Devil's advocate: 1200 calories for petite/short women?
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Heh. Maybe this is why I'm cranky and tired lately. :-D MFP has me set at 1300 for the the day (used to be 1340 then I updated my settings to reflect my weight loss). I wonder if this is too low. Yet I'm afraid to eat more.0
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I guess I'm one of the four people in the world who won't stab someone if I eat 1200ish calories. I'm losing weight, and have energy to make it through my long days and Insanity workouts. I aim for at least 1200 everyday, but I usually get there only 50% of the time. I won't force feed myself. *shrugs*
ETA: I'm 4'10.5"
I guess I'm one of those people, too. I'm 5'2". Because I've had to be super-sedentary I've dialed back to 1100/1150. Sometimes commonsense makes perfect sense: You should not be eating if you have no desire to eat and are healthy.0 -
I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.
I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.
Yep.
When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.
At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.
I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.
I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.
i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...0 -
I think it depends on the person, I find that I am regularly under my 1200 calories, especially with exercise, but rarely hungry and I have a low thyroid, I find if I actually eat all 1200 calories then I just dont lose weight so It can fluctuate person to person. I am 5ft 1, and even under the 1200 calories I find I have plenty of energy and I get all the protein and carbs required for my energy levels, I eat a lot of lean meat and veg.0
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I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.
I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.
Yep.
When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.
At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.
I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.
I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.
i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...
I usually try to withhold judgment, but 88 is THAT LITTLE. I was once 88 pounds. I didn't have an ED and I wasn't sick. I got that way by not eating meat and sweets for two years. I'm 5'2", too.
As you have an ED you should not be reading this thread, in my opinion. You're unable to make distinctions.0 -
98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea
Not true for everyone. Many medical charts are based on an overweight population or people with larger frames.0 -
I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.
I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.
Yep.
When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.
At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.
I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.
I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.
i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...
I usually try to withhold judgment, but 88 is THAT LITTLE. I was once 88 pounds. I didn't have an ED and I wasn't sick. I got that way by not eating meat and sweets for two years. I'm 5'2", too.
As you have an ED you should not be reading this thread, in my opinion. You're unable to make distinctions.
i'm 5'3".
and you're welcome to your opinion that 88lbs is too little. and maybe for you, it would be. but that's not my opinion. for me, 88lbs is just fine.
and actually, i am able to make distinctions, thanks. just because i have an ED doesn't make me incompetent. i don't encourage anyone to restrict as hard as i do, in fact, i often encourage the opposite. i completely understand that eating around 400-500cals a day isn't healthy, but i physically cannot eat more. that doesn't mean that what i read/view should be restricted.0 -
I'm 5'2 and I eat between 1150-1350 calories everyday.. Macro nutrients have not been an issue but I do have to pay closer attention to them because I'm eating less calories, the calories I do eat have to be good ones. I am active. I workout 5-6 days a week and my net calorie intake is usually around 500-700.
Guess what, I'm healthy, strong, have plenty of energy, no headaches, menstrual cycles are fine.. and I'm not hungry.
I'm losing weight consistently and yes its fat not muscle.
If I could eat 2000 calories a day, I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place! I hit 2 plateaus in 5 months. 1 was early on and I was eating less than 1200 pretty regularly. That's when I started making sure I tried for about 1300. The second time, I decreased cals for a week, then moved them back up. If I'm not hungry and I'm at 1100 tho, I don't eat. Even if I burned 700 that day in the gym. I'm 1 lb away from losing 50! And, I'm super excited.
Works for me...1 -
I'm 5'2 and I eat between 1150-1350 calories everyday.. Macro nutrients have not been an issue but I do have to pay closer attention to them because I'm eating less calories, the calories I do eat have to be good ones. I am active. I workout 5-6 days a week and my net calorie intake is usually around 500-700.
Guess what, I'm healthy, strong, have plenty of energy, no headaches, menstrual cycles are fine.. and I'm not hungry.
I'm losing weight consistently and yes its fat not muscle.
If I could eat 2000 calories a day, I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place! I hit 2 plateaus in 5 months. 1 was early on and I was eating less than 1200 pretty regularly. That's when I started making sure I tried for about 1300. The second time, I decreased cals for a week, then moved them back up. If I'm not hungry and I'm at 1100 tho, I don't eat. Even if I burned 700 that day in the gym. I'm 1 lb away from losing 50! And, I'm super excited.
Works for me...
