Short Women from about 4'9-5'2...Calorie Intake??

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  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Depending on my exercise and how I feel determines if I eat my exercise calories back. I also use a hrm. I eat between 1200-1500 daily, once a week I might eat 1600-1800. But typically I do not eat more than 100-200 exercise calories back. I tried eating them all back before and maintained for along time even netting at 1600-1800. Find what works for you, experiment with calories and your macros. I lowered my carbs this week and saw some weightloss but not "low carb" by any means. I am vegetarian so lowering carbs is a bit tricky.

    I am 5'2", 25yrs, 166.4lbs.
  • Katetw
    Katetw Posts: 188 Member
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    Hi! nice to see other people struggling with the same thing. It is SO hard, especially when I am out to eat with my taller friends. :(

    Anyway, I an 4'9.5" (yes the half inch counts...you know what I'm saying!) and to lose 1 pound a week MFP said I should eat 1150.

    I do not trust the elliptical machine readout, so I eat back half of what it says--when I exercise (about 5x a week) I usually am in the "400"-"600" cal range according to the elliptical so I eat 200-300 back. I also use the weight machines, and record what I do but do not eat any calories back from that.

    So far this seems to have been working. At first it was horrible, I was starving ALL the time. Now I have adjusted and actually if I eat like I used to, I feel incredibly sick.

    I would say on a daily basis I generally eat in the 1300-1400 range. I stay as close to goal as possible but don't freak if I am over or under 50-100 cals. As long as in general I am at or under, then I know my weigh in will be okay!

    I hope that helps. Let me know if you want extra info on anything I mentioned.
  • petitehealth
    petitehealth Posts: 148 Member
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    Looking to share food logs with other petite ladies. I'm 5'2 trying to manage a 1200 calorie goal. Currently think its not enough cal. Trying to keep under 1600 and workout everyday. Also started blogging healthy recipe ideas at www.petitehealth.com
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    I'm almost 5'2". Almost. I'm eating between 1300 and 1500 a day (sometimes more, but not often). I work out for about 30 minutes, 5 days a week, and I do eat back those calories. I'm losing slowly. About a pound every 2 or 3 weeks. Personally, I prefer to do it slowly and have it be something I'm not struggling with, than have to work extra hard to do it quickly. It works for me.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,453 Member
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    I eat around 1500 (roughly TDEE - 20%), and don't eat back my exercise calories (they are included in the TDEE calculation.
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm 5'0" and have been losing on 1300 + at least some of my exercise calories daily.
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
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    4'10"

    I eat between 1,100-1,200 sometimes I go over but rarely over 1,300.
  • CCDaphne
    CCDaphne Posts: 16 Member
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    I'm 5'0 and I eat 1200-1300 calories. I exercise around 30-60 min per day and I do not eat back my exercise calories. I have a desk job where I'm on my butt all day so I'm very scared to eat back any exercise calories I get!
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    I'm 5'2" and probably around 100 today. If I'm seriously trying to lose weight, I try to average about 1100 to 1150. I never eat the same thing every day, and some days I go over, but I try to make that up the next day or later in the week.

    I never eat back exercise calories because the estimates are too high and it's easy to eat more than one thinks, even if one weighs and measures every single thing. If I actually started dropping weight at an alarming rate, guess what? I'd eat a bit more.

    Sure, if I were working out vigorously for an hour several times a week, I might eat slightly more if I were hungry. But my current level of activity doesn't justify that. These people who automatically eat back the exercise calories that some device tells them they've earned are going about it in the wrong way. They further delude themselves by refusing to weigh themselves regularly. I have a a scale that provides a body fat estimate.


    My most useful tools are my observations and judgment.
  • CrazyC
    CrazyC Posts: 284 Member
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    Hi.... I am also in the fun size group ( for shorties). :smile: I eat around 1200 calories per day, sometimes more, sometimes less.... I don't force myself to eat just to make my calories... I am 5 ft even, but Hubby has proof (pic at kid's park standing against the height scale) that I am 4 ft 3/4" tall, but I have BIG hair (like to wear it old 80's style/pageant style) with lots of volume so I'm sticking to 5 ft and Dr says so too... Teehee... :laugh: anyways, I currently do Just Dance everyday for 2 hrs excepts Sundays, as it's my rest day...

    This coming week, I am planning on switching it up a bit, and start Zumba DVD's that my Mom bought me for Christmas two years ago that have been collecting dust unopened... I tend to get easily bored and need to change my workouts to stay focused and motivated... I also plan to start doing Callanetics again after taking a temporary two week break from them due to slightly pulled groin... Feel free to friend request me with a message attached IF you're serious about losing weight, making friends, staying accountable and having and giving great support... :wink:

    Ps - I don't ever eat my exercise calories because I do NOT trust the burn estimates on this site or any website for that matter... Sigh!!!
    Good luck to us all vertically challenged gals. We CAN do it!!!! Woohooo!!! :happy:

