Short girls - around 5'2 - how many net calories?

cconnolly03
cconnolly03 Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey ladies. I'm 5'2" and currently 121. Was at 131 a few years ago when I started college (freshman 15). Anyway, used myfitnesspal and eventually got down to 108!! I maintained at 111 which seemed to be where my body looked great without me having to really struggle to maintain. Now that I have graduated and am stressed, gained 10 ibs and am at 121.

Although I did successfully lose in the past, I'm so sad and stessed to see that I have gained weight. Knowing how great I used to feel, I just keep getting tempting to net low calories (700-800) but end up binging. It's tough to see on MFP that a 1200 net is not going to get me back to 111 as quickly as I wish. Whenever I net so low, I end up ravenous and binging. And I binge eat terribly!! In the past I never really used my scale (actually left it at home when I was away at school). Coming back home since graduation has been especially rough. When I lost those 23 pounds initially people from high school were amazed at how great I looked. So I feel so much pressure to get back there.

Given that I am under a lot of stress, I want to lose these 10 pounds but I want to do it right! Although I am capable of losing it fast by not eating enough, I want to be able to maintain it and not end up back in this position (make a lifestyle change that will help to feel good from now on-not just a temporary quick fix).

Being a short and very petite girl, 121 does make me look pudgy. I was curious what other short girls are netting for their weight. I need some motivation to know it's okay to net 1200 calories or more!!

The past week I have been working out for about 60 minutes daily (400-500 calorie burn guesstimate) and trying to eat about 1500-1700 calories. That amount of calories scares me ????. What are some other short ladies stats/goals/net calories? Do you feel my efforts are will lead to success (more or less calories)??


Any motivation is appreciated!!!

Replies

  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    You'll have to wait it out a few weeks and see where the weight trends. It will depend on your activity. There's many factors. Logging accuracy, possibility of overestimating burns from exercise. I use the TDEE method, personally, just because I was tired of guessing burns from exercise. I ate one stagnant amount, typically around 1900. I'm maintaining around 2350. Ideally, with so little to lose you want to create as small of a deficit as possible to lose slowly.

    Eating a good amount of protein, typically 1g per pound of lean body mass is recommended for muscle retention. Some form of resistance training would be helpful as well. Ideally, heavy lifting like with a barbell routine but if you don't have access to that, bodyweight exercises can help,.too. I'm 5'3.5 " and started out at 170 lbs. I'm 120 lbs now.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    5'3.5 1500 calories
  • fitfabforties
    fitfabforties Posts: 370 Member
    I'm 5'3" and I need to lose about 15lb....I got down to my goal weight before with eating 1200 and eating back about half of my exercise calories.....then I started lifting and the weight has piled back on so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong....I've tried a few things...TDEE method, MFP method....upping the calories to around 1600 and not eating any back, lowering them to 1500 then 1400 then 1300 and eating some back....sighhh....scale just stays the same or goes up and down within 5lb (water weight)....I don't think I've lost any actual fat in months!!....right now I'm back doing the 1200 calories and eating back about half of the calories.....
  • duscsm
    duscsm Posts: 15 Member
    I'm 5'2", also. I aim to keep my net calories under 1500.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I'm just under 5'3" and have always struggled with the same issue. I'm netting 1250 now (just re-starting out) and am pretty much in line with MFP dropping .5 lb/week. It's really a slog and hard to think about how long it will take to meet my goal, BUT the alternative is like you said, be hungry and sad and then go nuts on carbs and sugar when I can't hold off any longer and feel guilty and ashamed and not really lose at all. It's a challenge to accept facts that we really don't want to accept :) I ALWAYS eat my exercise cals

