Help and tips for short people

Berry_EG
Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
I need help or tips for shorter people. because I am shorter it's harder to lose weight. My BMR I calculated at 1130 so even with exercise and that I can't get much higher than 1300 or something?
«13

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    It's not harder, all the numbers are just smaller. Calculate your TDEE and eat that -20% or something
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    We all lose weight the same way by eating less than we need to maintain.
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    How tall are you? Age? Starting weight? Goal?
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    How much do you have to lose? My BMR and maintenance calories are similar to yours. I got my numbers from scoobysworkshop which is great in that it allows you to refine the percentage you wish to lose.

    Us short people end up finding that we either need to do a lot of exercise to up our calories, reduce calories lower than the recommended, or just lose very very slowly.

    I actually set myself a NET of 1500 to lose. This I have as a daily average, meaning there might be days when I have only around 1100 calories, or days when there are more when I'm just hungry. The loss is slow, but now I have lost most of what I want and need to do most of my changes through adjusting my body shape.

    For me, this is a calorie figure I can get my head around. It's pretty much maintenance calories for my future self, so by aiming at that figure, it gets me used to what I will be eating in the future. And I exercise more. I took up running and surprised myself by enjoying it. I eat lots and lots of vegetables - they make up the bulk of my plate so I fill up on them, and plenty of protein. I don't eat an awful lot of starchy carbs/grains, but that's more because there's not enough room left on the plate than any restriction.

    With plenty of exercise, there' no reason you couldn't get your calories up to around 1800. My advice is to balance the reduction and the exercise levels to things you are GOING to stick at. So find a calorie level you can manage that doesn't make you feel starving, eat tactically (plenty of protein, vegetables, but don't deprive yourself of anything). The best thing I found was averaging calories. Some days I just am not hungry.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,172 Member
    For me it helps to change your mindset. Instead of thinking that you only "get" to eat 1300 think that you only "need" to eat 1300. Smaller people don't need as many calories as larger people. If you stop thinking about what you want and focus on what you need you can eventually get to a point where you will want what you need instead of wanting what you shouldn't have.
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    I'm just under 150cm and 18. 100lb to 92lb or something like that
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited December 2016
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    I'm just under 150cm and 18. 100lb to 92lb or something like that

    oh. Sigh. Just stick your stats in eat what it tells you to eat, Workout a bit if you want more calories just eat most those calories back.
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    How much do you have to lose? My BMR and maintenance calories are similar to yours. I got my numbers from scoobysworkshop which is great in that it allows you to refine the percentage you wish to lose.

    Us short people end up finding that we either need to do a lot of exercise to up our calories, reduce calories lower than the recommended, or just lose very very slowly.

    I actually set myself a NET of 1500 to lose. This I have as a daily average, meaning there might be days when I have only around 1100 calories, or days when there are more when I'm just hungry. The loss is slow, but now I have lost most of what I want and need to do most of my changes through adjusting my body shape.

    For me, this is a calorie figure I can get my head around. It's pretty much maintenance calories for my future self, so by aiming at that figure, it gets me used to what I will be eating in the future. And I exercise more. I took up running and surprised myself by enjoying it. I eat lots and lots of vegetables - they make up the bulk of my plate so I fill up on them, and plenty of protein. I don't eat an awful lot of starchy carbs/grains, but that's more because there's not enough room left on the plate than any restriction.

    With plenty of exercise, there' no reason you couldn't get your calories up to around 1800. My advice is to balance the reduction and the exercise levels to things you are GOING to stick at. So find a calorie level you can manage that doesn't make you feel starving, eat tactically (plenty of protein, vegetables, but don't deprive yourself of anything). The best thing I found was averaging calories. Some days I just am not hungry.

    I don't think I could get any more than about 1300 or 1400 even if I exercised a lot every day really
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.

    They aren't very different for me I'm not active at all :(.

    kgirlhart wrote: »
    For me it helps to change your mindset. Instead of thinking that you only "get" to eat 1300 think that you only "need" to eat 1300. Smaller people don't need as many calories as larger people. If you stop thinking about what you want and focus on what you need you can eventually get to a point where you will want what you need instead of wanting what you shouldn't have.

