5'5" and 105-110 lbs ladies!!!

minnyme87

So I'm 5'5" and currently at 115 lbs. I started off at 130 lbs and have consistently been losing weight since March. In August I reached a plateau and then to continue dropping weight I drastically reduced my calories to only 500 calories/day (really bad I know!) and was able to get down to 105 lbs and really liked the way I looked. Now however, when I have increased my calories to about 1200/day I have gotten back up to 115 lbs.

Recently had an RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) test done which said my RMR is 1050 calories, and also my body fat percentage from a Bod Pod test was 27%.

For working out I do yoga a couple times a week, but should I start doing weights? Don't want to bulk up though.

Does anyone have any success of being around 5'5" and getting to 105-110 lbs and being able to maintain it?? Please share! Thanks!!

Phoenix_Warrior

Personally, I would stay at your 115 lbs and lift heavy. Starving yourself to achieve skinny is sad and unneeded. You don't bulk by accident and you cant eating at a deficit. It takes women so long to successfully bulk and even then they can't normally achieve "bulky". Stop paying attention to the scale and start focusing on the mirror. Pick up a lifting routine SL 5x5, New rules of lifting for women, starting strength. I'm 5'5" and my goal weight is 125 lbs. Oh and eat!! Weigh and measure your food, watch your macros (1g of protein per pound body weight or LBM) and enjoy yourself. This doesn't have to be a miserable road to the body we want. It should be rewarding and exciting

edited to add http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=road+map

katemoskal

Just my two cents but at your weight and height 27% body fat is quite high. In order to get down to the weight you want you should focus on losing some of that fat. In the process it will make your body look leaner, eliminating the need to lift weights heavily in order to create muscle. The best way to get your body to start burning its own fat is a low carb, high fat diet. You can do this while keeping your calories low as well, although you don't need to - keeping carbs low will do all the work for you. Good luck!

minnyme87

So eating high fat will help reduce my body fat? What percentage of carbs/protein/fats do you suggest? Thanks for your input!!

TavistockToad

sounds like you need to gain about 10lbs of LBM... eat at maintenance and start a lifting routine...

Phoenix_Warrior

Just my two cents but at your weight and height 27% body fat is quite high. In order to get down to the weight you want you should focus on losing some of that fat. In the process it will make your body look leaner, eliminating the need to lift weights heavily in order to create muscle. The best way to get your body to start burning its own fat is a low carb, high fat diet. You can do this while keeping your calories low as well, although you don't need to - keeping carbs low will do all the work for you. Good luck!

Low carb is nonsense. Ive lost body fat and weight eating tons of carbs, fats and high protein. if they don't want to lift weights, fine. But they need to fuel their body properly, which isn't going to happen by starving themselves. If I remember the chart right, OP's weight is already at the low end, if not underweight category and the high body fat % is from starvation. They lost a bunch of muscle mass by doing this. Heavy weights will help but no matter what exercise they choose, it's going to take time

psuLemon

Whats your definition of bulk up? You won't get all muscular by gaining new lean body mass, which is what you need. And the reason you are unhappy with your bod is because you do not have enough lean body mass to give you definition. Right now, you only have about 83 lbs of lean body mass, which is extremely low. At your height, it should be closer to 100-110 of lean body mass. Look at the below link and concentrate on the comparison from 120 to 130 lbs. She is a lot more lean and fit after gaining 10 lbs of muscle.

Also, the reason your RMR is so low is because you suppressed calories for so long and lost a lot of lean body mass. The most likely reason for this was metabolic adaptation. Eating at maintenance and lifting will help "reset" your metabolism so you RMR and BMR are almost identical. If you ate around 1600 calories and lifted heavy with a little cardio 5-6 days a week, I wouldn't be surprised if your RMR increase by a few hundred calories.


http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

psuLemon

Just my two cents but at your weight and height 27% body fat is quite high. In order to get down to the weight you want you should focus on losing some of that fat. In the process it will make your body look leaner, eliminating the need to lift weights heavily in order to create muscle. The best way to get your body to start burning its own fat is a low carb, high fat diet. You can do this while keeping your calories low as well, although you don't need to - keeping carbs low will do all the work for you. Good luck!

