Short Ladies

Starlage

i'm almost 5'3"- MFP has me at 1500/day- which surprised me when I signed up a few weeks ago, I thought it would be less. I lost weight at first but have been stuck for a couple of weeks... so I may change up my eating habits and set a personal lower base calorie goal closer to 1200. My body maintains well at 1500 but I don't seem to be loosing.... hafta see how it goes! Also at 1500 it's acutally hard to eat back my exercise calories! Really hard. Dont get me wrong I love to eat, but watching what I eat I lean towards healthier choices, hence lower cal choices. I exercise at the end of my work day so once I finish, log it, plan dinner; I'm like "i've got 900 cals to eat?? I can't do that and eat healthy!" It's been tough. I want to go by MFP guidlines but am struggling.

And now reading everyone else's posts I really don't understand why MFP put me at 1500. I logged in starting at 174 lbs, wanting my first goal to be 150, losing slowly at 1-2lbs/wk, exercising minumum 3 times a week for a half hour each (usually burning around 400 cals) and I have an active job- walking all day pretty much so I burn some cals that way also. Doesn't make sense to me.

leslielove

See that's the thing. Consistently I'm seeing 1,200 calories. I usually end up a little under my goal but that is actually really bad. It's very hard to get proper nutrition w/anything under 1,200 calories per day. You can put your body in starvation mode.

But with individuals of petite stature (1/2 the worlds 12 year olds are taller than me), can that limit of 1,200 calories be compromised? I'm usually actually at 1,500 calories per day but then I burn 300 calories a day with working out, leaving me at a net intake of 1,200 calories. But if I can't work out every day to up my actual intake it will get hard w/ 1,200 or under to get proper nutrition. Even my health professor said so yesterday.

My goal weight is 111 lbs. 16 more lbs and I'm there.

So does anyone have advise for this? I love working out. And I don't have the big of a problem staying at 1,200 net calories even though I like to joke about larger individuals having a larger calorie allowance. It's the malnutrition that I'm concerned honestly concerned about. Every calorie intake scale (including the one on this website) is screaming 1,200 tops.

~ Joanna

I'm going to guess you have your goal set to lose over a pound a week. Dial that back to .5 or 1 pound a week, eat more, and you'll lose faster.

By the way I'm 5'3 and I set myself at 1500 calories. I don't eat back my exercise calories and when I actually stick with the plan, it works.

TonyaJ83

I'm 5' 1/2". And I get 1,200. But that's with saying I work pretty hard during the day (not the highest setting, but medium) and saying I want to lose 1.5 lbs. per week. I actually like it because after lunch it may say I only have 400 calories left. Meaning I MUST exercise so I can eat dinner & have a juice bar!

Fat2FitChick

I am 5'0" and on 1200 a day but when you add the exercise calories i eat back between 1400-1700 a day. I have lost 20 lbs to date in a little over 2 months.

Cbandelier

I am 5' 0.5". My goal is set at 1200. I eat the full amount plus any exercise calories. I have had great results with it so far and am continuing to lose without much difficulty at all, it's crazy!

kmunis

I am 4' 11 3/4" ( so let's say 5 foot ) MFP has me at 1200 net which after excercise I tend to usually be a bit low. I've got a lot to lose and I have been consistantly losing since I started the program, despite missing the magic 1200 mark a couple of days a week. Its working for me, I eat healthy, lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins, keeping the sodium in line and drinking lots of water ( which I always forget to log). I know there's lots of opinions on the 1200 mark but I think everyone has a different body chemistry based on all kinds of sciency stuff like your gender, age, DNA, etc and what works for one person may not work for the next one. JMHO

trhonda2011

I'm 5'2'' (on a good day) and I was also set at the 1200 cal/day plan. I did use freedieting.com and it suggested 1296 for extreme weight loss so I manually set my goal to that. This is the first week so I have no idea how its working. I did eat half my workout calories and have went over slightly some days so we will see how it goes. I definitely love freedieting.com as a tool. Also remember if you put that you are anything other than "Sedentary" you get more calories.

sarahbelle87

Is there any way of manually changing your daily calorie limit, or can you only do it by adjusting your diet/fitness profile settings?

