I'm only 5'0 and can only have 1200 calories. Any other short girls out there with the same goals?

Wow I am so glad I found your post because I am also 5'0 and I need advice on losing weight.

I'm 5'6'' and MFP said I could only have 1,200 calories a day too...... so I'd look elsewhere probably.

That's probably not correct. I'm a 5'0" male in a wheelchair (AKA completely sedentary) and I can eat around 1750 to lose.

I am 5'3" and I eat 1,200 on day that I don't go to the gym. When I exercise/go to the gym I eat at least 1,500.

I'm not a girl but I found this is where weight tracking comes in. Try the 1200 calories a day for a week and weigh your self before and after the week. See if you are losing weight. If you are losing too much weight, increase your caloric intake. One thing I learned - make adjustments to your plan on a computer, not on your Android app. For some reason the phone app doesn't work like it should in the goals section. I learned that after contacting support.

Truly, unless you're a very active girl whose burning a lot of the calories you take in, 1200 calories for a 5 foot frame seems reasonable. These days people tend to take in a lot more calories than they need. When you consider that you can get a days worth of calories in a single muffin what does that really say? Supersized? Loaded with fat and sugar? I eat 1250 and manage to have full meals and in betweens. Just watch your portion sizes and if you take in too many calories, better get moving and burn some or you'll be wearing them.

I'm 4' 10" and I can only have 1200 as well. It's so hard!

I'm 5' 3", age 55, and according to MFP, I can have 1510 cals per day, but I am also very active. I do not eat back my exercise calories because I've done that in the past and I've gained. But that's just me. Everyone is different. You have to find what works for YOU through trial and error. Good luck!

Im 4'9 ! so yes I feel you! I am trying to lose 10 pounds more and its sooooo hard!!!!

I'm 5'4, 163cm. I eat at my tdee which is 1615 calories each day. I don't eat back my calories, either.

LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »

leeanncflood wrote: »

One of the hardest parts of keeping track of my calories is not eating like a 6'0 male and eating like the 5'0 female I am! Any other girls out there in this situation? Let's be friends!

who said you can only have 1200 calories? MFP? Try other calculators and see if they are different.

Totally this! Try a TDEE calculator instead. I bet it tells you you're not only capable to eat more, but you should also eat more. 1200 is for an adult under eating! I just checked, calculated a 5'0 young female (which I am not) and it tells me I should eat at least 1600 calories for BMR!

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

(I am a 6'3" male so I don't quite fit the OP target group but...)

1200 calories is hard for anybody to stay under for long term. If you break it down, we are talking 400 calories per meal if you eat 3 squares a day... and NEVER have a snack...

That being said, none of us should be staying under 1200 calories for long term... Even those with less generous altitude advantages... By increasing our activity level, we can increase the amount of intake we can eat and still not gain weight. Now, I know there are certainly limits to this (no matter how much you exercise, you can never average 6000 calories per day AND those who are more vertically compact will burn less calories in the same activities per hour than those of us who are taller) BUT by increasing your activity level you can certainly take in more than 1200 calories per day and give yourself a bit more breathing room for maybe a snack along with a little bit more generously proportioned meals.

Best wishes on attaining your goals!

I'm 5'0 and MFP says I should eat 1230 calories a day. It is tough but I find meal planning is helpful. Also, if I find that I'm craving something, I try to make sure I can fit it into my calories for the day so I don't go crazy. So I'll have a salad for lunch if I know I've been craving a cookie (just gotta make sure I keep it at one cookie!) Also try to exercise 4-5x a week, especially if I know I'm going out to eat or I have a major craving (like an ice cream sundae!)

I'm 5 and on 1200 cals/day. at the beginning it was too hard specially when I crave for hi cal - less filling food. but if you get used to eat lots of fruits, vegs and proteins you can feel satisfied and hunger pangs will be not bad as before. and you'd be surprised how filling some salads are. I won't say that some days wouldn't be hard. but it will get easier. even the strongest dieters slip occasionally. if some days went wrong then key is not to slip too much and get back on the wagon very next day. pre-planning you food is the key to consistency. I usually pre-log my next day and I stick with it honestly.If I slip then I log that too..(after all we are doing this for ourselves rite?? so why cheating to yourself?? ) to keep my MFP streak going and enjoy my reports all the time. it gives me courage to keep going.. you can exercise and if you decide to eat workout cals then you can eat more. ( but I don't really do that and love to see my deficit big and I prefer exercise for fitness not for eating.. ) but even if you do then it wouldn't keep you from losing weight. when you start to see the changes it makes you more courageous and it will help you to focus more towards the goal;.. no worries... we can do this..

leeanncflood wrote: »

One of the hardest parts of keeping track of my calories is not eating like a 6'0 male and eating like the 5'0 female I am! Any other girls out there in this situation? Let's be friends!

I'm 5'1'' and 120 lbs and my maintenance is 1690 calories. So something is not right there. How much weight do you want to lose? How much are you planning to lose per week? Maybe take a little more time to lose the weight in order to not crack under the1200 calories a day limit.