    :flowerforyou:
  • gemmamummy
    gemmamummy Posts: 185 Member
    4'11 and am about to up my intake to 1600 after a summer cut (1400). Previously I was on 2000 and maintained at that. I work out just over 3 hours a week. (25 mins cardio, 40 mins weights). All you can do is up it and monitor it after a month and take it from there. Some people can cope fine on 1200 kcals. If I didn't lift weights, I probably could too......but I wouldn't want to live on 1200!
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
    5"2, 145lbs (was 173), want to get to 125lbs....
    I have a net of 1340.
  • alska
    alska Posts: 300 Member
    I'm 5 2 n my calorie intake is 1330 ... n that's for 4 - 60 minute workouts a week. Set to lose a pound a week.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I use the TDEE method, so do not eat back exercise calories. I eat 2000 calories/day, and do weight training for about 2 1/2 hrs per week and walking for about 4 hrs per week. I am 5'2". Still trying to lose the last 3 pounds, but I don't want to eat less.
  • jayladeyman
    jayladeyman Posts: 24
    5"2, 145lbs (was 173), want to get to 125lbs....
    I have a net of 1340.

    thats hardly any cals :( eek
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    I'm 5'1.5", lightly active and it tells me to lose 1 pound a week I'm at 1310... I try to eat back ha;f of my exercise calories or more... It works pretty well for me. I'm at 112 right now... On event weeks I lower loss to 0.5 lb/week and get 1590 cals... With so little to lose theses are reasonable. Oh, and I lift as well as do cardio.

    I tried it the low calorie, MFP at sedentary and it said 1200 I would lose 0.7 lb/week... Ughhhh, so I like you said ate less than that. I got down to 125 and was stuck there for 1.5 years. I work out a lot, but I wasn't losing and I wasn't tightening up. I looked okay in clothes, I was very soft.

    Then I started working with a trainer... EAT MORE... Moderate the exercise. Let your body recover. You aren't sedentary, set it at active or lightly active and use the numbers it gives you... I was terrified.


    Good luck.
  • 98bikinisuitedlbs
    98bikinisuitedlbs Posts: 416 Member
    I am 42yo and maintaining CW 103-105 overall 2-3 weight fluctuations. I exercise 5 times a week ballet beautiful, physique57, pop Pilates and Pilates DVDs with resistance bands and hand weights. My intake can vary from 1200-1800 as I tend to eat more Monday-Wednesday as I am simply hungrier these days.

    I tend to do stay more @ 100llbs 5'1 when I exercise less.

    Good luck as I am still trying to lose the last 4lbs before the holidays and it is certainly a daily struggle.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    I'm 5 3 and hypothyroid and 46 years old. maintenance for me would be only 1450 calories. So to lose I eat between 1000 and 1200. It's slow at this point but as I only have 10 more pounds to go I'm not in a hurry because I don't look gross any more. I just keep at it day after day. The sad part is that when I finally get to maintenance I will barely be permitted to eat more than I do now. I have resigned myself to the "perma diet" because I don't want to be fat again.
  • Lindyandcheryl
    Lindyandcheryl Posts: 9 Member
    I'm 5'2", lost from 163.5 to 140.8 so far, in about 6months, would like to be low to mid 130's. Because I'm older, my metabolism is very slow. The way weight loss works for me is 1200 calories with about 90 grams of protein. I get the a lot protein via vanilla Greek yogurt...make a sundae, reporting all calories, of a drizzle of honey, about a teaspoon of crushed nuts, dried low sugar cranberries, and a few mini chocolate chips, spread light /fat free Cool Whip on top. That's my "reward" for my reduced calorie intake, health, and a lifestyle change, it really takes commitment but I like living!

    Good luck on your journey, there's always rocks in the road!
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    I'm 5 3 and hypothyroid and 46 years old. maintenance for me would be only 1450 calories. So to lose I eat between 1000 and 1200. It's slow at this point but as I only have 10 more pounds to go I'm not in a hurry because I don't look gross any more. I just keep at it day after day. The sad part is that when I finally get to maintenance I will barely be permitted to eat more than I do now. I have resigned myself to the "perma diet" because I don't want to be fat again.