AniMarieSt

Wow, this has gotten a lot of feedback since last night. Maybe we should start a "short hot ladies" club? LoL! I'll reply to everyone once I get home. In the meantime, thanks so much for all your feedback!

~ Joanna

girlinahat

Is there any way of manually changing your daily calorie limit, or can you only do it by adjusting your diet/fitness profile settings?

go to 'my home' then 'goals' and click on change goals. You then have either MFP set goals or you can set your own custom goals. I've seen a lot of people change different things like protein, carbs etc. depending on their personal fitness needs.

sarahbelle87

Is there any way of manually changing your daily calorie limit, or can you only do it by adjusting your diet/fitness profile settings?

go to 'my home' then 'goals' and click on change goals. You then have either MFP set goals or you can set your own custom goals. I've seen a lot of people change different things like protein, carbs etc. depending on their personal fitness needs.

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

Newfiedan

although I am not a short woman I am interested in this topic, I happen to be a fan of the term that good things come in small packages as I am considered short by most male standards at 5ft8. If you are that small and have that small a calorie requirement I would think that you would need a very clean diet to feel full at meals. Mind you I am not that experienced in the field of small build women more so with average sized women or overweight ones and the same deal with the men. I am working with one of the larger men in the mens group right now trying to tailor a diet that works for him.

omgitsgarry

I'm 5 foot 3 inches and MPF started me on 1,680 a day. It has been reduced down to 1,570. As my goal get's lower, I am going to slowly ease exercise in so I am still eating about 1,500 to 1,600 a day. I want to learn how to eat healthy first.

ahsongbird

I'm 5'1 and I'm on 1200 cal. fortunately that's like the perfect amount to keep me full through the day if i eat all my meals.

Dancinhiphop4life

Hope that this might help you or others if they find themselves reaching a wall... Ive just broken through my 2nd plateau and I reckon I will be at this weight for quite a while yet. Yet I am comfortable enjoying the view from here, and taking it REAAALLLL slow.

How did you get over your plateau?

kaizen31

Ha, there's so many of us! And yeah, if I didn't work out most days, I would be hungry, definitely.

alikikiay

I think maybe the site recommends 1200 calories for everyone. Unless you are overweight and then it will bump it up a little more so you don't starve yourself....

I am 5' 10 and it wants me to eat 1,330 Im sitting at 1034 (including my 400 protein shake).

RiiNaCHiiCK09

alright guys, i kno this may sound dumb but im knew to this whole dieting thing. I've never tried to count my calories before! Soooo I'm 4ft 11in and my calorie intake says 1200 calories bc i said i wanted to lose 2 lbs a week. If i eat 1200 cals plus my workout cals, ill still lose weight??? Like seriously nd no joke?
Nd also...I just started my diet and workout 2 weeks ago and I feel like my body looks bloated. Is this normal?

To OP, im sorry if im stealing ur "spot light"!! lol i just thought you posted a really good question

girlinahat

although I am not a short woman I am interested in this topic, I happen to be a fan of the term that good things come in small packages as I am considered short by most male standards at 5ft8. If you are that small and have that small a calorie requirement I would think that you would need a very clean diet to feel full at meals. Mind you I am not that experienced in the field of small build women more so with average sized women or overweight ones and the same deal with the men. I am working with one of the larger men in the mens group right now trying to tailor a diet that works for him.

I was (until recently) set at 1200. I avoid processed foods anyway and like to cook from scratch so you could say I eat clean. I often make my own oatcake-based snacks like this http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2008/08/fruity-oat-squares.html to keep me feeling full mid-morning.

I don't find 1200 that tough when eating clean, it's often about smaller portions and choices of slow release food. Each meal can make me feel stuffed. The fact is, being small means most things are small and 'adult' portions perhaps aren't the way to go. Having said that, I have now raised my goal to 1300 because I don't want to drop below my BMR (MFP has me at 1252) and I only have 20lbs to lose. That makes such a difference - I don't struggle at all now, and if I exercise I can eat loads and even enjoy a pint of beer..... :happy:

LeAnn_Mae

I'm 5'2 with calories set at 1200 but I usually only end up eating 900 of those, even with exercise.

