I'm 5'0" and eat 1500 calories. My story of weight loss.

MomiTia

Bump

AhlaWahda

While I think TDEE/BMR/etc. strategies are certainly valid, I think MFP unfairly gets a bad rap for the "low" calorie settings. If you are walking that much a day, I think MFP intends for you to either 1) not classify yourself as sedentary or 2) log that as exercise done for the day, for which you will "earn" more calories.

This x 1000.

2km walking in a day is nothing? I wouldn't consider anything less than 5km a walk. I walk probably at least 2km most days but I still count myself as sedentary. I don't live in the U.S though but I hear you drive your car a lot..

AhlaWahda

Thank you for posting your success story! I'm so happy I found all this information. I've already lost a huge amount of weight and now only have about 13 lbs I want to lose. Two weeks ago I started working out at least 5 days a week for 1 hour, a mix of cardio and strength training. I don't count calories but estimate I eat between 1100-1300 on most days. I'm 5'6" by the way so I couldn't really be classified as "petite". Anyways, nothing has happened in kgs or in cms so I felt really down and thought that maybe I didn't do enough. Like I should eat less or workout more. Now I do think I need to eat more. My BMR is 1440 and I would think I eat below that minus all the calories I burn throughout the day. Plus I walk everywhere which summons up to many kms a week.
Now I will eat a minimum of my BMR but try to aim for 1500kcal/day and see if this will kick-start my fatburning process. Still I'm deathly afraid to eat more and keep thinking I will immediately gain weight. I wonder where this fear comes from because I know it's not logical. I'll update on my progress. :-)

miracle4me

a lot of good advice thanks :flowerforyou:

lh1626

Bump

dee1923

Thank-you for your post!!

I'm 5'2 and 27 yrs old and started on the 1200 that lasted all of 3 days. I was starving, tired and cranky. I've lost weight in the past without tracking calories but this time its a bigger amount I need to lose as my lifestyle has changed (now have a desk job, last job I was on my feet most of the day).

I've gained 20 pounds in a year!! Doctor said I need to drop those now (who is more overweight than I am and told me to eat a soup or salad for dinner... that's a whole other topic...), especially since we are plannining on getting pregnant in the next year. Better get healthy now. In the past year I've really let me eating habits slide along with my exercise. My previous job was active, now I'm chained to my desk (in a job I love but is very mentally demanding) for 8ish hours a day.

I've upped it to 1500 but most days with my exercise I'm below 1500 when I realized I wasn't doing myself any favours by eating so low. My only problem is weight isn't coming off as fast as I would like (4 lbs in 5 weeks) and only a few inches over all, anyone else experience this? I'm working out 5-6 days a week for 45 to 60 mins (Jillian Michael's 30 day shred work out plus additional cardio and weight training). Doing JM's 30DS in the past would have me losing weight (2lbs a week or so) and inches were dropping fast. Work days I'm still hungry so cutting more calories isn't an option. Maybe I need eat more/ eat back my calories? I'm fine with even less calories on weekends and I usually work out more on weekends.

Wanting2BSkinny

Love this thread.....At 4'11" I realize that every extra pound shows.

nashsheri33

bump

mhixxie

I started off two days ago and I've been trying to find a suitable number of calories to eat. But I settled at 1500 my BMR is 1466 and tdee is about 1900. I hope 1500 is good for me.I am 5ft 5.thanks

Nicoladavo07

bump!

estelle74uk

bumping tooooooo

gardenhappy2013

Thanks for your advice. I'm 4'11 and eating around 1250 callories a day somedays under someday's above. I'm not stressing about it.If i feel hungery i eat a slow burning carb. I broke my foot so that's way slowing me down at the moment! i drink this mixture of antiinflamitory water(psoriatic arthritis) and it seems to make me not hungery! all you do is take 64 oz of water and add 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of red raspberries. Crush them into the water and leave over night. Next day drink this water all day.i don't add any sweetner.
I've lost a total of 9 pounds so far but my ticker say's 61/2 because i started this after losing weight already.
It keeps telling me I'm not eating enough! But i feel full so I'm uping to using real cream (half and half) and butter on my toast.
This place is great and I really am enjoying logging on each morning!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

While I think TDEE/BMR/etc. strategies are certainly valid, I think MFP unfairly gets a bad rap for the "low" calorie settings. If you are walking that much a day, I think MFP intends for you to either 1) not classify yourself as sedentary or 2) log that as exercise done for the day, for which you will "earn" more calories.

This x 1000.

2km walking in a day is nothing? I wouldn't consider anything less than 5km a walk. I walk probably at least 2km most days but I still count myself as sedentary. I don't live in the U.S though but I hear you drive your car a lot..

But sedentary means you do nothing but sit at a desk all day. If you're doing that much walking you're lightly active at least. I'm lightly active and I'm a housewife. All I do is housework and painting (I'm an artist). When I figured up my true TDEE based on 10 weeks of logging it came out to a little higher than lightly active. Your TDEE might be higher than you think.

ladyraven68

While I think TDEE/BMR/etc. strategies are certainly valid, I think MFP unfairly gets a bad rap for the "low" calorie settings. If you are walking that much a day, I think MFP intends for you to either 1) not classify yourself as sedentary or 2) log that as exercise done for the day, for which you will "earn" more calories.

