My TDEE is so low!!! Short girl problems

sarahlove43 · March 2013

I am having such a hard time trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating to lose weight! I am a *very* short (4' 8.5"!) petite girl and most calculators including MFP have me burning only around 1300-1400 a day (at a sedentary level). Meaning to lose a pound a week I would need to eat around 800 calories a day! Now, I don't have a lot to lose, only 2-3 pounds. However I have been stuck at the same weight for about 2 months now. The ONLY time I was having any successful weight loss was when I was eating 700 calories and below. I am aware that this is unhealthy, and have raised my calories since...I eat between 1000-1200 calories now and I have lose maybe half a pound in a month, if any. There must be some faster way? I know I will get people telling me to eat atleast 1200 calories...but will raising my calories really help when my daily burn is so low? Also ever since I raised my calories I have been so hungry! I do have days where I'll occasionally eat 1300-1400 calories and my weight just stays the same! Aghh why can't I be normal?!

TR0berts · March 2013

For 2-3 lbs, 1/2 a pound a month is fine.

1ConcreteGirl · March 2013

For 10 or fewer pounds, you should be eating TDEE-10%. Losing half a pound a week should be the most you try to lose, to preserve as much muscle as possible so that you look as "toned" as possible when the weight comes off. This gives you well over 1000 calories a day.

JoanB5 · March 2013

Are you working out? About the only way I can still eat enough to keep from being hungry. It earns me those snacks. And I'm gaining definition and losing inches, so I'm sure it's all good. I've stayed right around 1200 for 10 weeks. Lost around 10 pounds, but that counts the first 5 "fast pounds" of water weight or whatever that is. The rest has been very slow. It helps for small people to look at your percentage lost. I've lost 8.11" of my body weight. Which is HUGE.

I don't think going below 1200 is wise as a rule.

It's tough though. Most people can lose 1 pound a week. We are stuck with the same effort for a possible .4 per week on a good week. I'm working on my macros today to try to eat more clean. Focusing on how to improve workouts instead of how to do fewer calories is probably best: interval training, variety, weights. Patience, consistency. Eat...life is too short to not eat. I actually thing I'm eating more now than I ever have, it's just well spaced, well chosen, and better for me.

MVElf · March 2013

I'm a shorty, too. Though not quite that short. I eat 1200 calories....and have been very successful losing my weight. Achieved my goal of 20 pounds in a 8 month period. Basically, all I did was increase my exercise - and continued to monitor my calories. Am slightly below goal, so have to watch it a bit. Also, I am pushing 73 years, here; and have found that losing becomes harder as I age. Am delighted with myfitnesspal.

gpizzy · March 2013

I think it's important to address why the 2-3lbs...it's so minimal I have a hard time trying to understand why it's so important... I'm thinking maybe definition? Which if it's the case, then you'd probably do better with more exercise. As JoanB5 said, to eat more, you'd likely need to amp up exercise as well...

JoanB5 · March 2013

^ Yay! This made me smile and do cartwheels (in my head). LOL

pandabratt1 · March 2013

Best thing I can suggest based on what I have learned is that you should incorporate some activity. I have the same problem, if I base my numbers on the amount I eat only, I maintain no matter how much I consume or how little I consume. Without the activity level you will see the same number. See if you can find some low impact, high burning cardio or strength training exercises that will get you where you want to go. The problem for me is that I tell myself I don't have time to make my daily activity level moderate as compared to sedentary. I have to decide which is more important though. Good Luck!!

sarahlove43 · March 2013

The problem is I have been maintaining at this level WHILE exercising. I do HIIT cardio about 2-3 times a week and resistance training about 4 times a week. It's possible I have gained some muscle weight which would account to my weight staying the same..however I don't feel like I have gained that much muscle in a month. I've lost maybe half an inch off my waist. And yes, the 2-3 pounds is for definition...being short every pound shows more on your body. I have been trying to tone up but I also want to lose the fat.

sarahlove43 · March 2013

I'm wondering if I should raise my calories more since I work out? Is it possible that that could SPEED up weight loss? The calories I stated were gross calories eaten in a day. However I'm worried that raising my calories even more will cause me to start gaining fat back

1ConcreteGirl · March 2013

I can run your numbers for you and give you an exact answer.

How old are you and what is your current weight?

caribougal · March 2013

I"m 5'1, and I feel your pain. My first 15 lbs came off pretty quick, the next five were VERY SLOW. Now, going for the last five, there are some months no change at all. I could easily lose the last five lbs if I ate under 1200. But I don't want to do that, so I'm plugging away. I decided not to think in terms of pounds. Of course, I still look at the scale and would love to see it go down, but I decided to think in terms of lowering body fat and achieving my workout goals.

Another thing to consider is your sleep and stress. My sleep has been whacked out for 2 weeks, and stress along with it. Lack of sleep absolutely has an impact on your hormones and can inhibit weight loss.

