SO hard to lose when petite

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm not petite, just older. My BMR is 1333 (so close to yours). I'm eating 1500-1800 a day.

jess6741

You definitely need to eat more. I went from 137 to 105 (I'm 5'1) and I didn't starve myself. My BMR is only 1190 so I feel your pain, but you need to fuel your body. Losing 1/2 a pound a week is a good goal when you're so petite. I don't think I've ever lost 1 pound a week on a consistent basis.

blantondwb

You can tone without bulking by using light weight with high repetitions. Work the muscle to fatigue. Be sure to stretch the area worked afterwards to release the lactic acid from the muscle to speed recovery and prevent soreness.
Please make sure you do not go below your basic calorie requirements.

missystalker

I should have been clearer. When I meant reduce 500 calories, I meant as my total net. I still eat around 800 to 1200 calories a day, but I exercise a lot to ensure that my net ends up being around 600 or 700 so that it remains at a 500 deficit in order to lose a pound a week. I am 5 ft 1 and I am 116 pounds. I train really hard by doing cross fit and marathon training, but the diet portion has been quite difficult. Thanks for all the responses! It is motivating to hear from other petites who have been successful. Feel free to add me as a friend! I need the motivation!

this is waaaaaaaaaaay to little food.... seriously, do a search for the "in place of a road map" thread, and read it all carefully, so you can get a good idea of how much you should be eating.

eating 800-1200 calories a day is not enough if your BMR is 1300 cals/day

doing all that exercise so your net ends up aroun 600-700 cals/day is self starvation.

you CAN eat a lot more, and lose the last little bits of stubborn fat. not only can, but SHOULD.

I guess I'm being the devil's advocate here (and I also realize I approached this thread with a complaint regarding my routine not working quickly enough), but wouldn't I be avoiding starvation if I'm working out as much as I am? I do 2, sometimes 3 different workouts throughout the day (I'm self-employed so I'm extremely lucky to have the free time) and therefore I'm forcing my muscles to work (telling my body not to burn muscle since I need it). Wouldn't this result in me burning more fat? Also, the foods I eat are very high in nutrients (green smoothies, salads, etc) so it seems I wouldn't be depriving my body. I suppose I came here for the sake of complaining because it seems unfair that a female a few inches taller than me would not have to reduce her calories nearly as much and still get better results. It sucks being short!

no, because working out burns calories. Netting 800 cals/day or less is starvation. The more you work out on so few calories, the more you are starving yourself, not the less. The more you work out, the more you need to eat. Working out does not make you need to eat less food.

Your body will burn muscle in this situation. Your body can't generate the energy it needs to keep your organs functioning and keep up the levels of activity you're doing from nowhere. If you're not giving it energy (i.e. calories) to run properly from the food you eat, it'll take it from your body. In a prolonged food shortage (whether you're exercising or not) this will come from your muscles as much as, or even more than, your fat reserves, as fat will make you survive longer in a famine, while muscle is a liability, because it uses more energy than fat. Your body burns muscle to make you more energy efficient to survive the famine. When the human body starves, by the time your body fat is starting to run out, your muscles are already so wasted that you look like skin and bones, and at that point you are extremely close to death. Your body will not burn fat while leaving the muscles alone, unless you are feeding it properly to begin with, which you are not. The leaner you get, the more likely your body will burn muscle rather than fat, even if you are doing a bodybuilding level of training. Bodybuilders seek to minimise lean muscle losses by eating properly and cutting fat slowly at a very moderate deficit.

No matter how many micronutrients there are in your shakes, etc, if you're not supplying yourself with enough calories to sustain your body, you are starving yourself. Your body needs *energy* to sustain itself, calories are a unit of energy (just as centimetres are a unit of length) - vitamins do not give you energy. Fat, protein and carbohydrate gives you energy.

Seriously, eat more!

I doubt I would allow myself it get to the skin and bones part

But I do see what you mean about your muscles needing the proper amount of calories for recovery and rebuilding reasons. I'm impatient and I'm realizing I can't just magically make the weight fall off in a few days. I've been doing the low calorie thing for a few weeks now and haven't felt weak or unable to do my hard exercises, but I will listen to my body and pay more attention to what I'm feeding my muscles. Thanks for the advice!

mathteacher2010

Hi;

I'm 59 years old, 4'9" and I am doing the Petite Advantage Diet. It is a book by Jim Karas, and is designed especially for us shorties! The diet is 1100 calories for two days, then 1600 on the third. I have lost 27 pounds in a little less than a year. That includes being off-plan for vacations, etc. That may seem pretty slow but it is the only diet that has worked for me in many years. I exercise with TRX straps; the exercise plan is built into the diet. My doctor is aware of my calories intake, and supports it as long as I feel good, which I do.

