Height and Weight

mylittlerainbow

I'm barely more than 5 feet tall. My maintenance calories, even with a decently active lifestyle, are only about 1400, and I'm doing 1200 calories right now in my weight reduction phase. I'm getting some friends here, and I see that people are eating 1600, 1800, etc calories per day and losing weight nicely. I know you need more calories to sustain a greater mass and understand having a higher calorie allowance if you're taller, but I don't know what that feels like. Are taller people hungrier and it takes more to fill them up? I'm a bit jealous, but maybe I don't get as hungry and don't need as much?

Also, there's only so much I can eat below my ceiling before MFP yells at me. If your limit is 1800 calories and you eat 1550 one day, you probably still get a day counted and your 5-week projection given. But if mine is 1200 and I eat 950, I get scolded for eating too little, even though it's the same differential, and MFP won't count it as a day logged in and won't give me a 5-week projection. Since I do use the 1200 as a ceiling, I have to work actively (add one more snack, maybe) when I'm clocking in below 1000 to get above that so I don't get chastised.

I knew I should have been taller! I have friends who weigh what I weigh right now and are wearing size 2, whereas I don't get down to size 2 until I'm below 100 pounds (I'm not even size 4 until I'm below 110) since I'm so short. Any other "vertically challenged" people out there who are feeling the more stringent limitation of our calorie counts?

Pawsforme

I'm 4'10", so considerably shorter than you. But according to my FitBit my average daily calorie burn is somewhere between 1810 - 1850. So my maintenance calories (when I get to maintenance) will be more than yours. I think that will be plenty for me. I've been sticking with 1100-1300 for loss, and I'm really not hungry much. I'm 52 now. A couple of decades ago I got a LOT hungrier on this same amount of food. So I'm guessing age makes a difference for everybody?

I've seen other comments about MFP "yelling" at people who go below 1200, and about the site refusing to record that day's entry. But I've had many, many days below 1200 and never been "yelled" at or not had an entry go through.

But I understand what you're saying. My husband is about a foot taller than me, and even after all these years the amount of food he can consume still boggles my mind a bit. When it seems to me he's eating unbelievably huge amounts, I have to remind myself that I have no idea what it's like to be a foot taller, let alone a male!

jemhh

I'm 5'6" so I haven't faced the lower calorie issue. I would say that taller people need more food to fill them up just because they're bigger. I don't think it's directly proportional, though, and when you look at it from a pure feeling of hunger perspective, I think it's much more individualized. For example, I recently cut my calories to 1875 for 6 weeks and, by the end of it, I was uncomfortably hungry all of the time even though I ate at maintenance once every week or so. Now I'm cutting at 2150 and feel much better, but still feel hungry at timed.

malibu927

Age, height, weight, and activity level all play into how much one needs to eat to lose/maintain weight. I have friends who can eat 1200 with no problems, even if their loss is small. My TDEE is about 2300, and my goal on here is 1270 for 1.5 pounds a week. But after factoring in my Fitbit, I end up eating roughly 1800 calories a day.

youdontknowwhatyousaw

Are you sure your maintenance calories are only 1400? Have you tried eating at 1400 for a couple of weeks and seen that you don't lose weight eating at that calorie amount? How active did you tell MFP you were? Do you eat your exercise calories?

vivelajackie

I've had to re-adjust my calorie intake throughout the course of my weight loss because what I could lose weight at at 400 is more than what I can get by at 277. I manage my hunger better now than I did starting out, but I don't think it's necessarily taller folk feeling more hungry all of the time. It's a personal thing. You can eat more filling foods at lower calories to get you through. Try to fiddle with how many cals you eat and monitor your weight through this, perhaps.

Yi5hedr3

Yeh, just ignore the Mfp scolding. Doesn't matter, and so what if you can't log it. It can't stop you from doing it.

zcb94

As a 4'7" disabled female, my RD wants me to focus on getting as much of a balanced diet as possible given the shockingly low calorie limit, which I won't mention here due to MFP rules. I know exactly how you feel!

macgurlnet

I'm 5 feet tall and I fit into a 4 easily and a 2 or even 0 in some brands. In part, this is because I've got a fairly decent amount of muscle, which occupies less space than a similar weight of fat. I also have narrow hips and carry fat in my tummy more than anywhere else right now.

I'm 28 and currently ~116 lbs. My maintenance is just shy of 1500 before exercise, and each day it ranges from 1700-1900 and higher if I do something other than walking.

With that all being said....would you mind sharing the following information with us?:

Current weight
Age
Activity level set on MFP & why you chose it
Do you use a food scale?
Do you have an activity tracker, like a Fitbit?

~Lyssa

Lounmoun

People who are bigger need more calories to fuel their bodies. People who are more active need more calories to fuel their bodies.

