5'2" -ish women under 120 lbs: How did you get there?

Never been really overweight, but I've been bigger than I am. I am afraid, it is eat less than you burn... Macros don't really matter, or they kind of exercise. Just pick whatever suits you.

I got from 126 to 116 about a year ago (but gained all of if and then some back due to medication unrelated to weight) and I'm 5'2" on good days. Really, I just stuck to 1300 calories a day, drank 10 cups of water, and walking around campus was 'enough' exercise for me (I hate hate hate sweating.) It took about 5 months, though. I had my cheat days on sunday, and it was more like a doughnut for a snack, or maybe going out and getting soup and salad. I think the hardest part to overcome was not seeing immediate results, and getting out of that 'I'll never reach my goal, so what's the point' mindset. Good luck to you.

I'm 5"2 and went from around 193lbs to now 100lbs. I actually want to gain a little, and tone/gain muscles. I want to look strong, not skinny so currently working on it.

I watched my calories, didn't "eat clean" just everything in moderation. I did/do exercise, was mainly cardio, trying to do weights more now though with a little cardio.

At the moment, if you've seen my other posts etc, I'm struggling with being just over the 120 lb mark (120-121 lbs right now) and I'm a little taller at 5 ft 3 (so maybe it kinda relates to being 5 ft 2 and under 120!? anyway…).

HOWEVER, before I gained an extra couple pounds while sick this past week, I was hitting 118/119 lbs and hopefully can get back there within a few days or week.

My first goal is 115, but I'm starting to have more confidence (panicked earlier) that I can do it again within a month. After 115 is when it'll start getting tricky. I feel you. Yes it involves calorie overall of about 1200-1300 calories, which can be really hard!

I'm no chemist/nutritionist, so I don't know if all of my advice has actual genuine meaning. But still, I try to avoid foods high in salt as this can confuse you and your scales as you retain a little water weight.

I don't often follow the macros but whenever I check up on them I actually find I'm ok with fat, slightly high on carbs and slightly low on protein…but it hasn't negatively affected my weight loss. Sometimes when I eat LOADS of carbs and not much else in a day I'll be a lot heavier than I should be the next day. Say an accidental binge (e.g. restaurant meal evening) of 1700 calories of mostly carbs vs. 1700 calories of normal balanced eating, I seem to be about 0.5 lbs heavier on the balanced binge and 1-1.5 lbs heavier on the carbs binge the next day. People will refute this I'm just telling you my observation.

I also find 1250-1350 allows me to still lose weight. Make sure you're not eating too little and CAN actually eat a little more with still losing weight. Experiment for a few days/week with 1300 but try and STICK to it almost exactly to see true results.

When you want something naughty, have it, don't hold back or it'll drive you insane. Just choose the little 110 calorie chocolate bar instead of the massive treat-sized 400 calorie bar. Or try a 35 cal biscuit not a big cookie for 250 cals. Stick within calories.

Use your calories well. By this, don't "waste" calories on things you might not really need. This is my biggest piece of advice. Swap salad dressings for lemon juice…20 calories saved. Swap beef mince for quorn mince, saves 100 calories or more, swap normal mayo for the lightest mayo (doesn't taste great on its own but mixed with things like tuna and you'd never know) 40 calories saved.

Those kinds of things. Do you need to fry your veg? Boil or roast instead. Do you need breaded fish? Go for normal. Try sweet potato fries not real potato fries.

You get the idea. I'm sure you do some of these already just thought I'd share that that's what I think every time I go to cook or buy something : do I really need this?

I am 5 ft medium frame at 113. Have been maintaining on 1350-1500 calories a day. Light exercise. I cheat a lot but fit it in. If i go over one day ill go under the next. Really its all about focus and remembering the lower you go the slower it comes off. And by slower i mean VERY VERY slow.

Love all your posts... seems easier for me to be motivated...

kittenful wrote: »

My best tip on that is this: Do something that you enjoy. For whatever reason. If it makes you happy, you'll be motivated to do it again and again. Got bored? Change it up. Try new things.

^^ This is huge for me. I get bored and off track a lot with the same old, same old. There are 4 different parks nearby that I will go to, to walk/run/hike, a 24 hr gym less than 2 miles away from my house, and some weights and a DVD for home use should I need them if I am not in the mood to leave. Really want to add a bicycle to the mix.

I'm 5'2 and 115lbs. For a few years I was in the 125-135 range but for me, it took instense workouts (think boot camp, cross-fit style work outs) as well as a clean eating plan to take it to the 115 mark. I eat 6 meals - each around 200-300 calories. My diary is open so feel free to take a look.

I'm 5'1" and recently hit the 155 mark on the scale, which is the most I've ever weighed and not a number I'd like to see there for very long. In my teens and early 20s I could maintain 105 and be healthy, but now I think 115-120 is more realistic for long term so that's my goal. I know I'll be able to get the first 5-10 pounds off fairly easily, but after that I expect I'll plateau and probably be in here with setbacks asking for your advice. At this point, though, I'd consider fitting back into the jeans I wore when I was 135 to be a major accomplishment!

Anyway, in the past when I've been successful at weight loss, it's never really stuck, mostly because the #1 way I shed pounds is when I travel. If I'm not at my desk job, but instead out sightseeing and walking and climbing and hiking and being active morning 'till night, I lose weight easily. But when I get back home, I tend to fall back into my old habits and gain it back. Not good.

So this is a bit more of a "don't do what I did" post than anything with helpful advice. But I'm trying it differently this time around. In addition to all the usual stuff -- logging, exercising, etc. I think there are a couple of tricks to doing this for women of our height/size:

1. Get comfortable with leaving food on your plate. I have to keep reminding myself that restaurant portions are like clothes and chairs -- they're made for average-sized *men* and therefore way too big for me. Restaurant portions have gotten so big lately, and even packaged portions at the grocery store are way out of whack. It took me a while to get socially comfortable enough to eat half of what's on my plate and simply send the rest back. Yes, I had enough. Yes, I'm full. No, I don't want a doggie bag, thanks very much.

2. Recognize that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to calculators. The estimates on calculators and tools -- especially free online ones -- tend to also be made for those aforementioned 5'9" men, and extrapolated from there. So at the smaller end of the height spectrum for us ladies, they could be wildly inaccurate. I use them as a starting point and then listen to my body, especially when it comes to micronutrients. For instance, I find it's hard to meet certain one-size-fits-all RDAs for calcium, iron, etc. My doctor says it's fine to take a multivitamin as long as I'm getting proportionate amounts from healthy eating, too, and I find I tend to feel better when I do.

3. Find a physical activity that suits your body type. I ski in the wintertime, for example; skiing is a sport that isn't height-dependent to succeed. I've tried spinning classes and been frustrated by spin bikes that don't adjust small enough for me to properly reach the pedals or the handlebars. A basketball league would be a terrible idea for someone my height (unless I were unusually talented) but a squash league might work. I think the key is not to fight our bodies, but to work with them.

4. Get some awesome tailored clothing that makes you feel great about yourself. Weight loss is *much* easier when we're not battling self-esteem issues. Unfortunately, body image gets all tied up in the media "ideal" of long, tall, leggy women with willowy limbs. We're never going to look like that no matter how thin we get. But that's okay. Buying some awesome petite-proportioned clothes -- or finding a great local tailor who can adjust them for me -- is one trick I use to feel svelte and sexy in whatever I'm wearing. After all, it's not my fault that the fashion industry would prefer to pretend that women under 5'10" don't exist. I know I'm awesome at any size.