I think the key to the diet is the balance of carbs, protein, and fat. If I stay close to the recommended proportions, I do well. If I have too many carbs, I don't do as well. In this case, a calorie is not a calorie!

My BMR is about 1190; when I have my higher calorie days, I do go up. It takes a couple more days to begin losing again. So with all the calorie ups and downs, I lose about a pound a week.

I think we all have to do the plan that works for us. Everyone is different. I do realize that at 59, my needs are different than a 25 year old. This plan is working for me, and if I choose wisely, I eat a surprising amount of food!

MrsTheunissen

I'll take your word for it and give it a few weeks then. I hope I don't gain 10-15lbs just from switching to weights. I don't wan't heavy muscle, just toning.
[/quote]

I think this is so hard for us petite girls that are trying to lose weight to grasp and believe that using weights is not going to make us look bigger. That adding weights to our exercise is just better and WILL make you smaller with muscles. :drinker: (If that makes sense)
The harsh truth is that the scale will probably show a higher number than you want, but you have to understand the difference between fat vs. muscles.
If I was you and if you have some weight to lose, don’t look too much at the scale us a measuring tape and smaller pants.
And also, if you aren't losing weight you have to look in to what you are eating. To little calories with good exercise don't = weight lose. (for some, but if you are trying and it's not happening for you, than you are not one of them)
Question to you: if you would fit in to a smaller pants size than you have now and the scale would maybe say 4 losing. lbs more. Over which one would you be happy about?
Add me if you want

missystalker

You definitely need to eat more. I went from 137 to 105 (I'm 5'1) and I didn't starve myself. My BMR is only 1190 so I feel your pain, but you need to fuel your body. Losing 1/2 a pound a week is a good goal when you're so petite. I don't think I've ever lost 1 pound a week on a consistent basis.

Your weight loss is so close to my goal! I started at 131 and I'm trying to get to around 105. I actually lost the first 18 pounds really fast (almost a pound a week) and then I crashed around Christmas time and cheated a lot. I gained back to 116 (so disappointed with myself) and I just want to get back on track. I'm very impatient.

neandermagnon

I should have been clearer. When I meant reduce 500 calories, I meant as my total net. I still eat around 800 to 1200 calories a day, but I exercise a lot to ensure that my net ends up being around 600 or 700 so that it remains at a 500 deficit in order to lose a pound a week. I am 5 ft 1 and I am 116 pounds. I train really hard by doing cross fit and marathon training, but the diet portion has been quite difficult. Thanks for all the responses! It is motivating to hear from other petites who have been successful. Feel free to add me as a friend! I need the motivation!

this is waaaaaaaaaaay to little food.... seriously, do a search for the "in place of a road map" thread, and read it all carefully, so you can get a good idea of how much you should be eating.

eating 800-1200 calories a day is not enough if your BMR is 1300 cals/day

doing all that exercise so your net ends up aroun 600-700 cals/day is self starvation.

you CAN eat a lot more, and lose the last little bits of stubborn fat. not only can, but SHOULD.

I guess I'm being the devil's advocate here (and I also realize I approached this thread with a complaint regarding my routine not working quickly enough), but wouldn't I be avoiding starvation if I'm working out as much as I am? I do 2, sometimes 3 different workouts throughout the day (I'm self-employed so I'm extremely lucky to have the free time) and therefore I'm forcing my muscles to work (telling my body not to burn muscle since I need it). Wouldn't this result in me burning more fat? Also, the foods I eat are very high in nutrients (green smoothies, salads, etc) so it seems I wouldn't be depriving my body. I suppose I came here for the sake of complaining because it seems unfair that a female a few inches taller than me would not have to reduce her calories nearly as much and still get better results. It sucks being short!

no, because working out burns calories. Netting 800 cals/day or less is starvation. The more you work out on so few calories, the more you are starving yourself, not the less. The more you work out, the more you need to eat. Working out does not make you need to eat less food.