    Yeah I'm okay with that but 1300 would be like the most I would need to eat and that's without even losing weight?
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    I'm just under 150cm and 18. 100lb to 92lb or something like that

    oh. Sigh. Just stick your stats in eat what it tells you to eat, Workout a bit if you want more calories just eat most those calories back.

    It's saying I should eat 1200 though bc I think that's the minimum it ever says. But my bmr is 1130 so I would actually gain weight eating what it says :(
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    I'm just under 150cm and 18. 100lb to 92lb or something like that

    oh. Sigh. Just stick your stats in eat what it tells you to eat, Workout a bit if you want more calories just eat most those calories back.

    It's saying I should eat 1200 though bc I think that's the minimum it ever says. But my bmr is 1130 so I would actually gain weight eating what it says :(

    Your BMR is what you would burn if you just laid in bed all day without moving. Don't base weight loss on your BMR. Base it on your TDEE (unless you truly are bedridden and aren't moving).
  • BeGrandLike
    BeGrandLike Posts: 184 Member
    You don't need to eat 20% less than your BMR! In fact, that would be a terrible idea and you'd almost certainly feel awful and make yourself ill.

    Your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate- is the amount of calories your body needs very day to keep going. It's what you'd burn if you were lying in bed all day, just to keep your blood pumping and your organs doing their thing.

    What you need to estimate, then, is your TDEE. That's your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it's your BMR plus all the calories you burn doing all the things you do. That includes specific exercise, yes, but it also includes every single thing you do that isn't just lying down snoozin'. Unless you're currently in hospital on 24/7 bed rest (and if you are, my sincere sympathies 'cause maaaan that would suck) that'll be a good few hundred calories. MY BMR is around 1300ish- I can never remember exactly, I've it written down somewhere) and my TDEE on a lazy day is running around the 1700 mark. If I do a bunch of exercise, that TDEE can go up over 2000. Way more!

    SO! If you want to lose weight and stay healthy and happy, you need to eat an amount of calories in between your BMR and TDEE. In my case, I'll lose weight if I eat anything between my BMR and that day's TDEE. So on a lazyish day, if I eat between 1300 and 1700 calories? I'll lose! Hurray!

    Now, if I was to eat 1650 calories every day then that loss would be slllloooooowwww, so I tend to set my basic calories at 1300 and then eat back half my exercise calories- so on most days I'm having 1500-1600 calories of delicious, delicious food.

    Now, it looks like you're a bit shorter than me since your BMR is a bit lower. But still! Your TDEE is certainly way higher than that, assuming that you're leaving bed at all. So all you've gotta do is estimate the TDEE (probably around 1500 or 1600 if you're sedentary) and eat at a point in between that and your BMR that fits in with your goals.

    And you definitely certainly absolutely under no circumstances should be eating as little as 900 calories a day. That way lies your body eating itself- literally! Fat, muscles, organs 'n' all!
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.

    This. Your deficit comes off your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (tdee) not bmr. Tdee included bmr plus any extra calories you burn, like exercise.
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    We all lose weight the same way by eating less than we need to maintain.

    Yes but we have the same appetite as taller people. At 94lbs my maintenence (without exercise) was 1200.

    Had i wanted to lose weight ( i dont) then it doesnt give much room for a defecit.

  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    You don't need to eat 20% less than your BMR! In fact, that would be a terrible idea and you'd almost certainly feel awful and make yourself ill.

    Your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate- is the amount of calories your body needs very day to keep going. It's what you'd burn if you were lying in bed all day, just to keep your blood pumping and your organs doing their thing.

    What you need to estimate, then, is your TDEE. That's your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it's your BMR plus all the calories you burn doing all the things you do. That includes specific exercise, yes, but it also includes every single thing you do that isn't just lying down snoozin'. Unless you're currently in hospital on 24/7 bed rest (and if you are, my sincere sympathies 'cause maaaan that would suck) that'll be a good few hundred calories. MY BMR is around 1300ish- I can never remember exactly, I've it written down somewhere) and my TDEE on a lazy day is running around the 1700 mark. If I do a bunch of exercise, that TDEE can go up over 2000. Way more!

