'Smaller' girls and rate of weight loss/calories eaten

JAT74 · January 2015

I am aiming this post at others in a similar position to me, not those who may wish to judge or tell me I'm not eating enough etc. so if that's not you, please don't comment!

Basically I am within a healthy BMI range at the moment (though only just at 144.5lbs) and am looking to lose another 27.5lbs, ideally by April. I'm 5 foot 4 and before re-joining MFP I wasn't logging for a while, but from many years experience of calorie counting and weighing/measuring I know roughly what I was eating and it was pretty much just over TDEE, so just enough to put on the weight over time, fairly slowly.

I have recently used BMR and TDEE calculators to check where I should be in terms of calorie intake and my BMR is approx.1300 with a TDEE of 1500 (based on sedentary), and an average of 1850 TDEE in reality due to the exercise I normally do daily.

This means that in order to create a large enough deficit for me to lose the minimum 2lbs per week I was hoping to, I'd have to eat 850 calories every day (gross), even when exercising, though I realise this is too low as I'd be netting 500. Before I started I was going to aim for 3lbs per week, but unless I can somehow spend 2-3 hours working out I now know this just isn't going to happen!

So far, in the 2 weeks I've been on here this time around I have been eating an average of 1100 calories, which basically enables me to lose about 1.5 lbs per week and given the fact I started at 147.5 lbs and am now 144.5 it seems that so far I am on track. Having said this it still feels very slow and I'd like to lose more as there seem to be too many days where I've looked at the scale and seen no change.

I'm feeling full after eating every day and don't want to go lower with my calories, though I could easily go down to 1000 as I would love to be able to find a way to lose weight faster. I am thinking about having 2 fast days (as per the Fast Diet/5:2 diet) where I eat 500 calories, because I know this would help, and I know a lot of people who have been successful doing this. I wouldn't exercise on those days. On the other hand, maybe I should just be happy with the rate I am losing weight and try and stick with what I'm doing already. I could also try increasing my exercise but in the past when I've tried to do this I have found I've got too hungry.

Any ideas/tips from others who have a similar weight loss goal in a similar time period who is more or less my current size? I understand that for people who are larger and who eat more at the start of their weight loss journey they are able to lose quicker as they have more of a margin to play with but if someone can come up with something to increase my weight loss I will listen!

I know that when I get to my goal I will be able to re-assess my BMR and TDEE and I'll probably be able to eat more to maintain my lower weight, so the way I see it it's only a temporary thing that I'll be eating low calories. Compared to a lot of people I don't have far to go and I know I can stick with my current regime until April, but if the weight loss takes longer than that, I can see that I will start to lose faith and maybe I won't be able to stick with it. That added to the fact summer here begins in May, I know I'll be very unhappy if I an not near my goal weight by then.

I understand that this is a long-term commitment and I when I get to where I want to be I will definitely do whatever I have to to stay there, but the longer it takes to get to that point the less likely I am to be motivated to continue.

dawn0293 · January 2015

I'm around your height and having less calories does stink. I do alternate day fasting along with my calorie counting so that I have some days that allow for a much larger caloric intake because after awhile the whole 1100 or 1200 calories a day thing does start to wear on your nerves. It's been working nicely for me.

dramaqueen45 · January 2015

My opinion, as a small frame 5'4" woman, is to keep what you're doing and maybe even eat more- up to 1200. The reason MFP puts you at 1200 at minimum is not to make your weight loss too slow (although for sustainable weight loss it's better to lose at the rate you're losing now- 1 - 1.5 pounds per week); it's to be sure that you're getting enough nutrients for your body to function well and your organs to function well. You need at least that many calories to stay healthy. I haven't had experience with the 5:2 diet but I believe the rate of loss may be projected to be pretty much the same, it's just that for those who don't like to log daily and like to eat more and more of what they want 5 days per week it's an easier plan for them. But no, I don't think there's a way for you to lose more quickly and still stay safe and healthy. Remember that losing is hard, but it's the most difficult to maintain. You're talking about the difference of a few months to lose it vs. the rest of your life to maintain. Why not give yourself the best chance of maintaining by eating what you like at a small deficit and losing it slowly while exercising to help build and maintain overall fitness? Because in the end it's about lifestyle change right? And if you do something too drastic it won't be sustainable (or healthy and safe) and you may become frustrated and quit OR if you are successful in losing you will gain it back because what you did to lose was way too drastic a plan.

JAT74 · January 2015

It's not eating less calories that's my problem, because eating 1100 is alright, I can manage it and I don't find I'm hungry even if I exercise daily. The thing that's bugging me is the rate of weight loss while eating like this! If I had previously eaten a lot more and then dropped down to 1200 and was seeing the weight drop off at a rate of 3lbs a week, I'd be over the moon and really happy about the way things were going.

