5´2 women, weighloss success?

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catmurray2
catmurray2 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all!! I was wondering if there are any women out there around 5´2 who have lost around 30 pounds succesfully. I was wondering how you did it and if you hit any plateaus? I am currently down from 170 to 148 which I am very happy, still heading for my overal goal of 135. Any advice on losing the remaining weight?:drinker:
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Replies

  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
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    That's me exactly. I lost 30 pounds five years ago and have kept it all off. My goal was also 135 but now I'm trying to lose 10-15 more. It's more difficult under 135 but I really didn't have any plateaus that I recall from 165 to 135. Just be consistent. I actually found it helpful to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. Good luck!
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I'm 5'1", SW 168, CW 135.6. I did it by maintaining a calorie deficit. I totally hit a plateau, for almost a full year. I did what everyone on here will tell you. I cut my deficit to lose 0.5 lb/week since I had ~10 lbs to go. I got a food scale and started weighing everything (I was measuring before, but the weighing appears to be much more accurate). I increased my strength training and switched up my cardio a bit (I didn't increase, just started jogging/step/jump rope occasionally rather than just elliptical). I also got rid of cheat days and cut back a bit on the booze.
  • shannonahenderson
    shannonahenderson Posts: 63
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    This is great info!!! I'm 5'2" 1/2 (yes, the 1/2 counts) and my goal is to lose 45 more. I've lost 22lbs so far (lost 38 initially and gained some back). I will take the advice of the the MFPs that replied to this post and make it happen!

    See you at the top!
  • clewpage
    clewpage Posts: 44 Member
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    I'm 5'2", and lost 35 lbs the summer of 2005 using the South Beach diet, going from 171 to 136. I've kep it off for the most part, with my biggest gain being after I stopped running (foot surgery), I got up to 153. I maintain between 140 and 143 now, keeping me in a size 6 or 8 depending on brand. I'd like to lose those last 5 again, but if I don't it's ok.
    While the South Beach diet was how I lost it, I don't stay on the diet year round. I use the healthy habits I learned while on it to maintain my weight, and if I find myself a little "fluffier" after the holidays, I will do a quick 2 weeks no carbs to "un-fluff" myself.
    I will also say that due to digestive issues and a gluten sensitivity, I maintain a 85% gluten free diet. I can handle the occasional sandwich or bowl of pasta without dire repercussions, but too much at once usually sends me running for the restroom pretty quickly. Gluten-free foods ARE NOT low in fats or calories, so it's easier for me to just limit grains in my diet.
    I currenlty do yoga for exercise, and take the stairs at work, but otherwise I'm not interested in being a fitness nut.
    I manage my weight without excessive exercise because I figured out how to make it work for me.
    The best thing you can do is figure out what works best for you and create a lifestyle around that.
  • spara0038
    spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
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    Congrats on the 22lbs already!!

    I'm ALMOST there... 5'2", started out at 150lbs, down to 127 lbs in a period of about 4.5months. I'm actually in a plateau right now and I'm kind of in a "refeeding" stage because I think I damaged my metabolism slightly. Just felt cold and tired all of the time. My initial goal weight was 120, but I may try to squeak down to 115 if I'm feeling ambitious... But it's just a matter of time :-)

    PS- I agree beckytcy... Under 135 is WAYY harder. I got down to 127 after consistently losing for a while and BAM- like I hit a wall. That's why I think I'm gonna do a reset and eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks.
  • ils_1231
    ils_1231 Posts: 249 Member
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    my highest was 190 (ish) im currently swinging between 148-153.... aka not doing well.... haha these last pounds i want to shed are hard. GW is 135....
  • woodml1
    woodml1 Posts: 199 Member
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    I'm 5'1" and lost 30 pounds while training for my first figure show (progress pics in my profile). I went from 160 to 130. Unfortunately, I was not successful in keeping the weight off after my diet and training loosened up. Now I'm back on the bandwagon again!

