Tall Woman Success Stories?

sabertoothkitten · February 2014

Hi,

I'm a fairly tall woman (5ft 10.5") and I'm built rather broad (I blame my dutch heritage). When I was at my most slender (stick thin), my bra band size was around 36, so I see that as my minimum. Being tall meant that I didn't really notice that I was overweight until I hit 200lbs.

I wonder if losing weight as a tall woman is any different/harder/etc easier than someone who is much shorter? Are there any tall women out there who consider themselves a success story?

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize this would be "divisive." I'm new to the forums.

Achrya · February 2014

Divisive topic.

Hauntinglyfit · February 2014

Divisive.

SunofaBeach14 · February 2014

wut 4 u h8 da shorties?

jeskuhsmeekers · February 2014

i am also 5'10 and am very curious what people say about this

amytigger77 · February 2014

I'm tall, at 6', and have always been a solidly built gal. 3 babies later, 2 in the last 3 yrs, and I'm definitely heavier & wimpier than I ever wanted to be. I am LOVING MFP to keep me accountable, if nothing else, it helps me stay on track for my eating habits. I don't have an answer to your question, but I am glad to see another gal who's tall and working towards a goal like me! I just signed up to run my very first 5K, after joking that I'd only run if being chased by bears, so I'm hoping that between MFP & excercise, I'll be a succes story too! For me, it's not so much about weight, but about fitness, healthy & endurance.

FromHereOnOut · February 2014

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize this would be "divisive." I'm new to the forums.

Don't worry about all that. It's a forum solidarity thing. It's not a bad thing, and it's also not about you or your thread.
Don't worry. Carry on.

Achrya · February 2014

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize this would be "divisive." I'm new to the forums.

Don't worry about all that. It's a forum solidarity thing. It's not a bad thing, and it's also not about you or your thread.
Don't worry. Carry on.

Aww. Now I feel kinda bad

Which is an unfamiliar feeling me. I don't like it

SunofaBeach14 · February 2014

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize this would be "divisive." I'm new to the forums.

Don't worry about all that. It's a forum solidarity thing. It's not a bad thing, and it's also not about you or your thread.
Don't worry. Carry on.

Aww. Now I feel kinda bad

Which is an unfamiliar feeling me. I don't like it

You gotta get rid of that. Guilt is toxic. I have this shrink . . .

saraghali · February 2014

I am tall too(5'11) and214 lbs. I am worried about sizing as well. Since I can remember I always wear a size 12 in jeans even when I weighted 180 lbs couple years ago. Also I hate when people told me that I don't look fat at all! Funny isn't ?

dreambodin2011 · February 2014

i'm almost 6ft and can relate to this. People don't seem to notice if you've put on weight, which can lead to being in denial (OH I look okay!). I got up to 89 kilos at my heaviest (and non pregnant)....was a 38d...lost weight, now am 76 kilos and 36b. Losing my boobs :-((

My goal is about 75 so almost there...but still have thighs that rub together which I am going to work at this year. Really hate it when this happens.

Love Tall friends - add me if you like - also no probs with shorties :-)

amytigger77 · February 2014

Definitely trickier being tall and hiding the weight gain! I think the healthy goals, like BMI, muscle mass, and body fat are awesome. It's really hard not to get hung up on numbers. I can remember being my smallest, at a size 14, in high school (and I remember thinking I was fat then, hahaha). Definitely worth it to stay focused on the more important things and not sizes. Glad to hear I'm not the only tall gal working towards better health on here!

Yay us!

Sunshine2plus2 · February 2014

I dont think its harder! Its all in how hard you work and dedicated you want to be!

FromHereOnOut · February 2014

I think that in some ways, losing weight is harder but "maintaining" is easier. I mean, I see some shorter people's success stories and after a 20lb loss they look like a different person, whereas 20lbs on me seems like barely a belt notch. So, yeah, we usually have alot more weight too lose, which means more 3500calorie chunks to burn, but we burn a little bit more anyway. But, the good news is (as you pointed out), maintenance is MUCH more forgiving. We can get sloppy and gain 10 or 15 lbs and it goes nearly unnoticed (esp in sweater weather), whereas a shorter person starts to look like a different person after 15lbs. But let's be honest, no matter how tall or short you are, you have to be dedicated and work hard at it and that's why success stories are ALL very inspirational.

Ambergrace24 · November 2014

I am 5'11, I started out weight 326 and a size 26, I have lost nearly 88 pounds, and now I wear a size 16. I am not sure what my goal weight should be? Any suggestions?

sjrja · November 2014

I am 6'1" - and since having the third kid and staying home, I fluctuate between 200 - 220, size 14 - 16. Would love to get down to 180 and improve fitness, and would be satisfied with that, although in my 20s I ranged from 148 - 158. At this height, it takes a good 20 pounds to lose a dress size, so the tall factor is both a blessing and a curse, as others have pointed out. A few pounds put on doesn't make much difference, but you can work your butt off to lose 15 or 20, and no one notices...I will say that because we burn a few more calories, my 1900 calories per day goal does not feel as restrictive as my shorter friends 1200- 1500, so in that way, I guess we are lucky. However, when it comes to finding a pair of jeans that are long enough, or cute shoes for my size 11 feet, not so lucky!!

cincysweetheart · November 2014

I'm 5'10" (also with Dutch heritage!

