Shorties needing support!

SarahStrawberry
SarahStrawberry Posts: 9 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Hi,

This post was inspired by another one I saw for ladies around 5'2". I realised from it that I have a lot longer journal ahead of me than a lot of the 'shorties' on here.

Although I've been a member of MFP for years now I haven't made much progress. I keep starting and saying "no but this time I'm serious" and then letting one bad day slip into a week and so on.

From 1st September I've actually been sticking to it. 3 times a week at the gym and tracking EVERYTHING (even when iIve been bad).

I'm hoping to find some friends on here in similar situations so we can motivate and support each other.

I'm 5'0" and here's my STATS:

SW: 220lbs (NEVER again)
CW: 188lbs
GW: 150lbs but I plan on reassessing when (not if) I get there.

I've got a long way to go and have already taken some knocks - last week I was expecting a huge loss and I'd lost...nothing! But I'm not going to let these stop me any more.

Feel free to add me! :)
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Replies

  • BobcatGirl110
    BobcatGirl110 Posts: 364 Member
    being short is an issue that many can't understand :) It's almost a bit discouraging to know that at our height (I am just under 5'3") we have crazy numbers we should weigh....I mean our range is like 100-130 lbs....that number seems unattainable when you are starting out at 200lbs. My advice is to run.....when we start out heavy every bit of cardio is not just building your stamia & endurance, but strengthening your heart and burning fat. For me I had plenty to burn so I will keep it up until I get to a healthy weight that FEELS good....regardless of the range they give me on paper :) Best of luck!!!! You can do this!
  • JustDrea113
    JustDrea113 Posts: 15 Member
    I am not short by any means but still can relate. I started out at 220. I'm now 158...but a little discouraged, I thought i would be smaller than this! Obese is obese at any height. And weight loss is hard at any height. The best thing you can do is stick with it! I love how OP said she tracks her food even when its not the best! I think that's a huge part of being successful, knowing all of what you put in your body! Keep up the good work!!:)
  • burlingtongrl
    burlingtongrl Posts: 327 Member
    Being short certainly has it's challenges. If you gain a few pounds and your tall other people don't really notice, but when your short a couple pounds is huge. You seem to be doing great, just keep it going month after month and you'll reach your goal. If you want a friend along the way for support, go ahead and add me. I'm in it for the long haul as well.
  • Aviflora
    Aviflora Posts: 85 Member
    Fellow shortie here at five feet. :D Though I don't have too much to lose, it's always fantastic to get positive feedback. Friend me if you'd like! <3
  • arose928
    arose928 Posts: 31 Member
    Good for you with starting again and not giving up..I"m in the same boat as you. I'm 5' and currently am 154. I started in January at 176 by March I was down 26 pounds. Went through some misery in my life and had a BAD day. Since then I cant seem to stick to it. I get serious and start, then stop. 154 is alot of weight when your this height. I see a picture of myself and wonder why I cant just do this. This is a great site, it works if you let it. Goodluck to us both.
  • BL_Coleman
    BL_Coleman Posts: 324 Member
    I am a bit under 5' 2" - I feel your pain I started out at 155 last year and last month was thrilled to get to 140 until I got this stupid app that told me my "ideal" weight was 118!!!...goodness I havent weighed that since freshemen year of College, and honestly its not even my goal...

    SW : 155 ( not again thank you)
    CW : 138
    GW : 128 ( weight I was when I got married and joined the AF )

    Now it has taken me quite a while to lose the weight. I really only started seeing progress when I upped my cardio ALOT. I do 45x incline walk starting at 12 going to 15 , 3 x a week - that lost me to 140 and then i stalled again. So....I upped the workouts adding weight training again and lighter cardio ( walking and bike) an additional 2-3 times a week. I think it takes more for petite people to lose weight..or its just me...

