5'3 122 lb woman REALLY wanting to lose 15 lbs! Need tips!

HIzara

How does your clothes fit? That is the real test not the scale. I am 5'1 and weigh 122 (I am trying to get to 120). I wear a size 6-8. Don't let the scale tell you how you should be.

I have small bones and a small frame. Being over 110 lbs for me means, a muffin top belly and love handles. It doesn't look good. But for someone with wide hips, the fat spreads around and you can't see anything hanging. I would love to have a butt and be an hour glass figure, but that can't work with my body frame. It all depends on your body shape!!

eveunderground

At 5'3" 120 is NOT EVER considered heavy. That being said, if you're trying to lose a few pounds, it's all vanity weight, meaning your body doesn't need to lose it. So I'd suggest paying close attention to your diet beyond just counting calories. Make sure you're eating quality whole foods, try to eliminate anything processed.

HIzara

At 5'3" 120 is NOT EVER considered heavy. That being said, if you're trying to lose a few pounds, it's all vanity weight, meaning your body doesn't need to lose it. So I'd suggest paying close attention to your diet beyond just counting calories. Make sure you're eating quality whole foods, try to eliminate anything processed.

Eve, I'd loooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvveeeee to agree with you so, so, so, so, so very much b/c then it would mean I could stop working out and be "healthy".

But I went to get my fat measurement at my local gym by a fitness trainer a few months back. My Body Fat percentage was 30% when I was only 120 lbs!

According to their chart, for women, up to 33% is considered "Fat", over 33% is considered "obese".

I wish I made that up, but I did not! That was really a slap on the face for me. :noway:

eveunderground

I totally understand your situation, I was faced with the same thing 10 yrs ago, I lost the weight predominantly through diet. I do question the accuracy of the tests performed at a gym, since people store fat in different areas based on body type the overall percentage could have been way off. I believe the method where they immerse you in water is the most accurate measurement of body fat %. Either way I'm not sure that your personal situation warrants generalizing the statistic for the OP or for most women 5'3" and 120.

Lyadeia

Is it possible I'm not eating enough calories? I guess I thought the less I would eat the more I would lose weight.

Most people think this, and this is where a big problem lies. Without going into the science too deeply, I will try to explain a core concept to fat loss. We need to burn the fat and feed the muscle at the same time. Basically, cardio and weight training burns the fat, but in order for your body to do this correctly and efficiently, you need to be feeding the muscle with nutritious food. So thinking this way, it becomes clear that eating less can stunt your progress, if not completely stop it, because you are not giving your muscles what they need to get through the exercises which in turn burn the fat.

Oftentimes, people go into what is called starvation mode where they eat too few calories and the body simulataneously holds on to the body fat it has because the brain realizes that it is not getting nourished from food that it wants. The body fat is stored and used sparingly to keep your body alive and in check. People can go for literally months without food! This is why. When you increase how much you are eating, what you are actually doing is giving your lean muscle the fuel it needs to work. When this happens, the lean mass pushes through exercise which we already know burns fat and causes you to lose weight.

Long story short: eat more nutritious food and your body will in turn work better at burning fat.

Took me years to believe that, but when I started putting it into practice, the body fat started melting right off of me. :):):) Good luck!

cioccio16

Hey The only solution that I can suggest is the p90-x program it really works and works and you will be in the best shape of your like. This program is awesome you will never see such fast results as you will with the p90-x . Try it you won't be disappointed I promises. It is only about 120.00 cheaper than any gym membership. Buy the recovery drink too tast great and also helps with sore mussels too!!

rastrillo

You are correct! you need to eat more! the calories allotd to you on myfitnesspal.com are already less than you need. When you are working out like you are, you must eat the calories back that you spent working out. If you don't, your body will revolt and actually lower your metabolism. You will feel tired alot and hold as much as possible. Consume all or as close to all the calories allowed on myfitnesspal. take them in frequent snacks as well as small meals. Don't stuff! You will see the results you want.

bacardigirl

The scale is a terrible way to judge if you need to lose weight or not...so is BMI. (since it doesn't factor in fat vs. lean muscle mass, it just adds it all together as one) The best thing is to get your body fat tested by a Dr. or sports trainer. I am 5'2", 118 and had my BF tested two weeks ago. It was 25.9%, so in order to get it down to 20.9% (and not change lean muscle, just lose fat), I would only need to drop 5 lbs of fat. Does that make sense?

chelsealjames

I'm actually trying out the insanity workouts! I like them a lot so far because they really challenge me, whereas running isn't a challenge anymore. I try to incorporate other exercises throughout the week like cycling and yoga, and take 1 or 2 days off from working out completely.

