Do smaller people really need less calories?

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dannnniii
dannnniii Posts: 1
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So when I signed up for Myfitnesspal, my goal was to maintain my weight.. im VERY small im only 4 foot 8 and weigh 88 lbs.

it told me to maintain my weight I would only be able to eat 1300 calories a day... i am NOT very active at all (desk job/drive a lot/never exercise), and i am 21 years old, so this i guess sounded right...

turns out i lost weight eating this much so i upped it to 1400... i still lost weight on that so now im at 1500...

how come bigger people than me GAIN weight at 1300 but i loose at 1400??

im so confused.. i don't want to start GAINING
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Replies

  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    how come bigger people than me GAIN weight at 1300 but i loose at 1400??


    They don't. It's impossible to gain at that kind of deficit. Sometimes water weight and bloating can make it seem like weight gain, but it's not fat.
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
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    how come bigger people than me GAIN weight at 1300 but i loose at 1400??


    They don't. It's impossible to gain at that kind of deficit. Sometimes water weight and bloating can make it seem like weight gain, but it's not fat.

    Precisely this.

    Everyone's maintenance amount will be different depending on size, activity level, gender, lifestyle, etc. I honestly don't know anyone who can maintain or gain on 1300. If someone could, I'd imagine they'd be even smaller than you, or much older and very sedentary.

    I maintain on about 1800. MFP had me on 1600 at first, but I continued losing on that, so I had to adjust it until I found something that works. The trick is finding your maintenance number. If 1500 is yours, stick to it.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    In general, smaller people need less calories. However, it is not really that simple a lot of the time as it depends on factors like

    - medical issues
    - muscle mass
    - age
    - activity levels
    - macro mix

    Some have only a small impact, but it can all add up.

    But very often, people are just not logging accurately.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    You're still pretty young and you might be more active than you think. You might want to up your activity level to "lightly active" rather than sedentary to get a higher TDEE and BMR. Some experts say the calories calculated for a sedentary person are the bare minimum to keep someone alive -- someone whose activity level is practically in a coma.

    I was pretty much like you at your age. I was 5'2" and stayed around 105 eating practically everything in sight, with very little activity.
  • alpinehealth
    alpinehealth Posts: 85 Member
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    I fail to see what the problem is other than you should probably make an effort to exercise.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    Metabolism & activity. Check out some interesting stuff on the former by looking up 'reverse dietting'..
  • mowree
    mowree Posts: 74 Member
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    At your age, your metabolism is going to burn off many of the calories you eat - no matter how inactive you are. That will change with time. I am 4'11" and I will gain weight if I eat 1300 calories a day. I'm fairly active. But I'm also 54 years old. I say enjoy it while you can ;-)
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    maybe those bigger people who gain weight at this calorie intake are not being very accurate in their measureing.

    maybe they broke their metabolism by dieting too much for too long.

    maybe the are drinking their calories as greyhounds and skinny girl margaritas and not logging them.

    maybe they have "free foods" they allow themselves and don't log.

    maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.

    it's impossible to know fully someone else's circumstances so for now just be elated you are able to lose weight with the higher cals and TAKE IT! if it ain't broke don't fix it. if it becomes broke focus on checking accuracy before switching methods.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    At your age, your metabolism is going to burn off many of the calories you eat - no matter how inactive you are. That will change with time. I am 4'11" and I will gain weight if I eat 1300 calories a day. I'm fairly active. But I'm also 54 years old. I say enjoy it while you can ;-)
    This!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I am sometimes glad I am 5'10.
  • dnamouse
    dnamouse Posts: 612 Member
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    I'm 4'9, but I'm 35yo... at the moment I'm doing a slow cut (so less than 0.5lb a week). MFP gives me the magical 1200 number and every single TDEE calculator gives me about 1400-1500ish to lose that teeny little amount (the highest maintenance TDEE I can find is about 1700) lol And I work out a lot - lift 3x a week + cardio 2-3x a week.

    Stupid short genes :grumble: :laugh:

    That said, doing my little experimental bulk was fun... but not as fun as those who can eat more than 2000 a day :drinker:
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
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    Bigger people gain on 1300 because they don't eat enough to begin with, so the body then freaks out and holds onto whatever is given to it since it thinks its in a famine.
  • deansdad101
    deansdad101 Posts: 644 Member
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    Bigger people gain on 1300 because they don't eat enough to begin with, so the body then freaks out and holds onto whatever is given to it since it thinks its in a famine.
    Kitty;
    Thank you so much for sharing this insightful information - it REALLY helps.

    Would you mind sharing the scientific clinical studies you used to arrive at your current state of knowledge?

    I have an appointment with my Doc tomorrow and he's a stickler for the details so I'll need it to convince him that the only way I can lose weight is by eating more....I keep telling him it's because "my body freaks out and thinks its in a famine" but he just won't believe me without "proof"

    I'm printing out your post to show him.......maybe that'll convince him (but please post the link, just in case)

    very BIG THANKS in advance!!!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Bigger people gain on 1300 because they don't eat enough to begin with, so the body then freaks out and holds onto whatever is given to it since it thinks its in a famine.
    Kitty;
    Thank you so much for sharing this insightful information - it REALLY helps.

    Would you mind sharing the scientific clinical studies you used to arrive at your current state of knowledge?

    I have an appointment with my Doc tomorrow and he's a stickler for the details so I'll need it to convince him that the only way I can lose weight is by eating more....I keep telling him it's because "my body freaks out and thinks its in a famine" but he just won't believe me without "proof"

    I'm printing out your post to show him.......maybe that'll convince him (but please post the link, just in case)

    very BIG THANKS in advance!!!


    Try this guy. He is quite well respected.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk&list=PLF8vFmVhJn3BUNAsDfirZWJCQopgGC15a
  • Violinna
    Violinna Posts: 3
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    Another thing could be genetics, which doesn't seem to be mentioned at all on this site. Some people gain weight easier than others based on that... and their base metabolism.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    They don't gain at 1300 unless there's some extenuating medical circumstances.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Another thing could be genetics, which doesn't seem to be mentioned at all on this site. Some people gain weight easier than others based on that... and their base metabolism.

    That's because most people are the same. If you're the same height and weight as me, your BMR is going to be very similar to mine. People are overweight because they eat too much, not because they have a slow metabolism. In fact, people who are heavier burn more calories each day because they're carrying a lot of weight around, which takes more energy. There's always a few exceptions, but the majority of people aren't overweight because they have a "slow metabolism" as they'd like to believe.
  • librarianjenne
    librarianjenne Posts: 66 Member
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    Basically, focus on what works for YOU. If you're doing great on 1400 calories, then that's awesome! If you do start gaining, just cut back those calories!
  • BlueButterfly94
    BlueButterfly94 Posts: 303 Member
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    Metabolism/genetics play a major role too.
  • strassenkoenigin
    strassenkoenigin Posts: 259
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    I think you are right. I remember that in my twenties I could eat anything and not gain weight and now in my late sixties I have to watch every bite I put in my mouth and I am extremely active.

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