    Carmon (Crazy C)
  • fuzzymop55
    fuzzymop55 Posts: 70 Member
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    I'm 5'2" and eat anywhere from 800-1500 a day. I exercise 5 days a week for 45min to 1 hour at a time. I don't always eat back my exercise calories but on the days I feel hungry I will eat them. It seemed like after losing the first 8 pounds almost two weeks at a time my weight would stay the same. So to try to curb that with the recent plateau of 19days, I have been doing calorie cycling. It worked because it caused me to break my plateau. I recently started keto [1week now] and I'm going to see if that helps me with the last pesky 12 pounds that were refusing to come off. So many people say if you eat under 1200 a day you will die. I laugh at this because they don't realize not everyone wants to lose .2 lb a week shoot even .5 a week. If you can eat that low of a deficit and not feel hungry, do what feels right for your body. If you're hungry EAT, if you're not and still have tons of calories left from exercise don't force yourself and get sick. In the end things balance out. I'm not trying to lose 5 pounds a week but, 1-2 pounds is ideal and healthy rate of loss. Don't give up!
  • petitehealth
    petitehealth Posts: 148 Member
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    I'm 5'2 with a 1200 calorie goal. I workout most days. Recently plateaued for over a month and this week I began trying to make sure I eat about 1600 and the scale has started moving down again. Any other 1200ers please add me as a friend to share diaries. I'll take all the motivation I can get. Also i started a healthy cooking blog with calorie breakdowns to keep me motivated www.petitehealth.com
  • MzzFaith
    MzzFaith Posts: 337 Member
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    It really works the intake I take in around 1350. I exercise @ tleast 6 days @ week with 1 rest day
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    5'1" and 1850 cals/day for a slow cut (that's probably around TDEE - 5% at a guess because I don't know my TDEE... currently at goal not tracking and just maintaining)

    I do the TDEE -x% method, exercise calories are already accounted for in the TDEE number, so I don't eat them back. If you're using the MFP method, you should eat them back, or at least 80% of them.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
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    I'm 5'1", I just try to stay 300 calories under my total expenditure for the day, and I average it for the week. It's usually around 1500 - 1700 calories I'm eating in a day, depending, but it could be more or less depending on how active I am.

    Edited to say I use a fitbit all day and heart rate monitor when I exercise (not for really long runs or swimming) so I trust my calorie count. I know it's not super accurate but it's better than before when I just trusted this site.
  • QueenGyn
    QueenGyn Posts: 106
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    5' here :smile:
    Current daily goal is 1500 calories, I don't eat back my exercise calories as its already included in my daily goal.
    I exercise 4-5 times a week -- boxing & jogging.

    :flowerforyou:
  • petstorekitty
    petstorekitty Posts: 592 Member
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    Maybe you ladies who are posting thatyou eat 1800 calories a day need to also include your activity level.
    Seriously.
    And not just that you go to the gym xx days a week.
    -__-

    OP: it's best try to find out YOUR TDEE and then eat at the 20% reduction.
    If you sit all day you'll need to eat less than if you are on your feet all day long.

    Calculator: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    Maybe you ladies who are posting thatyou eat 1800 calories a day need to also include your activity level.
    Seriously.
    And not just that you go to the gym xx days a week.
    -__-

    OP: it's best try to find out YOUR TDEE and then eat at the 20% reduction.
    If you sit all day you'll need to eat less than if you are on your feet all day long.

    Calculator: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Lift 4 days a week for 45-60 mins, run 2-3 times a week for 30-40 mins. That sufficent for you?

    I also have a good amount of LBM so my resting BMR is higher than most. I also don't eat at a cut or deficit hence the higher amount.
  • mrswaite08
    mrswaite08 Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm 5'2, 240 lbs and eat 1900 calories each day. I do not eat back exercise calories. I walk 5 or 6 days a week for 30 minutes pushing a double stroller with 2 toddlers. I usually loose 2-3 lbs a week.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Maybe you ladies who are posting thatyou eat 1800 calories a day need to also include your activity level.
    Seriously.
    And not just that you go to the gym xx days a week.
    -__-

    I weight train 3-4 times a week, 30mins - 1 hr and I probably rest too much between sets. No cardio. well sometimes I do circuit training but nowhere near as often as I should. I'm aiming for at least once a week and not very good at complying with that.

    I'm self employed tutoring in English as a foreign language (i.e. not very active job) and the rest of the time I'm at home with my kids, doing housework (not much, I get help with that) and general activity, like I run up the stairs to my apartment rather than taking the lift, and I go to the mall and walk around the mall and the shops. And sometimes I randomly do things like push-ups just because I feel like it. But I also spend a lot of time on my laptop... I do creative writing in my free time and trust me that's a *very* sedentary hobby.

    Not that active really. According to how much I actually burn versus what calorie calculators predict, my activity factor is a bit more than lightly active, but not much more.

    I have a large frame and high lean body mass for my height... but according to the difference between the Katch McArdle formula (based on lean body mass) and the Harris Benedict formula (based on height and weight and assumes and average frame size) ........... my large frame/extra lean body mass gives me a whole extra 50 calories a day. i.e. it doesn't make that much of a difference.

    Many short women underestimate how many calories they need, because so many people say "short people need fewer calories"... well yes we do, but not that much fewer. Also, short people are not necessarily scaled down versions of tall people... quite often short people have similar sized torsos to tall people, but shorter legs. So the amount of difference in calories between a short person and a tall person may just be what's needed to keep a few extra cells in the legs alive.

    1850 cals/day is for a very slow cut. If I was obese and trying to cut, I'd probably eat 1600 cals/day, or I'd stick with 1850 cals/day and do some cardio regularly (in addition to keeping up the weight training). The leaner you are, the less of a deficit you should have, as there's a greater risk of losing lean body mass along with the fat.

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