    oh of fourse feel free to add me as a friend
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    I'm 5'3" started out at 210, although, my heaviest weight is 260. Now 150, my gw is 130. I've gotten down to 140 not too long ago, but gained back some. I've re-lost 5lb's of that though. I realize that supposedly, short people aren't supposed to eat that much, supposedly, our calorie intake should be lower, and our weight is supposed to be lower. I get 1,500-2,000 cal's/day, and lose 1.b/week. How's that possible? I lift weights. I do machines at the gym. You want to be able to eat more calories? Muscle burns calories, and raises metabolism. It also makes you look toned, and smaller. When you gain muscle, you may not, initially lose weight, but inches, instead, which is better than any number. Also, Zumba is an excellent cardio. It also works your muscles, too. It burns so many calories! 500-1,000/hour! That also means you can eat more. :))) Since I'm short, and MFP wasn't giving me very many calories to work with, I bought a bodymedia device, the one from The Biggest Loser, so I could see exactly what I burn, and determine how many calories I should eat. It syncs with MFP, and automatically adjusts my calorie goal as needed. I have consistently lost 1lb every week, in the last 5 weeks, when I started using it again. I had good success with it when I was using it before, too, but took too long of a break. Hope this was helpful. Good luck to you all! Feel free to add me! :)))
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
    My Dr. insist that I "ALMOST" 5-3 BUT I lie and tell people I am 5-4. And YES--we have a bigger challenge then those tall type of people. BUT I got myself a trainer and she took me OFF my diet and put me on a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. People fail at diets and this is going to be something we do for the rest of our lives, hence LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It changed my way of thinking and I am doing so much better. Eatting clean was step one. Good luck
  • arikag
    arikag Posts: 94 Member
    Shortie here too- 5' 0"! I started out at 144lbs, and I've now been maintaining at 108-112lbs for the past 9 months. Feel free to add me! :)
  • Holding out at 5 ft 1/2 LOL....been this height since middle school, instead of getting taller, I got wider ;) I'm fairly new to MFP, almost 2 weeks in and have logged every single day. This is exactly what I needed to get myself in gear. 1st weigh in, lost 8 lbs! I've never been good at discipline, but now that I have committed to logging everyday - its really helping me. Plus, I made a deal with my dr and he wants to see my food / exercise logs...YIKES! oh well, I need all the help I can get.
  • I found indoor swimming in the winter to be a lot of fun and when aerobics and workouts start to get tedious. Plus it's just fun to socialize anyhow
  • eandbmom
    eandbmom Posts: 51 Member
    Hi! I am 5'2" and have very similar stats as you (SW 221, CW 200, GW 150). Friend request sent so we can encourage each other on this long journey.
  • salsera_barbie
    salsera_barbie Posts: 270 Member
    Fellow shortie here at 5'. I started at 145 and have dropped about 5 pounds over the last month. I would like to get back to the muscular self i was a year ago at 130 pounds.
  • I'm 5'0 and close to my goal now, but oh lawdry is it hard when you're a shortie! Every bite counts, and I just can't eat as much as someone 6 inches taller then me. I do like to run, which helps me eat a bit more. I feel ya girl, but it can be done! You can add me too, if you would like. Good luck!
  • Not to be rude, but what's with the pic of you eating a pancake? You've got to see yourself differently if you want to succeed.

    Omg, seriously? She's in England and I believe that's a little scone. And most people post before photos. What kind of comment is that?
  • Susanne5
    Susanne5 Posts: 10 Member
    In four weeks you have lost 33 lbs?? That is awesome but scary at the same time. I say scary as I was understanding the more weight one takes off in a short amount of time, the faster it goes back on.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    I'm 42 yrs old, 5'3" and hit my goal weight of 110 lbs back in June. I've been maintaining with the help of my FitBit. AND, I would like to say "way to go!" and "Kudos!" for the loss so far - that is awesome and you can DO THIS!

    I took up the Couch to 5K program and it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY in my goals. I'd like to recommend the same to you. It starts out with a mix of walking and jogging and is one of the greatest ways I found to help lift not only my spirits, but also the number of calories that I could eat. It increased my metabolism as well.

    At this time, I am running an average of 2 or 3 times per week and my daily caloric intake averages 1700. Yep. 1700 calories! It's amazing because I never thought I'd ever be able to maintain 110 pounds on 1700 calories per day - if I ever went over 1300, I would always GAIN weight, but once I got my nutrition and metabolism back on track, I have to say I've never felt this great.

    So yes! Start running, start small - baby steps with mostly walking, intermingled with 30 seconds to a minute or two of jogging, and then "up" the game each week until you're able to sustain 20 minutes without stopping. You'll love it!
  • BoomstickChick
    BoomstickChick Posts: 428 Member
    I'm 5'2..

