5'3 and 125lb ladies. Any advice??

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Replies

  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    i'm 5'2 110, started at 5'2 135, I lost the first 10 pounds by going vegan, another 5 pounds by walking daily and the last 10 by counting calories and going to the gym. at first i wasnt counting calories at all but i was eating small snacks constantly (grapes, nuts, carrots, cherry tomatoes etc) with 3 decent sized meals spaced out. when the weight loss started to stop. i started eating 1350 (my BMR) or 1500 on workout days, getting in atleast 20 minutes of cardio 3 times a week

    hope this helps ! add me if youre looking for friendly support <3

    Is this net or total calories?
  • uwdawg07
    uwdawg07 Posts: 372 Member
    Everyone is so different, so you have to play around and find what works for you.

    I'm 5'3 and 121 pounds right now. I started at 213. My goal is 110-115 pounds.

    Currently I eat around 1200-1300 calories a day. When I started losing weight I ate around 1700 calories a day, and just decreased it as I went down in weight. If I felt like I was starving, I'd up it a bit. I think I stayed around 1400-1500 for most of the weight loss.

    Throughout all the weight loss I exercised 6 days a week, starting with 30 minutes, going to 45 and now I'm at 2 hours.

    Find what works for you. Good luck!!
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    Everyone is so different, so you have to play around and find what works for you.

    I'm 5'3 and 121 pounds right now. I started at 213. My goal is 110-115 pounds.

    Currently I eat around 1200-1300 calories a day. When I started losing weight I ate around 1700 calories a day, and just decreased it as I went down in weight. If I felt like I was starving, I'd up it a bit. I think I stayed around 1400-1500 for most of the weight loss.

    Throughout all the weight loss I exercised 6 days a week, starting with 30 minutes, going to 45 and now I'm at 2 hours.

    Find what works for you. Good luck!!

    Is that your net or total calories? Thanks so much!!
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    ladies, I am 5'3 and even though I've been lighter in the past I'm currently ridiculously stalled at about 139lbs. After doing a bunch of digging on MFP today I decided to up my calories to 1500 (I was eating between 1200-1300) and see if that helps, but i noticed that a lot of you ladies mentioned that you were eating a lot of protein. 100g of protein seems like a lot to me, did you get all this protein from food or did you drink protein shakes?
    And if it all came from food, are there some key protein foods that im missing, other than nuts. ill eat it in butter form (peanut butter, almond butter, etc) but I detest handfuls of peanuts, almonds, cashews...bleh! :P

    I'm in the exact same boat. Stalled around 135. I upped my calories and have gained but am sticking with it for now.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    My stats aren't exactly the same as yours, but I've gone from 140 lb to 120 lb in the past few months. I wasn't even really initially trying to lose weight - I knew I wasn't at the weight where I feel my best and healthiest, but my weight wasn't a big priority for me. However, I really wanted to become stronger, as my job is quite a physical one, and I was getting tired. So I started doing strength exercises. Nothing big - just kettlebell swings, squats, planks, half push ups, but I did them regularly every day. And I found in a week or two, I was starting to feel different - stronger, more aware of my body. And my arms and legs and tummy became more toned. It's weird - I'd always walked several miles a day, and gone swimming three times a week, but it hadn't had this effect. And feeling stronger made me want to work out more, so I started going to the gym (again, I didn't do big workouts - about ten to twenty minutes - but it made a difference). And somehow feeling strong and feeling more aware of my body made me more aware of what I was eating - I stopped mindless eating, and was more aware of when I'd eaten enough and stopping at that point. And in the past couple of weeks I've been doing the 30-day shred, and that has also contributed to the weight loss.

    To me, though, it's not so much about the number on the scale but about how I feel. I believe that if I listen to my body and look after it and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, my body will adjust to its optimum weight. I have no idea what that weight is - I may stay at this weight, I may lose a little bit more, or I may gain as I do more strength exercises - and I'm happy for any of those to happen if it puts me at my optimum health and wellbeing. It's a bit of a journey into the unknown, where I learn as I go along.
  • uwdawg07
    uwdawg07 Posts: 372 Member
    Everyone is so different, so you have to play around and find what works for you.