How do you know you have lost only fat and not muscle - did you have a DEXA scan or a hydrostatic test before and during?0 -
I am 5ft, used to be around 100lb and fairly active, and could happily thrive on 1000 calories a day max. Now I am less active whilst eating 1000-1200lbs i cant get drop current extra 20lbs or so, I do wonder if i should be eating less than 1000! Considering i could thrive and be healthy/fully of energy on 1000cals before.. I do wonder if you adapt to eat less if thats what you are used to? I tend to eat because I like eating, rather than because I am hungry.0
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I'm 5'3.5" and eat around 1200 NET calories a day. That works out fine for me. If I'm hungry, I eat more. If I'm tired, I eat more. But generally that number works out pretty solidly for me; I have enough energy, I'm not hungry, etc.0
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HI; I'm 4'10" with about 45 lbs to lose when I started. I have posted this before; I am doing the Petite Advantage Diet by Jim Karas. His belief is that shorter women do not need as many calories, and as one post stated, there is no room for empty calories if you are not eating that many. I do 1100 calories for 5 days, then higher (1400 - 1600) on weekends. I have lost 12 lbs in 2 months.
I should state that I am 58 years old, with a basic metabolic rate of about 1300, and a fairly sedentary life. I work out with TRX straps every other day, have plenty of energy for the workouts, and have lost inches all over. My cholesterol at my physical 2 weeks ago was the lowest it's ever been!
I eat plenty of good, natural food, and do not eliminate any food group. You can eat quite a lot for 1100 calories if you make wise choices. I have fought my weight all my life, and this is the best I have done in years! At 58 years old, I do not believe that I would be losing if I ate more calories. I asked my doctor to make sure, and she said as long as I don't feel weak or shaky that it's ok because I am so short.0 -
I am 5 ft tall and I eat just around 1200-1300 and I feel fine everyday... if anything I feel less sluggish then when I was restricting it to 14-1500. I weight lift 2x a week and do cardio 4x a week as well as other exercises. I eat mostly fruit and veges and whole grains and they do keep my full, a lot of people confuse hungry with being thirsty I think. I drink a lot of water too. And obviously I'm doing something right since I'm loosing weight and my body feel fine. I think it depends on the person and that there can't be a standard to everyone. People loose and gain differently.. And I'm not loosing muscle mass, because my arms and legs are still getting more chiseled every time I think to look at them in the mirror!0
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I am 5'3"- 5'4" and maintaining at 116 on 1900-2000 per day. Maybe I have a high metabolism, I don't know. I would only call myself moderately active so was sort of shocked at how much I needed to maintain once I started counting calories. The lowest I ever ate was 1600.
If you have done a lot of dieting in the past, your metabolism is likely to be slower. So maybe 1200 is ok for some short women, but definitely not all.0 -
Hm, 1200 calories is alright for me, especially if you eat all the right stuff. Anything more than 1500, feels like I've eaten way too much ^^.0
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A couple years ago I did really well losing some fat and gaining muscle in about a month, and I was eating a net total of about 1700 cals per day. I was lifting and doing cardio.
I'm 5'2" and at the time was 124 for starting weight, lost 5 pounds of fat and put on 2.5 pounds muscle, bringing me in at 121.5.0 -
I eat usually around 1,250, maybe up to 1,300. I'm 23 years old, 5'3 and 114 pounds. I am tired all the time (not because I don't eat enough, I've always been tired for no reason) and sedentary. I wish I could get my lazy bum to exercise more, but being constantly tired makes it hard. I currently only do brisk walking for 45 minutes everyday. Twice a week at a gym, I use the elliptical for about 15 minutes and walk/attempt to run on the treadmill for about 12 minutes. I may or may not also do my walk on those days. I am slowly trying to increase the amount of exercising. I probably will not consider eating more than that until I can get myself to do an actual amount of exercise.0
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I get a little fired up about this topic, but its because it truly is frustrating to be short and lose weight. I will not eat less that 1200 calories. I did at first but you didn't want to be around me at all!
After trial and error I eat a straight 1700 calories a day and exercise 3-5 per week for 30 min to and hour. I have a desk job. I lose slowly, but that's ok with me. As long as I get smaller in the process, that's all that matters.
4'11" and 139lbs
Sounds so familiar! I'm 4'11" and 141lbs...I upped my calories to 1500 recently, after doing the whole 1200 and then going to 1350. It is a slower process but there is no way in hell I could survive on 1200. I work out 5-6 days a week, usually 40-60 mins and don't necessarily eat all my exercise calories back, but it's still a learning process!0 -
I eat usually around 1,250, maybe up to 1,300. I'm 23 years old, 5'3 and 114 pounds. I am tired all the time (not because I don't eat enough, I've always been tired for no reason) and sedentary. I wish I could get my lazy bum to exercise more, but being constantly tired makes it hard. I currently only do brisk walking for 45 minutes everyday. Twice a week at a gym, I use the elliptical for about 15 minutes and walk/attempt to run on the treadmill for about 12 minutes. I may or may not also do my walk on those days. I am slowly trying to increase the amount of exercising. I probably will not consider eating more than that until I can get myself to do an actual amount of exercise.
Doesn't sound like you need to lose weight really.0 -
i'm 5'3".
and you're welcome to your opinion that 88lbs is too little. and maybe for you, it would be. but that's not my opinion. for me, 88lbs is just fine.
and actually, i am able to make distinctions, thanks. just because i have an ED doesn't make me incompetent. i don't encourage anyone to restrict as hard as i do, in fact, i often encourage the opposite. i completely understand that eating around 400-500cals a day isn't healthy, but i physically cannot eat more. that doesn't mean that what i read/view should be restricted.
