Tall girl weight loss

Hi all,
I'm 6ft tall and have about 100lbs to lose. I'm curious if there are any other tall girls out there struggling to lose like I am? MFP tells me I'm allowed 2250cal per day at light activity to lose 2lbs per week but that seems high to me. I've been eating around 1800cal but can't seem to lose. I'm good with my portions, weigh everything and am active three to four days a week (yoga and Zumba). I'm contemplating reducing my calories even more but am worried I'll start losing muscle instead of fat. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • kbsangel1986
    kbsangel1986 Posts: 153 Member
    edited May 2015
    Just a suggestion (haven't creeped your profile yet to see if I can view your diary), but try a few weeks at the recommended goal and see if there is a difference. Worst that can happen is it will take you a few weeks longer to reach goal. I'm 5ft 7 with 112 to lose total as my goal. At lightly active, (i underestimate my activity a lot) I get 1850 at 2lb a week and do well with it.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    How long have you been at it, and how are you measuring your portions? Can you open your diary?
  • DaneanP
    DaneanP Posts: 433 Member
    I'm 5'11'' and eat 1860 calories per day, work out (around 300 calories burned) 4-5 days a week, and have been steadily losing 1 pound a week. I have 20 pounds to go.

    How long have you been at it?
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    How long have you been trying?
    How new is the exercise?
    Are you near your time of the month?

    Are you being very careful which database entries you're choosing? There are a lot of little things to know to not choose inappropriate entries, and also inaccurate entries.

    Do you eat out a lot, or eat at other people's houses a lot?

    Have you tried weighing the packaged foods you eat regularly to see if they match the weight listed on the package? (They don't always!)

    Are you sure you're not forgetting to log things? Oil you cook with, butter on your bread, cream in your coffee, coffee itself, dipping sauces, candies, tasting bites of thing while cooking, etc.

    Are you logging consistently? (Every day, no "cheat" days where you also skip logging.)
  • CourtzzD
    CourtzzD Posts: 6 Member
    edited May 2015
    I've been consistently tracking since January and have lost about 5lbs. I don't eat pre packaged foods much, and eat out maybe once per week but am careful when I do. I'm not new to exercise... Been doing various things my whole life, from the gym, personal training, yoga, dragon boating and Zumba. I'm super frustrated since I feel like I've been eating pretty well but don't seem to be losing. It gives me hope though that others are eating about the same calorie amount as me and still losing. I guess I'll just keep trying and hopefully I'll move past this plateau...
  • DaneanP
    DaneanP Posts: 433 Member
    Can you open your food diary? That might help people give you suggestions.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member

    Are you weighing your food?
  • CourtzzD
    CourtzzD Posts: 6 Member
    I am weighing my food.
    I guess I'm just interested in what others have found works. I see a lot of posts about shorter people eating 1200cal but none on us tall gals. :smile:
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    CourtzzD wrote: »
    I've been consistently tracking since January and have lost about 5lbs. I don't eat pre packaged foods much, and eat out maybe once per week but am careful when I do. I'm not new to exercise... Been doing various things my whole life, from the gym, personal training, yoga, dragon boating and Zumba. I'm super frustrated since I feel like I've been eating pretty well but don't seem to be losing. It gives me hope though that others are eating about the same calorie amount as me and still losing. I guess I'll just keep trying and hopefully I'll move past this plateau...