AniMarieSt

I am also 5 2 and on the 1200 calorie a day limit. I have been struggling with this amount myself. I used to eat far more calories a day, which of course, is the reason I have some to loose now. Many days I find myself still hungry, but I really feel like my body needs to adjust from my habit of over-eating. This site has also made me far more aware of how I use my calories. For example, I can eat an apple with 70 calories or eat about 5 potato chips. I'm trying to find healthy options that allow me to eat "more" and that fills me up. Like the other ladies, I also up my calories when I work out...usually adding a Special K protein shake to give my body the fuel it needs to get my heart pumping. You definitely aren't alone in this battle! Seeing other ladies who have been successful with this approach gives me hope and pushes me to keep going each day.

At first I was struggling too until I figured out that you can eat the same amounts and the same types of food. Just change the foods you're eating to low calorie. Here are examples of changes I've made:

Ice cream
I love ice cream. But a bowl of ice cream can add up to 300-500 calories or even more fast. Instead I've switched to Dreyers Orange and Creme Bars. Only 80 calories and still surprisingly yummy.

Pizza
Pizza is hard to get rid of because, after a long day, its easier sometimes just to throw something in the oven for 20 minutes rather than do actual cooking. Instead of a DiGiorno's Cheese stuffed pizza (over 1,000 calories) my boyfriend and I have switched to Freschetta Brick Oven pizzas for 1/2 the calories

Sandwiches
Sandwiches are quick and easy for me to pack and bring with me in the mornings. But the calories with white bread and mayo were a bit much. If you switch to, say, Nature's Own bread it's only 50 calories a slice. Switching to mustard is only 10 calories per teaspoon compared to what mayo carries.

Chips
Everyone knows how crazy high chips are in calories. My boyfriend and I recently discovered Sensible Portions Potato Straws, Veggie Chips, etc. You can eat a decent amount for not nearly as many calories as you'll find in Doritos, etc.
I hope this helps. Just make little switches and you can enjoy you favorite foods or "bad" foods w/o killing your calorie intake. When you switch you'll find the nutritional value in these alternative foods increases dramatically.

AniMarieSt

Love the Short Ladies topic!

I'm 5'1 and would like to loose 15 pounds which would put me at 115. I've lost 5 so far on MFP and I've been on here for about a month. My limit is 1200 caloriebut most days I'm hungry and seem to go over the 1200 which is why I work out up to 6-7 days a week ( I do love to work out though not just b/c of the extra calories. I haven't lost any weight in the last 2 weeks. I do have to admit that I cheat on the weekends- pretty much eat what I want and have some cocktails which I'm sure is the reason why I haven't lost any more. Alcohol adds up the calories really quick! I do tend to do longer workouts on Saturdays b/c I have the time so I end up burning b/t 600-700 calories. So even though I cheat I know I'm not going way over my daily intake on the weekends and I'm SO GOOD during the week. I'm thinking I may have to just allow myself one cheat day instead of two to keep me sane! (sorry I love food! and some drinks! ), maybe up my calories a bit during the week??? because my scale isn't moving!! I started JM 30 day shred on Monday as well so hoping to see some results! I'm really liking this plan but want to see my weight to start coming off a little quicker!!!
Anyone feel free to "friend" me!

Are you taking the time to put those extra calories in your MFP diary over the weekends? There was a day about 2 weeks ago where I said screw it and ate pizza and I big bowl of ice cream. I knew that I screwed up and didn't put the calories in my diary. When I went back about a week ago and put them in for that day and actually added that entry it told me something crazy like "W/this daily calorie intake you will weight 131.6 by April 16th Fatty! (j/k)" It was a big wake up call as to how I managed to gain the weight in the first place. I switched out the type of pizza I eat and the type of ice cream. The pizza is better nutritionally and 1/2 the calories. The ice cream bars are pretty tasty and only 80 calories. I treat myself to them after dinner if I have calories to spare.

AniMarieSt

I'm going to guess you have your goal set to lose over a pound a week. Dial that back to .5 or 1 pound a week, eat more, and you'll lose faster.