Low carb does not increase fat loss nor will it eliminate the need to lift weights. To achieve a specific look, it's all about body composition. This OP is already at the lowest acceptable range for her height. Her body fat is high because her lbm is low. When she dropped calories to 500 calories a day, she probably lost 50-75% of her weight from muscle (common for those on HCG diets or other vlcd when they are already lean).

Phoenix_Warrior

Just my two cents but at your weight and height 27% body fat is quite high. In order to get down to the weight you want you should focus on losing some of that fat. In the process it will make your body look leaner, eliminating the need to lift weights heavily in order to create muscle. The best way to get your body to start burning its own fat is a low carb, high fat diet. You can do this while keeping your calories low as well, although you don't need to - keeping carbs low will do all the work for you. Good luck!

Low carb does not increase fat loss nor will it eliminate the need to lift weights. To achieve a specific look, it's all about body composition. This OP is already at the lowest acceptable range for her height. Her body fat is high because her lbm is low. When she dropped calories to 500 calories a day, she probably lost 50-75% of her weight from muscle (common for those on HCG diets or other vlcd when they are already lean).

Thank you. You said it better than me :flowerforyou:

NeverCatchYourBreath

Although I don't necessarily believe you should weigh that little at your height I'll give you my two cents anyway.

1 gram of protein per pound of body weight = x
1 gram of carbs per pound of body weight = y
0.4 grams of fat per pound of body weight = z

now, take x *4 = a, y*4 = b, and z*9 = c. Then add a+b+c. That's how many calories you should be eating.

Now, you should be lifting weights. There is no chance in helI that you will get "bulky." Period end of story. 27% is really really high amount of fat for your stats and I'm not sure I believe it, but I can only go on the information you give. The weight you lift needs to be heavy relative to your strength. It has to put stress on your muscles. If the weight weighs the same as your purse you'll never see results. Lifting will make you look tight and sleek, not bulky with rippling muscles everywhere.

minnyme87

Thanks for the advice! The low calorie eating period (500/day) was for about 3 weeks but I guess that was enough to mess up my metabolism - taught me to never do that again.

Any suggestions for what type/how heavy to do the weight lifting? If I eat at maintenance calories and then start lifting weights any idea how long it'll take me to see a change? Will the fat I currently have accumulating on my stomach/thighs/arms change any?

sweetNsassy2584

Whoa! You really do not need to lose any more weight you need to gain some of that muscle back you lost. I'm 5,5 135 lbs and at 18% body fat. I too had the bod pod test done. Eat at maintenance and start lifting so you can gain LBM as others have said.

kw85296

Is it a weight you are trying to get to or a look/size you are trying to get to? I personally feel that 105-110 is too low. I am 5'4 1/2" and maintain for the most part between 125 - 130 lbs. I wear a size 2 or 4 and occasionally a 0. My tops are extra small. I eat a lot of protein and fruits and veggies and eat between 1400 - 1600 calories most days. I do moderate lifting and cardio. I have not "bulked" up with lifting. I would not want to go much less than my current weight or I would have to buy my clothes in the children's dept. Eat - lift - run. (Also, you should be able to eat even more calories tha me because you are younger )

psuLemon

Thanks for the advice! The low calorie eating period (500/day) was for about 3 weeks but I guess that was enough to mess up my metabolism - taught me to never do that again.

Any suggestions for what type/how heavy to do the weight lifting? If I eat at maintenance calories and then start lifting weights any idea how long it'll take me to see a change? Will the fat I currently have accumulating on my stomach/thighs/arms change any?