    OK that means that it's been roughly 20 weeks

    and if you've lost 5lb in that time you are losing 1/4 lb a week

    so you're eating at a defecit of 125 calories a day

    whatever MFP has estimated your TDEE at, based on how you are logging at the moment (food and exercise) you need to reduce your food intake

    in order to hit 2lb a week, you need to cut it down another 975 calories per day

    you are simply not logging accurately here

    read the calorie counting 101 thread

  • SoUl_ReBeL2021
    SoUl_ReBeL2021 Posts: 120 Member
    I'm 5" 10 1/2 and was eating 1250 calories per day was losing for awhile and then it stopped. The doctor said he wants me to eat 1800 cal per day but I normally eat around 1400 to 1600 cal per day. My weight is moving I just lost a pound and I am also not able to exercise due to knee surgery needed. So try maybe cutting calories to 1500-1600 see if that helps. Basically you have to trick your body by switching the calorie amount" shock it" .
  • Fitmum84
    Fitmum84 Posts: 6 Member
    I am 5'11 and 146 pounds, I don't use MFP's recommendation as it has never really worked well for me. I have my calories set to 1760 to lose about 1lb a week although I am only looking to lose 5-6lbs. I know I will lose around 1lb a week doing it like this as I have done it before, I successfully lost about 10lbs the last time but I really need to keep tracking and logging everything once I am in maintenance otherwise I slowly regain about 5-6lbs. I also do not log my exercise calories in MFP, it is already accounted for in my calorie goal
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    CourtzzD wrote: »
    I've been consistently tracking since January and have lost about 5lbs. I don't eat pre packaged foods much, and eat out maybe once per week but am careful when I do. I'm not new to exercise... Been doing various things my whole life, from the gym, personal training, yoga, dragon boating and Zumba. I'm super frustrated since I feel like I've been eating pretty well but don't seem to be losing. It gives me hope though that others are eating about the same calorie amount as me and still losing. I guess I'll just keep trying and hopefully I'll move past this plateau...

    OK that means that it's been roughly 20 weeks

    and if you've lost 5lb in that time you are losing 1/4 lb a week

    so you're eating at a defecit of 125 calories a day

    whatever MFP has estimated your TDEE at, based on how you are logging at the moment (food and exercise) you need to reduce your food intake

    in order to hit 2lb a week, you need to cut it down another 975 calories per day

    you are simply not logging accurately here

    read the calorie counting 101 thread

    ^^ This. If you believe doing everything right, but you're not losing you're either 1) overestimating the amount of exercise calories you're burning to come to your calorie levels, or 2) you're not logging as accurately as you think. As others have said, we can't see your diary, so we can't really give advice on that. Link for the calorie counting 101 thread

    I'm 6'1, and currently 116kg/255lbs (already over 50lbs down). With 2-3 workouts a week plus quite a bit of walking, I'm have a steady loss (on average at least, I seem to hold and woosh a bit) eating around 1800 a day. I would suggest you use a calculator like ifcalc, be very honest with the intensity of your workouts with the settings, and maybe use that instead of the mfp settings.

    I put in your details that I could see from your profile (I had to guestimate your weight by noting how much your ticker said you want to lose). It set your TDEE at 2639day / 18470 a week, which is in theory, what you would need to maintain. It gave me that as a sedentary person, a consistent 1lb a week loss (TDEE - 20%) should be ~2100 cal a day. For 2lbs a week, you're looking at ~1630cal. So, if you're doing mfp's 2250, being sedentary would be about .75lbs a week.
  • heathyyyy
    heathyyyy Posts: 9 Member
    It's weird that everyone's calorie intake is 1,800.... I started myfitnesspal last year. I am 5'10 and when I started, it only suggested me eating roughly 1,270 a day? Which I did (I didn't feel hungry either/feel like I was starving). I did lose 20lbs from doing that, and an extra 10 when I started working out more and lifting. Now I'm trying to gain slowly but slow that I gain lean muscle. You might not be losing any weight because maybe you are gaining muscle?
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    heathyyyy wrote: »
    It's weird that everyone's calorie intake is 1,800.... I started myfitnesspal last year. I am 5'10 and when I started, it only suggested me eating roughly 1,270 a day? Which I did (I didn't feel hungry either/feel like I was starving). I did lose 20lbs from doing that, and an extra 10 when I started working out more and lifting. Now I'm trying to gain slowly but slow that I gain lean muscle. You might not be losing any weight because maybe you are gaining muscle?

