Slow loss for mod ovrwt (40 lb) short people? (5'2")

feefie04
feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Not really disappointed in my loss or anything, but I was wondering if anyone feels like (or has noticed) that short people with a moderate amount of weight to lose generally lose it slower than the taller people or ones with larger goals? I'm talking mostly about people doing 1 lb a week, with proper caloric intakes, etc.

Just kind of wondering. I put on the weight over 3 years so I don't expect it to come off fast. So far I've seen 6 lbs loss since I started 4 weeks ago, but I have not begun exercise yet, so that is only on change of diet, so I feel like it is working.

Curious on the experiences of the short people! Should I really see 4-6 more pounds come off this next 4 weeks? It seems like a lot to hope for!

Replies

  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    Yes, I'm 5'2" also. I lose weight at a slow rate too. I think that it's because with people that are taller or heavier seem to lose weight faster is because they have more to lose. What I mean is if you weigh 140 and you lose 2% of your body weight that is only 2.8 lbs Someone that is 300 and loses 2% body weight, that is 6 lbs. So percentage wise it is the same but actual weight is more. I hope this makes sense.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Think of it this way, if a 300 lbs person and a 175 lbs person were both losing 1% of their bodyweight per week, the larger person would be going "faster" (3lbs per week vs. 1.75), but not really faster in the absolute sense.
  • ermand
    ermand Posts: 54 Member
    also you must remember the taller you are the higher your bmr is. Personally im 6'6 and its incredibly easy to create a calorie deficit.
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    I am 5'2" and lost 40 lbs. 1-2 lbs a week the whole way. There were a few weeks that I wouldn"t lose any and I think that is ok because I looked at it as my body just had to adjust to it's new weight.
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    Think of it this way, if a 300 lbs person and a 175 lbs person were both losing 1% of their bodyweight per week, the larger person would be going "faster" (3lbs per week vs. 1.75), but not really faster in the absolute sense.

    I understand that someone with 200 lb to lose vs someone with 10 lb to lose will lose faster... but that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking about a tall person with 40 lb to lose vs a short person with 40 lb to lose.

    I'm feeling a little unsure about the fact that I may be down 10 lbs in two months... a whole 10 lbs?? That seems like magic to me and all I am doing is eating better... lol. I'm just asking if it would be normal for a lil shorty like me to look at a slower loss as still a success (say, 6 lbs in 2 months).

    Or, am I asking the totally wrong question? Should I be more concerned with a plateau for the next 4 weeks if I DON'T lose 5 pounds by then?

    I think too much sometimes, sorry!
  • KIMBAILEYWILLIAMSON
    KIMBAILEYWILLIAMSON Posts: 258 Member
    I'm 5'2" and lost 2 lbs a week in the beginning but I had alot of weight to lose. I'm am closer to my goal now (10 or less lbs to lose) and the scale is moving very slow.



    "I'm feeling a little unsure about the fact that I may be down 10 lbs in two months... a whole 10 lbs?? That seems like magic to me and all I am doing is eating better... lol. I'm just asking if it would be normal for a lil shorty like me to look at a slower loss as still a success (say, 6 lbs in 2 months). "


    YES that would still be a success, I would call it anyway because that's what I am going through right now.
  • sunnsand201
    sunnsand201 Posts: 12 Member
    Great topic!! Thank you!! Yes, I am 5' 2" also and I am "curvey" but tend to carry more of my excess weight in my hips, butt, & thighs. Being so short my lower half is def large & in charge! I have always lost weight at a slow rate & exercise like a mad lady! Please know I feel your pain & sympathize with our "short syndrome"... (: Remember, we're not short; we're Fun Size! :) Have a great day!
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    I am 5'2" and lost 40 lbs. 1-2 lbs a week the whole way. There were a few weeks that I wouldn"t lose any and I think that is ok because I looked at it as my body just had to adjust to it's new weight.

    Yeah I have been seeing the loss come off in spurts, rather than every week I think... but I don't weigh myself regularly really. I'm not really concerned *when* it comes off, as long as it does :).
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    lol, I think too much too. I am 5'2" and stated above about the 1-2 lbs a week. I was unsure at first too about the rate I should lose. I decided that I wouldn't think of it that way, that I would just ask myself every night before I went to bed " did I go the most I could today to lose weight" and as long as the answer was yes, then I didn't worry about the rate of loss anymore.
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    lol, I think too much too. I am 5'2" and stated above about the 1-2 lbs a week. I was unsure at first too about the rate I should lose. I decided that I wouldn't think of it that way, that I would just ask myself every night before I went to bed " did I go the most I could today to lose weight" and as long as the answer was yes, then I didn't worry about the rate of loss anymore.

