Fellow shorties needed for support and motivation 5'5 and under :)

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Replies

  • DreaRN15
    DreaRN15 Posts: 453 Member
    Zara_Pi wrote: »
    DreaRN15 wrote: »
    So this may be a silly question but I'll ask anyway. I know there are people that talk about CICO for weight loss. How does that work if your daily cal count is say 1800? I know you don't necessarily have to take in 1800, but if you take in 16 of the 1800 how do you possibly burn that many calories in a day??

    A human body uses energy to stay alive. This is known as Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating. A smaller person has a smaller BMR than a larger person.

    Since a person doesn't spend all day just existing, they will be using energy for their daily activities i.e. brushing their teeth, making dinner, having a shower, getting dressed.

    So for me, I'm 5'1", and my body requires approx 1200 calories a day just to exist.

    So if I eat 1200 calories a day, my calorie CICO will be 0. Then any daily actives plus any exercise will create a deficit.

    But how do you equate those everyday things into calories?
  • njabbasi
    njabbasi Posts: 8 Member
    edited March 2017
    Hi!
    I'm 5'1 and 23 and have always been pretty good about eating right and being active so I've always been around 98-105 pounds. Over the last 3 years I've moved in with a boyfriend, gotten super lax about eating whatever tastes good, started a desk job while doing full time online school (aka not active at all) and add in high stress plus a very long period of VERY BAD VitD deficiency and I am now around 120!! I've decided to start my weight loss journey because I'm noticing more and more weight gain these last few weeks and like all my muscles are gone..I'm literally like bones with fat hanging on them! For the first time I have rolls of fat!! So I am determined to go back to my previous weight by next year and make healthy changes that I can stick with! I know it's going to be hard because i haven't worked out in years and being lazy + eating has been my stress reliever these past few years but I am ready to take on the challenge! I tend to get unmotivated easily though so I thought I'd surround myself with other motivated people(:
  • anadee2598
    anadee2598 Posts: 8 Member
    I'm not super short but I meet the requirements at 5'5! I started at 143 with a goal of 115 and I am currently at 131, although this was before I went on vacay where I kind of relaxed on my diet!
  • youdoyou2016
    youdoyou2016 Posts: 393 Member
    Jeniccm wrote: »
    I'm a little over 5'. Started in the 230s (good God!) and now 120. My goal was 125, but am continuing to lose as I feel I should. I saw 118 a couple times but keep bouncing up. I think I should weigh 105ish. Will know when I get there.

    How'd I do it? Like someone else said, I also net 1000-1200 calories. Any more than that and I stall. When you're little and close to goal, there is no wiggle room for error, so I am pretty strict now and weigh / measure everything so I am as accurate as I can be.

    Don't listen to others when it comes to your weight. As others have said: 5 pounds on me is awful whereas it may be barely noticeable on someone several inches taller. I haven't looked at the BMI chart in a while, but the range seems bizarre to me. I think for my height it's 99-127 lbs is "normal." Nearly 30 lbs? Anyway, you have to stop losing when it's right to you.

    I'm working on being stricter and not getting set back on weekends - do you mind me asking what your average loss is when you stay strict?