Your body will burn muscle in this situation. Your body can't generate the energy it needs to keep your organs functioning and keep up the levels of activity you're doing from nowhere. If you're not giving it energy (i.e. calories) to run properly from the food you eat, it'll take it from your body. In a prolonged food shortage (whether you're exercising or not) this will come from your muscles as much as, or even more than, your fat reserves, as fat will make you survive longer in a famine, while muscle is a liability, because it uses more energy than fat. Your body burns muscle to make you more energy efficient to survive the famine. When the human body starves, by the time your body fat is starting to run out, your muscles are already so wasted that you look like skin and bones, and at that point you are extremely close to death. Your body will not burn fat while leaving the muscles alone, unless you are feeding it properly to begin with, which you are not. The leaner you get, the more likely your body will burn muscle rather than fat, even if you are doing a bodybuilding level of training. Bodybuilders seek to minimise lean muscle losses by eating properly and cutting fat slowly at a very moderate deficit.

No matter how many micronutrients there are in your shakes, etc, if you're not supplying yourself with enough calories to sustain your body, you are starving yourself. Your body needs *energy* to sustain itself, calories are a unit of energy (just as centimetres are a unit of length) - vitamins do not give you energy. Fat, protein and carbohydrate gives you energy.

Seriously, eat more!

I doubt I would allow myself it get to the skin and bones part

But I do see what you mean about your muscles needing the proper amount of calories for recovery and rebuilding reasons. I'm impatient and I'm realizing I can't just magically make the weight fall off in a few days. I've been doing the low calorie thing for a few weeks now and haven't felt weak or unable to do my hard exercises, but I will listen to my body and pay more attention to what I'm feeding my muscles. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for listening :flowerforyou: and do check out the "in place of a road map" thread - you can search for it, the version 3 is best.... it explains everything much better than I can, plus it gives step by step instructions for how to work out the right amount of calories to sustain your body properly, while still losing weight at a slow and steady rate. As you're already at a healthy weight and just want to lose the last few bits of stubborn fat, IMO it's even more important to get just the right amount of calories. Too little and you lose lean body mass... too many and you don't lose anything. The last few lbs are the hardest to lose but it can be done with the right approach.... and this approach is extremely healthy too, and you shouldn't feel deprived or hungry in the process.

jenbrenica

I am 5 foot and the last 8 pounds I want to loose is hanging there.

missystalker

I'll take your word for it and give it a few weeks then. I hope I don't gain 10-15lbs just from switching to weights. I don't wan't heavy muscle, just toning.

I think this is so hard for us petite girls that are trying to lose weight to grasp and believe that using weights is not going to make us look bigger. That adding weights to our exercise is just better and WILL make you smaller with muscles. :drinker: (If that makes sense)
The harsh truth is that the scale will probably show a higher number than you want, but you have to understand the difference between fat vs. muscles.
If I was you and if you have some weight to lose, don’t look too much at the scale us a measuring tape and smaller pants.
And also, if you aren't losing weight you have to look in to what you are eating. To little calories with good exercise don't = weight lose. (for some, but if you are trying and it's not happening for you, than you are not one of them)
Question to you: if you would fit in to a smaller pants size than you have now and the scale would maybe say 4 losing. lbs more. Over which one would you be happy about?
Add me if you want
[/quote]

I went from straight cardio to all weight lifting and I love it so much more than cardio! It did not bulk me up. I do cross fit and I'm pretty strong now after doing it for a long time. I do TGUs with a 20 pound kettlebell and my arms are not bulky at all. I would advise focusing a lot on your legs (1 because they are the largest muscle and therefore burn more calories and 2 it avoids the bulky look on your upper body). Good luck!

TedStout

Sounds like a lot of folks have gone through the same thing. I am now 4 days of zero movement at all, except a very slight uptick. I am trying to increase my calories to see how that works. The last two months have been great for losing fat and overall weight, but I think the advice folks are giving here is sound. The last 10 are hard to lose. Will see how it goes and take the long view. Good luck!!!!

Lleldiranne

I am petite! 5'0 and currently 127, trying to get to around 120, but I'm more concerned about body fat getting below 22% than the scale right now (and even a bit flexible there, that may be a bit extreme for my age)

You need to eat more! Online calculators place my BMR around 1300, too. I eat 1600 and lose slowly (which is how I want it). Your BMR, as others have said, is the minimum you need. It's what your body burns if you lie in bed all day long. I don't know about you, but I have too much to do for that! I exercise around 200 minutes a week, plus I have life to live - kids, job, friends, etc. At 500 calories a day you are going to burn yourself out, miss out on vital micro- and macro-nutrients, and possibly do damage to your internal organs, especially your heart. Find out your TDEE, then subtract 300-500 calories from that (I would go with the smaller, since you're so close to goal. It gets harder to lose, and a smaller deficit will help you transition into maintenance). Eat!!


