5ft 2" Girls - what's your daily calorie intake?

skimpyskimp

Hi there, I'm a 5ft 2" and wondering what I should adjust my calorie intake. Current weight is 140lbs, highest was 175lb, lowest was 128lb. I keep my current intake around 1200-1400 but somedays I go as low as 800. Just wondering what calorie intake works best for your weight loss?

Ninkyou

It's going to be different for every 5'2 girl. Depends on how much they need to lose and their starting weight.

For me, my "goal" is set to 1530 calories. If I exercise, I eat those calories back, because my body needs it for fuel.

1200 Calories is the absolute BARE MINIMUM you should ever eat. If you continue to dip into the 800's like that... well... it won't be pretty. Try to eat your calorie goal consistently. Weigh/Measure every single thing that enters your body. Don't guess or eyeball it.

melaniecheeks

1450.

I'm 133 pounds and only looking t get to 130. I'm also doing the 5;2 approach, so 2 days a week I eat 500 closes. So 1450 is my maintenance level.

skimpyskimp

It's going to be different for every 5'2 girl. Depends on how much they need to lose and their starting weight.

For me, my "goal" is set to 1530 calories. If I exercise, I eat those calories back, because my body needs it for fuel.

1200 Calories is the absolute BARE MINIMUM you should ever eat. If you continue to dip into the 800's like that... well... it won't be pretty. Try to eat your calorie goal consistently. Weigh/Measure every single thing that enters your body. Don't guess or eyeball it.

Thanks for your advice, just wanted to get an idea what other shorties keep their calorie levels around! Ya I got down to 128lb through eating 1200 or less than went off the wagon and shot back up to 145lb. So trying to do it the right way around now and build more muscle - I have an apple shaped body so all the weight gathers around my midsection - not pretty! When I track my calories, I am absolutely meticulous and weigh everything - my friends laugh at me counting blueberries!

Just started the 30 day shred the other day after reading it on forums so hopefully that'll help shape/trim my midsection!

JLArispe

Everyone is different and it depends on what kind of workouts you do. I do hardcore intense workouts 6x a week and I am supposed to eat 1870 a day, and not eating back my calories. I am 5'2" and 128, want to get down to 12 If you eat back the calories you burn you end up maintaining your weight and not actually dropping. You need to figure out what works best for your body and stick with it. Best of luck!

healthygreek

122-125 weight range and I eat between 1500-2000 depending on how hungry I am.

jess6742

Everyone is different but you definitely need to be eating more than 800. I'm 5'1 and workout 5-6 times a week. I normally eat 1500-1650 calories a day. I've been eating lower due to GI problems and it sucks. Eating at 1000 calories a day is absolutely miserable. Don't undereat it will totally wreck your body long term.

NataliaLueck

i'm 5'2.75" ;-) and to maintain my weight at 105 lbs I take in about 1600 calories per day. I also work out everyday, whether walking, running, weight lifting or other machines at the gym. I try to consume a large variety of foods and since I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of soy protein. Hope this helps!

tharisnoemilybj

I'm 5'1" and 143 pounds, trying to get down to about 125. My calorie goal is set at 1200 right now, and it really is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM number of calories the human body needs in order to get adequate nutrition. I don't care if your 800 is full of only nutrient-dense foods, it's still not enough. Plus, the faster you lose weight, the faster you gain it back when you up your caloric intake. Aim for 1200-1250 and go for slow and steady weight loss. It'll be better for you in the long run, and you'll build better habits. Remember - exercise, or really any activity that gets you moving around on your own feet, can help you burn more! Don't starve yourself

Ineedtofeelskinny

I'm 14 5'2" 143.5 pounds and my calorie intake is around 2,600 because I'm really active with sports and stuff. Works for me and I still lose weight.

Emmienz

Hi there im 5ft nothing and Ive got my goal set at 1200 atm but I eat a range between 1200-1400 depending on what exercise i do that day etc but I always net around 1200-1300 ... Im 79.9kgs atm which ( I Think!!) is about 159.8lbs and want to get down to 65kgs (130lbs i think) seems to be working for me altho i am also only just starting out as well

Just_Sha

1200 on non active days up others 1357 but occasionally higher depending on how active ive been

ackdyolen

My calorie goal for weight loss is set at 1200 (by MFP) and it's been working for me. I have about 35 lbs to lose. I work out usually 6 days a week and I usually eat back some of those calories but not all of them.

