not quite in maintenance yet, but working on getting there. I'm currently at 155, but my HW was 217. I want to lose 20-30 more pounds still. I'm confident that I will get there! This post helps motivate me by knowing that it is possible, and I will get there just like you all have. It is good to see what needs to be done for maintenance, because we all know that is really the hardest part of the journey.0
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geekpryncess wrote: »I'm 5'2", and not quite in maintenance yet, but working on getting there. I'm currently at 155, but my HW was 217. I want to lose 20-30 more pounds still. I'm confident that I will get there! This post helps motivate me by knowing that it is possible, and I will get there just like you all have. It is good to see what needs to be done for maintenance, because we all know that is really the hardest part of the journey.
Love your username. You've made fabulous progress! Keep at it... you'll get there. Just like life, it's about the journey, not the destination.0 -
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Thanks for starting this thread! Good to see I'm not alone. It's hard for me to read about other people maintaining (and even losing) on 2,000 or more cals/day and I'm struggling with my TDEE of 1400 or so. I'm 5'3" hovering around 115, and I just can't let up on the cals at all if I want to lose even a couple more pounds. I don't want to think of it as a life of restriction, but I will always have to be more careful than my taller counterparts. It doesn't help that everyone else in my house is over 6' and has the metabolism of hummingbirds. Damn teenage boys, they can eat the metric equivalent of a dump truck....0
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I'm 5'1" and recently hit my goal weight after losing 50 pounds this past year. I'm aiming to maintain between 105-110lbs (I'm currently at 106), all the while working on fitness and strength goals to keep motivated.
I think that maintenance for us small shorties presents certain specific challenges. For instance, our maintenance calories tend to be lower than many larger people's deficit calorie goals. Restaurant portions are still too big for us even at maintenance, and our daily food intake still has very little room for error. Also, shopping for clothes is just as frustrating as it was before weight loss, 'cause I've shrunk in weight but I haven't grown in height.
I'm looking for some like-minded short small women like myself to add to my MFP feed for motivation and support. I've had tons of great support from the MFP community during my weight loss, and I'd like to continue that into what will hopefully be long-term maintenance.
Send me a friend request (not blank, please) if you're in the same boat.
Hello & Congrats!
I'm 4'10" & have maintained 2+ yrs now.
And you are absolutely right, things when you're 'fun' size is a little different.
Ann Taylor The Loft & The Limited has a fairly robust Petites section for clothes. Express sizes is also very accommodating to a smaller frame although not technically petite.
And Victoria's Secret was the only place I found XS undies which didn't have rainbows, hearts, & unicorns on them ... which there's nothing wrong with that if you like it.
After I lost the weight I also went to VS to get fitted properly for my new bra size. A good bra, especially for us minis can make a huge difference.
There is definitely an adjustment & re-figuring out what size from what brands fit, but honestly I didn't mind the process. I saw it as a reward for the hard work of losing 40 lbs.
Enjoy it & have fun with it!0 -
Fun size, LOL! Love it!
And thanks for the suggestions, but unfortunately we don't have any of those retailers here in Canada (except VS, which doesn't fit me, but hey.)
I was looking forward to the "reward" after losing the 50 pounds. But it's starting to feel more like a punishment.0 -
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Yessss!
Im 5'1 and I maintain at 105.
The worst part I think is the clothing. Nothing seems to fit right, everything is either too boxy, too flowy or to long!
However, my go-to place for jeans is target!
They make 28in in seam jeggings that fir perfecty!0 -
I've been in maintenance for oh, 11 years or so!
I'm 5'3" and 110 pounds, I fluctuate anywhere from 108-115 depending on the time of year but it mainly sticks right around 110. I keep active 4x a week in the gym (on average, plus walking every day mostly) to try to combat it, since I'm getting older these days, but I still really love eating and drinking my wine! My maintenance calories are typically 1500 on a non-gym day and 1800-1900 on a gym day, some days I'll eat less to save for a weekend when I know I will indulge, and it truly all evens out.
Oh and I pretty much only wear juniors clothing, size 0-5 depending, I like jeans with stretch since I have a booty, but I find that women's clothes do not fit me well at all!0 -
Oooh bras,
I have just trekked around trying to find a good strapless one. I have ended up with a 32D because nothing is available with a smaller strap. Sales advice- you can always take the strap in!!
I ended up getting it but I feel as though I am strapped into a fortress, 4 hooks at the back, a new one for me. I am just about to try it with the dresses I want to wear it with and I have the odd feeling the back will be so bulky it will look like I have a mic pack down the back of my dresses.
LaSenza used to do a great small strap 32, that fit like a 30. But of course now I need some new ones that line has been discontinued.
I hate all of you because you can buy shoes. I used to be able to buy at M&S when I was in the UK, but when I was there in the spring even their shoes were too big.
Segacs, your feet sound just like one of my sisters, within the adult size range, just, but really narrow.