By the way I'm 5'3 and I set myself at 1500 calories. I don't eat back my exercise calories and when I actually stick with the plan, it works.

With MFP I'm set for a loss of 1 lb per week. With that MPF set me at net 1,000 calories per day. Because I work out every day I get an extra 300 calories which I do eat back so that I'm 1,000 NET calories per day. If I didn't eat those back I'd be at 700 NET calories consumed per day.

If I lower it to .5 lbs lost per week MFP does up me to 1,300 NET calories per day. But then I exercise and those 300 daily calories burned brings it back down to 1,000 NET calories per day if I don't want to eat back the calories I burn. I'd rather lose the 1 lb per week. Either way it seems I'm at 1,000 NET.

AniMarieSt

I'm 5' 1/2". And I get 1,200. But that's with saying I work pretty hard during the day (not the highest setting, but medium) and saying I want to lose 1.5 lbs. per week. I actually like it because after lunch it may say I only have 400 calories left. Meaning I MUST exercise so I can eat dinner & have a juice bar!

My boyfriend does the same thing and it gets him to exercise. He hit the gym the other night because he wanted to be able to eat something after dinner. Even if it's just for those snacks after dinner the important thing is that he exercised. Whatever works as your motivation! Exercise is so important - not just for the weight loss - but due to the long-term health benefits you get with regular workouts.

AniMarieSt

although I am not a short woman I am interested in this topic, I happen to be a fan of the term that good things come in small packages as I am considered short by most male standards at 5ft8. If you are that small and have that small a calorie requirement I would think that you would need a very clean diet to feel full at meals. Mind you I am not that experienced in the field of small build women more so with average sized women or overweight ones and the same deal with the men. I am working with one of the larger men in the mens group right now trying to tailor a diet that works for him.

Good things do come in small packages, absolutely! My boyfriend is also 5ft 8in and he's straight awesomeness! Yeah there doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there for we little people in terms of whether or not the calorie intake is too low, or if it's okay since we're smaller? Which I suppose it why I started this post. I'm definitely not for anyone starving themselves if we do have the same nutritional requirements as people of "average build". It's kind of like when you see the warnings in the front seat of a car only to see: "Warning, the airbag going off could injure someone of 12 years old or under". The airbag (1,200 calorie minimum) is meant to protect people of average build. But does it apply to someone of my stature? LoL.

jnite

I'm 5ft 1 1/2 and have been here for 45 days. I have lost 7 1/2 pounds on 1270 calories a day. Only 7 1/2 more to go!!!!!!!!!! I have found it works great for me, though my loss has been irregular, I will lose 2 pounds one week then the next week will only lose 1/2 a pound, but it is all working out.

AniMarieSt

alright guys, i kno this may sound dumb but im knew to this whole dieting thing. I've never tried to count my calories before! Soooo I'm 4ft 11in and my calorie intake says 1200 calories bc i said i wanted to lose 2 lbs a week. If i eat 1200 cals plus my workout cals, ill still lose weight??? Like seriously nd no joke?
Nd also...I just started my diet and workout 2 weeks ago and I feel like my body looks bloated. Is this normal?

To OP, im sorry if im stealing ur "spot light"!! lol i just thought you posted a really good question

You DON'T sound dumb. I'm new to this too. And your definitely not stealing anyone's spotlight - this thread is for all of us short ladies who are being told 1,200 or under. With the 1,200 calories you're given - that's your net calories. Anything you work out - you can eat those calories back.

Whenever I work out and add those 300 calories into my exercise MFP says on my food diary, "You've gained 300 calories you can eat through exercise". Which makes sense because if I was at 1,000 calories per day, and burned through 800 calories in exercise that day, I'd be leaving my body with only 200 calories left to work with for the rest of the day. I'd would imagine I would probably faint.

With your body looking bloated, how many calories have you been burning per day? Keep track of that. It could be that your running on too few calories. However, if your exercising your stomach muscle for example (this happened to me once) they might get sore and swell a little. So that might be accounting for the initial bloating. But I'm not a doctor or expert and could be completely wrong. So I don't know for sure though.