    I'm 5'3 and 121 pounds right now. I started at 213. My goal is 110-115 pounds.

    Currently I eat around 1200-1300 calories a day. When I started losing weight I ate around 1700 calories a day, and just decreased it as I went down in weight. If I felt like I was starving, I'd up it a bit. I think I stayed around 1400-1500 for most of the weight loss.

    Throughout all the weight loss I exercised 6 days a week, starting with 30 minutes, going to 45 and now I'm at 2 hours.

    Find what works for you. Good luck!!

    Is that your net or total calories? Thanks so much!!

    Total calories. :) I'm in the 1200 club...I've noticed a lot of people around here are against that, but it's been working for me. I am in a bit of a plateau right now, but I think it's just because I'm at a healthy weight and it gets harder to lose when you are at a good weight and you cannot create as much of a calorie deficit with food.

    Oh, and I do take one cheat day a week to go out to a restaurant and indulge. I do eat light in calories before heading out to dinner so I can eat a lot :)


    And I should say, I was losing 2 pounds a week up until I hit about 125 pounds.
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    Everyone is so different, so you have to play around and find what works for you.

    I'm 5'3 and 121 pounds right now. I started at 213. My goal is 110-115 pounds.

    Currently I eat around 1200-1300 calories a day. When I started losing weight I ate around 1700 calories a day, and just decreased it as I went down in weight. If I felt like I was starving, I'd up it a bit. I think I stayed around 1400-1500 for most of the weight loss.

    Throughout all the weight loss I exercised 6 days a week, starting with 30 minutes, going to 45 and now I'm at 2 hours.

    Find what works for you. Good luck!!

    Is that your net or total calories? Thanks so much!!

    Total calories. :) I'm in the 1200 club...I've noticed a lot of people around here are against that, but it's been working for me. I am in a bit of a plateau right now, but I think it's just because I'm at a healthy weight and it gets harder to lose when you are at a good weight and you cannot create as much of a calorie deficit with food.

    Oh, and I do take one cheat day a week to go out to a restaurant and indulge. I do eat light in calories before heading out to dinner so I can eat a lot :)


    And I should say, I was losing 2 pounds a week up until I hit about 125 pounds.

    I think everyones body is different and you should do whatever works for you!! Thanks for all your input. I def don't think one way is "right" and another way is "wrong". So i appreciate any advice.
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    My stats aren't exactly the same as yours, but I've gone from 140 lb to 120 lb in the past few months. I wasn't even really initially trying to lose weight - I knew I wasn't at the weight where I feel my best and healthiest, but my weight wasn't a big priority for me. However, I really wanted to become stronger, as my job is quite a physical one, and I was getting tired. So I started doing strength exercises. Nothing big - just kettlebell swings, squats, planks, half push ups, but I did them regularly every day. And I found in a week or two, I was starting to feel different - stronger, more aware of my body. And my arms and legs and tummy became more toned. It's weird - I'd always walked several miles a day, and gone swimming three times a week, but it hadn't had this effect. And feeling stronger made me want to work out more, so I started going to the gym (again, I didn't do big workouts - about ten to twenty minutes - but it made a difference). And somehow feeling strong and feeling more aware of my body made me more aware of what I was eating - I stopped mindless eating, and was more aware of when I'd eaten enough and stopping at that point. And in the past couple of weeks I've been doing the 30-day shred, and that has also contributed to the weight loss.

    To me, though, it's not so much about the number on the scale but about how I feel. I believe that if I listen to my body and look after it and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, my body will adjust to its optimum weight. I have no idea what that weight is - I may stay at this weight, I may lose a little bit more, or I may gain as I do more strength exercises - and I'm happy for any of those to happen if it puts me at my optimum health and wellbeing. It's a bit of a journey into the unknown, where I learn as I go along.