    SO! If you want to lose weight and stay healthy and happy, you need to eat an amount of calories in between your BMR and TDEE. In my case, I'll lose weight if I eat anything between my BMR and that day's TDEE. So on a lazyish day, if I eat between 1300 and 1700 calories? I'll lose! Hurray!

    Now, if I was to eat 1650 calories every day then that loss would be slllloooooowwww, so I tend to set my basic calories at 1300 and then eat back half my exercise calories- so on most days I'm having 1500-1600 calories of delicious, delicious food.

    Now, it looks like you're a bit shorter than me since your BMR is a bit lower. But still! Your TDEE is certainly way higher than that, assuming that you're leaving bed at all. So all you've gotta do is estimate the TDEE (probably around 1500 or 1600 if you're sedentary) and eat at a point in between that and your BMR that fits in with your goals.

    And you definitely certainly absolutely under no circumstances should be eating as little as 900 calories a day. That way lies your body eating itself- literally! Fat, muscles, organs 'n' all!
    Sumiblue wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.

    This. Your deficit comes off your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (tdee) not bmr. Tdee included bmr plus any extra calories you burn, like exercise.

    Ok I googled and found my TDEE and it says it's 1360. I really don't think it's ever going to be as high as like 1500 or 1600 thats for someone who is moderately active which I defiantly am not.

    So if I eat what it says which is 1200 that's like 160 difference per day. Im not good at maths but I worked that out to be 22 days to lose 1lb which seems crazy?? That's way too long when the settings allow people to choose to lose between 0.5 and 2lb PER WEEK?
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    We all lose weight the same way by eating less than we need to maintain.

    Yes but we have the same appetite as taller people. At 94lbs my maintenence (without exercise) was 1200.

    Had i wanted to lose weight ( i dont) then it doesnt give much room for a defecit.

    Yeah :( I think if the calculators are right with my TDEE there basically isn't any way I can get a defecit without eating a lot less..
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    You don't need to eat 20% less than your BMR! In fact, that would be a terrible idea and you'd almost certainly feel awful and make yourself ill.

    Your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate- is the amount of calories your body needs very day to keep going. It's what you'd burn if you were lying in bed all day, just to keep your blood pumping and your organs doing their thing.

    What you need to estimate, then, is your TDEE. That's your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it's your BMR plus all the calories you burn doing all the things you do. That includes specific exercise, yes, but it also includes every single thing you do that isn't just lying down snoozin'. Unless you're currently in hospital on 24/7 bed rest (and if you are, my sincere sympathies 'cause maaaan that would suck) that'll be a good few hundred calories. MY BMR is around 1300ish- I can never remember exactly, I've it written down somewhere) and my TDEE on a lazy day is running around the 1700 mark. If I do a bunch of exercise, that TDEE can go up over 2000. Way more!

    SO! If you want to lose weight and stay healthy and happy, you need to eat an amount of calories in between your BMR and TDEE. In my case, I'll lose weight if I eat anything between my BMR and that day's TDEE. So on a lazyish day, if I eat between 1300 and 1700 calories? I'll lose! Hurray!

    Now, if I was to eat 1650 calories every day then that loss would be slllloooooowwww, so I tend to set my basic calories at 1300 and then eat back half my exercise calories- so on most days I'm having 1500-1600 calories of delicious, delicious food.

    Now, it looks like you're a bit shorter than me since your BMR is a bit lower. But still! Your TDEE is certainly way higher than that, assuming that you're leaving bed at all. So all you've gotta do is estimate the TDEE (probably around 1500 or 1600 if you're sedentary) and eat at a point in between that and your BMR that fits in with your goals.

    And you definitely certainly absolutely under no circumstances should be eating as little as 900 calories a day. That way lies your body eating itself- literally! Fat, muscles, organs 'n' all!
    Sumiblue wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.

    This. Your deficit comes off your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (tdee) not bmr. Tdee included bmr plus any extra calories you burn, like exercise.

    Ok I googled and found my TDEE and it says it's 1360. I really don't think it's ever going to be as high as like 1500 or 1600 thats for someone who is moderately active which I defiantly am not.

