Devil's advocate: 1200 calories for petite/short women?

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Replies

  • NZhellkat
    NZhellkat Posts: 355 Member
    It's interesting to hear this on countless "1200 calories" vs. "eat more to lose weight" discussions... people often say, "unless you're a dwarf" or "unless you're 4'8" " you really need at least 1200 calories a day. Well guess what? I happen to know that there are quite a few "dwarfs" :-) and petite women posting on MFP, me being one of them! (No offense taken to the "dwarf" comment, we're all just fun sized!) :-)

    This isn't really a question for calorie advice for me personally, but for all smaller ladies out there. Do smaller women really need more than 1200 calories? Surely if you're less than 5' and pretty sedentary, you won't need as much as a 5'7" woman, right?



    ******FYI, I'm 4'10" 105 lbs. and my mantra is that women in general should eat more and be more active. I personally can not live off of 1200 calories a day. I am waaaay too active (am a long distance runner) and love food and exercise way too much, but I realize not all women are training for marathons like I am.

    Thus, I welcome the different opinions, what do y'all think??

    I hear what you're saying and I agree. Now lets throw something else into the mix. I'm half Polynesian so I have heavier bones and a lot of twitch muscle. So I know that I need to consume more calories than the average 5'3" woman. MFP just dropped my daily calories from 1330 to 1230 due to weight loss. The only time I am near that is when I'm sick otherwise I eat around 2000 - 2200 depending on how much training I'm doing.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    It's interesting to hear this on countless "1200 calories" vs. "eat more to lose weight" discussions... people often say, "unless you're a dwarf" or "unless you're 4'8" " you really need at least 1200 calories a day. Well guess what? I happen to know that there are quite a few "dwarfs" :-) and petite women posting on MFP, me being one of them! (No offense taken to the "dwarf" comment, we're all just fun sized!) :-)

    This isn't really a question for calorie advice for me personally, but for all smaller ladies out there. Do smaller women really need more than 1200 calories? Surely if you're less than 5' and pretty sedentary, you won't need as much as a 5'7" woman, right?



    ******FYI, I'm 4'10" 105 lbs. and my mantra is that women in general should eat more and be more active. I personally can not live off of 1200 calories a day. I am waaaay too active (am a long distance runner) and love food and exercise way too much, but I realize not all women are training for marathons like I am.

    Thus, I welcome the different opinions, what do y'all think??

    I hear what you're saying and I agree. Now lets throw something else into the mix. I'm half Polynesian so I have heavier bones and a lot of twitch muscle. So I know that I need to consume more calories than the average 5'3" woman. MFP just dropped my daily calories from 1330 to 1230 due to weight loss. The only time I am near that is when I'm sick otherwise I eat around 2000 - 2200 depending on how much training I'm doing.

    I have a similar thing--my curly hair actually attracts more water I think. also it's really long so the effect is magnified--i have to eat Way more calories than someone my height.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    I am 5'1 and 108 pounds today. I tried the whole eat more thing for a bit and if I eat around 1000-1200 calories a day with an off day on Sunday I have the best results. Just works better for me.
  • small_ninja
    small_ninja Posts: 365 Member
    .
  • stylishgirl
    stylishgirl Posts: 34 Member
    I'm now really confused. I'm not petite at all, nor average weight. I'm 5'8" and weigh 249 pounds, but have a sedentary home-based job (so no commute). according to MFP, my daily goal is 1290 calories. so not quite the 1200 the OP mentioned but pretty close, except i weigh a over 100 pounds more. Am I calculating something wrong?
  • jodileerunning
    jodileerunning Posts: 6
    I weigh 105. I'd be happy w 100, so I don't have much to lose. I'm not in a big rush to lose it; I'd just like to think it will eventually start to come off (like before marathon training in October). And honeslty, though I know you're probably right, I'd rather carry the weight than lose the cheat day :-(
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    I'm 5'2'' and I'm surviving off 1200 calories, it's working for me!
  • juicy_cat
    juicy_cat Posts: 145 Member
    Hi - I'm 5 foot 1 and weigh 153 - hoping to get to 136 (which is still too high but I feel great at that weight)

    1200 is a struggle for me so I am having to do some excercise everyday in order to have some treats at weekend...it's going ok so far but it's a struggle....

    x
  • mollyvon
    mollyvon Posts: 114 Member
    bump
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Bumping to join in later.
  • goodisnotgoodenough
    goodisnotgoodenough Posts: 5
    I didn't read through the posts so who know if someone already recommended this, but at Barnes and Noble I saw a books that was titled something like "The Petite Diet" all for shorter women :)
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    I have that book- its good. I don't like the 'diet' bit as its not to my taste but its really interesting. I followed the calculations and based on my height etc it seems that 1500 would be maintenence cals for me- 1000 cals or lower is what shifts the weight for me- if I eat much more I won't lose. i don't have a problem with that level- I don't eat too many calorie dense foods anyway
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm now really confused. I'm not petite at all, nor average weight. I'm 5'8" and weigh 249 pounds, but have a sedentary home-based job (so no commute). according to MFP, my daily goal is 1290 calories. so not quite the 1200 the OP mentioned but pretty close, except i weigh a over 100 pounds more. Am I calculating something wrong?

