Short new girl looking for friends!

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PaulaPalooza
PaulaPalooza Posts: 137 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Myfitnesspal world of fun!

So I'm 5'1 and starting at 133.5 pounds. And in the past, I've experienced that it takes a bit more for us smaller women to lose weight. I was wondering if there's some other ladies on the short side out there who'd share their experiences with me.

1200 calories is pretty much what all these types of websites set me at. But, other awesome women who come in small packages, do you guys think we can go lower since we're littler??? 1200 is the number set for a person of average size... what about us? Should it be the same or should we go a tad lower for effective and healthy weight loss?

Just interested to hear other opinions!!!

Thanks,
Paula
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Replies

  • musica814
    musica814 Posts: 301 Member
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    Welcome Paula! I'm new here as well. I'm 5'3" and 150 pounds... and I agree that it definitely takes more for us shorties to lose weight, or at least enough to make a noticeable difference. I'm not really sure about the 1200 calorie limit, I know that myfitnesspal doesn't advise going any lower than 1200, but I'm not sure if it would be different if it was personalized for more petite bodies. I'll be looking forward to other answers! Feel free to add me if you like :)
  • rosec005
    rosec005 Posts: 67 Member
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    If you're concerned about eating too much, I would ask a nutritionist what they would recommend. I know 1200 calories is the minimum you need to make sure you're getting all the nutrients your body needs.
  • Lightjulesloves2run
    Lightjulesloves2run Posts: 91 Member
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    How small do u want to be? My goodness at 135..I'll be partying..I am 5'1 and 187 right now...final goal is 140. I do envy my tall friends..they can lose the weight and their height makes them thinner. If I was just a lil taller:)
  • fatmama4
    fatmama4 Posts: 39 Member
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    Hi Ladies! I am 4'10" and run between 135lbs-138lbs. I lose inches before that scale will ever budge. I never eat the 1200, and have not had a ton of luck, I keep hoping the scale will all of a sudden start to move. If you go to livestrong.com, you can enter your height and weight and lifestyle and it will give you lower calorie caps, I believe mine was around 800 something, and that was per my dr's advice also. Good luck to us all, and feel free to add me if you'd like.
  • PaulaPalooza
    PaulaPalooza Posts: 137 Member
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    Ooh, good point on that. I'm sure it's really hard to get all your nutrients in less than 1200. Also thought I'd add that I'm a vegetarian, too. Which certainly changes the nutrition values in the foods I'm eating.

    Thanks for responding so fast!
  • midwesthiker
    midwesthiker Posts: 144
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    So I can blame being 5' 1" tall as the reason my pounds take soooooo long to leave? I sometimes hate being short!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Welcome Paula! I just started a similar thread :-) I'm 5'0", and I aim for 1100-1200 calories a day, and I don't eat back my exercise calories in general (unless I have a really serious workout - then I may eat some of them). Some days I go over when I'm traveling or eat out, so I figure it all works out. I definitely can't lose if I go above 1200 - even at that, without exercise, MFP put me at a target of like .3 pounds per week, which just doesn't work for me. So, I think we shorter women can go a little lower, but it's even more important for us to then make sure the foods we do eat are nutritionally dense - no room for junk :-)
  • christina_theresa
    christina_theresa Posts: 290 Member
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    I am 5'2! You can add me as a friend if you'd like :D
  • bogle34
    bogle34 Posts: 107 Member
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    I'm 5'3 with heels..yes us shorter people is more noticble when we gain or loose..good luck!
  • MichRam
    MichRam Posts: 2
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    Hi,
    I'm also very short (4'10"), and while I find it hard to drop the weight, shedding just a few lbs makes a big difference on a small frame. But I find it hard to consume less than 1200 calories. For me, exercise is the key. Vigorous exercise such as running, cardio-kickboxing, etc, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week will build muscle and increase your metabolism. This also allows you to ingest more calories :)
  • Perfectlycrooked
    Perfectlycrooked Posts: 275 Member
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    Those were pretty much my exact stats when I started(:
  • Perfectlycrooked
    Perfectlycrooked Posts: 275 Member
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    My doctor actually recomended around 800-900 for my to lose weight :P
    It sucks being short when I want so much food!
  • JEK717
    JEK717 Posts: 1,497
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    Woop woop give a shout out to all the short girls in the house.

    I am in between 5'2 and 5'3 and very proud to be between the two. I am roughly 100.

    Feel free to add me!
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Being shorter definitely makes the weight come off slower. We have a smaller "safe deficit" zone.

    http://www.burnthefat.com/how_to_fix_slow_female_fat_loss.html
  • mollymoo89
    mollymoo89 Posts: 202
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    I'm 5'2" and started this journey at 128. I'm now down to 121.8 I've hit a little plateu and recently upped my calories to 1400 calories. It takes me forever to lose weight, about 2 pounds a month so I know what it means to have to work hard to lose just a pound. Feel free to add me.

    Personally I wouldn't go lower than 1200.
  • RTricia
    RTricia Posts: 720
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    wow. I need you as my friend!! I'm 5'1 135
  • BeGreat25
    BeGreat25 Posts: 78
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    Hi. I am 4"10 and I try to stay at 1,200 because I actually am seeing a difference. Hopefully we can make friends. I get in all my veggies and fruits and eat meat and good foods, drink my water, and I'm down to 108...so far.
  • heatherlh83
    heatherlh83 Posts: 76 Member
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    I'm 5'0.5"/122. Sending you a friend request!
  • w0rksweatachieve
    w0rksweatachieve Posts: 5
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    Hey! I'm 5'1, 120 pounds, and hoping to lose about 20 pounds before Prom.

    I was wondering the EXACT same thing! I was thinking of dropping my calorie intake to 1000, but I'm guessing it's safer/healthier to stick with 1200.
    I've had a lot of difficulty losing weight as well, it's so hard to control portion sizes when you're short!

    Good luck to everyone!
  • heatherlh83
    heatherlh83 Posts: 76 Member
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    As far as the calories go, I'd freaking starve eating less than that but I've heard that it's ok for some petite women to net a little less than 1200 calories as long as they're eating very healthy foods. Even if you're small it's difficult to squeeze necessary nutrients in and maintain proper nutrition when you're working with such a small number of calories. But I'm no expert, that's just what I've read. I eat 1200+ exercise calories.

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