I can only eat 1200 calories because I am short

ToughTulip
ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys!
I wanted to show some of you that say "I can only eat 1200 calories because I am short" how wrong that can be!

I am 20 years old and 5ft3. I do not work out for hours on end. I do physical training in the am, lift a few times a week, and walk when I can. I don't spend hours on the dreadmil or helliptical. I just do my normal things, and stay active when I can. I eat 2200 calories just to LOSE weight. And I know many short girls only eating 1200 calories can really eat more!

From my BodyMedia Fit yesterday:
Untitled.png

Just a reminder that fueling your body is important! I am sure many of you burn many more calories than you think :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Thank you beautiful. I hope at least 1 person realizes that this is absolutely true. At 4'11 I'd DIE ON 1200 CALORIES. DIE I TELL YOU!
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Tell me about it. So many justify 1000 calories diet because they are short!!!! I am 4'11'' would starve at 1200 calories
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    If I was doing 5 hours of physical activity on a day I got barely over 3 hours of sleep, I'd be eating large pizzas whole
  • elprincipito
    elprincipito Posts: 1,200 Member
    you slept 3 hours!? This is spartaaaaa!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    I heart you Sunshine!
  • _Alkaline
    _Alkaline Posts: 18 Member
    whoa, whoa, whoa, but I demand more than 3hrs sleep.
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
    I agree for sure. I am 5'1" and I eat 1700-1900 a day and lose fine. I only go to the gym 3x a week for an hour of strength training.

    The difference is, I am larger framed. That might be the difference. But I hate seeing people saying that they need to eat less than 1200 because of that.
  • ladioffaith
    ladioffaith Posts: 49
    I am short. I also am eating more to lose more. Look for the group "In Place of a Road Map."
  • 2012asv
    2012asv Posts: 702 Member
    very cool! thanks for sharing :)
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    Crazy amused by this. You say you're 5'3" and your image linked shows you burned 2900+ in one day. Welp, sorry, I'm 4'11" and my sedentary TDEE is 1575. If I ate 2000 calories, I would blow up like a balloon, and I have proven it by eating 2000 calories and blowing up like a balloon ;)
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    Well yea, high is only one of the factors you need to consider. How many cals person can ate and not to gain fat also depends from many other things such as metabolic rate, age, activity level, gender, etc. Some people just fail to prepare - google some articles, read books about nutrition, etc. I think that's very important when you start something - you need to prepare. And that's sadly what many people does not. They jump into diet thinking that it's right and healthy what they do but without actually checking it. Like for ex so many people jump into stupid and unhealthy diets with little to no results just because some kind of celebrity posed it... it's crazy.
  • famlyluv
    famlyluv Posts: 206 Member
    Hey guys!
    I wanted to show some of you that say "I can only eat 1200 calories because I am short" how wrong that can be!

    I am 20 years old and 5ft3. I do not work out for hours on end. I do physical training in the am, lift a few times a week, and walk when I can. I don't spend hours on the dreadmil or helliptical. I just do my normal things, and stay active when I can. I eat 2200 calories just to LOSE weight. And I know many short girls only eating 1200 calories can really eat more!

    From my BodyMedia Fit yesterday:
    Untitled.png

    Just a reminder that fueling your body is important! I am sure many of you burn many more calories than you think :flowerforyou:
    I agree completely. Oh, and I have the coffee on for you!
  • chocl8girl
    chocl8girl Posts: 1,968 Member
    My doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I said I eat just over 1400 calories a day on days that I don't exercise, and I told him point blank I would starve to DEATH if I tried to only eat 1200, and then I would have to eat the all of everything to make up for starving to death. And I have lost over 100 pounds doing this, so SOMETHING must be right...
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
    This is completely awesome. I wish I had an arm band.

    But, 3 hours of sleep and 4 hours of exercise.... I WOULD be exhausted!
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    Oh yea I don't sleep much! Up late studying most nights xD

    Also the exercise on the BMF is anything that is walking and above. So walking to class, cleaning, laundry, pacing all gets counted as "exercise" o.O
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    My doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I said I eat just over 1400 calories a day on days that I don't exercise, and I told him point blank I would starve to DEATH if I tried to only eat 1200, and then I would have to eat the all of everything to make up for starving to death. And I have lost over 100 pounds doing this, so SOMETHING must be right...
    wow that's great !! You got this thing figured out :)
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    My doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I said I eat just over 1400 calories a day on days that I don't exercise, and I told him point blank I would starve to DEATH if I tried to only eat 1200, and then I would have to eat the all of everything to make up for starving to death. And I have lost over 100 pounds doing this, so SOMETHING must be right...

