I'm 5'0" and eat 1500 calories. My story of weight loss.

I'd love to be able to lose weight on 1500 calories a day! I'm 5 foot with at least 70 pounds to lose. MFP gives me 1420 a day to lose 1 pound a week, I stayed the same. Read about EMTWL and tried 1800- I put on weight. Came down to 1600- I put on weight. Back down to 1420 at the minute and staying the same again. Going to have to try 1200 I think even though I don't want to. Maybe it's because I don't exercise much.

Perhaps you may also be really sure that the calorie data that you add to your diet is really accurate. Don't guess on quantity. Weigh and measure everything. I bought a digital food scale at Walmart and it is invaluable and was not expensive. I have seen many articles on weight loss, and almost all talk about how the majority of people underestimate what they eat. For me, it was realizing that I have to record even the incidentals, like the little bit of low fat half and half that I put in my tea--with several cups, it adds up.

I'm 5'2 and just like everyone else, I started out at 1200 calories ignorantly following MFP's uber low recommendations which is mostly geared with US setting. I live in a 3rd world Asian country where the vast majority of people don't own a car and so definitely I have a very different lifestyle compared to my American brothers and sisters and while I have a deskjob that MFP classifies as sedentary but here since the majority commute daily so we walk a lot and I walk more than 2km everyday & soon I realized that 1200 calories is not practical at all and that I was always hungry and grumpy all the time.

While I think TDEE/BMR/etc. strategies are certainly valid, I think MFP unfairly gets a bad rap for the "low" calorie settings. If you are walking that much a day, I think MFP intends for you to either 1) not classify yourself as sedentary or 2) log that as exercise done for the day, for which you will "earn" more calories.

I think this is a really great story and I'm so happy for your success!

However, I'm 5'4" on the 1200 calorie thing.. and I really only eat, on average, 850 a day.
Granted, I've only been doing this for almost week. I don't feel starved though. Actually, I can't imagine eating any more than what I have been. And, I'm working out about 30 minutes everyday (squats, walking/jogging (C25k) Push-ups, Ab workouts, etc.) Drinking lots of water.

I do want to lose weight, but more importantly gain muscle and be healthy, strong and toned.
So, I guess I should up my calorie intake? It may sound silly, but I don't know how I would do that. EAT MORE. Yeah, yeah, I just can't imagine eating more without sabotaging myself. o:

I was lurking on this thread but had to respond to this.....

If you are serious about gaining muscle and and being toned - there's no way you can support that on 850 a day. Muscle needs food - protein. Most people who are lifting weights to gain muscle, squats, etc, net far more than 850 day, your body physically cannot support that. 1200 is the lowest recommended by a Dr. for women - while you may be sustaining it for now, I don't think that will work in the long term.

eat food. bodies need fuel for workouts - you will do more if you eat more.

Hi fellow MFP'ers,

Upon the new year I have noticed a lot of new people with a lot of questions. There's been a lot of the whole 1200 calorie argument thing. This post isn't a dig at anyone who eats a particular amount of calories. So with that being stated, try not to fight too much. I just wanted to share my experience briefly. I hope someone might benefit from it. But first my stats:

Stats:
Age: 33
Height: 5'0"
SW: 134
CW: 106
GW: I'm fine where I am. Pounds don't matter at this stage for me. Up 1 down 2 whatever. My clothes fit and I feel good.
Calorie intake: 1500 a day give or take, my diary is open (some weekends I skip logging, I skipped the holidays and I skipped when I had surgery in December).
Workouts: 3-5 days a week, cardio, yoga, and strength

I wanted to tell you what I did because as a very petite woman I've seen time and time again that short ladies should eat 1200 calories or even go lower than that, just because we are short. It's lately been kind of annoying me. Just to clarify, I did start at 1200 like most people did on here, blindly following MFP's numbers they gave me. I was also working out at least 7 hours a week. I started with not eating back exercise calories. I realized wow, I'm starving. So I started eating them back. Then my weight loss plateaued. I started doing "doubles" at the gym (i.e. back to back classes for hours, just killing myself). I didn't know what to do as I couldn't possibly eat less nor could I work out any more hours or I would most definitely hurt myself. I did a lot of research at this point. I looked into BMR, TDEE, Eat More to Weigh Less, etc. So I upped my calories. Slowly. I have to admit I was terrified to eat more. This is when I began to realize that maybe I was being too obsessive with my calorie counting. I let go of the reigns and eventually settled on 1500 calories a day (gross, not net).

And guess what? I lost more weight! I eased back on my crazy amounts of cardio/gym classes and started eating more food (whole foods, lots of protein) and adjusted my macros. It took me a year to end up here and I feel amazing. Some weeks I go without logging. I cut myself a break. I have a glass of wine. I want people to read this at the BEGINNING of their journeys so that maybe it will save someone the 6 months that I tortured myself. I was so hungry and so tired. Now I feel human and normal.

And if 1200 works for you then it works for you. I'm not judging or telling anyone what to do. I just really want people to know (and especially short people like myself) that you can eat food and to be gentle with yourself. It's not a race and this is a lifestyle, something sustainable for the long haul.

Good luck! (and be kind to each other and yourself)