5'4-5'5 women what are your maintenance calories?

kimny72

I'm 5'4 (and 1/2!) 125lbs and usually lightly active. I'm eating around 1700-1800 to maintain. I know I could be more active and probably push that up to a nice solid 1900, but I haven't done it yet

Fatgonegirl

Hi, I'm 5'4 age 55 and 9st 4lbs (59kg, 130lb) I maintain at around 1700/1800 give or take. I find it harder to be more accurate than that. I find it very interesting to know what other women about my size can maintain on. It seems there is a wide variety of answers.

StarBrightStarBright

5'5", 145 pounds, 37 years old, lightly active (walk a few miles a day) and essentially maintain at around 1500. 1500 is hard for me so I usually spend a couple of months eating around 1400 to try to lose, get hungry, eat around 1600 for a couple months and gain and start the whole cycle over again. Every 4 months, like clockwork for two years now It is what it is.

epiclife88

16-18's range but that also depends on activity

DaisyHamilton

At 154 pounds, my maintenance right now is around 1900ish. But I'm still losing. 5ft4.5in and 24 y/o

w8goal4life

5'6" 115 lbs. I exercise in one form or another about 30 minutes per day, track daily and maintain on 1400 calories. Sometimes I eat back exercise calories and sometimes not. Slower metabolism at advanced years. Wouldn't it be wonderful to maintain on 1500+ calories per day!

claireychn074

Can I join in? Okay technically I’m 5’3 but in my heart I am a LOT taller. Weigh 118pounds, 44 yrs old and maintain on about 2100. I lift 5 times a week and do some hiit.

etherealanwar

Wow, ladies with 2000+ calorie maintenance have it awesome! I'm not at my goal weight, currently weigh 156.8lbs and my maintenance is 1890. My goal weight (first one atleast) is 135 lbs and mfp claims my maintenance will be a measly 1680....primarily because I am sedentary for the majority of the day and only go on a 30min walk on lunch breaks.

Question, how active are you ladies with 2000+ maintenance? I'm wondering what I will need to do to get my tdee that high once I reach maintenance.

kimny72

etherealanwar wrote: »

Wow, ladies with 2000+ calorie maintenance have it awesome! I'm not at my goal weight, currently weigh 156.8lbs and my maintenance is 1890. My goal weight (first one atleast) is 135 lbs and mfp claims my maintenance will be a measly 1680....primarily because I am sedentary for the majority of the day and only go on a 30min walk on lunch breaks.

Question, how active are you ladies with 2000+ maintenance? I'm wondering what I will need to do to get my tdee that high once I reach maintenance.

My TDEE is not over 2000, but this thread has some great suggestions in the meantime:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

TavistockToad

etherealanwar wrote: »

Wow, ladies with 2000+ calorie maintenance have it awesome! I'm not at my goal weight, currently weigh 156.8lbs and my maintenance is 1890. My goal weight (first one atleast) is 135 lbs and mfp claims my maintenance will be a measly 1680....primarily because I am sedentary for the majority of the day and only go on a 30min walk on lunch breaks.

Question, how active are you ladies with 2000+ maintenance? I'm wondering what I will need to do to get my tdee that high once I reach maintenance.

it amazes me that people a similar size to me maintain on so little. i am 5ft5 and 135lbs and maintenance is roughly net 2000 for me.

i don't think of myself as particularly active outside of exercise either... i usually get around 6000 steps per day. i work out 5 x a week 30-60 minutes (plus 1 long run of 90-120 minutes) running/cycling/strength training.

bemyyfriend0918

I'm 5'4, 27 years old, and when at my goal weight of 154lbs I maintain right around 2200. I eat 2000 usually to try and make up for days I know I go over, especially during holiday season.

AnnPT77

etherealanwar wrote: »

Wow, ladies with 2000+ calorie maintenance have it awesome! I'm not at my goal weight, currently weigh 156.8lbs and my maintenance is 1890. My goal weight (first one atleast) is 135 lbs and mfp claims my maintenance will be a measly 1680....primarily because I am sedentary for the majority of the day and only go on a 30min walk on lunch breaks.

Question, how active are you ladies with 2000+ maintenance? I'm wondering what I will need to do to get my tdee that high once I reach maintenance.

My maintenance seems to be in the low 2000 area even before exercise, i.e., net, at 5'5", 130-something (varies by day), age 63. I get around 6000 steps most days, and do some fun activity (rowing, spin class - mostly) for around 45 minutes 6 days a week in Spring/Summer/Fall, and less than that, but at least 3 days a week sometimes more in Winter (still spin, a little machine rowing, rest varies - swim, walk, weight train, etc.).