    Yeah, I actually have to be conscious to *hit* my calorie goal for the day sometimes, because the things I eat end up not being very calorie dense, even though I feel satisfied. I guess I technically could not hit the goal (and be around 1200 as opposed to 1500) but I feel like I need to stick with the goal in order to succeed.
  • docdrd
    docdrd Posts: 174 Member
    So you asked, so this is somewhat solicited advice :-) I think you should NOT worry about the speed at which it comes off. Your goal should be to lose the weight in a healthy manner that is SUSTAINABLE!!! I don't think taller people at the same weight as short people lose weight faster. I think it shows faster on them because they have it spread out over a bigger surface area, but the rate at which people lose is generally dictated by diet, exercise and metabolism.

    I think losing more than a pound a week, as you have done thus far, is AWESOME!!! You should be proud and hope that it continues, but not be frustrated if you plateau (like I have) as long as you are doing the right (ie healthy) things. Sorry to preach at you but hope this was helpful. Cheers!
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    I lose about a 1 lb a week and i'm 5'2. I started with a lot of weight to lose and I was losing about 2 lbs a week.. now that I have less to lose I still lose about 1 lb a week. It is totally doable but you are going to want to workout and you are going to want to pay attention to nutrition.
  • healtheworld
    healtheworld Posts: 4
    I am 5' 2" and was once 40lbs overweight, i've gone from 154lbs to 116lbs and it took me 2 years of lots of ups and downs to get here! So yes I do think it comes off more slowly, plus being small shows the weight alot more and I think it makes it alot harder to see progress.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    As a short girl who only started out slightly (25 lbs) overweight, I lost 5 lbs/month and was perfectly happy with that.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    The results of a shorter person losing 1 pound per week is also much more dramatic, as far as looks, than a larger taller person.

    Too much to fast can put a lot of stress on the body. How much is too much will depend on the size of the person and how much extra they have to lose.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    I wouldn't call 1 lb a week "slow". I've lost 4 lbs in 10 weeks, am 5'4" and have plenty to lose. I figure I am losing about 0.5 lbs a week, but since it is not linear I don't always "see" the loss right away. I find it tough to stay motivated, so I just try to focus on non-scale goals, and ways to work on being healthier, or macronutrient goals. I have been taking measurements as well and while getting some progress there, that is in general slow too.
  • evereadysmile
    evereadysmile Posts: 137
    I'm 5'3" w 40lbs to lose (at the start). I lost about 10 in 4 months just eating better, then I added moderate cardio in and lost another 14 in about 4 months and since then, with 15ish left to go, I have gained 2 and lost 1lb in about 5 weeks. I've read some good stuff on plateauing etc. but really I think I'm going to have to anticipate slow loss from here on out. I've been careful about what I eat and I've been exercising regularly. I did up my calories a little about a month ago, mostly because 1200 was just too hard for me to stick too, even eating exercise calories back, so I'm not going to worry for a couple more weeks. But yeah, slow, and a little disheartening sometimes. I get really exhausted by all the posts about how eating 1200 or 1300 calories is the problem with slowed weightloss and how everyone's eating 1700-1800 and still losing. I feel sort of cheated by my body at this point that I can't eat that much and lose. But I'm strength building and working toward lifting heavy, so maybe someday.
  • Windi38
    Windi38 Posts: 164 Member
    I'm just under 5'2" and have about 40 pounds to lose as well. It's not coming off fast, that's for sure! hahaha. When I first started, I had 55 to lose, and was on phentermine and was tracking calories and riding my bike like a mad woman. I lost 30 pounds in 4 months, but after stopping the diet pill, and pretty much stopping calorie counting and exercising, I gained 20 back.

    I joined a gym mid september, I'm tracking calories and exercising again (although not biking as much because there isn't a convenient, safe place to ride anymore), and I went down 3.5 pounds in 4 weeks. Not as good as I hoped, but it's progress. And honest progress at that!

    I found out a couple of months ago, I have hypothyroidism, so I'm dealing with that as well. Taking all that into consideration (being shorter, no diet pill this time, and hypothyroidism) I am choosing to be happy with about a pound a week off. I'm hoping like crazy though that this next month will be better. My doctor assured me that for anyone who has just started the lifestyle change, and has a slower metabolism, it's GOING to take at least 6 weeks before the body 'let's go' and allows you to lose weight. It's just a fact. So I'm banking on that! That this is the month I'll see better results. I'd be thrilled with 2 pounds a week this month. *fingers crossed* But, if it's only 1 pound a week, I'll still be happy. In the end, it'll all come off, and it took years to put it all on! :))
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
    I'm 5'2" and the first 15 pounds seemed to have fallen off of me. I changed my diet and exercise quite a bit. Now, it's going much slower since I'm working to lose the last 10 pounds.