KitaT92

5'2"...150 lbs...1200 cal/day...I eat back some of what I work off during exercise but not the full amount. I try not to eat under 1200 calories even when I don't workout.

justlistening

I'm 5'1" and 138lbs. I usually shoot for 1350 on non active days and about 1500 on days when I workout. I was on 1200 for while but did not feel good.

danifo0811

I'm 5'3. I usually eat 1400-1800. I eat back some exercise calories. I try to net over 1200 and after that it depends on how hungry I am. When I net less than 1200 my work out the following day usually lacks energy and I lack willpower.

Regan45

5'2" 137 now. Started at 145. It's been a little over a month since I started. I eat about 1200 a day. I almost never eat back my exercise calories.

minizebu

I am 5'2" as well, but the answer to your question is dependent on how much you exercise, how much weight you are trying to lose and how quickly you are trying to lose it. That is, it depends on the amount of energy you expend and how much of a caloric deficit you wish to maintain.

When I first started out I weighed 186.5 and I ate a static 1600 calories per day. That was my daily goal, give or take normal over/under fluctuations. I did not and do not eat back exercise calories, but rather try to aim for a particular deficit off of my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). At that time I was sporadically exercising, walking less than thirty minutes a day. I lost weight at the average of one pound per week.

For the last few months I have been exercising a lot more than that, but also eating more, so I have been maintaining my losses, but not continuing to lose weight.

My current BMR (Mifflin St. Jeor calculation) is 1245 and MY "sedentary" TDEE is around 1750. Note that I capitalized "my" and put "sedentary" in quotations because that is the normal level of energy expenditure that I have from my normal day-to-day-living on days when I am not formally exercising. It might be considered "lightly active" to other folks. If I were not exercising at all, then I would aim to be eating around 1750 (to maintain my present weight of 145 lbs.). However, when I am exercising I factor in the weekly average amount of exercise into a weekly average TDEE, and then calculate a deficit of anywhere from 15% to 20% off of that.

I got down to 128lb through eating 1200 or less than went off the wagon and shot back up to 145lb.

I'm not trying to be mean, but It is not a mystery why you gained the weight back quickly. You went from eating at an extreme calorie deficit (of probably much greater than 25%) to likely eating at a calorie surplus that could have been as little as 25% or well above that. The greater the calorie surplus, the quicker the weight will come back.

It is good that you are trying to take a more steady and sensible approach to your weight loss now, with an aim to conserve your muscle mass.

I would encourage you to find out what your BMR and typical TDEE are. Try to choose a reasonable caloric deficit of twenty percent or less. You may lose weight more slowly than before, but you will also likely keep more of your muscle mass and you will also find that a smaller deficit is easier to maintain for the long period of time that it may take to lose the amount of weight that you want to lose.

Yes, you can lose weight by eating 1200 calories a day, but that level of deficit may leave you feeling deprived, hungry, and without enough energy to exercise. It is likely unsustainable in the long run.

Good luck with your weight loss.

Edited to add:
See my profile for more detailed statistics from my food diary. It shows the amount of weight I lost during each of my goal periods, as well as my average daily BMR and TDEE during those periods. I haven't updated it yet for the most recent goal period, but I will be doing that in the next few days.

brynnsmom

Oh I like this post! I'm 5'2" and weigh 107 pounds. I probably average 1700/day. I don't get to exercise much but I stay active at work and taking care of my toddler. I watch my diet especially closely on weekdays. Weekends are not necessarily free, I still eat healthy foods, but I do eat (and drink) more.

MoreBean13

I'm 5'3" so I might be out-of-bounds by answering but my target is 2,000. When I was losing weight I never went lower than 1.650, and I eat (and always did) all my exercise calories on top of that.

MoreBean13

Great post, minizebu.