Short/petite people with under 20 to lose-question!

bbchickpea

Let me come at this from a different angle. Let me start by saying I am 4' 10.5". SW - 186, GW - 115, CW - 120.56.

I work with a lady who is "skinny". When we would go out to eat, she would debate what food was the best to eat and not eat "cake" or very little. I would think to myself, "you are skinny, you can eat what ever you want. Why are you thinking about it?" Part way through my weight-loss journey I had my ah ha moment (light bulb over head)....she is skinny because she thinks about what she eats. You would think that this would be something that everyone would just know, but I've always had it in my head that when I got "skinny" I could eat whatever I wanted. We all know that just is not true. When we get to our goal weights we will still need to eat healthy and exercise.

Keep doing what you are doing and just know that your sister has not had her ah ha moment.

Wow, I've never really thought of it like that. I think you've just made me realise what people are thinking when they judge. Even when I was slightly bigger I knew why (bad food, alcohol, no exercise) so it wasn't really how I lose weight more getting on with it and changing my lifestyle. As you say you assume that everyone just knows this, but they don't.

Your last comment is genius, I just know it will pop into my head next time I get a comment about my healthy eating :happy:

Keep doing what you are doing and just know that your sister has not had her ah ha moment.

kazj17

I am totally with you on this. I am 5ft 2" & was around 130-132lb which a lot of my friends said was "skinny". I have never really been overly large but was the heaviest I'd ever been & when you are small it seems to show more? My clothes were getting tight n I had a definate "belly". Top & bottom it was I just didn't "feel right" I have lost around 18lb in just over 3 months & am now down to 112lbs. I look & feel a lot better in myself. Everything is relative to the individual & how you feel, after all we are all different. Hang on in there & try not to let what others think or say bother you too much. Good luck!

Whitezombiegirl

Yes i get this. I am 5ft and currently 110lbs though I want to get back to 105lbs as that makes me a size UK 8 and thats the size of most of my clothes, and I just want to feel comfy in my existing clothes and not have to buy new ones. Also- I don't just want to be 'skinny'- i want to be toned and fit and firm, not wobbly.

A comment I get from other people quite often is ' its alright for you skinny girls'- I'm really not sure what is meant by that: that I don't get hungry? That I don't get cravings? That I don't like unhealthy food? That I have superhuman will power or a mega fast metabolism? I'm truly at a loss as to what is meant by this.

I also get people telling me that I don't need to lose any more weight- I agree,-I don't NEED to but I know i look less 'flabby' when i do lose a bit of subcutaneous fat and less bloated in my face and stomach when i watch my carb intake. I also want to get fit and develop a bit of healthy muscle.

Does anyone else find that freinds try to undermine thier weight loss? I had one freind get extreamly angry and upset as i would'nt get drunk on redwine and binge on pizza and ice cream with her when she had a fight with her SO. i was supportive but did'nt want to binge- so i did'nt.

I really recomend the 'Petite Advantage Diet' -not for the diet (which Isn't great imo) but the book is really interresting in relation to how petites differ from 'regular' sixed people, and how we can compensate for this.

scarlet_necro

From everybody. I never bring up weight or eating, but if I'm at my friend's house or anywhere else I bring my own food. I always get crap about it and if telling me I don't need to change my body doesn't work, then they will make attacks on it. My cup size has decreased by 2 sizes since losing 40 lbs and a lot of people who are my family and friends make fun of how small they have gotten, also how I have no butt...

ticagal

I have went from 205 to 144 and I am wanting to lose these last 5lbs and I having the hardest time shakingt it off any suggestions???

scottsllama

I completely understand this issue! I'm 5'2'' and my CW is around 121... at my heaviest I was almost 160! I look at pictures of myself a little over a year ago and can't believe the change.

Currently, I would like to lose another 5-10 pounds... I don't have an exact goal weight because my real goal is seeing how my body looks and how my clothes fit- it could be 115, it could be 110! But even 2 lbs +/- on a shorter frame can make a huge difference! Someone who is taller and has more weight to lose don't understand that we face the same struggles. I also get the "You're so skinny already!" comments. I know I'm smaller, especially compared to my heaviest, but that doesn't mean I can't tone up and still lose my belly pudge!