Well it depends on how aggressive you want to be. If you do recomposition where you eat at maintenance and hope for fat reduction and muscle gains, maybe 6 months or so. The one girl I worked with took a year to drop from 26% body fat to 18% body fat. Only lost 2 lbs during the process (used dexa scans for this information). The second option is to cycle bulk/cut cycles to lower your effective body fat %. And with this, you can do aggressive bulks or slow bulks. A slow bulk is eating a surplus of 250 calories above your TDEE and then after you gain 10 lbs, you then do a cut where you eat 20% below TDEE. An aggressive bulk could go to aim for 1 lb per week and then cutting after 10 weeks. Keep in mind that women tend to gain 50% fat when they bulk. So for every 1 lb of muscle you gain, it will be 1 lb of fat.

katemoskal

Yup! As the saying goes, "fat does not make you fat". It's going to sounds crazy but I would recommend 65% fat, 25% protein and 10% carb.

Here's how it works: Eating too many carbs triggers insulin, the "fat storage hormone", prompting your body to store any excess carb as fat. Your goal is to minimize insulin release. Fat and Protein do not trigger this hormone and in doing so, trigger your body to use fat as fuel...the fat you eat as well as your own body fat.

It seems like a lot of the other responders are weight lifters to some extent and if I misread your goal and you want to start an intense weight lifting regime, just go ahead with their advice. To me it seemed like your goal was to lose the last 5lbs and look great. You don't need to spend a ton of time in the gym and in fact, the yoga you are already doing is excellent exercise and will build lean muscle over time. You have done a great job getting down to the weight you're at and just a little tweaking will change your body composition and help you lose the extra weight.

Hope that helps!

keem88

5'5" i maintain anywhere between 103.5-108, just depends on the day sometimes i eat more and gain temporarily other times it drops back down, right now i am 106.

you seem okay where you are maybe just focus on lifting now?

psuLemon

Yup! As the saying goes, "fat does not make you fat". It's going to sounds crazy but I would recommend 65% fat, 25% protein and 10% carb.

Here's how it works: Eating too many carbs triggers insulin, the "fat storage hormone", prompting your body to store any excess carb as fat. Your goal is to minimize insulin release. Fat and Protein do not trigger this hormone and in doing so, trigger your body to use fat as fuel...the fat you eat as well as your own body fat.

It seems like a lot of the other responders are weight lifters to some extent and if I misread your goal and you want to start an intense weight lifting regime, just go ahead with their advice. To me it seemed like your goal was to lose the last 5lbs and look great. You don't need to spend a ton of time in the gym and in fact, the yoga you are already doing is excellent exercise and will build lean muscle over time. You have done a great job getting down to the weight you're at and just a little tweaking will change your body composition and help you lose the extra weight.

Hope that helps!

I would suggest a bit more research (not gary taubes). Many of us don't agree with you because these theories do not align to science. While for some, weight loss is about the type of macro nutrient, for most it doesn't matter which macro nutrient you cut, weight loss will occur. While I agree high protein is critical in weight loss as it's great for satiety and maintaining lean body mass and fat is good for skin, hair and organ health, eating low carb does NOT prevent you from gaining new fat, nor does it improve fat loss. Fat loss is about eating less calories than you burn off (law of thermodynamics). It clearly states in order to lose a lb of fat, one needs to consume 3500 calories less than you burn. It doesn't talk about macro nutrient.

Also, we are against your recommendation because many of us have seen this exact scenario hundreds of time. The composition (lbm vs free fat mass) is not optimal for that body the OP wants. And suggesting she continues to be underweight isn't an intelligent decision. I would agree if she would be 150 lbs, but she is already almost underweight, so why suggest another 15 lbs loss?

suziepoo1984

That sounds like a really low weight, but whatever size you are comfortable in. As everyone said, eat at maintenance and lift. You might see an initial gain, but do not give up. It will come back down. Good luck!
Btw, i am 5'5 and 146 lbs. I would like to be somewhere around 135, but i am going to stop when i feel comfortable with the way i look, weight is just for reference!

