Short Ladies

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  • AniMarieSt
    AniMarieSt Posts: 119 Member
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    I would be worried about NO cardio at all. Just my opinion but a fitness plan should be well balanced just like your nutrient plan. I think that would include cardio, strength training, and balance/flexibility practice.

    I agree 100%. Balance in any workout is necessary. You need strength as well as cardio. I've noticed that the strength training for instance helps me work longer with the cardio as I build my strength up.

    As far as flexibility I've always been more flexible than most other people. I attribute it to my small stature. Do you ladies find that you've had natural flexibility as well? Growing up I was in gymnastics for instance, and I could just do the straddles and splits no problem.
  • fancyladyJeri
    fancyladyJeri Posts: 1,316 Member
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    Jmdoane says
    I would be worried about NO cardio at all. Just my opinion but a fitness plan should be well balanced just like your nutrient plan. I think that would include cardio, strength training, and balance/flexibility practice.

    As far as flexibility I've always been more flexible than most other people. I attribute it to my small stature. Do you ladies find that you've had natural flexibility as well? Growing up I was in gymnastics for instance, and I could just do the straddles and splits no problem.

    I am laughing out loud as I read this. You got me beat hands down. I have always been a klutz and always will be. I could do splits, but only by accident. LOL

    Jeri
  • littlemili
    littlemili Posts: 625 Member
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    I am 5'1" and on 1200. Because I am a student and don't like to feel restricted if I want a night out or friends round for dinner, I tend to undereat a little most days and then occasionally splurge (mostly on alcohol or take-aways). I don't know if that is a major problem, I already can see that it means my weight fluctuates a LOT within a week but so long as the trend is downwards, I would rather have days of 1000 or under, and days of 1500.
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
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    I'm 5'3" (which apparently let's me tower over most of those in this thread, LOL) and my calorie allowance for the day is 1300. It's working for me. :)
  • Septembergirl23
    Septembergirl23 Posts: 106 Member
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    I am 5'3" doing 1200 calories per day. I have lost 12# officially. I rarely eat 1200 calories though. With exercise I have to make sure my net is not negative.

    What is hard for me is seeing people who have lost the same amount of weight I have or just a few pounds more, who have dropped 2 or 3 sizes. I haven't dropped a single size! My clothes are a bit looser but I am not ready for a completely smaller size. There are people who weigh more than my goal weight who are in a smaller size than I am aiming for. Being short distributes the weight so much differently!
  • AniMarieSt
    AniMarieSt Posts: 119 Member
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    What is hard for me is seeing people who have lost the same amount of weight I have or just a few pounds more, who have dropped 2 or 3 sizes. I haven't dropped a single size! My clothes are a bit looser but I am not ready for a completely smaller size. There are people who weigh more than my goal weight who are in a smaller size than I am aiming for. Being short distributes the weight so much differently!

    That is one unfortunate thing about the shortness. A few pounds on the frame of someone our size takes up a lot more room on our bodies than it does when compared to average height bodies. Frustrating!
  • mixmastermel_b
    mixmastermel_b Posts: 40 Member
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    i'm 5ft @ 1200 but i seem to be coming in at around 1000 and tend to not eat my calories that i burn off exercises. i'n relatively new to MFP and have lost 6 lbs to date. it will be interesting to see what happens over the course of the next few weeks- maybe i should make a bigger effort to balance up to 1200.

    lot's of things to think about it! excellent thread. short ladies unite!
  • littlemili
    littlemili Posts: 625 Member
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    That is one unfortunate thing about the shortness. A few pounds on the frame of someone our size takes up a lot more room on our bodies than it does when compared to average height bodies. Frustrating!

    But it also means we don't have to lose so much weight as tall people for it to show :)
  • fancyladyJeri
    fancyladyJeri Posts: 1,316 Member
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    That is one unfortunate thing about the shortness.

    But it also means we don't have to lose so much weight as tall people for it to show :)

    I love aositive twist on things.
  • kate_newlifestyle
    kate_newlifestyle Posts: 72
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    I'm 5'1" and my calorie allowance for the day is 1200. So far it's working for me.

    5115125.png
  • LacieLamp
    LacieLamp Posts: 109 Member
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    I am 5'2 171lbs my goal weight is around 125 and my daily calories are 1200 w/o exercise cal. I've only been at it since last Friday (4/1/11) but I feel like I'm losing but I havent weighed yet. I'm trying to only weigh once a week. I love to eat but I'm making better eating choices and I dont feel hungry at all which is wierd because last week I probably ate 1200 calories in one meal lol. :blushing:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    Just shy of 5'0!

    I haven't counted calories in about a YEAR! :laugh: I lost 2 lbs in the past year, so overall I'm very good at self-regulating.

    I pretty much each according to how much I exercise...yesterday I did nothing so I only ate 1500. Today I biked 16 miles so I might eat about 1900.