    While training for the show, I ate very clean. The macros that I found work best for me were 35% carbs, 35% protein, and 30% fat with a calorie range between 1500 - 1200 with progressive decreases over time. I found that if I dropped my fat macros dropped any lower, I struggled with cravings MUCH MUCH more. The higher fat content actually made the diet easier even though I was consuming less actual food. I also made a big switch in my carbohydrate choices, going with slow digesting grains, beans, fruits and veggies as my carb sources.
  • dantram1
    dantram1 Posts: 15 Member
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    Im 5'2 as well, was able to make it down to 140lbs from 158lbs with the help of a trainer.
    I started working with the personal trainer and went down to 150lbs and then sat there for months.
    I then decieded to actually listen to my trainer's food suggestions instead of busting my butt working out but still eating crap.
    As soon as I changed my diet the pounds flew off. I knocked off the Mcdonalds and Diet coke and it was like I woke up from a dream, everything aligned and the weight just melted off. Im back on the McDonalds and Diet Coke train here and there so my weight have been hovering at 140lbs for four months now.

    I'd like to lose a bit more, 130ish would be ideal but Im "okay" where I am now. Im not happy but Im not unhappy.
  • danielleann330
    danielleann330 Posts: 4 Member
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    Just wondering how many calories most of you were eating over the course of dropping weight. thanks!
  • todayis4me
    todayis4me Posts: 184 Member
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    5'2" starting weight 285. Current weight 175 it's been three and half years since I started making changes....any plateaus I have hit I can relate back to making poor choices...I started at 1500 cals and have stayed right around that.......
  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
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    I have my calories set to 1350 and then I eat back about 70% of exercise calories and that seems to be working. I've gone from 135 to 128 using that method. 1200 was way too low for me. I was just hungry all the time. I am losing slowly now (less than 0.5 lb/ week) but it's very sustainable and I'm not suffering.
  • jraymond
    jraymond Posts: 25 Member
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    Why do you eat back your exercise calories? At 5' 1/2" (yes, I agree that the 1/2 matters), I eat to my BMR-a little less because I have a little too much chub on me right now (the fat that burns no calories). I was successful at losing 20 lbs a few years ago eating at about 1100 calories (BMR is a little over 1200) and burning 600 calories in aerobic activity 6 days per week + 3 hrs per week of weight training. Believe me, as I detest exercise, I was miserable and decided that it wasn't worth it and over the years gained back to my original 130 lbs. Now, I have adjusted. Eating high protein, low carb diet of 1100 (not hungry at all and find it relatively easy) and exercising much more moderately--30 mins of AMT or walk/running 3 days per week, 2 days of 1/2 hr weight training. Don't hate my life and think I can keep this up. In 4 weeks, lost 6.5 lbs. You do either have to cut calories or up the exercise as you lose. There are calculators online that do that. Sugar is not your friend in any form.
  • _shannon92
    _shannon92 Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and I'm just about 40 pounds down! I started at 161lbs and I'm currently 122. It's been slow and steady but I've never stopped being motivated. I started July 2013 and it started really slowly. I wasn't really logging accurately nor was I exercising very much. In December I bought a food scale and began weighing all of my food. After Christmas I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, continued weighing all of my food and the pounds came off slightly quicker! Since then I've lost another 24, totaling about 39.

    EDIT:
    And to specify, I eat about 1380 a day regularly. When I exercise I usually eat up to 1500 or 1600 calories a day. I recently bought a fitbit and the days I KNOW that I am burning more, I will eat more but stay with a deficit!
  • _shannon92
    _shannon92 Posts: 33 Member
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    Why do you eat back your exercise calories? At 5' 1/2" (yes, I agree that the 1/2 matters), I eat to my BMR-a little less because I have a little too much chub on me right now (the fat that burns no calories). I was successful at losing 20 lbs a few years ago eating at about 1100 calories (BMR is a little over 1200) and burning 600 calories in aerobic activity 6 days per week + 3 hrs per week of weight training. Believe me, as I detest exercise, I was miserable and decided that it wasn't worth it and over the years gained back to my original 130 lbs. Now, I have adjusted. Eating high protein, low carb diet of 1100 (not hungry at all and find it relatively easy) and exercising much more moderately--30 mins of AMT or walk/running 3 days per week, 2 days of 1/2 hr weight training. Don't hate my life and think I can keep this up. In 4 weeks, lost 6.5 lbs. You do either have to cut calories or up the exercise as you lose. There are calculators online that do that. Sugar is not your friend in any form.

