Dear short people -- we don't need to starve ourselves!

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  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Anyone over 5 feet tall (60 inches) is NOT short !!!!!

    I don't want to argue with your squirrel but I am between 5'0 and 5'1 and most definitely short. :laugh:

    (For some reason it seemed as if that message came straight from the squirrel!)
  • deltalbarbie
    deltalbarbie Posts: 50
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    Bump for later
  • MommaRou56
    MommaRou56 Posts: 68 Member
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    See post below........
  • MommaRou56
    MommaRou56 Posts: 68 Member
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    If you've suppressed your metabolism by eating too low, that could be the cause. A reset might be a good idea for you. I'm not a nutritionist, just passing on what I've learned from the ones who know their stuff around here. You need to find out what your maintenance calories are. I did a 2-week reset, but some people need to do it longer. I'm not short either, I was just happy to see this post!

    Sorry -- meant to quote the above in my first post -- not repost it. What is a "reset"? I'm not familiar with this and would like more info. Please reply.
  • small_ninja
    small_ninja Posts: 365 Member
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    We don't need to starve ourselves, but we can't expect fast weight loss by eating more. I'm 5'0" and 120lb. My sedentary TDEE is 1,650. If I eat 1,200 that's a 450 deficit, theoretically leading to about 1 lb of weight loss per week. Unfortunately, I feel starving on 1,200 and if I don't exercise, I can only manage a net of 1,400-1,500. A 1,400 net is a 250 deficit leading to a theoretical half pound loss per week. Though, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about given I haven't lost anything for the past month (but I think that's more because I've been netting closer to 1,600 most days).
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Sorry -- meant to quote the above in my first post -- not repost it. What is a "reset"? I'm not familiar with this and would like more info. Please reply.
    The human body is not meant to endure an energy deficit for an extended period of time. Too many people here have chronically eaten sub-maintenance level calories for too long and have thus depressed their resting metabolic rate as well as serum leptin concentration levels - thus, they believe they are truly supplying their bodies with enough to satisfy energy needs when they are not. In other words, they have been dieting even when not actively trying to lose weight. Basically, they are no longer providing enough energy in the form of calories to maintain an optimal state for fat oxidation due to a depressed endocrine system. Because of this, people should do cycles of going to and holding true maintenance calories vs fat loss to ensure the endocrine system is in a more suitable state primed for fat loss.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I do agree with the concept of resetting. I think it's good for a person's all around health to take deficit breaks, even if at a small deficit, and eat maintenance for a week or two.
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
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    If you're extremely small and sedentary, I guess I could see why you'd cut so much. But is it really a sustainable lifestyle? You'd be messing with your metabolism if you eat so little... Once your body gets used to so little food, of course it's going to be easy to gain it back so quickly.

    You don't need to starve yourself, ladies. Aim for a small deficit and you'll take it off slowly. Slow and steady wins in the long term!


    FYI, I am 4'10" 103 lbs and lost the weight by eating at 1600 a day. I am very active and muscular so I know I require more. I set myself to maintenance now because I'm constantly training for endurance challenges. (running long distances). I usually eat about 2000 calories a day, with or without exercise, and have maintained my weight this year.


    I couldn't do the whole 1200 calorie a day thing. Not sustainable for me as I am a foodie and I love to run!
  • msacurrie
    msacurrie Posts: 144 Member
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    I'm 5'6" and mine is also set at 1,200. On days I don't exercise, it is a far reach to do that without being starving. But, on days that I exercise, I stay under calories easy.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
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    5'3 and 2100 cals here for muscle gain + fat loss. Never hungry, always happy, body composition always improving. Lift heavy and EAT.
  • madworld1
    madworld1 Posts: 524
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    I'm not nice when I stick to 1200 calories a day.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
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    You lost weight because you weighed more and as a result your resting metabolism was higher. Now I don't know how much exercise you've done to help with the weight loss but if you try to lose another 20 - 30 lbs you will have to either lower your calories or increase your activity because 1600 calories will be very close to maintenance once you start going below your current weight.