Feel free to add me, I made an introduction post a few days ago and got no responses or new requests- a little discouraging, but I wonder if it's because of some of these discussions.

mamaomefo

I hear this often. You are tiny. Well when I'm 10 or more pounds overweight on the charts then I'm not "tiny". I guess we are small to them because we are short. I never walk up to anyone and say , gee you're so tall. Don't know why they do it to short people. :frown:

mamaomefo

I'm only 4'8 ( or even less O_O I think I'm shrinking )
- __ - I can't eat anything without gaining weight..

I feel your pain. I'm 4'11" and my daughter is 4'10". It is a constant struggle for both of us. Add middle age to that and it is difficult to lose an ounce sometimes!

gsager

No, I'm very lucky. My friends understand that losing a pound is the same for all of us whether you have 10 to lose or 200. I have lost the weight that I wanted to lose but am still working out and logging with my friends that still have some weight left to lose.

1953Judith

Let me come at this from a different angle. Let me start by saying I am 4' 10.5". SW - 186, GW - 115, CW - 120.56.

I work with a lady who is "skinny". When we would go out to eat, she would debate what food was the best to eat and not eat "cake" or very little. I would think to myself, "you are skinny, you can eat what ever you want. Why are you thinking about it?" Part way through my weight-loss journey I had my ah ha moment (light bulb over head)....she is skinny because she thinks about what she eats. You would think that this would be something that everyone would just know, but I've always had it in my head that when I got "skinny" I could eat whatever I wanted. We all know that just is not true. When we get to our goal weights we will still need to eat healthy and exercise.

Keep doing what you are doing and just know that your sister has not had her ah ha moment.

I agree with you that "aha" moment changed my weight loss journey and my life. It has also framed how I discuss my eating patterns and goals with others when the subject comes up. I never discuss poundage, weight loss goals, bmi, measurements, clothes sizes, etc. with those outside my support group. If I sense or know that I am being challenged for healthy choices, I discuss stamina, blood pressure, post cancer survival, bone density goals. It is especially fun to discuss my blood pressure trends (I'm a geek and have a great graph that shows the relationship between my salt ingestion and my blood pressure for those dense enough to keep pressing me) and family eating patterns and the positive/negative impact on my husband's diabetes. Normally, people's eyes glaze over then and they move on to find somebody else to pick at. On rare occasions, instead of picking at me or others, someone picks up the fitness torch with me. That is extremely satisfying!

rdunlap81

I am 5'2 and 147. I started at 158 in January. I have only lost 11 lbs and would love to get down to 125. I am having problems with the last 20 lbs. Don't worry about what others say. You should just listen to your body. If you are eating healthy and working out then your body will let you know when you are at your ideal weight. Good luck to you all on losing. If anyone of you have some tips on knocking off this 20 lbs please send me a message!!!! Thanks and Good luck!

marcia724

I get that ALL the time and it's really really annoying!!! People are like...oh you don't have to count your calories. HELLO> I look like this because I DO count my calories! ugh. Super frustrating.

thetrishwarp

Yeah, I've been asked why I feel the need to get smaller when I'm smaller than other people. None of your business!

A good friend of mine dealt with this as well. She's very petite, gained some weight, and if ever she would comment or say "ugh, I've gained weight" people would automatically retort "OMG shut up you are NOT fat you don't need to diet." Her and I discussed it, and she said "I know I'm not fat! I never said that, I said I gained weight!"

However, my friends are very supportive and even if they think "you look fine!" they don't ever make negative comments about me going to the gym or eating healthy, they are more like "da** you've gone to the gym 5 days in a row, I should probably start going again..."

mamaomefo

It is weird!
People I meet now say why you would you use myfitnesspal, your so skinny!
Because I used to weigh 264 pounds. (now 115)
5 pounds is a size, down or up

Very nice loss!