    I eat whatever I want, and eat back some of my exercise calories. Sorry, but your plan doesn't sound appetizing. Sounds like a quick fix, and very short term. 1100 calories is not sustainable in my opinion.

    And so far, I've found sugar to be fine. I eat chocolate just about every day.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
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    I'm 5'1", started at around 115-120, now I'm at 103 (2 lbs lower than my goal weight, 105, at which I look and feel good. . . trying to get back up there after losing weight during the first month of trying to maintain).

    While I didn't lose 30 pounds, I think the same principles apply! I maintained a pretty steady caloric deficit and lost weight fairly consistently (I set this to "lose 0.5 lb a week" but my metabolism is slightly faster than average so I often lost 0.8 lb a week or so). My calories were somewhere around 1400/day the whole time, and I usually ate back most or all of the exercise calories I burned.

    I got so used to eating less, after 5 months of trying really hard to stick to the plan so I'd lose the weight, that I had issues eating enough in maintenance at first. I'm in the process of figuring out how much I need to eat to maintain as it's definitely higher than MFP's recommendation for me. I intend to stay this size for the forseeable future, and while figuring maintenance out is hard, I think once you get it figured out-- just like figuring out a way that works for you to lose weight-- it's simple.

    You can do it! Keep on plugging away at it. :)
  • _sherbear_
    _sherbear_ Posts: 18
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    Hi! Reading through the comments. I'm 5'2" too. I lost right at 40 pounds a few years ago doing Weight Watchers, but I gained back almost half of that. This last year I've been off/on WW and MFP and pretty much haven't gone anywhere. (But at least I've been successful at keeping off 20). I love reading everyone's responses to get ideas!
  • MPD6944
    MPD6944 Posts: 75 Member
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    Hi! Reading through the comments. I'm 5'2" too. I lost right at 40 pounds a few years ago doing Weight Watchers, but I gained back almost half of that. This last year I've been off/on WW and MFP and pretty much haven't gone anywhere. (But at least I've been successful at keeping off 20). I love reading everyone's responses to get ideas!


    I am same as you, I'm 5'2" and lost a bunch of weight on WW over the years (highest was 177) and then put it back and then back off yo-yo dieting, so now I am at 146 and want so badly to get to 130-135. I have a trainer 2x a week, plus doing cardio 3-4 times a week and it is coming off very very slow but at least it is finally starting to go down!
  • _sherbear_
    _sherbear_ Posts: 18
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    I am same as you, I'm 5'2" and lost a bunch of weight on WW over the years (highest was 177) and then put it back and then back off yo-yo dieting, so now I am at 146 and want so badly to get to 130-135. I have a trainer 2x a week, plus doing cardio 3-4 times a week and it is coming off very very slow but at least it is finally starting to go down!

    You're doing great! You don't have too far to go!!!
  • MPD6944
    MPD6944 Posts: 75 Member
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    Thanks! It is such hard work but I am motivated and determined to do it this time!
  • likehemingway
    likehemingway Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm 5'3.5" and started at 150.5, and am currently at 131.4, my goal is 120-125, so close! I started in July 2013 and maintained for a few months and am back at it full steam as of late, ready to get off the last few pounds. I eat TDEE method, 1550 give or take 100cals or so for wiggle room. I run 3-5 days a week (8-10 miles) and do pilates 3-5 days a week as well.

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