I'm 5'4" and sedentary. My maintenance level is lower than someone who is 6' tall and very active. That's fine. I get to spend less money on food. MFP started me at 1330 calories to lose 1 lb a week when I was 179lbs. I didn't find that amount hard to eat and lost at my desired rate.

MFP doesn't want anyone to eat below 1200 minimum. Doesn't matter how tall you are. That is the minimum they will set your goal to. You can eat 1200 calories or eat less and ignore the warning.
How much do you have to lose? What rate have you selected for your weight loss? What is your activity level?

jhmomofmany

I'm a six-foot tall female, very active (average 13,000+ steps a day plus weight training regularly) and I'm currently pregnant. So I'm eating approx 2500 or more calories every day. Obviously, I'm not restricting right now.

Your post is interesting to me because I used to assume it is easier for smaller/petite women to maintain weight and stay within their caloric goals. I hear shorter women complain about being overweight at 150 pounds, it makes me feel weird knowing that I have to work my butt off to get down to and stay 150 pounds.

I think it's a "grass is greener" kind of thing.

Whitezombiegirl

I'm 5ft also. Age 38 and currently 96lbs and size UK6 US2. My maintenence without exercise calories is 1300ish. If I ever want to lose I need to be in the 1000 can range or exercise more. You only get a warning if you go below 1000 (even by 1 calorie). I just ignore any warnings. It still logs the day. Also I ignore the projection- it's never right.

It can be hard as a petite woman as we can only have a small deficit whilst eating a healthy amount for nutrition. Id like to eat as much as my friends sometimes but I can't and I've accepted that.

blkandwhite77

I'm 5ft7 219 and 38 years old (had to think about how old I was there for a second lol) and MFP has me at 1200 calories to lose 2 lbs a week. So not sure that MFP is just looking at your height considering I'm significantly taller than you.

mylittlerainbow

> Are you sure your maintenance calories are only 1400? Have you tried eating at 1400 for a couple of weeks and seen that you don't lose weight eating at that calorie amount? How active did you tell MFP you were? Do you eat your exercise calories?

Yes, they come out to be 1440. I got down to 97 a while back and maintained my weight for a year at that level. Then I retired and began to believe I could eat anything I wanted and whenever I wanted because nobody would ever see me. Ummm, and here I am again two years later to tell you all that that philosophy doesn't work! I told MFP that I'm moderately active and don't put in my daily calories, only the specific exercise calories that I count. And no, I don't eat my exercise calories.

> Current weight = 120
Age = 66
Activity level set on MFP & why you chose it = moderately active because that's true - I move around a lot and on my feet a lot even ignoring specific exercise
Do you use a food scale? - no, I measure volume pretty carefully but no food scale; haven't felt the lack since I'm losing 1 - 2 pounds per week and fine with that pace
Do you have an activity tracker, like a Fitbit? - no; going online for calories burned at various levels and for my weight

And I am not hungry at 1200 calories per day - most days, I'm not even hungry below 1000. I do occasionally add something to get me over that 1000 floor that MFP seems to set, but if I just don't feel like it, I don't and I let it yell at me and not count the day and I really don't particularly care about my streak anyway, when I AM logging every day whether MFP counts it or not! (I'm not even aiming at 97 again, more like 105-107, where I was most of my young adult life and felt/looked fine there.)

middlehaitch

Hi @mylittlerainbow , I'm happy that you are pleased with measuring by volume and losing at the moment. However as you get close to your goal you will find that the volume method no longer works. You are eating more than the low calorie goal that you state. A scale will be needed so you can be accurate with your food.

I would be very worried if you were truly eating as low as you say. As we get older it is much easier to lose muscle and bone density. A diet of at least 1200 cals will help support your LBM and general health.

Incorporating some type of strength training would also be beneficial, if you are not doing any at the moment.

You really should eat back at least 50% of you exercise calories, your body needs fuel.

Also expect your rate of loss to decline to .5lb a week as you near your goal.

I have been maintaining for 6 years at 1200 sedentary, 1400-1450 with activity/exercise, and am only 4 years younger than you.

Stats: 5'1, 100-105 lb, 62 yo.
SW 130
CW 103.

I personally have never worried, except when it comes to sweet things, that people bigger than me can eat more than me. It just seemed natural- the bigger you are; the more you need.

Cheers, h.

mylittlerainbow

I actually don't think that I am because I round everything up. I'll list 1/2 c blueberries but really have 1/4 cup. Or I'll say 1/2 c yogurt but actually have 1/3 cup. So I'm making allowances for things maybe having more calories than I'm listing on a daily basis.

scolaris

Why would someone already eating so little imprecisely low ball all their servings and thus rob themselves of that nutrition too? I'm confused. Why not just weigh and eat the bloody blueberries?

kshama2001

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

I actually don't think that I am because I round everything up. I'll list 1/2 c blueberries but really have 1/4 cup. Or I'll say 1/2 c yogurt but actually have 1/3 cup. So I'm making allowances for things maybe having more calories than I'm listing on a daily basis.