No, you're completely entitled to read/view what you want - but you shouldn't contribute to threads like this where people are looking for advice as to how much they should eat. By advocating a diet that's less than 1,000 calories because "you really don't feel that hungry", you're implying that's normal behaviour, and that it's totally cool to aspire to that. It's not, and I think you already know this, seeing as you've written on your profile that "you wouldn't wish an ED on anyone else".
Good luck with your recovery :flowerforyou:0 -
I am 244.5 lbs and aged 45 and 5 2"- I am quite active and doing c25k kettlebell classes, weights and a lot of cardio, walking the dog and started picking up more fitness classes.
When i go for the recomended settings it drops my calories to about 1300 - and as soon as I try and stick to this I panic and worry that i am going to feel hungry and reach my macro's and I start obsessing about food - as in i get very fixated and all i think about is the next meal - so i set it to 1500 and usually come in at about 1300 to 1400
I am a bit worried as still have about 100lbs to go and i know that will take me about a year - but I know at some time I will have to drop down to 1200 - I am hoping to do more hiit or tabata as I can't keep on increasing my gym time. I am a it worried as in the past I have had bulimia and I really want to do this the healthy way.0 -
I'm 5'3, and recently broke a 6 month plateau by upping my calories by 200, and trimming some of my cardio (insane!) so now I eat between 1340 and 1440 or so. I ate 1200 for a long time, but have had better weight loss eating just a bit more.0
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4ft 11 . Just upped to 1600 a day0
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Glad I saw this. I am 4'10 and trying to lose 15 pounds. I net around 1100 and I am not losing a thing. I trying to eat between 1200-1400 per day and workout once or twice per day. I either do morning and evening treadmill workout or one treadmill workout and 1 weight training session during lunch. The rest of my day is on my back side in an office. I am afraid to go to 1500...although I am not losing at 1200, I guess it could not hurt to try!0
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I'm only an inch taller than you... however I am over 55lbs heavier than you. I eat 1500 and I am losing at a good healthy rate.
When I am much closer to my weight goal (around 120) I will lower my calories, but I will also have increased my exercises by then, meaning I wont really need to lower them by much.
Instead of eating 1200 a day, why don't you try burn 300+ calories a day, that way you can eat 1500 calories but your net will be 1200, this would be a much healthier way to lose.0 -
I'm 5'1'' and regularly eat less than 1200 to great effect. On the weekends I balance it out by eating around 1800 calories each day. I lose approx 1 pound every week with no stalls, no light headedness or other problems and fantastic results, so I'm not currently looking to increase or decrease at the moment, though when I reach about 5 pounds to my goal I'd like to increase to around 1400 and very slowly take the rest off. For my mostly sedentary life (commute 6:30-8am, desk job 8am-6:30pm, commute until 8pm, then dinner, an hour of reading or unwinding and bed) this is working for me right now with no complaints.
It would be impossible for me to up my activity right now without cutting into my sleep, and when I decrease my sleep THAT'S when I find crankiness and other health issues, rather than from eating less. I appreciate hearing about the folks who can eat more and lose more or find the time to burn 500 calories a day, but I'm dang happy with how things are going like this :bigsmile:0 -
Are folks talking net or gross calories?
I'm 4'9", 47 year old distance runner/xtrainer
I burn an average of 400 cals a day (when I'm not training. When I am training it varies from 500-1700)
I eat around 1400 cals a day, so I net 1000. It is plenty of food for me. I have an incredibly huge appetite and I eat till I'm stuffed. As someone said earlier, it's because of my food choices that I can eat so much. A typical dinner is 4 cups of broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil, 2 vegan veggie burgers, a cup of fat-free greek yogurt, a cup of fruit. All of this comes in under 500 cals and has plenty of protein, good fat and good carbs.
I do have a cheat day on the weekends where I drink alcohol and don't count any calories. Still eat really healthy but I am indulgent with things like avocado, hummus, almond butter and ocassionally a little bread (gasp!)
However, I cannot lose a lb. I would have thought that netting 1000 would buy me a little wiggle room on the weekends, but the scale seems to say otherwise. I have only been eating this way since March. So, give it more time, lose the cheat day or lower the weekly calories?0 -
How much do you weigh? I would lose the count free cheat days (on a weekly basis, anyway).0
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Not just petite women but older people, people who have gone up and down in their weight, etc. etc. etc.
Recommendations are based on models. Those models need to be adjusted to meet who you are. I am 5'10". My needs are very different than someone who is small.
I was your size when I was in the fourth grade!:ohwell:0 -
I'm 5'8 and have on numerous occasions had less than 1200 cals a day with a variety of foods and feel just fine, even after exercising.
Even with a 1600 cal diet, you can easily miss the 'micro nutrients'0
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