    If the op is eating at a deficit, she's not gaining muscle. (I have no idea if the op is at a deficit or not. But wanted to point out that one will not gain muscle on a deficit. )
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    My questions for you are:
    1. What is your actual weight? When I started, I had 108 pounds to get to the top of a normal bmi (5'10", 282 pounds).
    2. What activity level are you set at in MFP? I've gotten the best results when I stay at sedentary and log all exercise.
    3. How much of your exercise calories are you eating back? I typically recommend eating back around half.
    4. What is your BMR? It's best if you can eat at least around this number daily. Right now, MFP probably has you around or over this number, but it can become an issue the closer you get to goal.
    5. Are you drinking enough water? If you consume too much sodium, retained water weight can mask results. Drink more water to fix this.
    6. How often do you change up your workout routine? Personally I'd recommend upping your exercise to 5-6 days per week. Make sure you're alternating your routine daily (I alternate weight training with running or cardio workout videos). you should be com
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    completely changing up your routines every month for maximum results.

    Finally, how intense are your workouts? As Billy Blanks says, "You have you give some to get some."

    Best of luck to you!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    completely changing up your routines every month for maximum results.

    Finally, how intense are your workouts? As Billy Blanks says, "You have you give some to get some."

    Best of luck to you!

    There is actually no need to change your routine every month. One's muscles do not adapt that quickly. And you are training and you stop seeing progress, then it's probably more beneficial to change the routine. But the newer you are to a training regime, the longer it will take to him maximum efficiency.
  • elizabethrbrt
    elizabethrbrt Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2015
    I'm 5.11. I started off eating 1,2000 cals a day. No exercise at the time. learned to cut my portions.
    Now I exercise 2 or 3 times a week. Still on 1,200 of nutritious meals. I'm definitely toning up and getting stronger muscles.
    I would be putting on weight if I were eating 1,800 cals a day!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I'm 5.11. I started off eating 1,2000 cals a day. No exercise was working great. Now I excercise 2 or 3 times a week. Still on 1,200 of nutritious meals. I'm definitely toning up and getting stronger muscles.

    strength gains in defecit .. yep

    muscle mass gains in defecit .. highly doubtful with the exception of some outliers like total newbies and teenage boys
  • Sarahndipity30
    Sarahndipity30 Posts: 312 Member
    I am 6'1" I have my activity set at sedentary. I have 115 lbs to lose. With my doctors orders, I am eating at 1200-1500 cals a day. Anything higher and all I do is maintain. I do TRX twice a week, and walk when I can at least 30 mins every day. When I feel like It ill go lift or maybe do some cardio, but my doctor doesn't want me running right now. MFP suggested me at 1870 cals. I would say open your diary so people can give you honest opinions about what you are eating. I drink 3-4 liters of water a day so I suggest getting that in. (you shoul dbe drinking close to half your body weight in oz of water). You don't have to exercise everyday to lose weight. 80% of losing weight is DIET. if you aren't losing you aren't logging correctly. How much sodium are you intaking? the first 15 lbs I lost was nothing but water weight and I put it back on easily if I overeat sodium high foods. Feel free to add me if youd like.
  • kastephens11
    kastephens11 Posts: 57 Member
    I'm 5'8" with 100lbs to lose and I put my activity at sedentary with a goal of losing two pounds a week. I usually work out every day and have noticed I lose a pound a week. My calorie limit is 1400 but depending on the day I'll burn 300-600 calories from my workouts. My calorie limit will probablyy change once I start working at a nursing home again because then I will change my activity to active most of the day.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I am 6'1" I have my activity set at sedentary. I have 115 lbs to lose. With my doctors orders, I am eating at 1200-1500 cals a day. Anything higher and all I do is maintain. I do TRX twice a week, and walk when I can at least 30 mins every day. When I feel like It ill go lift or maybe do some cardio, but my doctor doesn't want me running right now. MFP suggested me at 1870 cals. I would say open your diary so people can give you honest opinions about what you are eating. I drink 3-4 liters of water a day so I suggest getting that in. (you shoul dbe drinking close to half your body weight in oz of water). You don't have to exercise everyday to lose weight. 80% of losing weight is DIET. if you aren't losing you aren't logging correctly. How much sodium are you intaking? the first 15 lbs I lost was nothing but water weight and I put it back on easily if I overeat sodium high foods. Feel free to add me if youd like.

