Any other petites (under 5"3) ladies struggling?

sandytoshiko
sandytoshiko Posts: 67 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am 5"2 and currently weight is 130 and i am small boned. My goal is 118. I'm struggling with the 1200 cal/ daily. I don't feel like my body needs that many calories. I have a hard time eating all that. In fact I had a quiche, turkey sausage and tomatoes this morning, green smoothie for lunch with extra spinach, pistachios for a snack and plan on a turkey breast tenderloin with grilled tomatoes and romaine lettuce salad for dinner and will only hit 650 calories! I don't want to go into starvation mode but I'm not skipping any meals and am snacking. I just so confused. Does the 1200 calories apply to small women?

Replies

  • srobinson84
    srobinson84 Posts: 39 Member
    You're not eating enough. It would take a VERY tiny adult to only need 1200 calories or less a day. I no longer count calories, but I would guess that I eat upwards of 1700-2000 calories a day and am 5'2" and also 130 lbs with a BF% of about 22%. Eat more to lose more.
  • neub0035
    neub0035 Posts: 2
    Hi-I am 5'3 and 127 lbs... smalll bone structure...my goal weight is 115 lbs. I also struggle with the eating aspect...I feel like I am eating either over my limits or near starvation mode.. I have been up and down with my weight since age 15. Ugh! I was around 120lb last summer when training for marathon. Gained 7lbs over the long MN winter + finishing grad school. Hoping to get back on track! Any advice/support is appreciated :)
  • jhandur
    jhandur Posts: 19 Member
    Just because you don't feel hungry it doesn't necessarily mean that your body doesn't need the calories. But who knows, you might not need that many. The best thing to do would be to talk to your doctor because they will be able to take into account your personal health factors better than anything here on the internet. I'm 5'1" at 23 years old looking at a goal of 125 and my doctor worked out a diet between 1200-1400, saying that for weight loss the 1200 end was better for me with my sedentary lifestyle.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    You should be able to eat more than 1200, barring a medical issue.

    I'm 39, 5' 2" and started at 143 lbs. I have a desk job. My only exercise is walking the dog ~30min a day and lifting heavy once a week. I was losing at a 1 lb / wk rate on an avg of 1450 Cals per day. Now I'm close to my goal, and I've upped my avg Cals by about 100 (and haven't had the opportunity to take the dog on his walks) and I still lose, just more slowly.

    If you're having trouble getting your calories, start cooking w/ olive oil. Don't eliminate butter. Add in nut butters, avocado, nuts, olives. Unless you're cutting out all sweets for a medical or psychological reason, have a little ice cream, chocolate, or whatever dessert you enjoy. It won't hinder your progress as long as you watch the Cals, trust me. I don't go a day without a dessert of some type.
  • mirrinias
    mirrinias Posts: 80 Member
    I'm 5'2" with a tiny frame, although my weight is high right now (219.2 lb). My goal weight is 110 lbs. I started out at 1200 calories because I wanted to lose weight fast. Although I was eating enough to not be hungry at that level, I was utterly exhausted. I was so tired, I felt sick and even walking up one flight of stairs was an effort.

    I had to up my calories to at least 1350 to function correctly. I suggest really trying hard to eat at least 1200 calories a day, and if you're finding it hard to make it, try eating calorie dense foods like nuts so you don't feel weighed down. You could even treat yourself to a bite of chocolate if you are only making it to 650 calories a day!
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
    I'm 5'0". I'm 115 lbs right now and losing -- have lost almost 50 lbs so far, eating 1300 calories + at least half of my exercise calories as a general rule.
  • Th3stral
    Th3stral Posts: 93 Member
    I'm 4'11 and my green smoothies alone is 600 calories so I'm not sure how your managing all that for 650cals! Even as a raw vegan I have no problems hitting 1400-1600 calories a day so perhaps you need to adjust your portion sizes?
  • jpeterson99
    jpeterson99 Posts: 2
    I am 5' 2" 118lbs, i started about 4 months ago weighing 133lbs, eating much less than 1200 cals per day, it was hard to up the cal intake, but since doing so, ive lost 13 lbs, which is amazing for me, i thought i was stuck where i was at, but i was not eating enough for my body to burn, it was just storing it (starvation mode) even tho i didnt feel like i was starving, i started with adding a protien shake for some extra cals and just little light snacks with clean calories. good luck! you will get there, just takes time and a little messing around with your eating habits!!!
  • birdiecs
    birdiecs Posts: 237 Member
    5'2.5 125ish 42yr old...have no trouble NETTING at least 1600 cal and losing. I eat a lot of good fats..oh hell and some bad ones lol Add Nuts, avocado, olive oil to your diet and it shouldn't be a problem getting to 1200 easily.
  • heathermw101
    heathermw101 Posts: 4 Member
    all the food you listed seems like it would add up to a lot more than 1200 calories.you might want to portion your foods better. I am 5'2 120lbs and when I eat 1200 calories I feel sooo hungry. I doing the 1200 calories thing in hopes of losing 20 pounds, but I normally eat closer to 2000 calories...
  • matchsetgame
    matchsetgame Posts: 11 Member
    Are you sure you're counting correctly? I'm in agreement with the above post that it sounds like a lot more. I found a great kitchen scale at Home Goods for $20. It does all my conversions and makes measuring fruits and meat so easy.
    Everything you mentioned could easily have some added fat (quiche is better with cream and butter, your salad could use some EVOO). I'm a big fan of protein bars. They will give you that 200 calorie boost before your workout and help you build lean muscle. I suggest balance bars, just make sure you pick ones low in sugar.

    I also agree with some of these posts, I think eating too few calories hinders a lot. I think I've been overestimating mine and not losing because of eating too few, some days. I find when I eat a little extra, sometimes I lose the most!

    5'2 20 something lady here.
  • mittencat77
    mittencat77 Posts: 137 Member
    4'11 and 100 lbs. I eat 1200. I was eating less and my weight was stuck. I am leaning out by eating more. My advice? brown rice, almonds, greek yogurt, eggs (super calorific)...cheese.

    The wrong thing to do is nto eat enough. Really. Increasing my intake was the best thing I ever did. I have far more energy for working out.

    Also I would agree with others that you might want to check you are measuring correctly...both weight and exercise. Use a HRM for the latter. And if you are looking for friends, support , advice...feel free to add me. It is hard out here for a petite!
  • giveMEbeauty
    giveMEbeauty Posts: 192
    Bump
  • SmilinSue12
    SmilinSue12 Posts: 71 Member
    I'm 5" and was 131.80 lbs. I'm currently at 112.2 lbs. My goal is to get to 110 lb. Before the diet, I was eating more than 1200 cal, and that's why I was getting heavier. As soon as I started the 1200 cal regimen, I started losing weight. Then at 117 lbs, I reached a plateau where if I ate the 1200 cal, I was not losing any weight. I started to eat less (900-800 and sometimes 700), and started losing again. Now I'm fluctuating between 700 and 600 and I'm still losing (not as many lbs as I used to, but still going down). I make sure I take my multi-vitamin, and I'm pretty healthy. Sometimes I eat 900-1000 cal, and that fluctuates the weights. If I don't get to the 110 lbs, I won't be angry, but I'll be VERY happy if I do.
  • LLT57
    LLT57 Posts: 21
    Agree with some of the posters above. OP menu sounds like more than 650kcals. Quiche alone must be more than 300kcals, turkey breast about 300kcals and a handful of nuts about 100kcals. Then there are the other items.

Categories