I could add in 2 fast days where I have 500 calories to speed things up but then I may start lacking in energy a little, though on those days I would not work out. I just don't know and I would like to hear from others in my position. I don't think people who don't have this problem really understand how disheartening it is, to eat so carefully but to lose so slowly. I know lots of 'thin' people who are around my goal weight who eat like this and work out and maintain their weight, and that I'm sure makes it worth it, but when you look in the mirror or on the scale and see high body fat and excess weight it's a little demotivating.

queenliz99 · January 2015

This is a lifestyle not a race.

dramaqueen45 · January 2015

Like I said I'm not sure if doing 500 two days a week will speed up the whole process. You would need to talk to someone who has experience with it, but I believe that the idea is that the overall week you're eating less and you lose at about the same rate. What I'm saying is that 2-3 pounds per week at your height and weight is not only not sustainable (if you do find a method that works) but very unsafe and unhealthy for you. I know it's frustrating. I'm the same height and I weigh about 10 pounds more and some weeks I don't see ANY loss (and I'm careful about logging plus I exercise 6 days per week) and sometimes I see less than a pound, but most weeks it's about 1 to 1.5 pounds. It is very slow and can get annoying!! In December I was a little less careful and I lost .8 pounds in a course of 3 weeks!! But I know it's healthier and more sustainable in the long run. I have done many "diets" in the past and have lost and gained many times and the reason it comes back is because these "diets" were too low in calories, or too weird (I've done the cabbage soup diet, the Special K diet, Slimfast, Hilton Head Metabolism diet, Weight Watchers, etc).

JAT74 · January 2015

Hi Dramaqueen45 I know exactly what you're saying. Yes the 5:2 diet is designed to be followed so you eat lower calories 2 days a week and then the other days you eat 'what you want', though I was thinking about doing it by sticking to the 1100 calories on the 5 days I am not fasting so I can lose weight a little quicker as I'd then be eating 1200 calories less every week overall. Ok that's not going to make a massive difference, but maybe it will speed things up a little.

Yes I do agree that time should not be so important and if it's slower it is more likely to stay off, but the problem I have is if I don't lose before the summer I know I will be really unhappy. Also, as I've been much bigger in the past (12 years ago) and I've got no idea how much I was eating before I started to lose the weight but I only had to start exercising and eating more healthily and I lost 56 lbs in 4 months and it really seemed so easy back then.

wkwebby · January 2015

I'm 5'4" and 146 at the moment so in similar boat weight wise. However, I weight train and do cardio 5 days per week so I have plenty of muscle packed on me. My calories are set to 1600 for a daily goal to lose 0.25-0.50 lb/week (I'm looking to only get to 140 or slightly below). After a 2 month stall, I'm finally losing again.

I know you're getting disheartened, but where is your goal weight coming from? Can't you feel the difference? Stop looking at the scale and start measuring inches. This always help me look at the brighter side. Also, reevaluate your goal weight and see if you have too much muscle for this number to be realistic. It sounds like you've done great so far, but if you lose too fast, your lean muscle mass will suffer (especially at this weight) which will in turn reduce your BMR for the long term.

JAT74 · January 2015

I suppose another factor is my age now I'm 40 and also the fact I've gained and lost weight several times before. I know what to overdo things but I also don't want to give up because unless I can find a way to get to my goal weight and stay there I won't ever be happy with what I see in the mirror.

I am also working out 6 days a week and I already feel a lot stronger after 2 weeks but I am waiting for the day when I see a fit, toned and lean body looking back at me. I've always felt that I try really hard but have little to show for it when to others they do nothing at all and look amazing.

wkwebby · January 2015

I am totally your weight twin then! Sort of...I'm 41. My goal weight initially was to be at 130, but my trainer has strictly forbade me to try to get there. He insists that 140 should be my ideal weight. Instead, we met in the middle with a Body Fat % of 20-24% which is within normal to athletic. I'll be happy with that and not look at the scale anymore after I've reached that number. I'm at 26% bf now (it took over a year to drop from 36%).

spunkyabroad · January 2015

1.5 lbs a week is good progress. That's the average rate I've lost at and I'm also very short. 151 cm. My calories are also under 1200 but I wouldn't want to go any lower either. Maybe you just need to convince yourself that 1.5 lbs a week isn't slow.

dramaqueen45 · January 2015

I agree with the post above- you may lose muscle if you lose too fast as well. Plus if you are lifting (you are lifting some right?) you will tone and build muscle which will help speed up your metabolism so that's a bonus too. Also, at 40 years old you are bound to just have a slower metabolism. I am 47 and years ago I used to be able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted, didn't exercise that much and I weighed and maintained at 120 pretty easily. Now 27 years and two children later plus a bum thyroid I have to really be careful, eat at a deficit, exercise 3-4 days doing some cardio and the other 3 days doing lifting.

pscarolina · January 2015

You don't want to be told to eat a normal amount of food so I will skip that. The women you see with the toned lean body you want have preserved their muscle mass. Dieting leads to fat and muscle loss, especially if you are not lifting weights and eating enough to promote muscle retention. What kind of workouts are you doing? Are they mostly cardio?

JAT74 · January 2015

Wkwebby I also weight train and do cardio, cardio probably 3 days and weight training 4 days if I think about it. I have always trained, though not always consistently. The last 2 weeks are the first time in a while that I've done this much training.