chelsealjames

You are correct! you need to eat more! the calories allotd to you on myfitnesspal.com are already less than you need. When you are working out like you are, you must eat the calories back that you spent working out. If you don't, your body will revolt and actually lower your metabolism. You will feel tired alot and hold as much as possible. Consume all or as close to all the calories allowed on myfitnesspal. take them in frequent snacks as well as small meals. Don't stuff! You will see the results you want.

so how can i get more calories without eating too much carbs, sugars, and fats? because even if i eat more veggies they're still not that high in calories...
but thank you so much for your advice!

chelsealjames

Hey The only solution that I can suggest is the p90-x program it really works and works and you will be in the best shape of your like. This program is awesome you will never see such fast results as you will with the p90-x . Try it you won't be disappointed I promises. It is only about 120.00 cheaper than any gym membership. Buy the recovery drink too tast great and also helps with sore mussels too!!

I'm actually trying out the insanity workouts! I like them a lot so far because they really challenge me, whereas running isn't a challenge anymore. I try to incorporate other exercises throughout the week like cycling and yoga, and take 1 or 2 days off from working out completely.

hill242

Try lifting weights. As heavy as you can. Speak to a trainer to get instruction on free weights.

Make sure every calorie is full of nutrition. In this manner, you eat to fuel your body.

chelsealjames

Is it possible I'm not eating enough calories? I guess I thought the less I would eat the more I would lose weight.

Most people think this, and this is where a big problem lies. Without going into the science too deeply, I will try to explain a core concept to fat loss. We need to burn the fat and feed the muscle at the same time. Basically, cardio and weight training burns the fat, but in order for your body to do this correctly and efficiently, you need to be feeding the muscle with nutritious food. So thinking this way, it becomes clear that eating less can stunt your progress, if not completely stop it, because you are not giving your muscles what they need to get through the exercises which in turn burn the fat.

Oftentimes, people go into what is called starvation mode where they eat too few calories and the body simulataneously holds on to the body fat it has because the brain realizes that it is not getting nourished from food that it wants. The body fat is stored and used sparingly to keep your body alive and in check. People can go for literally months without food! This is why. When you increase how much you are eating, what you are actually doing is giving your lean muscle the fuel it needs to work. When this happens, the lean mass pushes through exercise which we already know burns fat and causes you to lose weight.

Long story short: eat more nutritious food and your body will in turn work better at burning fat.

Took me years to believe that, but when I started putting it into practice, the body fat started melting right off of me. :):):) Good luck!

thanks! what type of calories do you suggest? more fruits/vesggies? nuts? more protein in general? carbs?

hill242

A couple of articles (check out the whole site, too, but this will get you started)

http://www.stumptuous.com/no-fat-chicks

http://www.stumptuous.com/lies-in-the-gym

sjoy711

I would say that you aren't eating enough calories. Use the BMR calculator under the tools tab and find out what your minimum calorie intake should be. Generally speaking for any adult - you should never eat less than 1200 calories.

Lyadeia

I'm not sure what kind of calories to suggest for you because I don't know what your ratios look like right now. I can tell you that it is very important to eat your daily calorie goals in a balanced ratio, but oftentimes that ratio is different for different people. MFP started me out with 55% carbs, 15% protein, and 30% carbs, but I furiously disagree with this assumption for my body. I consistently lose weight eating 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. The carbs are mostly veggies, but I also enjoy potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pasta. My protein is mostly chicken, turkey, and fish with some lean cuts of beef and pork. My fat comes from essential fats in nuts, olive oil, avocados, and peanut butter (natural PB). In short, here's what I do---

I went to the goals section of MFP and changed them so that my calories would be 1500 and the ratio would be 50/30/20. That way I can plan ahead of time what I am going to eat and be sure that they fall close to those goals. I never just log my food later, I ALWAYS plan it out first. I eat 5 times a day every 3 hours, so that's approximately 300 calories per meal. I don't stick to that strictly, but it is a general guideline for me to use so that I don't over or under eat. Everytime I have some carbs, I always add a lean portion of protein to it because nutritionally, this helps reduce insulin spikes and lowers the effects of sugars on your body. Carbs should not feared, and it confuses me why so many refuse to eat them.

