Devil's advocate: 1200 calories for petite/short women?

I am 4' 8", that's right ladies, I officially fit in that dwarf category, :-) I agree that everyone should do what works for them. You know your body and you know what works for you (while still feeling good and having energy). Do you know what 4' 8" is? It is the average size of a 9 y/old, just to put in perspective of those that don't realize how small that actually is.

I'm in the process of losing weight and have been doing 1200 (net) for a few months threw MFP and have not lost any weight...have actually put some back on.

I was steadily losing weight slowly over a couple years when I was just exercising and eating healthy without stalking my calorie intake. To be honest, since I have been tracking, I feel like I am eating more because I see I have room to eat, whether or not I actually need the food. When I just do what my body asks for (seemingly less than 1200), I lose weight and feel great.

By the way, I would also like to point out that most standard health charts don't go down to 4' 8". I believe they do not go below 4' 10", so the "standards" don't even include us little ladies.

Hello!

I am SOOOO glad I am not the only petite female out there! I am 4"11 and 110 pounds. I "try" to stay within the 1200 calorie range, but lets be honest.. I LOVE TO EAT!!~! So I just consume as many nutrient dense foods I can before giving into my beloved chocolate and beer so that I can even the score (balance the good calories from the empty ones) on my nutrition side. I weight lift/run three times a week so I am confident in not gaining too much weight. In fact, I don't mind if I go over a little on the caloric side, especially when I eat loads of protein. As far as my diet is concerned (regardless of how much calories I consume - if I even remember to count them), my diet is "normally' squeaky clean. I am the gal that prefers fruit over cake; meat over pasta, and veggies in between meals. As long as I keep craving those types of food, I don't keep track too much about my calories. As long as my muscles keep building, I am happy. My body really does tell me when I've had enough and my heart tells me I am staying healthy. Healthy heart = happy me!

P.S. I love carb cycling if I do need to loose a couple pounds. I have found this really works well for me. Read the book Carb Cycling by Chris Powell or look it up on the internet if you are interested. Basically it is a cycle of high carb and low carb every other day to throw your body off so that it doesn't get used to one diet plan. The high carb days gives your fuel and energy while the low carb days (aka high protein days) are the days that really burn the fat. It's actually quite interesting and it works if you work it. There is one cheat day a week and his meal plans are very easy with lots of different options to choose from. Anyhoo, just thought I'd share the only diet I have successfully been on. It has worked for me in the past and it works on every successful Extreme Weight Loss contestant Chris and Heidi Powell has had on their ABC show. I'm not a paid promoter, just a fan of the show and their workout ethics!

I am 5ft 2 activity setting very active to maintain I actually lose on 2000 calories I need to be mindful to eat back 1/2 my excersize calories.. myfitnesspal gives me 2010 to maintain and then on top of that I have my calories burned am generally eating anywhere between 2200 calories and 2700 calories more than that on a night out obviously!!

2013 THREAD

I use this calculator to gauge my calorie intake and am also using it to try to help my wife who is 5'0 and 104 lbs.:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm

If MFP gives you that warning that looks like an error when you're under 1200 calories then oh well. Everybody (every body) is different and petite women definitely can't follow the general guidelines set by MFP.

Good luck to all!

I understand this post was written back in 2012! However it is such an important topic! This blanket 1200 calories mantra for ALL women is inappropriate. 1200 calories is for the AVERAGE woman the AVERAGE women is calculated at the western standard of 5 foot 4!! Also that would include moderate daily exercise. So tough luck if you don't fit the average! I am just under 5 foot 2 (157cm), I am not a fan of strenuous exercise but I LOVE walking! For me to maintain my weight I need about 1,100 a day (sometimes it can be less). For me to loose weight it's between (1000 - 900) I find it reasonably comfortable with a good water intake. The BMI states 50kg as a healthy weight for me because of my petite frame it says I can go lower but I like 50kg. I would just like to let people know who bleat the mantra 1200 calories is tooooooooo restrictive is most of us overestimate the amount of food we need. 70% of us are overweight (and getting bigger!) because of this estimation. We do not need as much food as we think.