    I really believed this to be true for me as well... 40 with thyroid issues, I'm just destined to the "perma diet" as you put it. But really the last 10 pounds took me changing my mind set and stepping out of my comfort zone. I truly eat more than that and am losing weight while retaining muscle mass...
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
    5"2, 145lbs (was 173), want to get to 125lbs....
    I have a net of 1340.

    thats hardly any cals :( eek

    Remember that is net though - I eat all my exercise calories back (as judged by my HRM). Today I will have eaten 1650 cals.
  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
    5'3", 130 lbs, and 29 years old here. I have a high activity level, so that does factor into my calories. I'd like to get down to maybe 120 or so, I think (not 100% sure - will be more based on how I look and feel rather than the actual number).

    Rather than the MFP/"explicitly eat back calories" system I use the TDEE system (which already factors in the "extra" exercise calories): http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I have my calories set to 1900 per day, but I do generally eat a bit more on the weekends. I am losing, as long as I stick to the 1900 on weekdays and only go moderately over on the weekends. I am trying to lose 0.5-1 lbs per week ideally.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    Whatever you do make sure you net 1200 calories.

    I'm 5'1 and I eat about 1600-1900 calories and make sure I net between 1200-1400 calories. I exercise 6 days a week, and on 3-4 of those days I get in 2 workouts, so I can afford to eat 1800-1900 calories. I try to keep it to 1800 a day though, but this past Saturday, I burned about 600 calories working out, so I ended up eating about 2300 calories, which made my net about 1700. And I still lost 1.5 pounds that week.

    Just make sure you are eating enough to sustain whatever exercising you are doing, but still having a deficit, and you will lose weight. Look up the TDEE method.

    ETA: I weight about 132-133 now, and I'd like to get to about 125-128. Once I get to 128, I'll reevaluate my goal, and I might decide it's time to do body recomp.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    45yrs, 5' 1'' 1/2, 125lb. I maintain on around 1600cals net. And I lose slowly with at around 1300cals. I cycle my daily cals a bit, so that is an average intake. My actual intake is around 500 two days a week and anywhere between 1500-2500 on the others, depending on the day and the exercise I get in.

    Don't be scared to eat. If you limit your cals at too low a level for too long, you will do your body and your goal of weightloss more harm than good.
  • palmerme
    palmerme Posts: 1
    I'm 5'3", 118 lbs (down from 124 lbs less than 3 weeks ago) and I aim for 1150-1300 calories/day (depending on my activity level). Paying attention to WHAT you are eating, not just HOW MUCH will help you avoid the ravenous feelings. Aim for higher amounts of protein and complex carbs (whole grains, starches, etc), which will leave you feeling fuller longer without a ton of calories.

    My diet is a focus for me at the moment because I'm doing a strength training program, but I shoot for 110 grams of protein/day (4 calories / gram = 440 calories from protein), and make up the balance with fats (almonds, nut butters, dairy) and complex carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and protein-enriched pasta) and veggies (lots and lots of broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumber, spinach, kale, etc).

    Like I said, I've been following this eating plan for 3 weeks, and I've lost more than 6 lbs. Much of it is likely water weight, but I've also lost an inch from my waist, so something is working! :)
  • steff274
    steff274 Posts: 227 Member
    I am 5ft 2 when I was still losing on about 1250 1300 and eating back some but not all of my excersize calories.. I have been maintaining for a while now and am eating up to 2000 calories a day sometimes a little over, maintaining at 7st 7 and this is line I am drawing!! Recently dropped a pound and it kind of scares me that although I have a healthy bmi I am 5 pounds off under weight!! I want to look pretty and fit not bony!!
  • Arekha
    Arekha Posts: 45 Member
    5'1" sigh! at 123 lbs, MFP has me at 1210 net to lose .5/wk. I set at sedentary and eat back exercise cals. I do go over (100 to 150) occasionally (again net). losing very slowly...slightly lower than 05/wk, but since I do go over occasionally this is to be expected. Focusing on increasing activity and getting more protein and fiber in..
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
    5'3, around 128lbs and averaging 1800 gross calories.
    I am quite active (student + desk job but I try to move around as much as possible), and I lift weights 3x week.
    I have occasional "whatever" days where I don't sweat it too much (lunch with relatives, birthday party, pizza night with friends).
    I tried the 1200 route but it didn't work for me. Fast loss at first but then I always ended up supah-hungry and prone to splurging and quitting. At that time "birthday party" meant stuffing my face with food and feeling guilty afterwards. Now I just have a slice of cake, even two if it's good, a good beer and move on.