Im4gin3th4t

I think you should stop looking at the scale as much..start monitoring your measurements. I'm 5'5, 126 and wear XXS -XS and 0-2 petite sizes and less than 17% body fat. Everyone's body is different but if you are eating 1200 and your weight increased to 115 I'd say you're body doesn't function well below that weight.

If you're goal is just to tone up continue the yoga and start eating healthier (not below 1200 calories). Diet plays a large part in how your body looks, not just in how much you weigh. I'm pretty sure my diary is open to my friends if you want to see what I typically eat during the day...

cannibaldoll

Please DO NOT start eating a high fat diet! That will not help you achieve ANY sort of look you want for a trim, lean body.

I'd also like to add- the human body is designed to run on carbs! The brain functions on glucose- which is most easily available from CARBS (which includes fruit- fruit is good for you!). Running low carb in the long term has serious health risks.

105-110 lbs is under weight according to BMI for you height, if you want to look leaner, I'd start by lifting weights, its going to help lower your body fat percentage and lose INCHES, not pounds. So while you may stay the same weight- you body could end up looking totally different if you stick to consistently working on your strength training.

NaoyukiTai

...
I'd also like to add- the human body is designed to run on carbs!
...

Not exactly.

Muscle uses glycogen. To use the carbs (aka sugar) for muscle, you need insulin.
Once your muscle becomes insensitive to insulin, it's called diabetes.

It's better to use glycogen stored in fat cells. That's how you lose fat from your body.
When you feed carbs/sugar into blood stream from food, you are keeping your body fat.
Besides, your muscle cannot use too much sugar coming from food.
The excess sugar is turned into fat and stored in the fat cells.

Fat does not make people fat. Sugar does.

OTOH, if you want to lose weight not body fat, it does not matter.
Fat has a higher energy density so it's hard to feel "full" so you overeat without knowing.

So, pick food that releases glycogen slowly to your blood stream and exercise so that your fat cell releases glycogen.
When muscle depletes glycogen, the body notices the signal and builds more muscle around it.
That's how you get lean.

If you are choosing carbs, pay attention to GLI (Glycogen Load Index). There is a fast sugar like high fructose corn syrup and slow carbs like complex carbs in veges.

Calories are calories. But, how you exercise and how you feed sugar into your body affects the body composition.

SLLRunner

Mommy me, 105 pounds for someone who is 5ft5in tall is too thin.. Eating 500 calories before is unhealthy, and then eating 1200 and gaining weight back is natural.

No offense intended, but this sounds like an eating disorder and body image issues. I'd advise a visit to your doctor.

Please do not lose any more weight and make sure you are eating at maintenance.

psuLemon

...
I'd also like to add- the human body is designed to run on carbs!
...

Not exactly.

Muscle uses glycogen. To use the carbs (aka sugar) for muscle, you need insulin.
Once your muscle becomes insensitive to insulin, it's called diabetes.

It's better to use glycogen stored in fat cells. That's how you lose fat from your body.
When you feed carbs/sugar into blood stream from food, you are keeping your body fat.
Besides, your muscle cannot use too much sugar coming from food.
The excess sugar is turned into fat and stored in the fat cells.

Fat does not make people fat. Sugar does.

OTOH, if you want to lose weight not body fat, it does not matter.
Fat has a higher energy density so it's hard to feel "full" so you overeat without knowing.

So, pick food that releases glycogen slowly to your blood stream and exercise so that your fat cell releases glycogen.
When muscle depletes glycogen, the body notices the signal and builds more muscle around it.
That's how you get lean.

If you are choosing carbs, pay attention to GLI (Glycogen Load Index). There is a fast sugar like high fructose corn syrup and slow carbs like complex carbs in veges.

Calories are calories. But, how you exercise and how you feed sugar into your body affects the body composition.

I am confused by your post. In one sentence, you are saying calories are calories but in the beginning you suggest sugar makes you fat (which it doesn't). Can you expand?