    Do you track calories?
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  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    My stats aren't exactly the same as yours, but I've gone from 140 lb to 120 lb in the past few months. I wasn't even really initially trying to lose weight - I knew I wasn't at the weight where I feel my best and healthiest, but my weight wasn't a big priority for me. However, I really wanted to become stronger, as my job is quite a physical one, and I was getting tired. So I started doing strength exercises. Nothing big - just kettlebell swings, squats, planks, half push ups, but I did them regularly every day. And I found in a week or two, I was starting to feel different - stronger, more aware of my body. And my arms and legs and tummy became more toned. It's weird - I'd always walked several miles a day, and gone swimming three times a week, but it hadn't had this effect. And feeling stronger made me want to work out more, so I started going to the gym (again, I didn't do big workouts - about ten to twenty minutes - but it made a difference). And somehow feeling strong and feeling more aware of my body made me more aware of what I was eating - I stopped mindless eating, and was more aware of when I'd eaten enough and stopping at that point. And in the past couple of weeks I've been doing the 30-day shred, and that has also contributed to the weight loss.

    To me, though, it's not so much about the number on the scale but about how I feel. I believe that if I listen to my body and look after it and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, my body will adjust to its optimum weight. I have no idea what that weight is - I may stay at this weight, I may lose a little bit more, or I may gain as I do more strength exercises - and I'm happy for any of those to happen if it puts me at my optimum health and wellbeing. It's a bit of a journey into the unknown, where I learn as I go along.

    Do you track calories?

    Not really. I have started using the food diary here and it informs me of my calories, but I don't plan how many calories to eat, and I am not thinking about calories or counting when I'm making meals and eating. And I am not bothered if I go under or over the calorie goal MFP has assigned to me. Some days I feel like eating more and other days I feel like eating less, and I've learnt it's better to listen to what my body wants. I find it quite annoying to be either given a red minus number or to be warned that I'm in danger of starvation mode! But I find the food diary useful as a way of keeping a record of what I've eaten. I probably won't keep it up though - I find it much more helpful to keep records by taking photos of all my meals and posting them on a Tumblr blog. That is a lot more meaningful to me than numbers, and it makes me a lot more mindful of the type of food I'm eating. My mind just doesn't associate food with numbers - it feels very unnatural to me. I love eating - it's a rich, sensory experience for me. I also love numbers - I take maths courses for fun. But eating and numbers just don't go together for me.
  • Bean615
    Bean615 Posts: 132 Member
    Hi i am 5'3 and 127, my GW is 125 i made it to 124, but gained weight with my vacations so i am in the process of working off those 3 pounds! however, i made it to my goal weight by working out and watching what i ate obviously. I did the 1200 calories, but i like to eat a lot so i started exercising to get more calories to eat. i started with spinning then hit a plateau and then started with running (C25K). I dont eat fried foods any more, weigh my food ($20 biggest loser scale), drink tons of water, and really think before i put food into my mouth-is this going to keep me full?, is this empty calories?, what is this nutritional value?, and do i really need this? I workout 4x a week in the morning-morning workouts give me more energy for the work day. then i drink whey protein so my bones can recoup (about 120 cals for one scoop i forget the name). I try to do some exercises on the weekend, but i am 26 so i have a social life and things going on aka weddings; going to the bar with friends, etc. that's my story hope it helps. if you want you can friend me.