    What is your goal set to--1 lb or 2 lbs? They are going to calculate around a 500 calorie deficit from what they calculate your TDEE to be, and a 1000 calorie deficit for 2 lbs.
  • stylishgirl
    stylishgirl Posts: 34 Member
    my goal is set to 2 pounds a week since i have so much to lose. what boggles my mind is that it would calculate very close to the same calories for someone half my size.

    part of my problem is that i have a hard time staying under 1300 calories and feeling full. when i workout and am then allowed more calories its better, but when you work 10 hour days (as i do most days) its hard to do that. (I know that's not a good excuse.)
  • pukekolive
    pukekolive Posts: 237 Member
    To Greeneyes191, eating a good choice of snack (nuts, lean meat such as chicken, protein snack or shake) between meals so that you never go more than 3 hours during the day without eating, seems to work for me.

    This seems to be generally advised for weight loss, particularly if the person is working out a lot as well.
  • BSchoberg
    BSchoberg Posts: 712 Member
    I'm 5'4" & 47... and I've discovered something a little crazy about myself. I am way less hungry on heavy workout days - and have sometimes had trouble eating back my exercise calories to hit a net of 1200. On "rest" days, I'm starving. All day. I know I need the rest - my body tells me I do - so I've stopped worrying about daily totals and have started looking more at a weekly average.

    Seems to be working all right - I'm down 14 lbs in about 2 months and I've actually seen the pace of weight loss increase when I don't worry about eating "too much" on my rest days. Feel better too! A LOT more energy, better mood, better sleep.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I am 5'2 and lost most of my weight eating 1400 to 1500 calories per day plus any additional exercise calories. I tried 1200 for a month or so (plus exercise cals) and I felt cranky, stupid and hungry all of the time. Those couple of extra snacks or slightly larger meals made the difference for me!
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    I'm 5'3 and 1,200 cals just doesn't cut it for me. Sure, I'll "survive" but I don't want to just survive, I want to be happy and not deprived. I want something I can stay with in the long run. So for now I'm trying 1,600 cals, and I don't eat exercise cals back. Going to see how this works for a month.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    It's interesting to hear this on countless "1200 calories" vs. "eat more to lose weight" discussions... people often say, "unless you're a dwarf" or "unless you're 4'8" " you really need at least 1200 calories a day. Well guess what? I happen to know that there are quite a few "dwarfs" :-) and petite women posting on MFP, me being one of them! (No offense taken to the "dwarf" comment, we're all just fun sized!) :-)

    This isn't really a question for calorie advice for me personally, but for all smaller ladies out there. Do smaller women really need more than 1200 calories? Surely if you're less than 5' and pretty sedentary, you won't need as much as a 5'7" woman, right?



    ******FYI, I'm 4'10" 105 lbs. and my mantra is that women in general should eat more and be more active. I personally can not live off of 1200 calories a day. I am waaaay too active (am a long distance runner) and love food and exercise way too much, but I realize not all women are training for marathons like I am.

    Thus, I welcome the different opinions, what do y'all think??

    opinion on what? Do smaller women need more than 1200 calories to be healthy? Barely 5'2" and I need more, I can't get the nutrition I need or want at that amount. I'm not here to lose weight but yes, I need more. If I micromanage my diet I still can't go under 1600 calories or so.
  • drzawada
    drzawada Posts: 16
    Bump for later
  • tashaa1992
    tashaa1992 Posts: 658 Member
    I'm 5ft and 90lbs, my bmr is 1235 and my tdee is supposedly 1698 for lightly active. I have experimented around with it though, I need around 2,300 calories a day to maintain my weight, anything less and I lose. It just depends on the person, their weight, activity, etc I guess.
  • AveryWays
    AveryWays Posts: 150 Member
    I agree with being more active and eating more!!! My current calorie intake is 2100. My workouts are intense with cardio and weight training daily, so for me that is what I need to maintain my weight being 5'4" and 112 pounds. I could honestly never imagine calorie intake being so low, but I suppose everyone is different and needs vary.