    Disagree completely. You should never have to keep lowering and lowering your cals. Low cal = weight loss = muscle loss. You want to strength train and eat more for muscle gain and FAT loss. Who wants to lose weight if you're not losing fat?
  • squigglypuff
    squigglypuff Posts: 279 Member
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    I'm 4'11, and I started on MFP summer of 2011 at 148lbs. I would eat about 1000 calories a day and my only workouts were long walks. By April 2012 I got down to 113lbs but I was always HANGRY (hungry + angry = the worst). I stopped logging food and quickly gained back 10lbs between April and July. I started going to the gym in May but I quit in August because I was just gaining weight and inches around my torso -- I think I was overestimating the calories I burned and was subsequently overeating because I would eat back what I thought I burned. I started tracking again in August and went up to 1200 calories a day. Anyway it took me all summer to get back under 120lbs and it was frustrating because I figured going to the gym would slim me down but I guess I was doing it wrong.

    In September I decided to start eating about 1300 calories on weekdays (more on weekends). I started C25K in August and now I can jog around for 5 miles without stopping. I noticed that by changing my calories to 1300 and making jogging my exercise of choice I finally broke my summer long plateau in the low 120s. Now I am 119lbs "on a good day." I have an HRM so now I have a more accurate idea of my calories burned, and I eat back about half of my exercise calories. As of last year, my goal is to be 115 by Halloween and 110 by New Year's Eve. It didn't happen last year and I doubt it will happen this year because my body seems to get stuck at 120lbs, but I'm going to keep trying no matter how long it takes.

    I have been very hesitant to increase my calories above 1300 but I may try to add 100 calories every two weeks to see if that makes a difference.
  • Eeyores
    Eeyores Posts: 19 Member
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    I am 5'2".. i thought i had to stay under 1200 to lose.....
  • Eeyores
    Eeyores Posts: 19 Member
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    Are you exercising daily ?
  • RunningMom42
    RunningMom42 Posts: 121 Member
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    I was at 1200 for the first month on MFP. I lost consistently but my doctor encouraged me to bump up my calories to avoid plateauing. I've been steadily losing 1.5-2 pounds a week on 1500 calories. I try to add 300-400 calories of excercise a day but I don't eat those calories most days. I just use them as a cushion for "bad" days.
    I'm 34, active stay-at-home mom and 5'4".
  • amysaenz24
    amysaenz24 Posts: 42 Member
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    THIS IS so true! im 5'0 maybe 5'1. its hard to stay at 1200.. i eat about 1400-1500 on average still losing! and guess what it works for me. bc i dont ever feel hungry or deprived! its awesome. when i switch it up and barly eat 1200 i dont lose.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Disagree completely. You should never have to keep lowering and lowering your cals. Low cal = weight loss = muscle loss. You want to strength train and eat more for muscle gain and FAT loss. Who wants to lose weight if you're not losing fat?
    Unfortunately, that's what many have to do if they insist on not taking diet breaks and returning to maintenance every now and then. They'll have to continue eating less to illicit further weight loss each time they plateau - of course, as you mentioned, it will start favoring more lean body mass loss than fat loss. But some people seem to only care about scale weight and not actual fat loss/muscle loss.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
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    But some people seem to only care about scale weight and not actual fat loss/muscle loss.

    You are so right. Unfortunately our culture/media doesn't help much with that one either. Everyone wants the quickest, the easiest, the "lose 20 pounds yesterday" fixes. Thank god for those that are enlightened and those that want to learn.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I was at 1200 for the first month on MFP. I lost consistently but my doctor encouraged me to bump up my calories to avoid plateauing. I've been steadily losing 1.5-2 pounds a week on 1500 calories. I try to add 300-400 calories of excercise a day but I don't eat those calories most days. I just use them as a cushion for "bad" days.
    I'm 34, active stay-at-home mom and 5'4".

    So you are 'netting' 1100-1200 calories per day and losing 1.5-2 lbs per week. Now THAT makes sense.

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