This x 1000.

2km walking in a day is nothing? I wouldn't consider anything less than 5km a walk. I walk probably at least 2km most days but I still count myself as sedentary. I don't live in the U.S though but I hear you drive your car a lot..

But sedentary means you do nothing but sit at a desk all day. If you're doing that much walking you're lightly active at least. I'm lightly active and I'm a housewife. All I do is housework and painting (I'm an artist). When I figured up my true TDEE based on 10 weeks of logging it came out to a little higher than lightly active. Your TDEE might be higher than you think.

Agreed. sedentary is classed as taking less than 5000 steps a day.

I work in an office, but try to take a walk lunchtime, and in the evening just to get my steps up.
When I was off work and pottering about at home all day, my calorie burn was always more in the lightly active range than sedentary.

Sedentary on the MFP calculation seems almost bedbound.

BflSaberfan

Try IIFYM.com It lets you correctly figure your TDEE based on the number of minutes you sleep, sit, exercise, etc.

msflynnbly

I'm 5'0 and although I use 1200cals as a target, I sometimes can go upto the 1500 mark, but even at 1500 I know I am still eating alot less than I used to. I am loosing a pound a week, which I am happy with. I run alot too, so there is no way I can stick to 1200 a day!!

petitehealth

Well I'm 5'2 with a 1200 calorie goal. I workout most days. Recently plateaued for over a month and this week I began trying to make sure I eat about 1600 and the scale has started moving down again. Any other 1200ers please add me as a friend to share diaries. I'll take all the motivation I can get. Also i started a healthy cooking blog with calorie breakdowns to keep me motivated www.petitehealth.com

CrazyC

Hi fellow MFP'ers,

Upon the new year I have noticed a lot of new people with a lot of questions. There's been a lot of the whole 1200 calorie argument thing. This post isn't a dig at anyone who eats a particular amount of calories. So with that being stated, try not to fight too much. I just wanted to share my experience briefly. I hope someone might benefit from it. But first my stats:

Stats:
Age: 33
Height: 5'0"
SW: 134
CW: 106
GW: I'm fine where I am. Pounds don't matter at this stage for me. Up 1 down 2 whatever. My clothes fit and I feel good.
Calorie intake: 1500 a day give or take, my diary is open (some weekends I skip logging, I skipped the holidays and I skipped when I had surgery in December).
Workouts: 3-5 days a week, cardio, yoga, and strength

I wanted to tell you what I did because as a very petite woman I've seen time and time again that short ladies should eat 1200 calories or even go lower than that, just because we are short. It's lately been kind of annoying me. Just to clarify, I did start at 1200 like most people did on here, blindly following MFP's numbers they gave me. I was also working out at least 7 hours a week. I started with not eating back exercise calories. I realized wow, I'm starving. So I started eating them back. Then my weight loss plateaued. I started doing "doubles" at the gym (i.e. back to back classes for hours, just killing myself). I didn't know what to do as I couldn't possibly eat less nor could I work out any more hours or I would most definitely hurt myself. I did a lot of research at this point. I looked into BMR, TDEE, Eat More to Weigh Less, etc. So I upped my calories. Slowly. I have to admit I was terrified to eat more. This is when I began to realize that maybe I was being too obsessive with my calorie counting. I let go of the reigns and eventually settled on 1500 calories a day (gross, not net).

And guess what? I lost more weight! I eased back on my crazy amounts of cardio/gym classes and started eating more food (whole foods, lots of protein) and adjusted my macros. It took me a year to end up here and I feel amazing. Some weeks I go without logging. I cut myself a break. I have a glass of wine. I want people to read this at the BEGINNING of their journeys so that maybe it will save someone the 6 months that I tortured myself. I was so hungry and so tired. Now I feel human and normal.

And if 1200 works for you then it works for you. I'm not judging or telling anyone what to do. I just really want people to know (and especially short people like myself) that you can eat food and to be gentle with yourself. It's not a race and this is a lifestyle, something sustainable for the long haul.

Good luck! (and be kind to each other and yourself)

Thank you SO much for taking the time to post this.... I LOVE it, especially because I am also vertically challenged at only 5 ft (BARELY - on a GOOD HAIR DAY). :laugh: Bottom line, everyone is different and we're not all cookie cutter shapes or sizes... We're all unique in our own special ways, and, no not a "snowflake" like some say on here, just us... You... Me... I personally believe, as do a lot of vertically challenged/fun size others, that us gals and maybe even some guys, cannot eat as much as our said taller, thinner or higher metabolism friends/family etc... Again, I TOTALLY agree with this poster, find what works for you and don't sweat the small stuff.... Believe in yourself and surround yourself with POSITIVE people in your life.... Like Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph says; "Move Your Molasses!!" Eat as healthy and clean as you can and yourself.... Enjoy the process of your unique weight loss journey... It is about YOU, no one else... Like my Daddy use to say when he was still alive, "Wear your earrings" ( in one ear, out the other) at NEGATIVE people and/or comments and "Drive your own bus". (TRY not to judge and take your own inventory).

lildee55

Well said!

forbiddendonut

I am 5'3", and usually eat around 1500 calories net, and I'm not losing AT ALL. I am starving and weak at 1200 calories, though. I have about 15 left to lose, so maybe I actually do have to cut down more on the calories?