The NEAT thing above matters (fidgeting, according to actual research, can burn up to a couple hundred calories a day!) I suspect it also helps to have a bit more muscle mass than average, though I'm far from a bodybuilder/powerlifter, to eat foods with a higher TEF (not that I'd do it for its effect on TDEE, it's about what one likes eating), and generally a bunch of other stuff that individually may add a totally trivial number of calories daily (<25-50), but that add up.

etherealanwar

AnnPT77 wrote: »

My maintenance seems to be in the low 2000 area even before exercise, i.e., net, at 5'5", 130-something (varies by day), age 63. I get around 6000 steps most days, and do some fun activity (rowing, spin class - mostly) for around 45 minutes 6 days a week in Spring/Summer/Fall, and less than that, but at least 3 days a week sometimes more in Winter (still spin, a little machine rowing, rest varies - swim, walk, weight train, etc.).

The NEAT thing above matters (fidgeting, according to actual research, can burn up to a couple hundred calories a day!) I suspect it also helps to have a bit more muscle mass than average, though I'm far from a bodybuilder/powerlifter, to eat foods with a higher TEF (not that I'd do it for its effect on TDEE, it's about what one likes eating), and generally a bunch of other stuff that individually may add a totally trivial number of calories daily (<25-50), but that add up.

That's really great, I wonder why it can vary so much from person to person? Of course I don't know for sure what my maintenance will be like when I reach goal but mfp is predicting my current maintenance quite well (just 50 calories lower than it really is). I do plan on starting a weightlifting program when I reach my goal though but I've heard that weightlifting doesn't add much exercise calories. Do I need to include some cardio as well perhaps?

TavistockToad wrote: »

it amazes me that people a similar size to me maintain on so little. i am 5ft5 and 135lbs and maintenance is roughly net 2000 for me.

i don't think of myself as particularly active outside of exercise either... i usually get around 6000 steps per day. i work out 5 x a week 30-60 minutes (plus 1 long run of 90-120 minutes) running/cycling/strength training.

I'm amazed at the opposite, how some women maintain on such high calories!! I walk anywhere from 5,000-8,000 steps in a day which I guess can be considered lightly active when I'm 6000+? I don't know why my maintenance calories even at an overweight bmi (currently 26.9 at 5'4") are so low It is such a bummer!! I want to being a weightlifting program once I reach my goal but the thought of having to incorporate cardio to get more calories is uspetting.

AnnPT77

etherealanwar wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

My maintenance seems to be in the low 2000 area even before exercise, i.e., net, at 5'5", 130-something (varies by day), age 63. I get around 6000 steps most days, and do some fun activity (rowing, spin class - mostly) for around 45 minutes 6 days a week in Spring/Summer/Fall, and less than that, but at least 3 days a week sometimes more in Winter (still spin, a little machine rowing, rest varies - swim, walk, weight train, etc.).

The NEAT thing above matters (fidgeting, according to actual research, can burn up to a couple hundred calories a day!) I suspect it also helps to have a bit more muscle mass than average, though I'm far from a bodybuilder/powerlifter, to eat foods with a higher TEF (not that I'd do it for its effect on TDEE, it's about what one likes eating), and generally a bunch of other stuff that individually may add a totally trivial number of calories daily (<25-50), but that add up.

That's really great, I wonder why it can vary so much from person to person? Of course I don't know for sure what my maintenance will be like when I reach goal but mfp is predicting my current maintenance quite well (just 50 calories lower than it really is). I do plan on starting a weightlifting program when I reach my goal though but I've heard that weightlifting doesn't add much exercise calories. Do I need to include some cardio as well perhaps?

<snip reply to T.Toad>

There are as many reasons for variation as there are people, I'd bet.

If I were you, I'd start the weight lifting (or other strength training, such as a bodyweight program) sooner rather than later. It will help you preserve existing muscle, so you don't lose any more muscle than the minimum alongside fat loss. It's easier/faster to maintain what you have, vs. build new, especially for women. I've never seen anyone who started strength training during weight loss say "I wish I'd waited", but I've seen a bunch who waited say "I wished I'd started sooner".

If you're new to weight training, it's even possible that you can gain a little muscle even in a small calorie deficit (no guarantees), and you certainly can gain useful strength (through central nervous system/neuromuscular adaptation, basically recruiting and using existing muscle tissue more efficiently).

This is a good thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

(Truth in advertising: I don't weight train much. I think it's a good strategy, but I don't enjoy it, and I'm lazy/hedonic. I'm fairly strong because my cardio-of-choice is somewhat strength-promoting.)

The issue is not so much that strength training burns calories by doing it, but that having more muscle - which takes a long time, BTW - burns very slightly more calories than not having it. Also, I suspect those who are stronger do more things that burn more calories because those things just feel easier, but I can't prove that.