... you could get a Fitbit or BodyBugg to see exactly what your BMR is, so you can be sure to eat above that. Or get a Dexa scan.

sarahlove43 · March 2013

21 yo, and 88-89 lb. I'm aware my weight is low but I am very short and have quite a bit of fat (I'm pretty much the definition of skinny fat). Hence the 2-3 lb. I'm lifting weights as well so I (hopefully) don't lose muscle mass.

nvpixie · March 2013

I'm 4'11" and the calculators have my TDEE at around 1300. I have my daily calorie goal at 1400.
I've still been losing weight and I don't work out much.
Unless you barely move every day, I'd say you could probably lose with 1200 a day.
I also like to vary my calories. That is, if I'm extra hungry one day, I'll eat 1600. If I'm not so hungry, I eat 1200 or sometimes less (not on purpose-I try to get at least 1200 a day). I feel it helps me break through those plateaus to mix it up a bit. As long as you're making good choices, the weight will come off eventually.

caribougal · March 2013

If I were you, I'd throw away the scale. Get your body fat measured, and just focus on that. You may end up gaining weight even as you lean out, through muscle mass. This is a great story, and shows how someone can be the same clothes at 117 and 131, but a huge difference in definition.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

da_bears10089 · March 2013

i love that story! Staci is awesome!!

Also, when i ran your numbers... i'm coming out with a maintenence of 1773 given i don't know what your BF% is. I wouldn't even worry about decreasing from that considering you are so small, i would eat that much and lift heavy. Work on your body composition.

sarahlove43 · March 2013

May I ask where you got that number from? So far no calculator I've used has given me that high a number. And I have started weight training the past month. My body is starting to look better, however I still have a very stubborn layer of fat that will not go away. I feel like the only way to get rid of it is through a calorie deficit, but I have no idea how to get there, aside from starving myself.

da_bears10089 · March 2013

i don't remember the site that i got my spreadsheet from, but i think the place you are going wrong is that you consider yourself to be sedentary, but you aren't. if you are working out 3-5 days a week, then you should use moderate for your modifier.

HMVOL7409 · March 2013

I used scooby and got 1800 to maintain 1688 with a 10% cut to which it did not like bc it said you're underweight. You are not sedentary so don't choose that option. When I clicked sedentary I got what you thought you should eat.

da_bears10089 · March 2013

something else you should read, OP, is this forum about upping calories. A lot of people read all of these success stories about stalling out and the moment they upped their calories, they started dropping weight again. That didn't happen for me. It took me a month and a half before i saw a change on the scale. It took some fine-tuning. This post made a lot of sense, and helped me stick to my plan rather than throwing in the towel.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience?hl=what+to+expect+upping+calories

kristen6022 · March 2013

Why are you obsessing over 2-3lbs? Eat right, exercise, keep healthy and don't obsess about what's on the scale!

sarahlove43 · March 2013

Loved this post, thanks! Also I tend to put sedentary as my activity level since I'm not always sure how consistent I will be with my exercise. When I do exercise I will usually eat back most of those calories

kaitlynelkins9 · March 2013

Although I'm not quite as short or small as you (I'm 5'2 at 98 pounds), I can certainly relate to getting frustrated with the number of calories you think you should be eating. Most experts generally recommend females never eating less than 1200 calories, and that number is to serve two purposes: one, for the average female, it's much lower than their average caloric expenditure and going too far below that could potentiate problems, and two, it's exceedingly hard to consume the recommended amount of micronutrients in a diet that is fewer than 1200 calories. But since you are so small and your body uses much less energy than most people, it makes sense that you don't require as many calories as most people. However, you still need the same micronutrients. It's always better to get all your nutrition from natural food sources; however, taking a really good multivitamin daily could save you from the possibility of failing to consume essential nutrients simply because your calorie intake is low.

I think that since you are only two to three pounds away from your goal, you should aim for a much smaller deficit anyway, but in your case, that's still going to be quite a low number of calories. As others have suggested, doing serious weight lifting and eating closer to your maintenance may indeed allow you to achieve the results you're looking for.

lambchoplewis · March 2013

I am 5'2" and weigh 100 lbs. I have been maintaining for about 6 months and it is hard. I eat (including exercise calories) 1400/day. That is with about 300-400 calories of exercise so... I am maintaining with apx 1000 cal/day!! I do eat the extra calories but I am usually hungry prior to a meal. I drink a lot of hot tea, water and tons of lettuce to fill up. I do weigh myself daily to stop myself from stuffing my mouth the day before. I log food and exercise for day. I bounce around +/- 2 lbs but... I make sure to get the extra back off immediately!!!

If I "binge" for a party or event... it takes a couple of days to feel better and a week to get back down to maintenance weight but.. I get right back on plan.

flex500 · March 2013

honestly I'd get your bodyfat done and use katch mccardle. It is not perfect but is 1000% more accurate than the others. It takes into account bodyfat and activity level. I find it to be quite accurate. If you time in "katch mccardle calculator" in google you will see what I mean.

You have to be accurate on your bodyfat that! Th

My TDEE is so low!!! Short girl problems

Replies

Categories