Short people: how much do you actually eat?

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enriant
enriant Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys!

So my recommended caloric intake is 1200 per day -- I think pretty standard around here -- but when I eat that much, it feels like a LOT. Like, a LOT a LOT. (Unless it's unhealthy food)

A few clarifications: I'm 5' 0.5"-ish, a vegetarian, and try to avoid excess dairy, so those calories come with a lot of bulk. I eat when I'm hungry, though I try to have veggies for snacks and drink water before meals. I also exercise ~2 hrs/day and stay active on off days (1.5/wk), so even when I eat 1200 calories, MFP says it's not enough.

I know you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories (or 50% for a conservative estimate), but I really feel like the '1200 net' baseline is too high for me ... unless I'm secretly starving and unaware of it?

Has anyone else had a similar experience? How do you combat it?
I'm usually within 15-20% of my macros each day, too...

And I know the knee jerk response will be, "YOU MUST EAT THIS MUCH OR YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT/YOUR METABOLISM WILL SHUT DOWN/YOU'LL BRING THE APOCALYPSE". I'm not trying to justify undereating, I'm just looking for advice on how to get the right caloric intake when MFP's estimated BMR feels somewhat higher than your actual BMR.
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Replies

  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Well I am 4'11'' and I eat between 1500 and 1750 calories a day, it work for me. I am not the kind of person that scream STARVATION MODE but my philosophy is if you get enough protein, fat and carbs, have a nutrient dense diet and feel great, do what work for you. Understand that it is important to fuel your workouts, 2 hours is a lot. Exercising should be done for health and diet for weight loss.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    1200 is not a lot. It's not even close to a lot. If you're struggling to eat that much, you're doing it wrong. There's no way you're meeting your protein and fat targets and still struggling to eat 1200. Especially if you're exercising.


    I'm 5'2" btw. And older than most of you.
  • enriant
    enriant Posts: 38 Member
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    Exercising should be done for health and diet for weight loss.

    That's a cool way to think about it.
    I do have a fairly high body fat percentage (30ish), so could that be contributing?
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and my goal is about 1500. I don't have a problem reaching that goal, in fact I struggle to not overeat. I exercise regularly so it's important to me to be eating enough to fuel these workouts and build muscle.

    I'm not an expert at all, but in my opinion 1200 with that amount of activity is way too low. If you are working hard, your body won't have the nutrients it needs to recover. Can you add some nuts to your diet to increase calories? A portion is small so you won't feel stuffed, but will help you get some necessary fats & up your calories in a healthy way.
  • superdeformedchibi
    superdeformedchibi Posts: 23
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    Right now I'm having trouble meeting my calorie intake (1200/day because I'm 5'0", lightly active) but I feel like it has more to do with my recent tummy troubles and trying to figure out what makes it act up. So far, dairy is the main culprit and that's unfortunate because I relied a lot on low fat milk, cottage cheese and yogurts to get to my goals. I'm trying to get nutrient and calorie-dense foods I can tolerate into my plan. I am forcing myself a bit to hit that calorie goal, though, because less than 1200 and I seriously lack energy. I end up eating strange things for dessert, let me tell you!

    But....that's just me.

    If you have the energy to do those workouts (color me impressed, btw, with your exercise routine, good job!) and don't feel hungry and the weight is coming off at a safe pace, then who am I to tell you it's no good? It seems like every body reacts differently to different approaches.

    As long as you are feeling good and getting what your body needs, I wouldn't worry too much.

    Best wishes!
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
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    I'm 47, 5' 2", and eat at least 1700 calories per day, using TDEE - 20%. I work out 5-6 days per week. If I don't eat enough, I tank hard when exercising. If eating less works for you, that's fine, but it sure doesn't work for me!
  • nvpixie
    nvpixie Posts: 483 Member
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    I'm 4'11", 115 lbs, and I eat about 1500 calories daily to lose weight slowly.
    I'm only lightly active and my exercise routine is very random.

    I estimate 1600-1700 to be my maintenance.
    1200 would be way too low for me. I tried it when first starting MFP and it wasn't nearly sustainable. I felt hungry all the time and craved things I didn't even normally eat (like sweets). Besides that, I doubt I got enough nutrients at 1200 calories.
    If I were to exercise more, I'd probably eat more.
  • nancy10272004
    nancy10272004 Posts: 277 Member
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    I'm not sure what the connection between height and calories is. I'm 5'3" and 208 (down from 236). The number of calories MFP wants me to eat is probably the same as the number of calories a guy who's 6'3" and needs to lose a little bit of weight.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    5'0" and 132 lbs. I eat 1700 NET to lose. So realistically I eat anywhere from 1800-2100 to lose factoring in my days activity level.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    5'1. Eat between 1600-1900 (this includes exercise cals).
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    I'm 5'3.5" 116 lbs and would punch people at 1200 calories NET, let alone less than that!