Runrutheerun, I used to envy your calorie allowance, but the other week I went to visit my son and grandson, ate 2400 cals of heaven, and by the end of the day I thought I was going to explode.
I think in my normal day to day life my 1200-1400 cals suits me well, and though I drool over decadent things, I am happier having small samples of lots of tasty things, rather than an over abundance of calories.
I do go for fish and chips at the local pub every couple of weeks, 2 pieces of battered fish 175g each and tonnes of chips. I love it, never finish it, and know I am going to sit moaning about being bloated for the rest of the night. Well worth it though.
Sorry to natter on I am a west coast night owl so miss all the early east coast and beyond chatter when it happens.
Cheers, h.0 -
Interesting posts.....I'm especially intrigued about the weight so many maintain at. I am 5'2" and my lowest weight was 122, which was quite skinny on me (overly skinny according to friends and family alike), yet so many on here are the same height and 15 lbs lighter!
I maintained at around 125 for 2 years before illness and personal stress derailed me and I ballooned back up to my max of 157. I'm currently at 137 and aiming to lose another 10-15 before maintaining.
The maintenance strategy that worked for me for those two years, was to keep to a weight loss calorie level (between 1100-1300) 4 or 5 days a week and then eat what I wanted (within reason, typically 1900-2400 calories) the other 2-3 days. This worked really well for me because it allowed for eating out and treats, but still balanced out overall to avoid gaining. Of course, I also weighed myself regularly and would adjust the ratio of diet and off days as needed. I plan to do this again once I get back to my maintenance weight.
@segacs We were just in Montreal this past weekend, our first time in Canada! You might want to try shopping across the border in Burlington, VT. It's only about a 2 hour drive and they don't even have sales tax on clothes in VT. You might also be able to order online and choose the ship to store option and pick it up in VT. 0 -
@middlehaitch ahh I have days when I feel ridiculously full too - Saturdays are my fish n chips plus cake day so I end up patting my really full tummy and feeling bloated but I really look forward to that weekly splurge
that's my 2400-2600 day, the rest of my week I average more like 1800-1950 (takes that to keep the overall weekly cals in check), I feel empty/lethargic if I eat less and I need to fuel my workouts.
I do think we get used to eating less over time.
You must have very small feet if M&S can't even sort you out
I love Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams....actually in the UK we have an abundance of terrific shops and most of them online too
I guess cos I'm not very petite as I just don't have the same issues as a lot of you gals have when it comes to buying clothes/shoe's and just as well as I LOVE to shop (much to the annoyance of my hubby lol)
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »@middlehaitch ahh I have days when I feel ridiculously full too - Saturdays are my fish n chips plus cake day so I end up patting my really full tummy and feeling bloated but I really look forward to that weekly splurge that's my 2400-2600 day, the rest of my week I average more like 1800-1950 (takes that to keep the overall weekly cals in check), I feel empty/lethargic if I eat less and I need to fuel my workouts.
I do think we get used to eating less over time.
You must have very small feet if M&S can't even sort you out I love Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams....actually in the UK we have an abundance of terrific shops and most of them online too
I guess cos I'm not very petite as I just don't have the same issues as a lot of you gals have when it comes to buying clothes/shoe's and just as well as I LOVE to shop (much to the annoyance of my hubby lol)
I'm right there with you! The smaller I get, the easier it is to shop, since the smaller clothes go on clearance. But then, we're definitely not nearly the same size as some of the others on here. 0 -
Runrutheerun, the rest of my family is in the UK. You should see my visits, usually lots of clothes, some shoes, shopping, and an extra suitcase to bring it all home with.
I do think clothing in the UK is made to a slightly shorter average height.
Here is a question for anyone that's lifting. Has your back got much broader?
This is back to the bra shopping again, and dresses to a certain extent.
My back/ under breast measurement was almost 30 when I initially lost weight, now it is a solid 31, without a weight gain. I like to think I am doing the slowest recomp in history. Any input?
Don't you just love comparing peccadillos with others that can identify.
Cheers, h.0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »Runrutheerun, the rest of my family is in the UK. You should see my visits, usually lots of clothes, some shoes, shopping, and an extra suitcase to bring it all home with.
I do think clothing in the UK is made to a slightly shorter average height.
Here is a question for anyone that's lifting. Has your back got much broader?
This is back to the bra shopping again, and dresses to a certain extent.
My back/ under breast measurement was almost 30 when I initially lost weight, now it is a solid 31, without a weight gain. I like to think I am doing the slowest recomp in history. Any input?
Don't you just love comparing peccadillos with others that can identify.
Cheers, h.
I'm not lifting at the moment (medical reasons) but when I finished losing I ended up at a 28<insert absurd cup size>. I'm 5'1 & 130 and that was just too much for me. I had a reduction/lift and gained went to a 30 - surgeon said putting everything back where it belonged made the difference.
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What would you guys say is the maximum 'modern healthy weight' for a 5'4" 40year old woman?0
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