Unlike you though, I don't have much muscle and a very high body fat % for my weight and size, the scales today said 31% on one scale and 36% on another. One of them separates water and fat which gave me the lower reading, but I usually take an average between the 2 to see my actual percentage.

Even in the past when I've found I'm losing inches, it's like the muscles are pulling my waist and other body parts in, and I don't actually lose much fat which is frustrating. My goal weight of 117lbs comes from my lightest weight in the past, which was about 121 lbs and I had 25% body fat. I maintained that for quite a while and was fairly happy with my size and shape, though I wanted to lower my body fat a little at the time and had fat to lose mostly on my thighs and arms still, which were quite large compared to the rest of me. That's why I am aiming for a slightly lower weight.

j6o4 · January 2015

Quality over quantity. If a slower weight loss will give me more quality result, this is the path I would choose, which I did. When I was losing weight, my goal was to get lean, to get a nice physique with some abs. Because I wanted abs, I had to concentrate on losing fat and not weight. I didn't want to be a smaller version of what I already was. Like you, I didn't have much to lose but lost more than I thought I would have to get abs. The rate of my progress was only 1lb/week, which to some may seam slow but I much rather have quality results rather than to lose weight as fast as I can and not be happy with my physique.

astrose00 · January 2015

I think the issue is that the "smaller" you are (meaning, the less excess fat you have) the slower the weight loss will be. I'm not even sure someone at your height and weight can lose that much that fast. and if you do then you run the risk of being skinny fat (despite lifting weights) because your body has to burn something for energy so it will burn the muscle you are working to maintain. I'm not judging your methods or your reasons for wanting to lose. I also prefer fast over slow. I just don't know that you will be able to accomplish it. But you will lose SOMETHING and be closer to where you need to be. So all won't be lost (pardon the pun!).

Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear/read but I'm pretty certain you won't get the results you're hoping for. Anyway, I'm an amazon (5'8") in this convo so I'm out!

wkwebby · January 2015

I would start with increasing the weight during your training sessions, honestly. It doesn't sound like you have to decrease calories, but the muscle needs to get built up to lose while you're not doing anything. This is by no means an easy task though.

Don't lose hope (I did for a long time until a year ago) of losing that weight. It takes time and tweaking and experimentation on what to change. You should think of this as a puzzle and riddle. This gets me intrigued and still interested to keep going even if I stall in my weight.

Your cardio days are fine, but sounds like your weight training days need to be "upped" in terms of weight to give you that extra sore feeling.

Then hopefully, you'll see shredded in no time at all! In all honesty though, it takes some serious focus on muscle building to keep and put on a little while you're eating at a deficit.

JAT74 · January 2015

Pscarolina I'm doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution at the moment, I have other workout programs and a home gym with lots of equipment too but I prefer to follow something like what I'm doing because I find I stick to it better as it's a 90 day program and I can do it along with the DVD. She recommends using lighter weights so I have increased the weights from the 3lb, 5lb and 8lb she recommends to 4lb, 6lb, 8lb, 10lb and I can go higher as I find I'm getting stronger because I have weights up to 20lb or more I can use. Her program includes 4 weights days and 2 cardio days but I sometimes do other cardio in the gym in place of hers, or add dog walks for extra cardio plus some Yoga because I also like that.

ChiaGnome · January 2015

I'm in a similar position, 150lbs at 5'5" and just on the cusp of healthy and overweight according to BMI. Though I've dropped about 70 lbs so far, I've been stuck at 150 forever - though admittedly I haven't been strict with my diet or workout recently. This week I started tracking what I eat more closely and have started a running routine, so I'm hopeful this will have positive effects. I think at this point, you have to pay more attention to details, and progress is generally slower. I also attribute some of the slow-down to the winter months as I haven't been "playing" outside as much, and have definitely decreased my biking (I cycle commute to work in the warmer months, but it's too cold and dark to do so in the winter). Anyway, good luck to you!

JAT74 · January 2015

wkwebby I am also trying to eat lower carb and have increased my protein to around 80-100g per day if possible as well as lowering sugar intake so I am hoping that will help change my body composition.

I would definitely be happy at 125lbs and would happily revise my goal to that if I was lean and strong, though I don't want to look too muscular, I prefer a softer look.

astrose00 · January 2015

j6o4 wrote: »

Quality over quantity. If a slower weight loss will give me more quality result, this is the path I would choose, which I did. When I was losing weight, my goal was to get lean, to get a nice physique with some abs. Because I wanted abs, I had to concentrate on losing fat and not weight. I didn't want to be a smaller version of what I already was. Like you, I didn't have much to lose but lost more than I thought I would have to get abs. The rate of my progress was only 1lb/week, which to some may seam slow but I much rather have quality results rather than to lose weight as fast as I can and not be happy with my physique.

^^^ Uh, what he said. Did you see his profile picture??? I would listen to him. You would be surprised at how much truly "lean" people weigh while looking markedly smaller than skinny fat people of the same weight. I lift weights and people 50lbs lighter than me wear the same pants size. That's crazy.

'Smaller' girls and rate of weight loss/calories eaten

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