It sucks being short

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Nerdycurls
Nerdycurls Posts: 143 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I did some thinking about how I've lost weight in the past and what I can do to improve on losing weight now. However, there was something that did stick out to me.

I wonder if being short has something to do with this-- the lowest weight I had was in the 120's and I was much, MUCH smaller back then compared to now. Even so, I still had some fat on my belly and back, and my waist still wasn't under 30 inches. Like many apple-shaped women, I have broad shoulders, a rather large ribcage, narrow hips, hardly any space between my lowest rib and pelvis, and have slimmer legs. At my lowest weight, I still looked chubby to an extent. Think "linebacker."

Sometimes I think being a shorter stature makes weight loss more difficult because I can't readily *see* the results of my labors. My waist takes forever to slim down and it's my waist I'm mostly focused on. It sucks because sometimes people comment to me about my short torso even when I don't say anything about my body! My torso is very compact and square. The women who are pear-shaped or have narrower waists and are taller probably have an easier time losing weight because they *see* their results faster than women with my shape do.

Still sucks...anyone else in this boat?
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Replies

  • botanygeek
    botanygeek Posts: 10 Member
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    Try being a 6' tall woman built like a line backer.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Try being a 6' tall woman built like a line backer.

    This. I will swap you. I always hated being what I consider tall. I am 5'10.
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 143 Member
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    Try being a 6' tall woman built like a line backer.

    When I see taller women with broad shoulders, I always think of the statuesque and beautiful Charlize Theron.
  • botanygeek
    botanygeek Posts: 10 Member
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    "Statuesque" is code for ****she'stall. Seriously, growing up I *hated* that term. I've totally accepted and own it now - and take it as a compliment. But I sure would like to have better adjectives for tall.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Well, how tall are you? You make it sound like you're four feet or something.... :bigsmile:

    I'm not real short, but I'm short enough to where people have called me petite. Okay, I have short legs, long waist, boobs, and I'm curvy...all this at 5 ft 4 inches.

    The only reason people think I'm short is because of my really short legs. :smile:
  • BornxVillain
    BornxVillain Posts: 79 Member
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    Honestly I can find beauty in all shapes - just embrace what you have and find what works best for it.
    You can rock absolutely anything at any shape! Don't forget that. ;-)
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    I've also seen shorter people have much smaller frames than I could EVER possibly have being a tall lady.

    You have narrow hips, I have giant hips, what's better, really? It probably has less to do with you being short and more to do with where you just naturally gain/hold onto weight. Weight seems to melt off my upper body (I have a wide frame but I'm bony as anything) whereas my legs have plenty of jiggle and I have plenty of saddle bags to share if you want some.

    BTW-Being tall doesn't mean you lose weight easier. You might (MIGHT!) see results faster, you might not. (And you can go over to the tall women subgroup to see tall women saying they can't see their weight loss.)
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,863 Member
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    I sympathise with you OP. I am short - 5ft. I find it difficult to lose in the first place, but try being 63 years old too. Now that really sucks lol. However, I have lost almost 50 lbs so it can be done. Try lifting some weights to tone up more then maybe you will see a difference.
  • _errata_
    _errata_ Posts: 1,653 Member
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    Two things:

    1) Tall women are sexy and beautiful (just as short women and everything else in between :wink: )
    2) Shorter people will necessarily burn fewer calories throughout the day. Most BMR and calories calculators will ask for you height and weight because those are the two primary factors in determining how much you burn in a 24 hour period.

    Sorry!
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    I'm 5'1, and at 140, I have some tummy and back fat to lose. Do I think I'd be slimmer if I were taller? Of course. My abdomen is incredibly short. But I can't change my height, so.
  • DP325i
    DP325i Posts: 677 Member
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    Short is sexy. But then again I'm a 5'7 guy, so I'm short as well.... Embrace the your height! Love the body you're in, after all its the only one you get.
  • stanleypoobrick
    stanleypoobrick Posts: 71 Member
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    Being short is tough for so many reasons! for example, a 5'3" person with a 28" waist looks much bigger than a 5'9" person with a 28" waist purely because of perspective (a square and a rectangle of the same width, basically). Plus, a short person has a lower BMR. My sister is only a few inches taller than me, but she could eat an extra mcdonalds burger worth of calories every day than I could and not put on a pound.
  • carlalovescake
    carlalovescake Posts: 42
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    It can suck being tall :)

    As a six foot giant woman, I still have a short torso and stupid length legs >< I can rarely find clothes to fit in the leg without paying a fortune. Sadly although I have long legs , I am a pear and ALL the weight I carry is on them! Yay to hiding under maxi skirts and dresses if I can find any long enough!

    I hit my head ..often... trying to hide or be invisible is impossible, and I constantly have to help people reach things off shelves lol No-one could ever call me petite and I once got mistaken for a man from behind :O I would give you a good 4 inches of extra height if I could! I also found that quite a few men that are taller than me, generally go for the petite women (protector instinct I guess and was told my height can be intimidating for smaller men lol). Luckily my Husband doesn't feel that way :)

    However you can have my sympathy for having such a small calorie allowance with being shorter....
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
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    I'm 5ft 2 and currently maintaining at approx 121. I do find though that I've got a little pooch on my belly - it's just not flat and I have "child bearing" hips. Makes for so good hour glass figure though.
    But yes I do understand where you're coming from.mi think if you want to get tie of those problem areas it's more about reducing hour % body fat than just eating at a deficit, which will require a lot more focus, effort and attention to exactly what you are eating
  • siqiniq
    siqiniq Posts: 237 Member
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    I'm 5'0" and don't mind it at all. After all, it's better to be short and shine than tall and cast a shadow!:wink:
  • zaidat
    zaidat Posts: 4 Member
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    Try being a 6' tall woman built like a line backer.

    Half an inch away from 6' myself.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,521 Member
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    I think it's easier for people to notice if a short person gains just a few lbs...we just have less area for the weight to spread!

    But having lost a significant amount of weight myself, I will tell you that once you do lose the weight...people see you as tiny! So we do have an advantage there. I think it's a bit of an optical illusion.
  • refuseresist
    refuseresist Posts: 934 Member
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    I'm under 5ft, I don't think I'd like being tall. Appreciate what you have :-)
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
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    The fact that you are struggling to lose weight on your waist is because of your apple shape, not your height. There are plenty of short women who are hourglasses or pear shaped and there are plenty of taller women that are apples.

    I'm 5"9 and simply because height is considered a masculine traits, I think shorter girls have it way easier looking feminine. A tall woman needs to keep her weight low in order to not be too "big" all over and appear masculine.

    If you're an apple, your legs are probably naturally slim, and you'll always have a small butt. So even with fat on your stomach/waist, I assume you can wear slim cut trousers and look skinny.
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 143 Member
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    If you're an apple, your legs are probably naturally slim, and you'll always have a small butt. So even with fat on your stomach/waist, I assume you can wear slim cut trousers and look skinny.

    Ugh, but I hate that! My entire life all people do is comment on my "narrow hips" and then say how my upper body is soooo much bigger than my lower. I'd rather look more balanced.

    It's like I'm built like a domino or a square. Very little room for all the weight to spread out, and I have to be slightly underweight to look thin.

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