    So if I eat what it says which is 1200 that's like 160 difference per day. Im not good at maths but I worked that out to be 22 days to lose 1lb which seems crazy?? That's way too long when the settings allow people to choose to lose between 0.5 and 2lb PER WEEK?

    The smaller you are, the smaller your deficits will usually be. I mean, the 22 days are going to pass either way. If I had weight I wanted to lose, I'd rather weigh 1 pound less at the end of 22 days than weigh the same.

    People who are losing more have higher energy needs and can create higher deficits. You can't control your height, but you can control your activity level. If you want to be more active, that's always an option to increase your rate of loss.
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    You don't need to eat 20% less than your BMR! In fact, that would be a terrible idea and you'd almost certainly feel awful and make yourself ill.

    Your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate- is the amount of calories your body needs very day to keep going. It's what you'd burn if you were lying in bed all day, just to keep your blood pumping and your organs doing their thing.

    What you need to estimate, then, is your TDEE. That's your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it's your BMR plus all the calories you burn doing all the things you do. That includes specific exercise, yes, but it also includes every single thing you do that isn't just lying down snoozin'. Unless you're currently in hospital on 24/7 bed rest (and if you are, my sincere sympathies 'cause maaaan that would suck) that'll be a good few hundred calories. MY BMR is around 1300ish- I can never remember exactly, I've it written down somewhere) and my TDEE on a lazy day is running around the 1700 mark. If I do a bunch of exercise, that TDEE can go up over 2000. Way more!

    SO! If you want to lose weight and stay healthy and happy, you need to eat an amount of calories in between your BMR and TDEE. In my case, I'll lose weight if I eat anything between my BMR and that day's TDEE. So on a lazyish day, if I eat between 1300 and 1700 calories? I'll lose! Hurray!

    Now, if I was to eat 1650 calories every day then that loss would be slllloooooowwww, so I tend to set my basic calories at 1300 and then eat back half my exercise calories- so on most days I'm having 1500-1600 calories of delicious, delicious food.

    Now, it looks like you're a bit shorter than me since your BMR is a bit lower. But still! Your TDEE is certainly way higher than that, assuming that you're leaving bed at all. So all you've gotta do is estimate the TDEE (probably around 1500 or 1600 if you're sedentary) and eat at a point in between that and your BMR that fits in with your goals.

    And you definitely certainly absolutely under no circumstances should be eating as little as 900 calories a day. That way lies your body eating itself- literally! Fat, muscles, organs 'n' all!
    Sumiblue wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    20% less than my bmr is like 900 though?

    Don't base it on your BMR, base it on your TDEE. They're different numbers.

    This. Your deficit comes off your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (tdee) not bmr. Tdee included bmr plus any extra calories you burn, like exercise.

    Ok I googled and found my TDEE and it says it's 1360. I really don't think it's ever going to be as high as like 1500 or 1600 thats for someone who is moderately active which I defiantly am not.

    So if I eat what it says which is 1200 that's like 160 difference per day. Im not good at maths but I worked that out to be 22 days to lose 1lb which seems crazy?? That's way too long when the settings allow people to choose to lose between 0.5 and 2lb PER WEEK?

    The smaller you are, the smaller your deficits will usually be. I mean, the 22 days are going to pass either way. If I had weight I wanted to lose, I'd rather weigh 1 pound less at the end of 22 days than weigh the same.

    People who are losing more have higher energy needs and can create higher deficits. You can't control your height, but you can control your activity level. If you want to be more active, that's always an option to increase your rate of loss.

    Yeah I mean I obviously would prefer to be 1lb less after 22 days but it is crazy that it's aparently ok for it to take that long for me but not taller people?

    Why is 1200 the minumum it ever says? If it's the least you need to be healthy why is it the same number for someone who is like 190cm to me who is 150cm?
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    As i said above exercise to increase the calories you burn to lose faster. You dont even weigh much your pretty small .5 a week loss would be fine. Walk a bit.
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    As i said above exercise to increase the calories you burn to lose faster. You dont even weigh much your pretty small .5 a week loss would be fine. Walk a bit.

    I can't do enough exercise to make a big difference for that. 0.5 a week is still very low and I can't even get to that
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    Dont need alot of exercise for .5 a pound thats a 1750 calories per week defecit...Only 250 calories a day. Between say a small walk and your 1200 calories its very doable.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    As i said above exercise to increase the calories you burn to lose faster. You dont even weigh much your pretty small .5 a week loss would be fine. Walk a bit.