    I'm losing around 2 lbs a month, which is slow but very sustainable and doable. It's taking a lot of time but I never feel deprived or stressed because of food. It doesn't feel like a diet at all. I just had ice-cream and I'm happy :wink:

    ETA: you may want to incorporate some sort of strength training to improve your body composition.
    Last year I dropped to 130lbs with a combination of 1200 calories, stress and digestive issues and I had to buy new summer clothes. Then I gained back all the weight plus some (guess why?) and I started losing it in March with increased calories and strength training. This July I was 130lbs (same as last year) but the clothes I had bought last summer were all loose. :wink:
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    I am 5'0 (Shortest one on this thread! Hurrah!) and 130 lbs.


    I am losing slowly on 1650/day. I don't count exercise calories. If I'm still hungry after I eat my 1650 and I worked really really hard in the gym that day or the previous day, I eat more.

    9is0hj.jpg

    2gsn150.jpg


    I used to starve myself and eat 1200 or less, but then I decided to use my brain. I have a desk job that I'm fairly sedentary at most of the day, but I bust my butt in the gym (only 1 hr lifting session per day 5/6 days a week and no cardio). I don't think I look pudgy, but I weigh more than most people that commented on here and am eating more than most people commented on here. When I ate 1200 or less, I would end up binging. I haven't binged in months since I upped my calories.

    To be fair, I did gain about 6 pounds in 4 months but I was averaging 2000+ around that time. Am losing it now slowly on 1650.
  • 98bikinisuitedlbs
    98bikinisuitedlbs Posts: 416 Member
    I'm 5 3 and hypothyroid and 46 years old. maintenance for me would be only 1450 calories. So to lose I eat between 1000 and 1200. It's slow at this point but as I only have 10 more pounds to go I'm not in a hurry because I don't look gross any more. I just keep at it day after day. The sad part is that when I finally get to maintenance I will barely be permitted to eat more than I do now. I have resigned myself to the "perma diet" because I don't want to be fat again.

    I really believed this to be true for me as well... 40 with thyroid issues, I'm just destined to the "perma diet" as you put it. But really the last 10 pounds took me changing my mind set and stepping out of my comfort zone. I truly eat more than that and am losing weight while retaining muscle mass...

    This is so true, I feel like the only way to lose a pound in two weeks is to eat 1200 calories. I do cheat Monday -Wednesday and I am struggling getting to my last 5lbs. I am not consistent with my calories, I eat 1800 for 4 days (typically Monday-Thursday) and then 900-1200 to try to make my weekly deficit. It's a daily struggle.
  • kethry70
    kethry70 Posts: 404 Member
    Please eat. Food is not evil - it is fuel (and tastes good). I am 5'1", 44 years old (so twice your age), have a desk job, and have a metabolic disorder (PCOS). I lose weight eating 1500 cals a day and getting exercise about 4 x a week. It may not be super fast but I don't binge, I'm not obsessed with food, and I feel good
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    You can get that low without netting less than 1200. I did it several years ago (and then ate ate ate ooops). It's going to take some time but it's just not realistic to try to lose 10ish pounds quickly at your weight. You can net more than 1200 and get down that low and it really helps to make sure you're eating the right types of food. Learn what works for your body. It might help to focus on exercises that tone your body and strength training so that you can see a physical difference in your body without having to worry about the number on the scale.

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