    My highest weight was 228, I'm currently 205-206, my goal is to get to 130-150 range and, same as you, reevaluate when I get to about 160 or so.

    I just had a baby last month and got back to that yucky 228!

    Anyone, please feel free to add! I'm looking for more friends since getting back into this! :flowerforyou:
  • l911jnt
    l911jnt Posts: 164 Member
    I am 5 ft. sw 178, cw 163, Gw 130. pretty disgusted right now cause I lost 15 lbs but the last 3 weeks I've lost nothing.... but I'm gonna keep on truckin'.
  • JenX15
    JenX15 Posts: 103 Member
    5'2" on a good day here.....I did lots of walking at the beginning and through the summer (started in May), now primarily circuit training and weights 4-5 times a week. Seems to be working so far, stall a little, lose a little - but the overall trend is down, that's what I am looking to see. I eat EVERYTHING, by no means "clean" - but what I have learned to do with MFP is to stay accountable to myself and those who chose to view my diary. I tend to consume an average of 1,500 - 1,800 a day, depending whether or not I am working out that day. I am currently hovering around 170 lbs, looking to get down to 135 lbs - hopefully by next summer. Sloooooow and steady wins the race.

    I am open to friend requests from like minded, same way headed peeps .... feel free to check out my profile and "friend" me if you like.
  • KayLasMack
    KayLasMack Posts: 85 Member
    I'm new to MFP and have logged in daily for about a week and a half. Let me just say I can truly understand where you're coming from about the ridiculous weight numbers for height. Standing at a whopping 5'3", at my heaviest , I was 234. When I started MFP a little over a week ago I was at 193lbs. At one point I was able to get my weight down to around 160, only to gain 33lbs back in a span of 3 years. Hence why I am on MFP now. Within a week I lost 3lbs just by changing my diet and logging my daily walks. gw is 140ish. Good luck to everyone on their goals. Inspires me to keep going and make a permanent lifestyle change. :happy:
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    I didn't have a lot of weight to lose when I started my fitness journey, but I am currently maintaining at 5'1" and 100 lbs. In the maintenance forums, a good rule of thumb for most people is "shoot for 5 lbs under your goal weight and that will give you flexibility to adjust caloric intake and macros." However, going to 95 lbs for me is probably going to be unhealthy, right? So I may only have 2-3 lbs on either side of my current weight to "play" with. But the next question is "well, what about variations due to water retention?" It all starts to be very granular and sometimes frustrating.

    My TDEE is also low in comparison to others due to being petite. I have checked at least 3 different TDEE calculators, and have also averaged total calorie intake over the past 32 days, and I get around 1570. My 6'3" husband burns half of that in a single 45 minute workout!

    Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to increase my strength gains. Obviously, the answer is "eat more" but I would need to start slowly--maybe even smaller increases than the standard recommendations (and as a consequence my strength gains may also be slower too).

    Anyway--feel free to add me. I have a lot to say!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I'm 5'2". Been on here for almost a month, and doing well so far. Finally.
  • apartridge85
    apartridge85 Posts: 68 Member
    Fellow shortie here! I'm 5'0 and just had my third baby 16 weeks ago. I have been logging steadily for the past 80 some days. I am slowly losing. Here are my stats

    Highest weight(The day I had my son)-216
    CW: 176.4
    GW: 125

    Feel free to add me! Good Luck!!
  • ravegee
    ravegee Posts: 999 Member
    Fellow shortie here
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    I'm 154cm so I'm def's a shortie! :bigsmile:
  • LemonLizard
    LemonLizard Posts: 86 Member
    5'2 here as well - looking to lose 20-30 lbs. I would love to get support and help support other short women! Pretty new to this, myself.
  • Heres2Victory
    Heres2Victory Posts: 32 Member
    I am a fellow Shortie 5'2" ...or Fun Size as my kids joke! Kudos to you for getting back on track and wanting this! I try to be a good friend and support all sizes, shapes and heights!
  • jennycina93
    jennycina93 Posts: 127 Member
    It sounds like we have similar stories. I am 5'1". I just started on here today and have a long way to go.
  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
    I'm short as well! I'm almost 5"1' & weighed 167 in July. Now I weigh 145. Goal is to be 132 then go from there. I was on here last year but of course slacked off & gained everything i lost back but I'm determined that this is it. No more slacking off! Good luck everyone!
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