)

My starting weight was 381. Currently I'm at 287. And aiming for about 170-180. The weight has come off pretty easy for me thus far (meaning it's come off pretty consistently. I've worked my @$$ off to do it!) … but like others have mentioned, it did seem to take awhile for anything to be really noticeable. It took about 50 pounds before anyone outside of my family mentioned anything about my weight loss and it took about the same amount of time before I had to buy new clothes. It's a double edged sword!

sophieluke28 · November 2014

I'm 5"9 but built like a swimmer (very broad back and shoulders). I currently weigh 198lb (14st 2lb -eek!) and wear a UK 14. However, even at my smallest 11st 10lb (164lb) I was only one dress size smaller, a UK 12. I think that's why I didn't notice I was putting on weight. I am aiming to get back down to about 12st (168-174lb).

CarlydogsMom · November 2014

I'm 5'10", started my weightloss journey at 221 lbs. I was also over 48 years old when I started, and foolishly thought that at my age, approaching 50, I'd be more than thrilled if I could just lose 30-40 pounds by the time I turned 50, which gave me about a year and a half to accomplish that goal.

Well...whatever I did, I did it right. I consistently lost 10 pounds per month, average, for 6 months. I had basically reached my first goal (30-40 pounds) within 4 months, and thought "what the heck, keep going." It was actually fairly easy because I forged new habits with food and a more active lifestyle. I never looked back, and NEVER wanted to "give up." Give up what? Go back to what, exactly? Eating mindlessly? Not being in control of my life?

I don't know, something just worked. After those 60 pounds (by my 49th birthday), my loss slowed down to about 2 pounds per month (half-pound per week, which is what I changed my goals to). Six months after that, I was then down about 72 pounds, at 49.5 years of age. I had never been below 160 or so (maybe in high school I was around 160), and I was easily maintaining my weight at around 147.

So at 50, I was in better shape than I can remember. I started mountain biking, occasionally jogging (my primary exercising while losing all that weight was brisk walking), and just moving more.

After a couple years, I've slowly lost another couple pounds, and would basically fluctuate between 147-148 during the winter months, and lose those few pounds during the summer, and get down to 144-145. This cycled for a few years.

Now I'm 52.5 years old, and I joined our local gym a couple weeks ago. I'm tired of that little four-pound cycle, and I want to be a stronger mountain biker. So I have a personal trainer who is working with me on a free-weight lifting program. It's killer. I can barely type this because of my upper body workout TWO days ago, my arms are recovering! And I love it!

Now I'm off to a new adventure, building more muscle and getting even stronger. My trainer said that I'll probably gain about ten pounds this winter--some will be fat, some will be muscle. And that I have to eat in surplus if I want to build muscle. Which is really scary for me, but away we go!!!

TL,DR: Never thought at my height and age I could get to the weight I'm currently at, as I've never been there. Don't give up!! Happier and healthier now than I probably ever have been!

nicoleromine · November 2014

I'm 5'9" and built pretty broad. I started on MFP in March 2014 at 210 lbs. I'm now down to 149 lbs. The weight came off pretty easily for me. I think the great thing about being taller is that we can consume a lot of calories and still lose weight. Even better, maintenance is such a cake walk (I'm currently eating 2200 calories and still dropping a bit of weight while my dear 5'1" friend can't eat above 1200 without gaining.) Personally, I think the tough thing about being tall is (1) holding yourself accountable (we can carry an extra 10-15 lbs without anyone noticing) and (2) getting frustrated when you lose weight and its not noticeable (I had to lose 35 lbs before anyone even batted an eye).

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage · November 2014

I'm 5'10". First time I lost weight I started at 230 lbs and got down to 135 in 18 months through good old fashioned diet and exercise. Got pregnant, had my baby, came to MFP when my son was 4 to lose the rest of my baby weight. It's been fairly easy for me this time around too. I don't think being taller has made it more difficult for my weight loss, but I do agree with the comment that weight is not as noticeable on a taller frame and therefore may not realize we are overweight as soon as others. 20 lbs on me is nothing, whereas it makes a big difference on my friend who is 5'5".

beth230blue · November 2014

I'm 5'10" and over 50. Struggled for 20 years above 220. Now into low 190's on my way to low 180's which will be a decent spot for me. I'm built big, broad and totally agree that 20 lbs is nothing on me. I notice but others don't. I'm down 27 lbs right now, and barely anyone notices. A bit depressing after all that work. On the plus side, my Italian tailor is making a fortune on taking in my clothes repeatedly!

tonyamt2 · November 2014

I am 5'9 and it's not hard for me to lose weight but I do notice that I have to lose 40+ lbs. in order for others to notice and it takes me forever to go down dress sizes.

Tall Woman Success Stories?

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