And if sugar made you fat, then I wouldn't be losing weight by eating 150g's a sugar a day. In fact, below is a good article about sugar; while long, it's a very good read.

Personally, I don't know why people over complicate things. Weight loss is simple, calories in vs out. The only macronutrient that even plays a bigger role is protein, which helps with muscle retention. But the fat is, you can gain just as much weight by eating too much protein and too much fat. I could limit carbs to 50g's a day and still gain weight by eating high calorie cuts of protein and fats. While it may be harder because of satiety, it's not impossible.

http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/your-problem-with-sugar-is-the-problem-with-sugar/

csalazar89

I'm 5'5" 110lbs and 18% body fat. Currently my goal is 16%. Body fat has everything to do with appearance rather than weight. I had to learn that the hard way as I used to weigh 120 lbs (wasn't sure of my body fat then) and started eating 1000-1200 cals a day to lose weight. I got down to 105 lbs and still hated the way I looked as I had lost a lot of muscle and not much fat.

Those who say it is unhealthy to weight 105-110 at 5'5", depends on the individual. I have an extremely small frame (ring size 3.75 for reference) so this is not too skinny for someone like me. BMI is full of it. It's all about body composition. We all should know by now that weight is just a number.

Anyway, what I currently do:
-eat enough to maintain a weight of 110 lbs (1500 cals on most days, more on workout days depending on what I burn)
-aim for 50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein (Sometimes closer to 55% carbs 25% fat 20% protein)
-yoga 3x a week
-strength train each muscle group 1-2x a week with heavy weight low reps (8-12 reps for 3 sets)
-high intensity interval training 2-3x a week

If you are trying to build muscle (and in turn lower body fat percentage) it is important to not have a calorie deficit. Also, the more muscle mass you build, the more fat you will naturally burn.

Staples in my diet are first and foremost fruits and veggies, as well as oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter toast, beans, rice, occasionally chicken breast(on days I need a protein boost), and sometimes whole wheat pasta with lean ground turkey. I'm not big on meat so I don't eat it everyday. Mostly I just try to eat nutritious food and I never ever eat unless I am hungry and always eat very slowly and stop as soon as I am satiated. In the mornings I always have espresso, lots of water with lemon during the day, and in the evenings I have a glass or two or red wine.

I am also a firm believer that it is impossible to get fat on fruit sugars. Eat as much fruit as you possibly can. This will keep you from binging on other sweets and keep you craving healthy foods. It is the sugar combined with the hydrogenated oils in cakes, cookies, processed foods, fast food, etc that make people fat. Not fruits and veggies so eat all the carbs you want in these areas. Low carb is ridiculous. Filling your body with high fat steaks and burgers and cheese all day is so good for you (NOT). Only thing thats good for is promoting cancer.

This is my plan, I don't call it a diet since it is everyday life for me now. I understand it may not work for everyone, but my weight has been pretty steady around 110 lbs give or take a pound or two for many months, and my body fat seems to be very slowly going down as I get stronger through lifting. Hope this helps some, I know how frustrating it can be to have people telling you that you are already too skinny and/or you have an eating disorder just because a weight of 105-115 is not realistic for them.

csalazar89

I also should add it is extremely hard for women to bulk up from doing weights, so definitely start lifting!

psuLemon

I am also a firm believer that it is impossible to get fat on fruit sugars. Eat as much fruit as you possibly can. This will keep you from binging on other sweets and keep you craving healthy foods. It is the sugar combined with the hydrogenated oils in cakes, cookies, processed foods, fast food, etc that make people fat. Not fruits and veggies so eat all the carbs you want in these areas. Low carb is ridiculous. Filling your body with high fat steaks and burgers and cheese all day is so good for you (NOT). Only thing thats good for is promoting cancer.

These are very bold statements. In fact, i frequently violate all of these and I am losing weight, my cholesterol is improving and my health has been top notch.. with the exception of sinus infections, I haven't been sick in 4 years. Regardless of the calorie source, if you consume more calories than you burn, then you will gain fat.