    ETA: I lost my 19 pounds eating 1600 calories a day and now I'm eating 1800 a day and still losing.
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    I felt that way in the beginning, but not now. I'm 5ft and i've lost 75 pounds.. 45 of that since May of this year. My progress picked up when I started to jog. Then I added Insanity to that and I've been consistenly dropping inches. The scale weight I'm not even worried about anymore. Current 184-186, down from 260. You just have to put more effort into it. Push your limits. Your body isn't going to lose like you want if you just put forward a moderate effort.

    I encourage you to take photos, like everyday! I have instagram, so I'm always snapping shots and already see a difference from when I opened the account 5 weeks ago! Sometimes pics are the only way you see the change, when comparing them side by side. Since you see yourself everyday you don't notice when small changes happen!
  • LorMuldoon81
    LorMuldoon81 Posts: 22 Member
    I'm 4ft 11 and have 24 pounds to lose until I get to my goal. Now, I have tall friends who, if they put on 24 pounds wouldnt look anywhere near as much as it has with me.

    I did MFP before and lost 8lbs....that was a rate at roughly 1lb a week.....it was frustrating at times and I remember someone saying to me 'Why are you doing my fitness pal when you could go to Slimming world and lose 3/4lbs a week'....but the fact is, I probably wouldnt because of my size.

    Its frustrating at times and it seems like it will take forever to get to our goals....but the main thing is we are losing weight at a healthy rate, so it's not going to pile back on as soon as it can.
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member

    Yeah, I actually have to be conscious to *hit* my calorie goal for the day sometimes, because the things I eat end up not being very calorie dense, even though I feel satisfied. I guess I technically could not hit the goal (and be around 1200 as opposed to 1500) but I feel like I need to stick with the goal in order to succeed.

    You might want to make sure and eat nuts, and the good fats and that will help you hit your calorie goal and they are really good for you in moderation.
  • imcatbear
    imcatbear Posts: 38
    : Remember, we're not short; we're Fun Size! :)

    Teehee! Fun Size! I love it. Kinda like Jessica Rabbit, I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

    I'll join you in the holy sisterhood of thinking too much ;)

    Anyway, back to topic. I'm the same height as you are. I don't think it is unrealistic to believe you will lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks strictly from calorie reduction as long as you do not lose muscle mass in the process. Muscle uses more energy to maintain than fat. It is also denser than fat so you appear smaller when your muscles are strong.

    In terms of tall vs short: What I think you're talking about is muscle and the bulk associated with it. Consider two people of the same weight, but different height. I know I'm making a lot of assumptions, but go along with what I'm saying, you'll see where I'm going with this. Theoretically, muscles are the same size on everyone when we are born (more or less). Take a tall person and a short person at the same weight. Both have to carry around the same amnt of weight so theoretically their muscles have the same amount of strength to them. Tall people's muscle has to stretch further across their bones so they will look leaner/thinner than a shorter person. So they will appear leaner.
  • kimberliiw
    kimberliiw Posts: 242 Member
    I think in general the weight comes off more slowly the closer you are to goal no matter your height. I guess it's possible that a taller person might burn more calories because they'll weigh a bit more than us shorties. I'm averaging a lb a week weight loss and am totally thrilled with it. I was anticipating .5 lbs a week and am thinking that it will be coming to that soon.
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks for all the input! What everyone is saying makes a lot of sense.

    Also, in NO WAY am I unhappy with my 1lb a week loss!! It just seems like a lot to expect for me to be down 10 lbs in 2 months. Like everyone said, 10 lbs on a short person is a lot!

    I'll keep watching the thread to hear more stories or opinions. Thanks!
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    : Remember, we're not short; we're Fun Size! :)

    Teehee! Fun Size! I love it. Kinda like Jessica Rabbit, I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

    I'll join you in the holy sisterhood of thinking too much ;)

    Anyway, back to topic. I'm the same height as you are. I don't think it is unrealistic to believe you will lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks strictly from calorie reduction as long as you do not lose muscle mass in the process. Muscle uses more energy to maintain than fat. It is also denser than fat so you appear smaller when your muscles are strong.

    In terms of tall vs short: What I think you're talking about is muscle and the bulk associated with it. Consider two people of the same weight, but different height. I know I'm making a lot of assumptions, but go along with what I'm saying, you'll see where I'm going with this. Theoretically, muscles are the same size on everyone when we are born (more or less). Take a tall person and a short person at the same weight. Both have to carry around the same amnt of weight so theoretically their muscles have the same amount of strength to them. Tall people's muscle has to stretch further across their bones so they will look leaner/thinner than a shorter person. So they will appear leaner.

    Hey, I totally forgot about that muscle vs fat calorie burning fact (which I totally already knew, but apparently proceeded to lose lol). I try to keep my protein up, but having more muscle for burning makes a good case for trying harder to work out.

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