    It averages to a pound a week. About 3 wks ago I started lifting weights. I wasn't able to do any exercise until recently due to an injury. Since then my weight has not moved much, but my pants are literally falling down.
  • tasha12004
    tasha12004 Posts: 232 Member
    How is your guys journey going? I have hit ANOTHER plateu.
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    I'm doing well! 8 lbs down from 152 to 144.4! I'm feeling good on 1200 ish give or take depending on if I'm extra hungry or not. At night if I need something sweet I eat frozen dark sweet cherries:) I ride my exercise bike and hr a day nearly everyday. I am determined to actually make it down to my goal this time!! Glad to have like minded people also working toward their goals to talk to!!
  • tasha12004
    tasha12004 Posts: 232 Member
    How long has it taken you to loose the 8 pounds?
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    A little over a month...I'm sure it's some water weight. I did low carb and dropped from 152 to 146 at the first of the year and it creeped back up to 148 for a few weeks and I was so unsatisfied on lower cals and low carbs so I added carbs back in and didn't track anything for a week. Went back up to 152 for the whole week and decided to start back on mfp again about a month ago (loosely for a week or two before I really buckled down to daily tracking and exercise) dropped about a pound that first day or two and has been pretty steadily down since then:)
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    And I eat around 40-50ish% carbs now so pretty sure it's not all water weight like it was on low carb:) and I'm much happier on 1200 cals with a high percentage of carbs!
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    edited March 2017
    I'm 5'0 tho so I really have 30-40 lbs to lose still
  • Jen_HealthCoach
    Jen_HealthCoach Posts: 4 Member
    I'm 5'0'' and I totally understand! Losing weight was such a struggle for me until I finally got dialed into what my body's needs were.
  • tasha12004
    tasha12004 Posts: 232 Member
    I've been doing Lower carbs but higher fats. Seems to be working. I lost one pound this week from being sick. Hopefully I get better soon.
  • sugom2
    sugom2 Posts: 93 Member
    I am 4'10"..so I hear your pain. I would give anything to be over 5 feet. I struggle with my weight as well, have for the past 30 years. I was 163 mid January and currently just under 153 (152.8). My goal is 130 and to loose inches in my arms, upper thighs and my belly area.
  • DreaRN15
    DreaRN15 Posts: 453 Member
    I'm up a couple pounds right now due to being on my cycle. But I am working to get those off...
  • tasha12004
    tasha12004 Posts: 232 Member
    That time of the month sucks! I dread getting on the scale during that time
  • MiamiSeoul
    MiamiSeoul Posts: 1,809 Member
    edited March 2017
    5' 4", 47 year old female. Started 2016 at my heaviest 233. Started MFP (again) on 7/1/16 at 223. Current weight is 187. I want to see how I feel at 160, but I think I want to ultimately get to 140. Feel free to add me.

    GO GET YOUR GOALS!
  • Harbin2017
    Harbin2017 Posts: 32 Member
    I am 5,3 and losing baby weight. Currently about 149 lbs. the heaviest weight (before baby was born) was 75 kg. My normal weight was 125 lbs and i had a tiny upper body with thin waist and muscular legs. *sigh*. Stopped eating packaged food and upped my protein. So far lost about 5 pounds since beginning of March. I don't find it difficult, currently eating about 1300-1400 cal and make long walks with the stroller every day. I am new to MFP and must say it is easier to have the support of community and there is a lot of useful info out here. I will definetely stick to the calorie concept for my future.
  • Windrunner666
    Windrunner666 Posts: 91 Member
    I'm 5'4 23 yo female, and most of my life I've been around 60-ish kg, which isn't bad but feelt like too much. In the Jan of 2017 I've weighed myself and I realized I hit 70 kgs! It may be okayish to some people, but for me it was a shoker! I've never in my life been that big. Trick is, my target weight is 57-54 kgs, but I never managed to free myself from 60s before, since I was not so much lazy for exercise as I was bad at restriction. When I exercised, I would instantly become ravenous, ate all my calories from exercise, daily allowance and more!
    I've reduced my calorie intake to 1200 and I find it easier to shed the pounds this way, rather than exercise. Maybe I'll add some lifting/cardio later on.
  • adebernardi
    adebernardi Posts: 15 Member
    I am 5'0 and am currently at 120 lbs. I am really trying to start focusing on toning up, especially in my arms and stomach area. I initially started my weight loss journey in 2012,where at my heaviest I weighed 135 pounds.

    I was wondering if any of you are counting macros in an effort to help with weight loss? I just started about two weeks ago and it seems to be helping. The biggest eye opener for me was how little protein I was getting on a daily basis. I would be interested in hearing any tips or helpful advice on macros.
  • Jeniccm
    Jeniccm Posts: 44 Member
    I'm down 5.5lbs since the beginning of the month and about 3lbs from goal. A lot of that was water from my all you can eat month of February but I'm finally back to where I was at the end of January and happy with that.