    I lose weight at 2150ish. Though, current intake is at 2350
  • OneStepLighter
    OneStepLighter Posts: 78 Member
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    5ft, workout 5 days a week & I eat about 1800 calories, netting above 1600! :)
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
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    I'm 4' 10.25" and I started out eating 1200 calories NET per day. I steadily increased my calorie intake based on some studies I have read about avoiding plataeus. I have been on for a year now and have not hit any (knock on wood). Now I have increased to 1600 a day and normally net around 1350-1500 depending on my activity. I hit the 1600 plus mark and subtract my exercise calories. Sometimes I eat them back and sometimes I don't. I see you are a vegetarian and I know when I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables I feel full because they make me feel bloated too. Do you eat nuts? Try incorporating some into your diet and this will help you get your 1200 NET as well as not make you feel overly full. What are your views on peanut butter or protein powders? I know there are several variations to Vegetarianism (is that a word?) so I am not sure how restrictive you are.:flowerforyou:
  • enriant
    enriant Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks for all of your perspectives!

    I work out first thing in the morning (intense workout, powerwalk/jog to and from starting at 5:30) and then have breakfast, a light snack, late lunch, and dinner depends on how hungry I'm feeling.

    Do any of you find caffeine contributes to your sense of hunger/fullness? I drink 3-4 cups of coffee per day (that's not new, though), and I don't get jittery ... but I definitely eat more on days when I don't drink coffee. I figured that was overcompensating, but maybe I have it backwards?

    Nuts are a great call, Shiba -- thanks for that. I'd completely forgotten about them, and you're right, they're excellent.

    Super -- my whole family is moderately lactose intolerant, but being the only vegetarian growing up, I got a LOT of cheese and other dairy added to my diet. Do you have any favorite substitutes so far? I've found substituting things like goat's milk yogurt (lower in lactose -- even my mom, who can't tolerate 'lactose free milk', loves it) or soy yogurt, and using a lentil mash or oatmeal as a base instead of yogurt or cottage cheese can help... but, clearly I'm lacking in answers or I wouldn't be asking!
  • ttcbelieve
    ttcbelieve Posts: 181 Member
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    Dang......:-( not fair. I would kill to have your problem. 1200 calories a day and be full would be heaven for me...

    I believe 1200 works for you because as you say. You are vegetarian and you eat a lot of bulk in your meals. I find if i only eat e.g Spinach, fruits, cheese i get full very quickly and 1200 is good...but i'm a meat person, love my dairy and also have a sweet tooth. i strugggle with even 1600....Enjoy your 1200 but don't go below as that is the minimum recommended for women
  • superdeformedchibi
    superdeformedchibi Posts: 23
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    Enriant-- I absolutely love coconut milk! I've had a lot of good luck with oatmeal (I find it very filling) and I've been enjoying hot rice farina for breakfast along with about a cup of some fruit or another. I am currently trying almond milk, but I can't drink it plain. This is all very much a work in progress, because my issues started about 3 weeks ago. Gluten is next on my list of challenges, but I honestly don't miss it very much since rice and oatmeal is so easy to dress up. I might move soy up instead because I'm just so dang tired of chicken breast! Thank you for the suggestions, though. I'm honestly not accustomed to a mainly plant-based diet so it is really helpful. Hopefully, this will be resolved in a couple more weeks. I'm sure I'll be back to eating more than 1200 once I can get some variety in my diet without throwing my GI tract out of whack. It's so not fun. T_T

    Back to your question about caffeine, though. I find that it dampens my appetite a lot when I have more than 2 cups of coffee.. It's the one substance I just couldn't quit and thankfully, if I don't add the cream I don't have any problem with about 2 cups of coffee worth of caffeine per day. But again, that's just my system. You might try cutting back on the caffeine (on maybe a weekend when you don't have to be up early and coherent!) and see if that improves your appetite at all, if your worried about it.

    I was surprised to see all the other shorties on here wolfing down 1500+ calories! They must have some nice muscles to be able to do that or just a better metabolism than mine. I'm still a newbie with the weights, so maybe I'll find that's the case when I get a little stronger.
  • smarionette
    smarionette Posts: 260 Member
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    I'm 5' and what I eat depends on what I do. On a rest day I eat around 1600 calories and am slowly losing. On my more active days though I'll eat up to 3000 calories (before you freak out about how that is soo much food, I run long distances) on a more normal day I eat around 2000 and still lose weight, slowly, but it is going away. If you find you are full before you hit your calorie allotment

    1) Weigh things, log them accurately. Inaccurate logging might make you think you are eating less than you are.
    2) If number 1 isn't the culprit start paying more attention to your macros. Sometimes you just need more nutrient dense food. Lettuce can be lovely, but it doesn't have everything a body needs. A couple peanut butter balls could go a long way ;)
  • gemmamummy
    gemmamummy Posts: 185 Member
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    I'm 4'11 ad 101lbs and am currently on 1510 a day at present but will be upping that to 1900 over the coming weeks as I get further into my workout regime
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
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    4ft 11- varies from 1100 - 2000 ????
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,565 Member
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    I think short people are screwed.

    Go to any grocery aisle, and the candy in kid level.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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