But with a food scale you put your serving dish on the scale, measure each thing, zero it out, measure the next, and you are accurate and don't have any measuring cups to wash.

A food scale is faster and accurate, so you don't have to worry about rounding up.

MarcyKirkton

I had a friend who suffered from an eating disorder in her youth. She overcame it, and even could diet successfully later in life with WW. She took a nutrition class that asked her to weigh everything. She said "Absolutely not. That will kick off my obsession again."

Weighing every bite isn't good for some of us.

kshama2001

MarcyKirkton wrote: »

I had a friend who suffered from an eating disorder in her youth. She overcame it, and even could diet successfully later in life with WW. She took a nutrition class that asked her to weigh everything. She said "Absolutely not. That will kick off my obsession again."

Weighing every bite isn't good for some of us.

Sure, plus I've lost weight many times without weighing, measuring, or counting calories.

But if the OP is going to measure and round up, she may as well just weigh and not have to round up.

scolaris

Sorry, you've lost me. I don't understand the logic behind any of this. Are you saying you have an ED? Because that's a different animal entirely...

kshama2001

scolaris wrote: »

Sorry, you've lost me. I don't understand the logic behind any of this. Are you saying you have an ED? Because that's a different animal entirely...

Marcy and her friend are not the OP...

scolaris

Thanks

MarcyKirkton

Oh, sorry.....I couldn't tell who you were asking.

middlehaitch

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

I actually don't think that I am because I round everything up. I'll list 1/2 c blueberries but really have 1/4 cup. Or I'll say 1/2 c yogurt but actually have 1/3 cup. So I'm making allowances for things maybe having more calories than I'm listing on a daily basis.

If what you are doing now is working, fair enough.

When you start to stall, because you are eating more than you think, or worse, start to feel tired, weak, and bad tempered, because you are not eating enough, remember the advice given on this thread.

Eat enough to keep your body and mind healthy: 1200 cal minimum ( the more you can eat now while still losing; the more calories you will have to play with as you get closer to your goal and losing is harder)
To fuel your exercises: Eat back 50-75% of your MFP exercise burn.
Using a digital scale and liquid measuring cups and spoons are the most accurate way of making sure you are eating the calories you think you are eating.

Cheers, h.

lynn_glenmont

@mylittlerainbow
because you're giving us ranges, rather than averages, for calorie consumption (goal = 1200, but you don't always hit that, and sometimes you're even below 1000) and weight loss (1 to 2 lbs a week), it's hard to know exactly, but these ranges suggest an actual maintenance level somewhere between 1700 and 2000, not the 1400 you think.

mylittlerainbow

The 1440 was calculated from averaging three sources online. As for eating too little - you're right - I very often wake up in the middle of the night famished and can't get back to sleep because I'm too hungry. And in my exercise classes, I sometimes feel weak or even dizzy and have to stop for a little. I just thought the less you eat, the better it is, but obviously that's not the case! It felt like 2 pounds per week wasn't fast enough to suit me, but I don't want to get unhealthy either.

middlehaitch

@mylittlerainbow. If you are waking in the night hungry, and feeling faint in class, lower your weight loss goal and eat more, and eat back your exercise calories, the way MFP is set up you are supposed to.

It really isn't healthy having those kind of reactions.

I know you want to get the weight off, but take more time, eat enough to fuel your body, mind, and your exercise.

I really worry about the muscle and bone loss that may be happening to you, (even though you exercise you are not adequately fuelling it) because of your age, similar to mine, and the way you are restricting your food.

I also still think using a food scale would help you enormously.

Cheers, h.

mscljeffries

Starving yourself will never work, your body will stop burning calories, and go into preservation mode. I am 5'8" and 203 pounds. MFP thinks I should eat 2300 calories a day. I have never been able to eat that many calories a day, unless I eat nothing but junk (which is how I got up to 203 pounds). Not even when I'm backpacking 15-20 miles a day, can I eat that many calories. Most of my diet is low calorie, high fiber, which keeps me full longer. MFP gets mad if I eat less than 1000 a day, so I try to maintain 1000-1200 a day. If I'm low, I'll eat a handful of raw almonds. I'm rarely hungry in between meals, but I do eat 5-6 small meals a day. I'm in constant motion between hiking, biking, kayaking, or horse back riding, so I'm burning more calories than I eat. Good luck reaching your goals.

Liftng4Lis

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

I actually don't think that I am because I round everything up. I'll list 1/2 c blueberries but really have 1/4 cup. Or I'll say 1/2 c yogurt but actually have 1/3 cup. So I'm making allowances for things maybe having more calories than I'm listing on a daily basis.

If you're measuring in cups, you're eating more than you think.