    I'm 5', 1.25" and currently fluctuating between 145-150 lbs. I'm training for a sprint triathlon. My BMR is set at 1,400. Depending on what day it is for training, I tailor my caloric intake to compensate for the caloric burn for the day. On days I'm swimming, I know I can easily burn 400-500 for an hour of doing an hour of laps in the pool. On my "rest" day, I would eat my BMR calories. Training days can be anywhere between 1,800-2,100. At this point, I gave up on a numeric goal on the scale. I'm fitting into size 6 with my current weight and I'm more interested with body/fat %. My goal is to get my body fat down to 16-18% from 26%.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    my goal is set to 2 pounds a week since i have so much to lose. what boggles my mind is that it would calculate very close to the same calories for someone half my size.

    part of my problem is that i have a hard time staying under 1300 calories and feeling full. when i workout and am then allowed more calories its better, but when you work 10 hour days (as i do most days) its hard to do that. (I know that's not a good excuse.)

    Usually the people who eat 1200 calories are set to lose 1 lb or even .5 a week when they are short. For me, MFP says my maintenance is 1400 calories.

    I don't think you have to worry at all about making excuses--it's very hard to eat 1200 on long work days. Have you considered allowing yourself to eat between your 1290-and1790 depending on your body's needs each day? Then you will lose between 1-2 lbs a week.
  • neitime23
    neitime23 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm 5'3" and at 1200 calories a day I was starving. i changed my profile to lose only a half pound a week just so i could eat more. i'm always hungry on the weekdays when i don't have time to exercise. then on the weekends when i do have time to exercise, i don't eat all of the calories i've earned. it kind of sucks. now i just splurge when i want and figure i'll make it up with extra exercise on the weekend.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I agree with being more active and eating more!!! My current calorie intake is 2100. My workouts are intense with cardio and weight training daily, so for me that is what I need to maintain my weight being 5'4" and 112 pounds. I could honestly never imagine calorie intake being so low, but I suppose everyone is different and needs vary.

    I'm 5', 1.25" and currently fluctuating between 145-150 lbs. I'm training for a sprint triathlon. My BMR is set at 1,400. Depending on what day it is for training, I tailor my caloric intake to compensate for the caloric burn for the day. On days I'm swimming, I know I can easily burn 400-500 for an hour of doing an hour of laps in the pool. On my "rest" day, I would eat my BMR calories. Training days can be anywhere between 1,800-2,100. At this point, I gave up on a numeric goal on the scale. I'm fitting into size 6 with my current weight and I'm more interested with body/fat %. My goal is to get my body fat down to 16-18% from 26%.

    I'd reconsider the 16% goal as it is not necessary really nor is it healthy for most women.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm now really confused. I'm not petite at all, nor average weight. I'm 5'8" and weigh 249 pounds, but have a sedentary home-based job (so no commute). according to MFP, my daily goal is 1290 calories. so not quite the 1200 the OP mentioned but pretty close, except i weigh a over 100 pounds more. Am I calculating something wrong?
    MFP's target depends how active you say you are and how fast you say you want to lose. If you put 2 lbs/week it takes 1000 off what it thinks you use, so sedentary plus high loss = low target.
  • deltalbarbie
    deltalbarbie Posts: 50
    Bump
  • TrishyWest
    TrishyWest Posts: 16 Member
    Bump!!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I'm 5'1" and maintain on 1800-1900 cals/day and eat 1580 on cutting days and 2100 or thereabouts on bulking days (aiming to gain LBM and reduce body fat percentage)

    so no 1200 cals/day for me.

    I have a large frame though, small framed short women would need to eat less than me at the same activity levels. Though no matter what your size you can eat more if you're more active.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I agree with being more active and eating more!!! My current calorie intake is 2100. My workouts are intense with cardio and weight training daily, so for me that is what I need to maintain my weight being 5'4" and 112 pounds. I could honestly never imagine calorie intake being so low, but I suppose everyone is different and needs vary.

    I'm 5', 1.25" and currently fluctuating between 145-150 lbs. I'm training for a sprint triathlon. My BMR is set at 1,400. Depending on what day it is for training, I tailor my caloric intake to compensate for the caloric burn for the day. On days I'm swimming, I know I can easily burn 400-500 for an hour of doing an hour of laps in the pool. On my "rest" day, I would eat my BMR calories. Training days can be anywhere between 1,800-2,100. At this point, I gave up on a numeric goal on the scale. I'm fitting into size 6 with my current weight and I'm more interested with body/fat %. My goal is to get my body fat down to 16-18% from 26%.

    I'd reconsider the 16% goal as it is not necessary really nor is it healthy for most women.

    I don't think 16% is unhealthy so much as incredibly difficult to attain and sustain for the ordinary woman. There are women elite athletes who are much lower than 16%, although their body fat percentages never are as low as those of male athletes who go down to 6 or even 4%

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