  • I_Got_This_23
    I_Got_This_23 Posts: 27 Member
    I lost the first 30 pounds doing straight cardio, but hit a wall 7 or 8 months in. A year later I'm finally discovering the benefits of weight lifting in addition to cardio, and adding some extra calories. It was hard for me because lifting weights didn't equal any extra calories, so I wasn't motivated. Now, I allow myself 1500 instead of 1200, and lift 3 times a week and do cardio about 5 times a week. The added calories take away my tendency to use food as a reward for exercising, and I'm trying to find other reinforcers for working out (more energy, I get to watch TV while lifting, running with the dog gets his energy out). I'm really starting to see changes in my body with the lifting.
  • niicolemariies
    niicolemariies Posts: 55 Member
    In response to I_Got_This_23 (forgot to quote post...)
    Oh gosh.. you and I both, it's so frustrating.. I've been stuck at 150 +/- 5 lbs since thanksgiving last year. I started at almost 200lbs.. lost 50lbs in less than 5 months and now I'm stuck in a rut. I've managed to drop about 2 sizes since thanksgiving and still be the same weight.. but the number on the scale still irks me.
  • niicolemariies
    niicolemariies Posts: 55 Member
    I'm a little under 5'3 and started at about 198lbs. I lost a good chunk of the weight doing Insanity and going to the gym daily as well as running about 3 miles a day. Sounds like a lot of scattered workouts but Insanity helped the most. I started out eating 1200 calories a day then went up to1400-1600 calories as I finished up Insanity. I'm down to about 147lbs now... been this weight since November2011.. it's really frustrating.. I still workout regularly, but I feel that I can't find a new workout regimen to break my plateau..I had a trainer make a workout plan for me and that hasn't helped too much either... Even though I haven't exactly lost weight since November... I've dropped a size from a 7 to 5 in jeans... and almost into a size 3 now or size 26/27 and went from a size 8 in dresses to a 4/6.
  • persilcolours
    persilcolours Posts: 92 Member
    Bump.
  • JonieB
    JonieB Posts: 67 Member
    I'm 5'3" and 137 now. I would love to be between 120 and 125, I seem to be struggling since I hit 137. I just keep gaining and losing the same 4 lbs. Hopefully I will make it to goal soon. :)
  • amh1974
    amh1974 Posts: 79 Member
    I'm 5'3'' and I started out around 135/137 ish. When I started my knees hurt and I felt bad all of the time. I did a running program that slowly took me from couch to 5k and then to 10k and now I'm headed for a half marathon. I'm now at 122 and have a small frame and would love to be at 118 but I'm a little stuck lately! Bad eating and beer mostly, LOL!!! I love my carbs so there's no way I can give those up completely but what I started to do was eat carbs early in the day or before a workout and then little to no carbs in the evening for dinner. So I can't say I was on a low carb diet but I was on a way less carb diet. I also ate a good bit of fruit and did the protein shake thing. When I'm really busy I'll grab a shake and some fruit and that's lunch. I really like to GNC Total Lean Shake. It's tasty and I can easily grab one without any prep needed. I weigh myself everyday so I know exactly where I'm at. I use the bad days for motivation to eat well and the good days I'm proud to have progress!
  • atomiclauren
    atomiclauren Posts: 689 Member
    Ha...beer...me too! :drinker:

    Like others have mentioned, your mileage may vary, but I'm about 5'5" and started out at 170+. I was eating 1400 net calories per day and doing a mix between running, biking, and circuit training and it took me over a year to get down to where I am now (~136). I upped to 1500 net calories (which I sometimes exceed) and I've held steady here for months with just a little less exercise than before (at least I know my maintenance levels now). To lose those last nagging pounds I think the only thing that works is to raise the level of intensity of my workouts..
  • gaiareeves
    gaiareeves Posts: 292 Member
    I'm 5'3.5" and 125lbs, down from 165.

    I calorie cycle, so I don't eat the same amount of calories a day. I generally eat between 1300 - 1900 (NET) calories a day, with most days being below 1600.

    I walk as much as possible, try and pick more active things to do with my friends (bike rides vs cinema, etc), swim when I can afford it, and generally just try to move more than I used to, but I don't stick to any specific exercise routine.

    It's about making maintainable lifestyle changes. The weight might come off a little slower, but it'll stay off.
  • Garae
    Garae Posts: 116 Member
    I started at 173 and am around 145-150 now.. If I don't do cardio I try to eat around 1200 cals a day and drink a lot of water. If I work out, depending on how many cals I burn (i aim for 500), I try to eat about half of those back, sometimes all of them depending on what I do that day. I am also a waitress so I am on my feet a lot!
  • jodil68
    jodil68 Posts: 36 Member
    Bump
  • bump
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    I am 5'3" and 108lbs. I had been this weight (108-110lbs) since high school, except during my two pregnancies. I got on MFP When my son was 19 months because even though I was the same weight, I was more jiggly with muffin tops. In the beginning, I went by MFP' suggestion of 1200 net to lose 1/2 lbs a week, and was doing 30DS. I didn't get much results, no weight loss and maybe a slightly flatter stomach. I stopped, and started agin this January when my friend suggest we do the bodyrock.tv 30 day challenge. I did that with 1200 net calories. So weight loss still, but my body was changing. About 1.5 months in, I was starting to get a 4-pack. Then we went on vacation, and upped my calories to 1460 net (MFP recommendation for maintenance). My weight was slowly going down. I got to 106lbs, which was getting too low for my liking, so I upped it to 1600 net calories. That's my calorie goal right now, but I go over it most days and my actual net calories is probably more like 1700-1800. I do strength training (stronglift 5x5 2-3 times a week), and then HIIT interval or cross fit WODs 2-3 days on non strength training days.
  • elianexox
    elianexox Posts: 177 Member
    Bump
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    I am 5'3" and 108lbs. I had been this weight (108-110lbs) since high school, except during my two pregnancies. I got on MFP When my son was 19 months because even though I was the same weight, I was more jiggly with muffin tops. In the beginning, I went by MFP' suggestion of 1200 net to lose 1/2 lbs a week, and was doing 30DS. I didn't get much results, no weight loss and maybe a slightly flatter stomach. I stopped, and started agin this January when my friend suggest we do the bodyrock.tv 30 day challenge. I did that with 1200 net calories. So weight loss still, but my body was changing. About 1.5 months in, I was starting to get a 4-pack. Then we went on vacation, and upped my calories to 1460 net (MFP recommendation for maintenance). My weight was slowly going down. I got to 106lbs, which was getting too low for my liking, so I upped it to 1600 net calories. That's my calorie goal right now, but I go over it most days and my actual net calories is probably more like 1700-1800. I do strength training (stronglift 5x5 2-3 times a week), and then HIIT interval or cross fit WODs 2-3 days on non strength training days.

    Awesome! Thanks for the info :)
  • feydruss
    feydruss Posts: 349 Member
    I'm 5'2.5" and working my way back (and beyond) from postpartum twin weight of 193. I got back to pre-pregnancy weight of 170 twice in the last year (grrrr), and am determined to get down to 125 by next summer. The last time I was 125 as an adult I was anorexic, and people said I looked really bad. So we'll see how it goes, but I'm hoping that doing it a healthy way and focusing on strength training will help.

    I have found that my loss is way more consistent by using my Fitbit to determine a daily deficit. Instead of just netting 1200 every day, I aim to net what I'm burning that day MINUS 500-800. Most days I end up burning around 2000, so I shoot for 1200-1500 net.

    I weigh/measure food when I can. I work out at least a few days a week ideally. I LOVE heavy lifting, but also do elliptical, row, swim, "run", or even just go for walks with my toddlers and chase them around the park while doing things like pull ups and step ups while they're playing.

    Like everyone said, protein is important. I try to keep my macros at around 35% carb, 35% protein, 30% fat. That ends up being 105g of protein and carb each on 1200. It's rarely perfect, but I find that limiting my carbs to around 100g really helps. For some reason, the more carbs I eat, the hungrier I get and the more carbs I want. I try to use veggies and fruit for my carbs (usually berries), not grains. Toast and peanut butter is my comfort food, but also a gateway drug for me. ;)

    But honestly, I save a lot of my carb calories for things like a mini Haagen-Dazs cup, chocolate, or some kind of treat. I know that's probably not very healthy, but if I try to cut all that stuff out, I end up binging. I need to be able to LIVE for the rest of my life, and that means including everything but in moderation.

    I haven't had nearly as much success as the other members here, but I'm one-third of the way to my goal of 125 (more or less), which is better than nothing! I'd be much further along if it weren't for injuries and binges and setbacks. But that's life. I'm not perfect, and I never will be. But I'll keep losing bit by bit, and keep my sanity along the way!
  • EPICUREASIAN
    EPICUREASIAN Posts: 147 Member
    5'3 on low-grav days...currently on the high end of 140s. Been at this for 9mos with little movement on the scales. Cardio 3x a week, resistance 3x a wk. Lost a few inches overall, clothes fit better, but I'm nowhere near my goal of 120s. Prob is diet..I just love food. Bookmarking for reference.
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