Cardio burns more calories just by doing it, but my calorie burn is high for my age/size even before adding exercise calories. In one sense, I don't know why, but I think some of the above discussion applies. Women, especially, I think, have a way of repeatedly undereating to lose weight, getting fatigued/weak in subtle ways as a consequence, doing even less and resting even more because of the subtle weakness/fatigue, eating even less to keep losing weight, etc., which is a bad down-spiral when repeated over years and decades.

The effect of a short bout of this is small, but it accumulates. I suspect one reason I have a higher calorie burn is that I stayed obese'n'happy for decades (and very active even while obese, which built/retained muscle). Most women I know who are my age (63 tomorrow) did a bunch more yo-yo dieting/regain than I did during those decades, and were more inactive.

I've read a few things that hint that "high calorie flux" may contribute to a higher TDEE over time, but I'm not 100% convinced. However, in theory, it could be part of the reason that "reverse dieting" improves TDEE over time for some people. (Though anecdotally, it seems like sometimes that works because some people are more sensitive to subtle activity changes that come with reduced/increased calories, and affect daily burn though daily life calorie expenditure.) The "calorie flux" idea, in brief, is that eating lots of calories but expending lots of calories, over time, leads to an overall higher daily calorie burn. Not sure I buy it, outside of the basic "burn more, eat more; eat more, more energy; more energy, more active daily life" idea that's much simpler.

mamadon

I'm 5'4, 150 pounds and 56 years old. I am not very active and maintain on about 1700 to 1800. I've been maintaining for almost 5 years.

Runaroundafieldx2

I'm the same stats as you normally.

I maintain on an average of 2100 calories a day but that includes my exercise calories.

Talan79

I agree that it’s crazy how similar weight ladies can maintain on such different calorie intakes.
There are a bunch of factors but dieting history has a lot to do with having a lower metabolic rate.
It’s possible to get maintenance calories up by doing a long term reverse diet. Layne Norton has a YouTube channel, some good information there if anyone is interested.

paperpudding

I am 5 ft 3 in and over 50 years old. My maitenance calories are 1710 net.

I weigh 62 kg - not sure what that is in pounds but is a BMI of 23.

MelanieCN77

I'm 5'5" and hover around 133, I'm 41. Outside of exercise I estimate I would maintain on about 1600. I'm not particularly active outside of my workouts and am not carrying a lot of muscle.

Bekahmardis

I'm 5'3.5" and 47 years old, 108 pounds (very small frame). Sedentary desk job (but I have a sit/stand desk and just recently got a Fluidstance balance board for it!) and I average around 6,000 - 7,000 steps a day. My maintenance calories are right around 1500. Bear in mind, I have zero natural hormones, so I don't fluctuate due to that any more.

LDOby10

I'm 5'5" and 43 years old. I was a skinny, then slender person for most of my life - until I wasn't quite, topping at 137lbs. I believe that I'm finally in maintenance (I lost an extra 10lbs when I switched to maintenance calories of 1680cal. I have concluded that they were too low for me to maintain at 120 - my goal). I'm now 110-112ish lbs (which I really like) maintaining on about 1700 calories. I workout 5 days a week (swimming/walking and HIIT body-weight workouts). I eat back all of my workout calories - so with a good swim under my belt I can eat close to 2000cals. At work (part time), I'm on my feet moving all day. This was my first purposeful diet and exercise adjustment in my life. I'm thrilled with the results. I'm finding my maintenance calories roomy enough to still really enjoy food, which is huge for me. I feel like I'm the healthiest that I've ever been as an adult and am really happy with how I look as well.

iowalinda

mmnv79 wrote: »

I don't know how old are you, but that's what the online calculator I use says for your stats.

Would you share the link to the calculator?

nexangelus

We are all so different body comp wise and weight wise, not sure why you just want the height as an input...but anyway, I am 5 foot 5, 44 years old, 158 lbs and my maintenance is 2670 cals (gross)...I cycle to and from work, I am in a fairly active job (care work) and I strength train 3 - 4 times per week.

By my estimation at my height and your weight I would maintain on around 2100 cals (gross) per day...but I am not you...

AuthorNinja

I'm 5'4" and maintain between 107-111 depending on the time of the month lol. I'm not as tight on my logging as I could be. My maintenance calories are 1500-1700. I'm guesstimating. I usually log 1500ish but i'm accounting for the inaccuracies.

falalhshsh

Well for me I am actually 5’4 and 109 pounds. I am pretty active. I figure skate, dance, and usually stretch and do small workout classes her and there. I am aiming for 105 pounds but I don’t quite know how to get there cause everything I’ve tried I just stay the same weight.

sgriska

I’m 5’4”, 140 lbs, 52 years old, broad frame, desk job, walk an average 12000 step/day, a and I recently had my RMR tested at 1483, with suggested maintenance calories between around 1600-1900 depending on activity level. Only just started maintenance so too soon to tell how that will all work out, but that’s the data I have.