    I'd probably get rid of a doctor who thought 1400 calories was too high for a woman.
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    SergeantSunshine, you worked out 5 hours ? wow
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    SergeantSunshine, you worked out 5 hours ? wow

    Nope. Reread the post. Physical training yesterday, and I walk to campus, clean, etc
    Anything that is walking intensity or above gets counted as exercise.
    My actual time spent working out was about 1.5 hours (PT)
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    I'm a believer that it is possible to eat more and still lose weight. But I think that philosophy is wayyyy more relevant to people who are fitter, more active, and have more lean tissue to support overall. Some of us aren't that awesome :)

    Also, it's definitely easy not to realize that you're more active than the average short Jane. Having children, lots of chores, an on-your-feet job, playing sports once a week, etc all cause you to burn more every day than people with no kids, not a lot of chores, a desk job, and only play sports on the XBox. Not saying the latter lifestyle is a great way to be, just pointing out the reason that there's contention on this point.

    The major math is still there. Eat less than you burn. What's different is how much you burn vs. how much someone less active burns.
  • westonhive
    westonhive Posts: 56 Member
    I am 4'11 and I eat between 1400-1200 calories a day, this is my 23rd day doing it. I am not starving, often times I am too full. So far I have lost 5 pounds, I walk ever other day and I work out once a week. I currently weight 208 and have a goal to get back to 130.
  • sharoniballoni
    sharoniballoni Posts: 163 Member
    I think age might matter here. When I was 20, I could eat anything I wanted without exercising and maintain. My metabolism has slowed down continually as I've gotten older. It sucks. :(
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I think age might matter here. When I was 20, I could eat anything I wanted without exercising and maintain. My metabolism has slowed down continually as I've gotten older. It sucks. :(

    Yeah not trying to discredit the OP (she's awesome!) but somewhere around 22 I started gaining weight even though my diet hadn't changed since teenage years. Oh well. Also, lifting heavy is the biggest justification for a high calorie diet :)
  • sandra152
    sandra152 Posts: 77
    I am 5 3 and on 1200 cals a day and go to the gym twice a week do sit ups at home in between and use an exersice bike I am losing on avarage 1 1b a week
  • Klopford
    Klopford Posts: 129
    Oddly enough... I'm 5' 1", 24 years old, started this whole thing at 240lbs, and haven't had too much of a problem aiming for 1200 a day (sure I go over some days but try not to go more than 1500 as SparkPeople suggested that be my upper limit for the range I should be in to lose weight.) I've lost 7lbs since starting to track what I eat, 5 of those after switching from SparkPeople to MyFitnessPal.

    I rarely exercise. I TRY to go to the gym three times a week but lately that hasn't been working out (because video games are more fun.)

    The only problems I'm having are now I really am starting to crave stuff that I shouldn't be eating. And it really bums me out. :(
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
    This is definitely true for some people - I'm short and eat around 1500 to lose. But you are WAY more active than me ( and probably most people) I maybe workout an hour a day at best and there's no way I take 30000 steps - maybe 10000 and I'm a teacher, so on my feet for several hours a day, and I maintain at 2000. I don't think most people are this active, Americans have very sedentary lifestyles.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    I should mention that I am not saying that everyone can eat like I do! More so just point out that if you are active, 1200 calories minimum just because you are short is not a good reason :flowerforyou:
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    This is definitely true for some people - I'm short and eat around 1500 to lose. But you are WAY more active than me ( and probably most people) I maybe workout an hour a day at best and there's no way I take 30000 steps - maybe 10000 and I'm a teacher, so on my feet for several hours a day, and I maintain at 2000. I don't think most people are this active, Americans have very sedentary lifestyles.

    1500 is still a great amount! I have a job where I am walking a lot too.

    Not saying that every can or should eat the same amount as me, but to eat to their own activity level. Which many short people I have noticed underestimate!
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    SergeantSunshine, you worked out 5 hours ? wow

    Nope. Reread the post. Physical training yesterday, and I walk to campus, clean, etc
    Anything that is walking intensity or above gets counted as exercise.
    My actual time spent working out was about 1.5 hours (PT)
    Ok, got it. I didn't read it right the first :) You are a very active person, if I was that active, I would need more calories too :) But then again, I'm not in my 20's anymore :( I don't think I could keep up with you :)
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I'm 4'11 and probably less active than sunshine but I also eat quite a bit--at least 1800 TO LOSE-- and 1200 would seriously HURT. I'd be miserable and undernourished and I couldn't workout. I know not everyone is active but being short and overweight means you're likely burning more calories than you think. Caloric requirements are primarily a byproduct of total mass and not necessarily height--the two are merely correlated--also more LEAN mass = higher metabolic rate as well. I generally suggest that most people TRY at least 1500 and give it some time.

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