is it more difficult for short people to lose weight?

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  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    not only am i short 5'2 but I'm also in my 40's so that makes it even harder.

    i don't have the energy/motivation that I used to have.

    that will change when i start my new job...so excited!

    That's me, too. Almost 5'2". 44 years old. Holy cow, my metabolism completely changed a few years ago. This is not fun.
  • george29223
    george29223 Posts: 556 Member
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    yeah iam really short but losing weight made some diffrence at certain angles it looks taller
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
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    Height has no impact on weight loss.

    If you're talking cal's in vs cal's out you're right, but it has a HUGE impact on your BMR and TDEE. Sure if everybody could burn 1000 cal's in one work out that would be great and we'd all be eating good.

    1200 cal's in my opinion is starving and my BMR is 1050.

    Ps - 5 lbs DOES look like 20 on us short ppl and it can be the difference between being in your clothes and being out.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Fun fact of the day:

    If you take two persons, each weighing the same with identical builds and activity levels, the shorter person will have a higher TDEE than the taller due to the fact he/she requires more energy to replace heat loss related to total surface area/mass.

    So no. Just because you are short does not necessarily mean your energy needs are less than someone taller.

    A bigger person has more surface mass... i am misunderstanding something or you made a typo.
    Research on the topic is lacking, however this is one that delved into the subject.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17690196
  • lilteeraw
    lilteeraw Posts: 261
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    i think it just depends on our genes and how active we are and how we take care of our bodies.
    but taller people do have more area where they can store fat so yeah i guess shorter people can gain easier.
    but idk
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
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    I think it has as much as an effect as anyone with a smaller weight would have losing weight. When you're shorter you can weigh less and still be healthy but those last 5-10lbs are hard for everyone no matter what height.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    There's really no point in worrying about this subject. There's nothing you can do to change your height.

    Your activity level and muscle mass, though, you have control over, and they can make big impacts on your BMR/TDEE/weight loss process. At 5'3", I have thyroid disease and a desk job, and my TDEE (without exercise) is about 2200 cals. I work hard to keep it that way, cause this little chick loves food!
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    I think it has as much as an effect as anyone with a smaller weight would have losing weight. When you're shorter you can weigh less and still be healthy but those last 5-10lbs are hard for everyone no matter what height.

    what victoria said. I'm short and it's not harder to lose weight it's just that 7 pounds extra is a huge gain, noticeable and you need to buy a whole new wardrobe.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    I think science claims that if you eat less then you burn you will lose weight despite your height or stature. I think height only effects the appearance of how your weight is distributed. I weigh 235 and am 5'4 my friend weighs 280 and is 6'2. She looks thinner than me and is also hourglass shaped compared to my apple.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    aww never mind. :)
  • marian61
    marian61 Posts: 2 Member
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    This isn't so much about height, but when I read this article and then worked out how many calories I needed, it was only 1359. A friend of mine who weights quite a lot more, and is a lot taller has a requirement of 1500 calories per day. At present we are both dieting and eating 1200 calories. That means she is 300 calories a day less than her body needs to maintain weight and I am only 150. Surely this means that I will loose weight a lot more slowly, so shouldn't I eat less than 1200 per day to loose weight. Just a thought

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1226258/Cant-lose-weight-Dont-blame-metabolism.html
  • Foreverghost1
    Foreverghost1 Posts: 1
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    I'm a male and I'm only 5 ' 2 but I weigh 141 pounds. My goal is to be around 125 to 130. I know hight doesn't really matter how fast you lose or gain weight but I do certainly think it has something to do with fat. I'm not the most skinny person but I'm not to fat. I do tho have a round belly that sticks out a bit and good size love handles on my side. I been trying to lose them for quite some time but they just don't go away. Even tho I have been losing weight, because I'm short the smallest amount of fat shows on me more then most. Which is totally not fare
  • zoelawliet
    zoelawliet Posts: 51
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    I'm 5'8" and to be honest with you being tall is a little more frustrating because you don't notice the change as quickly when you loose weight just because there is more of you! But a plus side is if I put on 5lbs I can usually only tell with the scales. I don't think it's any more difficult to loose the actual weight though.
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
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    Being tall (5'10") I can say it is easier to see 5 pounds lost on a shorter person than a taller person. No one really notices when I lose 5 pounds - it's more like 10-15 before there is a physical difference. And I have lost over 15 pounds and STILL wear the same size! I think when your shorter, your body changes a lot faster.

    ETA: The same is true for weight gain though... if I gain 5 pounds no one's gonna notice, but on a shorter person 5 pounds might be noticeable. I guess there's pros and cons to both.
  • _celesse
    _celesse Posts: 75 Member
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    Maybe it's just me, but at 5' exactly I barely notice my weight loss :/ So I can't really see it when people say it's more noticeable on short people. You could sure notice if I gained 20lbs though -__-

    I think the hardest thing is really just not being able to eat as much as others, especially if you go out with taller people or something.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
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    From a physiological standpoint it isn't, but from a practical standpoint I would say yes. Being vertically challenged (I'm 4'11) means I have a lower BMR, and therefore less wiggle room than someone who is taller. It's not a huge obstacle, it just means that us shorties need to eat smart and get the most (nutritionally speaking) out of what we eat (nutrient dense, but lower kcal).
  • MaddyT122
    MaddyT122 Posts: 152 Member
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    :laugh:
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
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    Yes it's harder, because you generally don't eat as much as a taller person, as you usually weigh less. However can I just say I'm jealous because I have to lose a good 30-40 lbs for it to be noticeable
  • kidznpupz1
    kidznpupz1 Posts: 9 Member
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    Just wait until you're 60, on the last 10 lbs and have a thyroid issue. I know Im whining but us shorties have it rough!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Yes it's harder, because you generally don't eat as much as a taller person, as you usually weigh less. However can I just say I'm jealous because I have to lose a good 30-40 lbs for it to be noticeable
    That kind of implies that larger people will have more weight to lose given a similar BMI or physique, so it probably sort of evens out. It might be harder for short people to lose weight, but they'll have less to lose than a similarly situated tall person.

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