Any thoughts or comments for this bloating situation ladies?

AniMarieSt

@cooki3s I might try the alternating calories. Maybe look at how many calories I end up under through out the week until Sunday...then use Sunday to use up those calories so that I still end up with the -3,500 calorie deficit (which is really the most important thing to lose that one pound each week). I think it's a good attitude to have - to take it slow. That way you still lose weight but you don't starve yourself trying to lose it at 2 or more lbs a week, you know? I'm at a loss of 1 lb per week.

@girlinahat At a loss of 1 lb per week MFP put me at 1,000 calories per day, which I worry is too low. So I exercise to gain at least 300 extra burned calories per day so I can eat 1,300 calories per day but still be at that net 1,000. It gets confusing w/the different sites to know exactly which is your BMR. As a full-time student mine is lower than others. Unfortunately I'm often at a desk for a lecture, or at home studying or reading, and not at an on-your-feet job. This week my weight loss seems to be picking up. Two days ago I finally made it to 127 lbs when the scale read 127.8. This morning it read 127.2. So that's some definitely loss. I also need to take my measurements this weekend and start keeping track of that as well. But I sort of figure that I'll know anyway when my clothes start getting looser. Like cookiei3s, I think it’s a good attitude to have - to take it slow. That way you still lose weight but you don't starve yourself trying to lose it at 2 or more lbs a week, you know? If you do something too drastic you won't be able to maintain it in the long run, and you'll only gain it all back.

@healthyandthin This alternating calories seems to be a common pointer I keep reading. I think I'll try it next week to see if it helps. In the very least to make my body realize I'm not trying to live in famine-mode. That's no way to be healthy. It would be different if I was used to gorging myself every day which luckily I never have. Its just the choices I was making in what I was eating was packing on the lbs. I'm still eating the same amount of food - just better, more nutritious, lower calorie food. I'm pretty proud of myself.

@my3kidos Maybe if you go under your calorie intake on some of those days you can add those calories to Sunday? Just try it and see if it works? That's what I'm going to try. I'll let you know if I hit either a plateau or some weight gain (which I doubt I will since it's still the same calorie deficit over the week).

@kbdelarosa Thanks! I did look at that once before. Maybe next week I'll look into planning my intake around it though. It'll just be hard to plan for but I'll try.

@Starlage It sounds like MFP put you at the higher calories because you set it to lose 1/2 lb a week and because your at an active job. I'm at 1 lb per week and have am an inactive student w/o the daily workouts. So the active job is definitely on your side.

@CoilKinksCurls Holy cow, that's amazing! 20 lbs in alittle over 2 months! I'm jealous!

@Cbandelier I think I'm starting to get there myself, and I'm so happy! This morning my scale read 27.2 lbs when just a few days ago it read 27.8. Exciting!

@kmunis Very true. There are a lot of variables to take into account. But consistently I'm reading from that you just don't get the proper nutrition w/eating below 1,200. So I'm going to keep eating back my exercise calories so that I'm at 1,300 calories consumed but at 1,000 NET. I wonder what they do for seriously little people - like at 4 1/2 feet and under? I would think the nutrition would have to be different? Just a random thought.

@trhonda2011 Freedieting.com is nice. I use it too for some things. I'm definitely sedentary, LoL. But I eat back my 300 calories burned in exercise each because it freaks me out to only eat 1,000 calories per day - just seems to low.

leafyq

I'm 4'9 and weigh 136 right now. I have my goal set to 1/2 a pound a week. MFP gives me 1450 calories a day. On my normal days, my intake is around 1100, and I don't really struggle for that. Breakfast is a lot of fruit, maybe some veggies, and a grainy, low-sugar cereal. Lunch is a lot of fruit and a grainy, low-sugar cereal. Dinner is usually a lean, non-fried meat and fruit. I also snack on fruit a lot because I am diabetic and need to keep my sugar balanced. Honestly, I struggle more to get my calorie intake up on my rest/off days without eating a bunch of junk food.

Perfectlycrooked

I'm 5' and I've been eating around 1000-1300 and I excercise quite a bit. I've lost 9lbs so far(: