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

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  • birdieaz
    birdieaz Posts: 448 Member
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    Thank you!!

    I had no luck on 1200 cal. My body was miserable and it held on to every ounce. Now I eat between 1500-1900 cal depending on activity.

    eta: I'm 5'2.5
  • bridgelene
    bridgelene Posts: 358 Member
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    I wouldn't say I'm short per se -- 5'5", but for sedentary lifestyle (and put in that I would exercise 15 min/day, 3 days/week) MFP put me at 2300 calories/day to lose 0.5/week. I usually get a bit under 2000 and am losing 1-2lb/week. Definitely not what I think a lot of MFP'ers would expect for "results" :)
  • domgirl85
    domgirl85 Posts: 295 Member
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    Agree. I'm 5'1". I started upping my calorie intake. I'm up to 1400 a day right now. If I need to up it again in a couple months, I will but for now it's enough :)
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    Thank you for posting! Every time I doubt my cals and think I might be eating too much (I'm 5'3 and try to keep it around 1600) I see this and feel better. No way could I do 1200! I'm not a happy camper when I'm hungry!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Great post! I'm 5'3" AND I have thyroid disease, and I lose consistently on 1650. Before this month it was 1700, but as you lose weight you have to adjust accordingly. I also eat all my exercise calories back, meaning many days I am up around 2200-2300 cals total. Yay food! Go shorties!
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    If you're short, your calorie goal will be smaller than someone who's taller, but not by the huge amount some people think.
    That isn't exactly true. If you compare two people, both being the same weight, the shorter will have higher TDEE needs because they'll need more energy to replace heat loss than the taller individual.
  • Angie80281
    Angie80281 Posts: 444 Member
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    So true!!! I'm 4'11" and maintain 112 pounds at 1845 a day, and I eat back my exercise calories..
  • Hiccup90
    Hiccup90 Posts: 28 Member
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    I've been on 1,200 for a while now and the weight will come off but it goes back on in the drop of a hat. The most I've lost from 1200 was 10lb in 2 weeks. It has been giving me headaches every day though. I find myself picking at things and craving things. I've never eaten so many sweets and chocolate as when I'm doing a 1200 cal diet. Maybe I should up my intake. I just can't seem to stay away from sugary things and it's making dieting tough :(
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    I've been on 1,200 for a while now and the weight will come off but it goes back on in the drop of a hat. The most I've lost from 1200 was 10lb in 2 weeks. It has been giving me headaches every day though. I find myself picking at things and craving things. I've never eaten so many sweets and chocolate as when I'm doing a 1200 cal diet. Maybe I should up my intake. I just can't seem to stay away from sugary things and it's making dieting tough :(

    Having a higher goal does make it a little easier to stay on track, because you're more satisfied throughout the day and won't crave the bad stuff as much. Don't get me wrong, I still have my days where I crave chocolate and soda, but not being hungry all the time and knowing I have meals I can replace that with are a big help.
  • slincoln2007
    slincoln2007 Posts: 21
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    Awesome job! Keep up the great work! I am ALSO 5ft 3in..and after only one week of dieting...lost 6 lbs! I am eating quite enough...the large amount of protein and "good carbs" I am eating each day keep me satiated! I feel like I am eating a TON OF FOOD each day...and I am still loosing weight! Yippee for short girls!
  • shortnerdy
    shortnerdy Posts: 131
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    Can someone explain how someone with our height loses on so many calories? I'm 5'2 office job, I dont get a ton of exercise but starrting 30 day shred again soon.

    I dont understand how this works? I try and stick to 1300 and lose a little a week, but .. how could i possibly eat 1800 and lose?
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,265 Member
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    This depends on a lot of things besides your height, such as your current weight/how much you need to lose, your age, your metabolism and the amount of exercise you do.

    I am 5'2, 34 years old and need to lose another 50 pounds (i've lost 32 so far), with a sedentary job.
    I started out around 1600 cals/day and I was losing steadily. Gradually, I reduced my calories as I stopped seeing results, and as of right now, I am only losing weight at 1300 cals/day or less. Anything more than that, and I either maintain or gain weight.

    My sister is only 5 foot, but she is 6 years younger than me and weighs much, much less than I do. She can easily maintain her weight eating more calories than I do. Our metabolisms are just different.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    for awhile there I went out to dinner every night (about 1800 cals per day) and gained 5 lbs over 2 weeks (I did have more energy after eating that dinner out ,also, which is why I did that)...then went to what I am now and lost it all but am stalled right now

    I will try your tip, thanks

    So according to your recent experience- 1800 per day caused you to gain 2 1/2 pounds per week. Since it takes 500 cals less per day to LOSE one pound in a week, 1300 cals per day would still result in a GAIN of 1 1/2 pounds per week. Not sure if I would try adding MORE calories at this point.

    I'd be willing to bet it was the "went out to dinner every night" that caused a temporary gain. Restaurant food is notoriously high in sodium, not true weight gain.

    Hell, I've gained as much as 8 pounds overnight from some high sodium foods, and I know damn well I didn't eat 28000 extra calories. :laugh:

    I'm 5'5 so I'm not exactly short, but I'm 40 years old and lose weight at 2000 calories a day.

    ^^ This-- eating out causes temporary gains due to sodium, not calorie counts.
  • meeka472
    meeka472 Posts: 283 Member
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    If you are short with a lot of weight to lose you will still lose weight with higher calories. But if you are not very heavy and are looking to lose those last 20-30 lbs you will either have to lower the food calories or increase activity to lose weight because the resting metabolic rate of a short person is lower than someone who is taller,
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    It's not just height but weight too. A lot of shorter people have lower weights because even our overweight is lighter than someone's overweight who is six inches taller. I don't consider myself starving at 1200 calories though. I usually feel fine. If I am hungry, I'll eat more, but usually the 1200 is enough.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I think it really depends on your activity level/body composition. I find that I maintain around 1600-1700 calories a day and have to eat 1,400 or less to lose. I am 5'3 and lift heavy 3 times a week.

    But meh, to each his own. Definitely no starving here!
  • AntShanny
    AntShanny Posts: 366 Member
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    I'm 4'11" and have my daily calories set to 1550, that's about 20% or so from my TDEE. I try to net that, but sometimes I'm under, sometimes I'm over. I find it completely amazing at what doctors tell people to eat...how can a grown woman survive on less than 1000 calories?!?
  • Xanne
    Xanne Posts: 27 Member
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    There are other factors that play into the equation too. For instance, I am 71 years old, and after losing an inch and a half am now 5'. Up until I was about 40, I ate whatever the heck I wanted, and never gained an ounce - was always on the skinny side. But now, I've lost height due to age, arthritis, and spinal fusion, past menopause (thank goodness!), and more limited in my activity (running is out, for instance - although I was never an athletic type, and would much rather read than work out!) My calorie allotment is 1200 before allowance for exercise. It is not fun keeping to that few calories - and I do "eat back" some or most of the "exercise calories", but as long as I do exercise every single day, I am losing slowly but steadily (have lost 14 pounds in 70 days). My main worry is that I am depriving myself of a lot of the things I love, and I don't want to have to do that forever! And my physical condition is slowly becoming more limiting, so I can't realistically increase the exercise! And I HATE "fake" food - i.e., "light, low calorie, reduced fat, etc.". I want the real thing or nothing!
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    If you are short with a lot of weight to lose you will still lose weight with higher calories. But if you are not very heavy and are looking to lose those last 20-30 lbs you will either have to lower the food calories or increase activity to lose weight because the resting metabolic rate of a short person is lower than someone who is taller,

    If by "lower your calories' you mean lower them to 1200, that's not always true. I lost 20 pounds (went from 170 to 150) eating 1600 calories or more each day. I've never been terribly overweight and never had much to lose, but when I've wanted to lose weight, i didn't have to drastically lower my calories to do it.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    I agree with the OP.

    I'm 5'3" and 122 pounds. If I eat anything less than 1,900/day I lose weight. I'm trying to maintain and I eat anywhere from 1,900-2.400 per day depending on activity level. 1,900/day is a sedentary day for me.

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