Small People!

thoughtspresso
thoughtspresso Posts: 14
in Introduce Yourself
I'm 5'1" and currently 128lbs (started off here with 135 three weeks ago). Asian. And by Asian standards, pretty much on the chubby side of things.

Problem! I started eating healthier, cutting out refined sugar and reducing my intake of pork and fattening dairy and deep fried anything since I started. But this puts me on calorie deficit! Every. Single. Day.

I lost 5lbs on my first week, which scares me because . . . isn't that dangerous? I understand that weight loss is different for everyone, and bigger people would lose weight more quickly. But I'm in the normal range BMI, so losing this quickly and always going on calorie deficit kinda scares me. I don't know what health implications that would have.

I don't skip meals, and I make sure I've got a good breakfast everyday. And being Asian, I'm a rice eater, so I don't know what's wrong here. I eat my veg and my meat, and I always look up the good kind of fat.

I also follow the blood type diet, but only as a rough guideline, not exactly to a tee. Like, yeah, I cut out bacon and pork. Also doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred to get me started.

++ If anyone out there is Filipino, and you eat things at home that are fatty like Menudo, Nilaga, Adobo, or really really salty and sodium filled like Bagoong on EVERYTHING, anyone out there who could share some great alternatives?

Replies

  • JenJBS
    JenJBS Posts: 83
    I'm 4'11". Was at 132. Within a week I was at 126. Over a month later I'm at 123. The first week or two it's normal to lose more weight, as it's mostly water weight. If that amount of weight continues to come off every week then worry. But enjoy the first week!
  • thoughtspresso
    thoughtspresso Posts: 14
    Well I hope so!
  • jadetigereyes
    jadetigereyes Posts: 44 Member
    I'd don't think 128lb is all that chubby - maybe it's muscle mass!

    I had the same issue when I started reducing my Asian diet intake - reduced the carb intake and increased the clean protein and vegetable eating. Within the first week I lost 4 pounds, and I'm assuming it's mostly water weight (I'm 5'2" started at 136lb when I joined MyFitnessPal and am down to 131ish now).

    Because the calorie requirements are not as high for people our size, it's much harder to lose weight through calorie deficits. To lose 1lb of fat, one needs to be at a deficit of 3,500 calories. For me, that amounts to being around 500 calories under my maintenance intake each day, which can be achieved through exercise (mainly through cardio). For example, I need about 1,400 calories to maintain my current weight. In order to achieve weight loss, I can eat my 1,400 calories and burn 500 through exercise. If I do keep this up for an entire week, I'd expect to lose 1lb.

    From everything I've researched, the guidance is to start with a 20% reduction in daily intake to your maintenance calories. (For me, that would be a reduction in 280 calories from a 1,400 calorie maintenance intake.) See how that feels and increase as needed. I've found that despite all I eat, I haven't regained that weight because everything I've been eating is healthy and filling (tons of veggies, 4oz of protein for lunch and dinner, snacks of nuts and fruits in between). I also exercise daily, and incorporate as much cardio training as I can into my regimen.

    Good luck!
  • msthang444
    msthang444 Posts: 491 Member
    Hi! I'm 5'1 and currently 160. My "should be" weight is about 130. I was about that weight when I got married 7 years ago and have not been able to hold it together since...
  • thoughtspresso
    thoughtspresso Posts: 14
    Jade: I guess, but I've got a 30" waist line now! I only used to be about 26-27! Then boom, college happened. And though I do have a bit of muscle, I've got quite some fat on there that needs shedding.

    Oh, and does that mean it's pretty normal to have a huge deficit every day? MFP tells me my daily caloric goal is 1200, but I only end up eating about half of that. Worse off if I exercise that day, the deficit is pretty big. Is that normal for Asians / people our height?

    MsThang: You'll get there! My sister is 180 and my brother 200, and they're getting fit with me! :) I'll add you up!
  • jadetigereyes
    jadetigereyes Posts: 44 Member
    A 30" waist isn't so bad. College tends to have that effect - we just have to work on getting back to where we used to be. :)

    I think it is normal - the calculation is an estimate since not everything is fully accurate. It's also dependent on how accurate the food inputs are, so there is the possibility of over/underestimating total caloric intake. For me, I use this tool directionally rather than as an end all-be all.

    The deficit does tend to get big, but I also measure based on my personal hunger levels. If, after eating a certain number of calories that might be far under my maintenance level, and after exercising, I'm not hungry, then I have no need to increase the calorie intake. As long as you're eating enough to feel fine and you're getting the nutrients you need, I wouldn't be so concerned about it.

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