CherokeeBabe

I COMPLETELY understand this. I'm barely 5'1, and I've put on around 15lbs or so in the past year thanks to me starting to work from home. My sister, mom, and now my father are all overweight by at least 30lbs each, and as much as 80lbs in the case of my mother. I'm trying to break the cycle before I get too far gone, especially since being short makes me hit the 'overweight' range so freaking fast.

I'm trying to 'think healthy' and want to do this, it's difficult to keep that mental push and make the decision when surrounded by 'oh you look fine, honey!" and "you're smaller than me, why do you need to lose weight?" or, even worse, "I started gaining weight at the same age as you, it's normal".

To my family, me being smaller than them equals 'healthy' and perfectly fine, even if I was just 2lbs lighter than any of them. I can't help but wonder if it just makes them feel better to see me being more like them versus being thinner. I know that's a negative way to think, and I don't exactly think they're that way on purpose, but I just get that feeling sometimes.

My dad didn't used to be overweight at all, he was healthy and fit, played basketball and tennis, etc. It took him until nearly age 50 to start putting any noticeable weight on, and I'm proud of him that he fought that battle and stayed in his prime for so long. I want to be like him, effortlessly and naturally fit(he had a great mentality about being active), for as long as possible.

Leslie85

Yes! Exactly!

People who are taller have no idea how differently we carry our weight. Like the OP said, 7 lbs can mean a huge change in pants size...where as most people it wouldn't mean much of anything. So that right there should show them how different it is for us.

I had either a size 0 or 2 (I can't remember) pair of American Eagle jeans, gained probably 8 lbs, and when I went to put them on I ripped the entire thigh out- all the way from the crotch to the knee!

engodwin

There are so many post about this... Yeah we all get it. It sucks. But, I've learned that they can say/think/feel whatever they want, I'm bettering ME and I don't give a rip about what they have to say about it. :P My best friend/roommate eats fried chicken and french fries EVERY DAY!!! I've tried so many times to get her to eat healthy with me and go to the gym with me, but.... no luck. And when I complain about my mushy stomach she rolls her eyes at me and say oh you shut up blah blah blah so I the last time she said that to me I said "You know, I love you, but I want to be fit and HEALTHY. I'm allowed to complain about my shortcomings just like you complain you 'can't diet b/c you don't like anything but chicken and fries' that's a cop out and you know it." She hasn't said a word to me about me complaining since then... But I'm mean so may not be the best person to take advice from LOL

coliema

I have the same problem. I'm 5'2'' and currently around 121 pounds. I'm small, but not where I want to be. My BMI is normal, well it's in the middle of then normal block so I could be lower. I want to be toned as well. I constantly have people telling me I don't need to lose any weight.

I ignore them :bigsmile:

SteakGirl

Great posts, everyone! I am 5'2 1/2" and have the same problem. I need to lose 10-15 pounds to get back down to 115 where I feel best and look best. I have an athletic build with toned legs, but carry the extra weight on my waistline, and a bit on my arms. Every extra pound I gained (even though it's "only" 10) made a difference in how my clothes fit and how I feel. I was afraid when I signed on here for the first time two weeks ago that people would scoff at my 10 pound weight loss goal, but so far everyone has been wonderful! I don't have to worry about the comments I've gotten from some friends such as "Ha! You want to lose 10 pounds. Must be rough!" or "I could drop 10 in my sleep" or "10 pounds is easy" and so on. No, I can't lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, especially not in my sleep. It is a struggle for me. I'm already fit, so I had to make major sacrifices in my diet and increase my workouts to 6 or 7 days a week instead of 4 or 5. It is hard work, period. Don't let people get you down - Keep up the good work everyone!

lintson

suzy I get that same remark. I want to lose the 10 lbs I gained while off on medical leave. My family are all "big" women and I saw that they went thru to lose wt. I didn't want to do that so I chose to watch what I put in my mouth and exercise. I'm almost 60 and most take me for much younger. Even younger Men! Hot dog! watch out world there's another cougar on the lose!!!!!!;}