Not easy being short!

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yogicarl
yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Its not easy eating at a deficit when your apetite is as big as anyone else over 5'8", but you are only 5'3".

I've been looking at Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, doing burpees, mountain climbers, high knees etc.) as a way of increasing available calories to eat but I find my appetite increases on tabata days and I end up eating more, so I'm wasting my time.

What to do? My calorie quota is 1390 and I envy anyone taller who can eat 1600 and up!

I've found it is easier to not do the tabata and just accept the lower calories than try to expand the calories I can eat because exercise makes me even more ravenous.

stats: male, 5'3", 170lbs and aiming to get to 140lbs, age 53.

Replies

  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
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    Those calories are very low for a male. I know you are short but I am a 5' 2.5" female and I eat 1600 and lose. I don't really exercise much except maybe some walking. I do lose slowly but I am very close to my goal so am ok with this.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    if you open your diary people may be able to help more.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Hi Carl,

    Your calories do seem rather low, but I'm assuming you add exercise calories? Either way, I would double check that you're not eating too little, or set your goal loss per week to a more manageable/comfortable level.

    I do appreciate how hard it is when you're shorter and portion sizes hit your calorie quota far harder than mine.

    Whenever anyone starts working out to burn calories, to eat more calories, I warn them that this is not the best way to approach exercise.
    My suggestion would be that you think about what you want to achieve. Set some long term fitness goals, and some short term goals that will set you on that path. Perhaps there is something that you want to improve, a time, a weight (not yours), or maybe you want to gain a new ability?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Those calories are very low for a male. I know you are short but I am a 5' 2.5" female and I eat 1600 and lose. I don't really exercise much except maybe some walking. I do lose slowly but I am very close to my goal so am ok with this.

    ^^^^^ this

    5'1" female and lose at 1800 cals/day. I lift weights and have to go up and down stairs a lot.
  • yogacat13
    yogacat13 Posts: 124 Member
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    Those calories seem quite low for a guy. I'm only 5'1", but my calorie goal with the activity level set at sedentary is nearly what yours is. It's well nigh impossible to lose weight at a rate of 2 pounds a week, when you are short and have not much to lose (<50 pounds). Check your settings and reset to lose 0.5-1 pound a week, at sedentary, and eat back your exercise calories.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Thanks all - diary now open and inputs accurate.

    Thanks Iron Smasher - yes, I add exercise calories and don't always eat them all back.

    My weight trend at present is I seem to be at balance, but need to slowly lose weight.

    My main focus is yoga and my reason for weight loss, apart from health, is to lose the belly fat so I can progress in some of the more advanced poses and balances I want to get to.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    [5'1" female and lose at 1800 cals/day. I lift weights and have to go up and down stairs a lot.

    I am presuming that 1800 is WITH exercise and not your base calories?
  • yasemasuyo
    yasemasuyo Posts: 177 Member
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    I can very much relate to your post! I am 5ft and I find the slow weightloss incredibly frustrating! I have my calories set to 1,200 and I am fasting at 500 twice a week, and yet it has taken me a whole month to lose just over 1kg! The other day I dares to each over 1,500 and I was informed that if I ate like that every day I would have gained 0.5kg over 5 weeks! It's depressing to think that I will always have to eat such a restricted diet :-(
  • yogacat13
    yogacat13 Posts: 124 Member
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    I just put your stats into a BMR/TDEE calculator - at sedentary you need at least 1500 just to exist (BMR) and have an 1815 TDEE. Add exercise and it will go up from there. On that basis it appears you are undereating significantly. At our heights, more than a 500-600 calorie daily deficit will result in you being hungry. So if you eat 1800 or so and exercise, you will lose weight, albeit slowly. Try not to go below your BMR though, as that is when you will be seriously hungry (been there, done that).
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Thanks Yogacat. I just re-input my stats to the MFP calculator and it comes back with 1390 at a 1lb loss per week and 1640 for a 0.5lb loss.

    It may be I need to accept a slower loss and go for the 1640 and adding/eating back exercise calories.

    OK - I think I have a plan; thanks all.
  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
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    PS I would take MFP predicted weight loss with a pinch of salt. It tells me constantly that I am going to put on weight with what I eat and I don't. It is a total estimate and usually wrong.

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