    Than you are eating more than you think...I lose on 1800 and way shorter and I weigh 150.
  • Sarahndipity30
    Sarahndipity30 Posts: 312 Member
    edited May 2015
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I am 6'1" I have my activity set at sedentary. I have 115 lbs to lose. With my doctors orders, I am eating at 1200-1500 cals a day. Anything higher and all I do is maintain. I do TRX twice a week, and walk when I can at least 30 mins every day. When I feel like It ill go lift or maybe do some cardio, but my doctor doesn't want me running right now. MFP suggested me at 1870 cals. I would say open your diary so people can give you honest opinions about what you are eating. I drink 3-4 liters of water a day so I suggest getting that in. (you shoul dbe drinking close to half your body weight in oz of water). You don't have to exercise everyday to lose weight. 80% of losing weight is DIET. if you aren't losing you aren't logging correctly. How much sodium are you intaking? the first 15 lbs I lost was nothing but water weight and I put it back on easily if I overeat sodium high foods. Feel free to add me if youd like.

    Than you are eating more than you think...I lose on 1800 and way shorter and I weigh 150.

    No, every "body" is different. I follow my doctors nutrition rules, I weigh, I measure and I enter my own diary information. I also have a severely under active thyroid disorder. I never lose eating 1900+. Congrats on your loss, but don't assume someone will and should be losing just because you are. There are other factors to think about.
  • I'm 5'10 and not over weight. MFP allows me 1300 calories a day...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I am 6'1" I have my activity set at sedentary. I have 115 lbs to lose. With my doctors orders, I am eating at 1200-1500 cals a day. Anything higher and all I do is maintain. I do TRX twice a week, and walk when I can at least 30 mins every day. When I feel like It ill go lift or maybe do some cardio, but my doctor doesn't want me running right now. MFP suggested me at 1870 cals. I would say open your diary so people can give you honest opinions about what you are eating. I drink 3-4 liters of water a day so I suggest getting that in. (you shoul dbe drinking close to half your body weight in oz of water). You don't have to exercise everyday to lose weight. 80% of losing weight is DIET. if you aren't losing you aren't logging correctly. How much sodium are you intaking? the first 15 lbs I lost was nothing but water weight and I put it back on easily if I overeat sodium high foods. Feel free to add me if youd like.

    Than you are eating more than you think...I lose on 1800 and way shorter and I weigh 150.

    No, every "body" is different. I follow my doctors nutrition rules, I weigh, I measure and I enter my own diary information. I also have a severely under active thyroid disorder. I never lose eating 1900+. Congrats on your loss, but don't assume someone will and should be losing just because you are. There are other factors to think about.

    Most people aren't too different, but having the bold part, is a huge variable in the energy balance equation. And generally, when someone has a medical condition, it should be made aware of, because a person who doesn't have that issue, shouldn't be following your plan.
  • greengirl4
    greengirl4 Posts: 22 Member
    I'm 5'11" and currently 230lbs. I am set at lightly active, and work out 5-6 times a week at a high intensity for 45min to an hour. My goal is to lose another 60lbs and MFP gives me 1500 cals a day. I generally earn 500-800 exercise calories on the days I work out, and I usually eat back about half of those. So basically, I eat about 2000 calories a day when I work out, 1500 when I don't, and I've lost 14lbs in 33 days. This is more than the 2lbs a week, but I'm usually under my calorie goal by a few hundred calories. I imagine my weight loss will slow down to 2lbs or less as I get closer to goal. Perhaps upping the intensity of your work outs would help?