And since that you said that you are doing Insanity, I would definitely increase your intake of food NOW. Insanity can NOT be done with low calorie eating, unless you want to bonk, feel tired all the time, feel sore all the time, etc. I love Insanity, but when I do it, I never go under 1500 calories a day. In fact, I normally go up to about 1700-1800. Trust me, you WILL burn it off!!! My friend Tami French monitors her calories burned in each workout, and during the first month Insanity workouts she averaged 600 calories burned each time!!! So if you only eat 1200, then burn 600...well, we just can't live off of 600 calories for very long. Even if we could, our energy levels will fall through the floor and we won't shed the body fat.

So basically, I would just decide on what ratio of macronutrients would work best for you first. From that ratio, you can determine how many grams of each you should be eating according to your calorie goal. MFP can do that for you if you change your goals for calories and each macronutrient. Then just add foods to your log until you get pretty close to your goals. Save that page and it will show you a guide of what you need to do from day to day.

Lyadeia

A couple of articles (check out the whole site, too, but this will get you started)

http://www.stumptuous.com/no-fat-chicks

http://www.stumptuous.com/lies-in-the-gym

Very good articles. I love reading other posts and other websites that try to debunk the myths of weight training, fat loss, etc. that run rampant through the minds of people wanting to lose weight/fat. These are all principles we should instill in everyone to get rid of the crap that was spread before.

sbilyeu75

At 5'3" 120 is NOT EVER considered heavy. That being said, if you're trying to lose a few pounds, it's all vanity weight, meaning your body doesn't need to lose it. So I'd suggest paying close attention to your diet beyond just counting calories. Make sure you're eating quality whole foods, try to eliminate anything processed.

Eve, I'd loooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvveeeee to agree with you so, so, so, so, so very much b/c then it would mean I could stop working out and be "healthy".

But I went to get my fat measurement at my local gym by a fitness trainer a few months back. My Body Fat percentage was 30% when I was only 120 lbs!

According to their chart, for women, up to 33% is considered "Fat", over 33% is considered "obese".

I wish I made that up, but I did not! That was really a slap on the face for me. :noway:

You were skinny fat. There's a big difference in body fat percentage and the number on the scale.

amietest

It sounds like the body fat number is what has you most concerned.

I'd recommend picking up a cheap caliper and body measuring tape for measuring your own body fat, so you can first see if the reading at the gym was just off - they can be - and if not and you want to take the fat % down you can measure your own progress. It will tell you more than the scale what results you are getting. Next I'd recommend some serious strength training. At your relatively low weight having a higher body fat percentage means you could use some strength. I'd add muscle before losing fat.

chelsealjames

I'm not sure what kind of calories to suggest for you because I don't know what your ratios look like right now. I can tell you that it is very important to eat your daily calorie goals in a balanced ratio, but oftentimes that ratio is different for different people. MFP started me out with 55% carbs, 15% protein, and 30% carbs, but I furiously disagree with this assumption for my body. I consistently lose weight eating 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. The carbs are mostly veggies, but I also enjoy potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pasta. My protein is mostly chicken, turkey, and fish with some lean cuts of beef and pork. My fat comes from essential fats in nuts, olive oil, avocados, and peanut butter (natural PB). In short, here's what I do---

I went to the goals section of MFP and changed them so that my calories would be 1500 and the ratio would be 50/30/20. That way I can plan ahead of time what I am going to eat and be sure that they fall close to those goals. I never just log my food later, I ALWAYS plan it out first. I eat 5 times a day every 3 hours, so that's approximately 300 calories per meal. I don't stick to that strictly, but it is a general guideline for me to use so that I don't over or under eat. Everytime I have some carbs, I always add a lean portion of protein to it because nutritionally, this helps reduce insulin spikes and lowers the effects of sugars on your body. Carbs should not feared, and it confuses me why so many refuse to eat them.

And since that you said that you are doing Insanity, I would definitely increase your intake of food NOW. Insanity can NOT be done with low calorie eating, unless you want to bonk, feel tired all the time, feel sore all the time, etc. I love Insanity, but when I do it, I never go under 1500 calories a day. In fact, I normally go up to about 1700-1800. Trust me, you WILL burn it off!!! My friend Tami French monitors her calories burned in each workout, and during the first month Insanity workouts she averaged 600 calories burned each time!!! So if you only eat 1200, then burn 600...well, we just can't live off of 600 calories for very long. Even if we could, our energy levels will fall through the floor and we won't shed the body fat.

So basically, I would just decide on what ratio of macronutrients would work best for you first. From that ratio, you can determine how many grams of each you should be eating according to your calorie goal. MFP can do that for you if you change your goals for calories and each macronutrient. Then just add foods to your log until you get pretty close to your goals. Save that page and it will show you a guide of what you need to do from day to day.

thanks!!