    I'm really trying to focus the next month or so to get to goal. It seems like whenever I get to this weight I start to self sabatoge. I tend to eat at a deficit during the week and then go overboard on the weekends. I lost the majority of my weight by last September and seem to bounce around the same few lbs. I'm ready to get off this merry go round and get into maintenance.

    My maintenance goal is to still eat around 1200 calories during the week and have some extra room for dinners with the boyfriend on the weekends. So essentially what I've been doing the last few months anyways lol.

  • Jeniccm
    Jeniccm Posts: 44 Member
    I am 5'0 and am currently at 120 lbs. I am really trying to start focusing on toning up, especially in my arms and stomach area. I initially started my weight loss journey in 2012,where at my heaviest I weighed 135 pounds.

    I was wondering if any of you are counting macros in an effort to help with weight loss? I just started about two weeks ago and it seems to be helping. The biggest eye opener for me was how little protein I was getting on a daily basis. I would be interested in hearing any tips or helpful advice on macros.

    I don't count macros per say but I do keep an eye and make sure that my protein goal is met daily. If I'm low I will have a protein shake with a scoop of greens or phytoberry.
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    When I exercised, I would instantly become ravenous, ate all my calories from exercise, daily allowance and more!
    I've reduced my calorie intake to 1200 and I find it easier to shed the pounds this way, rather than exercise. Maybe I'll add some lifting/cardio later on.

    I also get very hungry if doing any strength building exercise, but cardio on my exercise bike doesn't seem to have the same effect. Maybe you could try different exercises if you were looking for something to do that wouldn't make you so hungry:) Or just focus on cals if exercise isn't on your radar. I just like creating a bigger deficit by including exercise:)
  • ashleywright_0
    ashleywright_0 Posts: 42 Member
    Hello! I am 5'3 and 23 years old. I started at 175 lbs and am currently at 140 lbs. I am trying to get down to 130 and possibly 125.. I'll decide once I get there. I want to be toned and fit, so I'm not sure the number on the scale will matter much once I'm around 130 lbs :)
  • MiamiSeoul
    MiamiSeoul Posts: 1,809 Member
    When I exercised, I would instantly become ravenous, ate all my calories from exercise, daily allowance and more!
    I've reduced my calorie intake to 1200 and I find it easier to shed the pounds this way, rather than exercise. Maybe I'll add some lifting/cardio later on.

    I also get very hungry if doing any strength building exercise, but cardio on my exercise bike doesn't seem to have the same effect. Maybe you could try different exercises if you were looking for something to do that wouldn't make you so hungry:) Or just focus on cals if exercise isn't on your radar. I just like creating a bigger deficit by including exercise:)


    I agree. Cardio, especially in the evening, cuts my appetite.
  • jsecret
    jsecret Posts: 606 Member
    5'3" my starting weight was 220.6, current weight is 197.... I set my goals 10 lbs at a time so current goal is to get under 190. Mom of 2 kids, 3 dogs, 2turtles, 1 snake, 1 cat, and 1 horse lol.

    I do some weight lifting, set my calories at 1360, am on week 6 of C25K (from a complete non-runner), and have joined a running group that I *love* (Hash House Harriers).
  • jsecret
    jsecret Posts: 606 Member
    MiamiSeoul wrote: »
    When I exercised, I would instantly become ravenous, ate all my calories from exercise, daily allowance and more!
    I've reduced my calorie intake to 1200 and I find it easier to shed the pounds this way, rather than exercise. Maybe I'll add some lifting/cardio later on.

    I also get very hungry if doing any strength building exercise, but cardio on my exercise bike doesn't seem to have the same effect. Maybe you could try different exercises if you were looking for something to do that wouldn't make you so hungry:) Or just focus on cals if exercise isn't on your radar. I just like creating a bigger deficit by including exercise:)


    I agree. Cardio, especially in the evening, cuts my appetite.