Edit - I just saw your replies about 500 cals being your reduction from BMR, not total calories. Still, it isn't enough. Like I said, your BMR is your minimum, if you did nothing at all. Since you work out a lot, you definitely need more than 800 calories or so a day!

GamerLady

I think this is so hard for us petite girls that are trying to lose weight to grasp and believe that using weights is not going to make us look bigger. That adding weights to our exercise is just better and WILL make you smaller with muscles. :drinker: (If that makes sense)
The harsh truth is that the scale will probably show a higher number than you want, but you have to understand the difference between fat vs. muscles.
If I was you and if you have some weight to lose, don’t look too much at the scale us a measuring tape and smaller pants.
And also, if you aren't losing weight you have to look in to what you are eating. To little calories with good exercise don't = weight lose. (for some, but if you are trying and it's not happening for you, than you are not one of them)
Question to you: if you would fit in to a smaller pants size than you have now and the scale would maybe say 4 losing. lbs more. Over which one would you be happy about?
Add me if you want

Thank you for your reply.
I'm in a size 5 atm, and that's as low as I want to go, I don't want to lose anymore. I was at 156lbs a year and half ago. I've always been small and really had it pretty easy time losing weight after a child. I just did it slowing and safely this time. 118lbs-125lbs is where I'm use to being, and I'm in that range atm. Eating 1600-1800 calories a day has had me maintaining my weight well. Just when I added the weights it started going up, that's what was concerning me.

delekium

bump

J3ss1caD

I'm 5'1 and was having trouble losing weight when I was only eating 1200 calories. MY BMR is 1148 and for a "sedentary" lifestyle I should be consuming atleast 1484 calories. (we have this thing at work called a BOD POD that calculated this for me).
Eating 1200 calories and working out 6 days a week had my body feeling some kind of way.. and I was stuck at this weight. Once I bumped my calorie intake up.. to 1484 (going off of sedentary even though I'm not) I started to see some more changes and the weight coming off.

Perhaps you're eating too few of calories??? I know for me I starting getting REALLY bad hunger pains.. hence why I figured my body was starting to go into starvation mode and I needed to increase my calorie intake.

skinnyinnotime

You're eating 500 cals a day? That's just madness, you need more than that, a baby has more than that in milk.

It's no harder to lose weight if you're petite!!

GamerLady

You can tone without bulking by using light weight with high repetitions. Work the muscle to fatigue. Be sure to stretch the area worked afterwards to release the lactic acid from the muscle to speed recovery and prevent soreness.

Thanks!

jcperkns

I hit my target goal weight finally after I switched my exercise routine up, guess my body just got use to my routine. I then switched to weights like a lot suggested and gained 5 lbs in 3 days, eating the same 1600 calories a day I had been and eating clean as usual... ugh...guess it's back to cardio to lose those 5lbs back again.

When you start weights its normal for you to see a jump on the scale. It's just your muscles holding on to water. It will eventually go away. Two months of strength training did more for my body than six months of cardio.

I'll take your word for it and give it a few weeks then. I hope I don't gain 10-15lbs just from switching to weights. I don't wan't heavy muscle, just toning.

In order to gain muscle mass, you have to be eating at a surplus. Since you are not weights are just going to make you tighter and more lean. Muscle burns fat!! Good luck!!!

justjenny

Bump

GamerLady

In order to gain muscle mass, you have to be eating at a surplus. Since you are not weights are just going to make you tighter and more lean. Muscle burns fat!! Good luck!!!

Thanks, that's all I'm looking for, I don't really care for bulk, lean is great.

hannahjay1994

I'm 5ft and 114ibs, I've always wanted to loose weight but the only time I managed it was through very unhealthy and extreme dieting, which of course I couldn't keep up forever and Ire gained. It is super difficult, we burn less when we move and exercise but I can eat just as much as any tall lady and the calorie intake is the same :')

Menelaus35

Anyone other petites out there trying to lose those last ten pounds? So frustrating to try to lose even a pound a week. With a BMR as low as 1300, I have to limit my calorie intake 500 per day if I want to lose only a pound a week. Hungry and constantly exercising with little results. Not very motivating

I think this all the time. Thanks for posting. You are in inspiration

quellybelly

That's definitely me! 5'3" and trying to shed at least 10 more pounds before the summer!