    I can't do enough exercise to make a big difference for that. 0.5 a week is still very low and I can't even get to that

    ...yes you can. If you run for an hour a day, lets say that's 10km everyday you are going to get about 400 cals extra to eat.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    I'm 5'. It's not all that hard, our TDEE is just lower. I'd recommend eating 1,200 calories per day - your weight loss may not be as quick to drop off, but it will be maintainable and you won't be starving all the time. Eat small amounts every 3-4 hours throughout the day, and make sure they are nutrient packed food options. Also, think about incorporating lifting into your exercise routine because it can change the composition of your body (if you're like me, and a lot of short people that I know, you are "thicker" and therefore your body responds well to lifting)
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited December 2016
    I'm 5'. It's not all that hard, our TDEE is just lower. I'd recommend eating 1,200 calories per day - your weight loss may not be as quick to drop off, but it will be maintainable and you won't be starving all the time. Eat small amounts every 3-4 hours throughout the day, and make sure they are nutrient packed food options. Also, think about incorporating lifting into your exercise routine because it can change the composition of your body (if you're like me, and a lot of short people that I know, you are "thicker" and therefore your body responds well to lifting)

    Not necessary at all o_O at the eating every 3-4 hours
  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Dont need alot of exercise for .5 a pound thats a 1750 calories per week defecit...Only 250 calories a day. Between say a small walk and your 1200 calories its very doable.
    elliej wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    As i said above exercise to increase the calories you burn to lose faster. You dont even weigh much your pretty small .5 a week loss would be fine. Walk a bit.

    I can't do enough exercise to make a big difference for that. 0.5 a week is still very low and I can't even get to that

    ...yes you can. If you run for an hour a day, lets say that's 10km everyday you are going to get about 400 cals extra to eat.

    I really can't do that much exercise every day. I could maybe do that once a week at most but I just don't have the time with everything else to commit that much every day. I'd rather eat less than do huge amounts of exercise
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited December 2016
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Dont need alot of exercise for .5 a pound thats a 1750 calories per week defecit...Only 250 calories a day. Between say a small walk and your 1200 calories its very doable.
    elliej wrote: »
    Berry_EG wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    As i said above exercise to increase the calories you burn to lose faster. You dont even weigh much your pretty small .5 a week loss would be fine. Walk a bit.

    I can't do enough exercise to make a big difference for that. 0.5 a week is still very low and I can't even get to that

    ...yes you can. If you run for an hour a day, lets say that's 10km everyday you are going to get about 400 cals extra to eat.

    I really can't do that much exercise every day. I could maybe do that once a week at most but I just don't have the time with everything else to commit that much every day. I'd rather eat less than do huge amounts of exercise

    Why are you complaining about slow/impossible weight loss if your unwilling to put in the work? lol

    Exercise is as simple as take the stairs...walk around the block when you have free few minutes...
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    OK, so it simply means you'll have a smaller deficit than many/most people. And that means it will take longer for you to lose 10 lb (as an example) than it will for someone that can eat to a bigger deficit to lose 10 lb.

    Really, if you can't/won't burn more Calories and are unable to eat much less, your weight loss is going to be slower than that of others. Sorry - that's just the way it is.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP did you say what you currently weigh? I saw above you mentioned 100 - 92, is that your current weight and your goal weight? And you are 4'11,is that right?

    You said you are so busy you don't have time to exercise, but you are 18? Are you in college? Work? Can you walk to class or walk to work? Find ways to increase your activity in other ways? I'm surprised you can't make 30 minutes of exercise a possibility in a day - it really will benefit you in the long run to make this a habit now.



  • Berry_EG
    Berry_EG Posts: 29 Member
    I am willing to put in the work but doing an hour+ of running every single day is too extreme for a 0.5lb a week loss when other people have options of 1 or 2lb a week. I'd be happier just eating less.

    Why is it so important that I not eat less as a shorter person? The lowest number of calories to be healthy when you are short cannot be the same number as if you are really tall
This discussion has been closed.