    I am STARVING after cardio, but that is probably mostly due to the fact that I roll out of bed at 4am and go straight to the gym to run so by the time I am done and at work it is 6:30 and I haven't eaten since dinner the night before.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    jsecret wrote: »
    5'3" my starting weight was 220.6, current weight is 197.... I set my goals 10 lbs at a time so current goal is to get under 190. Mom of 2 kids, 3 dogs, 2turtles, 1 snake, 1 cat, and 1 horse lol.

    I do some weight lifting, set my calories at 1360, am on week 6 of C25K (from a complete non-runner), and have joined a running group that I *love* (Hash House Harriers).

    I do the same! Except for 1340 calories and no running group. And I'm doing C210K.
  • SashEdwards
    SashEdwards Posts: 78 Member
    Oh this group has been so helpful and I just found it! I'm 5'0 and currently 124 pounds. I quit smoking last February and packed it on - I was averaging 106-108 - and that's what I'm struggling to get back to. There was a comment earlier about how wack the BMI chart can be for short people. Numbers wise - people will think I'm nuts, why do I need to lose weight, etc. Short people can understand - yes, I'm still in BMI range, but 15 pounds on a short person makes a HUGE difference. I've gained inches, had to buy new clothes and just feel terrible. I've started running frequently to help, but never took it seriously until the last few weeks and that's made a difference. I've signed up for my very first half marathon in May - so the training is pretty vigorous.

    What my real struggle is is figuring out an eating pattern or style or whatever that works for me. Yes, calorie wise I need to be 1200 (so it says on here), but in terms of low carb, high protein, whatever, I just don't know. I was always, for my height, "overweight" until my mid twenties (140 avg.). Then I had my child and lost it all. But I smoked. And now I know the smoking is what controlled my weight. Now, I just have no idea how to eat healthy, or exercise or how to combine the two to get back to my weight in a healthy manageable and sustainable way. It's been really tough and I'm "experimenting" more than anything, trial and error to see what works. It's quite the journey....

    Anyone please feel free to add me - the more support the better - tips, ideas, tricks, accountability, whatever!
  • Jeniccm
    Jeniccm Posts: 44 Member
    Oh this group has been so helpful and I just found it! I'm 5'0 and currently 124 pounds. I quit smoking last February and packed it on - I was averaging 106-108 - and that's what I'm struggling to get back to. There was a comment earlier about how wack the BMI chart can be for short people. Numbers wise - people will think I'm nuts, why do I need to lose weight, etc. Short people can understand - yes, I'm still in BMI range, but 15 pounds on a short person makes a HUGE difference. I've gained inches, had to buy new clothes and just feel terrible. I've started running frequently to help, but never took it seriously until the last few weeks and that's made a difference. I've signed up for my very first half marathon in May - so the training is pretty vigorous.

    What my real struggle is is figuring out an eating pattern or style or whatever that works for me. Yes, calorie wise I need to be 1200 (so it says on here), but in terms of low carb, high protein, whatever, I just don't know. I was always, for my height, "overweight" until my mid twenties (140 avg.). Then I had my child and lost it all. But I smoked. And now I know the smoking is what controlled my weight. Now, I just have no idea how to eat healthy, or exercise or how to combine the two to get back to my weight in a healthy manageable and sustainable way. It's been really tough and I'm "experimenting" more than anything, trial and error to see what works. It's quite the journey....

    Anyone please feel free to add me - the more support the better - tips, ideas, tricks, accountability, whatever!

    Curious about your experience quitting smoking - did your appetite increase significantly when you quit or did you eat to compensate?

    I'm working on quitting

  • SashEdwards
    SashEdwards Posts: 78 Member
    Hmmm...I think I ate more by default. I guess you could say my appetite increased as now that I look back on it, I didn't eat as much because I just didn't feel like it - the smoking suppressed that, it's not like I didn't eat on purpose. Now without that stimulant, I feel hunger different - more often, like "normal" people I guess. So, with that being said, technically I ate more - however my un-education on what food choices to make and portion control is what killed me I think. I don't think I ate to compensate...once I started noticing the weight gain, I started running, about a year ago but just not as faithfully as now, but without the food education, it didn't overly help.
    I hope that made sense?