    That said, I have put on a lot of muscle in the past 5 years, so I still look fit near 140 lbs and can get away with eating more than when I was thinner (but with less muscle).

    (As a reference, my avatar pic was taken at about 130 lbs; I am around 136 now).
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Okay, I had to pipe up (5' 3.75" in a family of 5'9 and up, so I've always been the REALLY short one).

    The best way to figure out if your budgeted calories are correct (MFP is not infallible), is to figure out what you daily caloric needs are for maintenance.

    http://www.bodyforlife2.com/calorie_intake.htm - Is a very basic calculator that is good as a starting point.

    Once you know your daily needs for maintenance, cut off 20%. That should still be above your BMR and you will lose weight. Exercise and you get an even bigger calorie budget.

    As I said, I'm 5'3.75", so not much taller than y'all. My starting calorie base is 1575 (I'm still fiddling a bit) and with exercise eat 1700-2000 per day and am losing.
  • seeingthelight4444
    seeingthelight4444 Posts: 11
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    5 foot and 140 pounds. I eat 1700 to 1900 calories a day depending on my workout schedule. I try to hit 1450-1500 net calories and I have been losing a pound a week on average.
  • khgraves
    khgraves Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm glad I found this group. I'm new to MFP and still setting up my profile. I'm 4"10" and have been allotted the bare bones 1200 calories. Currently, I'm 128 and trying to get back to 110-115. I've had success with WW and South Beach a couple of years ago, but weight crept back on a year later. I realize lots of exercise is crucial to losing and maintaining at our height. We're more like hummingbirds than ostriches or eagles.
  • laurstarks
    laurstarks Posts: 35
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    i'm also 4'11 (currently 160 -- 45 pounds to go). i have my calories set to 1200 a day, but i'm on the 17 day diet, which is more about eating certain foods than calorie counting. so i don't really stress too much. i've never gone over, though, because i work out everyday. i basically just use the food diary on here to see what i'm eating and give me a basic ballpark estimate, but i take it all with a grain of salt.
  • unorthographic
    unorthographic Posts: 3
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    I'm 5'0 and started at 185 and I'm now down to 147ish. I'd like to get to at least 125 - which would make me barely 'healthy' according to BMI. I've been plateaued for a while (~9 months, arrrrgh) but am finally within the last month or so starting to see some downward trending again. I just joined MFP from LoseIt and I've been doing 1200 cal and day and eating my exercise calories.

    I agree with the weight distribution - I've lost 35lbs but only about 2 sizes, which can make it difficult to maintain the motivation.

    However, I'm trying to remind myself that the overall journey is about being healthier, not just skinnier. *slight grumble under breath* :)
  • VickiMitkins
    VickiMitkins Posts: 249 Member
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    I'm 5'0 and started at 185 and I'm now down to 147ish. I'd like to get to at least 125 - which would make me barely 'healthy' according to BMI. I've been plateaued for a while (~9 months, arrrrgh) but am finally within the last month or so starting to see some downward trending again. I just joined MFP from LoseIt and I've been doing 1200 cal and day and eating my exercise calories.

    I agree with the weight distribution - I've lost 35lbs but only about 2 sizes, which can make it difficult to maintain the motivation.

    However, I'm trying to remind myself that the overall journey is about being healthier, not just skinnier. *slight grumble under breath* :)

    I am right there with you. Using the formula and web site above, I get about 1150 calories a day. MFP sets me at 1200 and that puts me at less than 1 lb a week. I have noticed a significant slow down in the last month. I'm trying to increase exercise to help move things along. I started at 195 and am down to 165. I want to get to around 140. I will say that the BMI is not the best tool to determine your weight goal. It does not take into account frame, etc. Try this calculator to get a better feel for body fat, etc . http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html It takes into account a lot of factors in addition to height and weight. This says that given my frame, muscle, etc that 140-145 is a very good weight for me. It's not athlete, but I am 48 and don't really care about running a marathon any time soon. Right now I am in the slightly over range rght now - 27.3% body fat. If I went by BMI though, it would put me in the obese range.
  • LadySteele54
    LadySteele54 Posts: 8
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    IM 5ft exactly and i get between 900-1000 cal daily but i found for me thats what works. i dont think anyone can exactly work for you cause everyone is different , i think you should tinker around and see what works for you personally. i watched the scale before bed and when i woke up to see the fluctuations and then tries 1200 and found i kept gaining, then droped to 1100 and kept gaining then tried 1000 and it seemed to be just right for me. anyone can tell you about the average person but NOT about YOU. i only say 900-1000 cause i have found somedays i have to push to get that extra hundred in. by the way this has really worked for me , i started january 21st 2012 at 240+ lbs and as of today i am 74lbs down at 156lbs.
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
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    I am 5'3" and was at 1200 calories for a year and nothing, I recently bumped my calories up, and have started seeing a loss. I am now at 1600 a day when I am not working out and 1800 when I do. Give it a try...I never realized that I need to eat more to make my body run more efficiently...but it works! :smile:

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