5'2 girls how many calories??

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kevandkeira
kevandkeira Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
How many calories are you eating & do you eat back your exercise calories??
I've been the same weight for 3 weeks now (after losing 14lbs) & I'm wondering if 1200 is too high for my height (BMR is 1487).
For the 1st 2 weeks of not losing I stuck to my 1200 but didn't eat back exercise calories, 3rd week I still ate 1200 but ate my exercise calories.
Help!!!

Replies

  • TheMrsBee
    TheMrsBee Posts: 226 Member
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    You sound just like me!! i have gone over a couple of times to see if that helps but it didn't! my weight crept up a few lbs so now i need to eat less and get back on the exercise wagon. I try not to eat all my cals back- especially cutting down on the carbs in the evenings after workouts - i think omelettes help, i eat them with spring onion and parma ham. tasty and filling.

    Good Luck

    Also would love to hear what others have to say!!
  • themurph8910
    themurph8910 Posts: 124
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    I usually eat under. I never try to eat just enough It will make me crazy if I try to get to that number. I also dont eat back my excerise calories I just eat thats all
  • kleavitt1992
    kleavitt1992 Posts: 592 Member
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    im 5ft 3 but whats an inch between friends anyway lol i used to eat 1200 when i was heavier to lose 2lbs a week the lighter i've gotten 2lbs isnt possible so im at 1370 to lose 1lb a week my bmr is 1379 im an active person and eat alot of excercise cals back if not all
  • Evy10
    Evy10 Posts: 9
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    It doesn't sound like you're eating enough to me! You could be putting your body into starvation mode, you need to eat at least some of your exercise calories!
  • lubilu24785
    lubilu24785 Posts: 48
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    Morning all...

    My allowance is 1600 cals a day & I burn about 300 cals daily...on the weekend i probebly burn more...If i go over my cal allowance i walk/run more...if i go under then i'm a happy 'chicken' lol...hope this helps...also...dont let it bug you too much...it will start falling off again...
    xx
  • SJT75
    SJT75 Posts: 134
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    I do a bit of both depending on how hungry i am....i'm the same though got to 14lb...just keep going up a pound then down a pounnd....would love to hear any other suggestions.

    Sam
  • mariarose88
    mariarose88 Posts: 37
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    I'm up to 40 pounds lost since February and I'm 5'2. I rarely eat back more than 200 of my exercise cals even when I'm burning 800-1000 in a workout sesh. I net about 500 cals everday w/exercise and have since February. I feel good and it seems to be working well. I'm also doing strength exercises and building muscle. I know it's MFP gospel to eat all your exercise cals, but I've always gained when I try to eat back what MFP says I burned. I just don't think it makes sense for us short girls who gain so easily to do the same thing as someone who is way taller. I've done a ton of searching for more information on this, but I haven't been able to find many tips for girls around our height. Just do whatever works and pay attention to how your body is reacting to it.

    Good luck!!
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and find 1200 calories a day hard to stick to. What can I say? I have a huge appetite. My BMR reads at about 1370, so to meet my caloric deficit needs AND eat to full, I do a lot of exercise - both cardio and strength. I usually burn 500-700 calories per day and eat 1400-1600 calories.

    Keep in mind, your BMR does not take into account 'normal' daily activity. When I consume 1500 calories on a day I've burned 500, my caloric deficit is approximately 500.
  • lmanzi219
    lmanzi219 Posts: 32 Member
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    I eat my 1250 calories and also eat back my workout calories. If you net less than 1200, it may slow down your metabolism. What worked for me in the past is changing up my exercise routine. If you walk or run for your exercise, do intervals. I walk 5 min, run 5 min, power walk 5, run 5 and so on. If you belong to a gym, make sure you are lifting weights (burns lots of extra calories, and so do fitter muscles!) and If I plan on working out 45 min, I may do elliptical 20 min, treadmill 25 mins or bike. I used to weigh around 144 and got down to 128 last summer using this method. After this past Christmas and many yummy holiday treats, I went back to the mid 130s and here I am again trying to get to my goal. Try this, see if it works for you too. Good Luck :)
  • MiNiMoNkI
    MiNiMoNkI Posts: 447 Member
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    I have 1200 calories and sometimes eat back some or all of mine, you should not go below 1200, as this is the minimum amount of cals your body can survive on. You should try mixing things up a bit, are you doing the same workouts everyday? what are you eating, albeit 1200 but what you actually put in your mouth makes a big difference. I got stuck for ever and i broke the cycle by having a whole week off excercise, stayed at 1200, drank loads of water and got plenty of rest. The following week, i upped my cals, a little (maybe just 70 a day) cut out bread, potato, rice and pasta carried on drinking a lot of water, and mixed up excercise, i changed my workouts every night, not repeating the previous days. Your body just needs a shake up, its adapting to your new lifestyle so you wont see change after a while. The key is to confuse your body. Trust me it works, i got stuck at the last 7llbs, for about 2 months, i tried everything, ok what works for one might not for another, but i reckon ive got it dialled, have a rest and then "start again" good luck hun x
  • ST99000722
    ST99000722 Posts: 204 Member
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    yeah I have been wondering the same thing - i'm on 1200 a day and i'm only 5ft ....I've not lost any weight yet and been at this about a month.
    I have been going over some days and have had quite a lot of social events to attend on weekends where it's not that easy to control what you eat (weddings and the like). I'm now wondering if I should be aiming for more like 1100 or even 1000 a day. I know people keep saying that 1200 is the minimum, but surely that's for an average person? and at 5 ft i'm considerably shorter than that.
  • takemeaway10
    takemeaway10 Posts: 75
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    I'm 5'2" and my calorie goal is 1530. I haven't been eating them back, but I'm going to rethink that.

    Also, you should be eating 1200 calories every day, eating calories back or not.
  • sweetsapphire85
    sweetsapphire85 Posts: 386
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    I've been working out 6 days a week burning about 600 cal/day. using weights, and only lose if I don't eat my exercise calories back, even then it's about 1/2 pound to 1 pound a week. I'm 5'1". If I eat back I gain, and really If i'm not hungry I don't eat, If i feel hungry I have a glass of water and wait 20 minutes then choose what i want to eat.

    I know it's not the way it's suppose to work but i figured with both these changes it would be dropping about 2 pounds a week, but it's really gradual, i'm not starving, and i'm losing weight. Maybe it's just different with us shorter girls.

    Edit: 600 cals per workout (cardio and weights included)
  • sunshinekind
    sunshinekind Posts: 10
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    I honesty wouldn't focus so much on your weight. I'm 5'1" and once I started focusing on weight training, I was gaining weight first but losing inches. I always go by inches now and monitor my weight as a guideline so I'm aware of what I'm gaining as muscle or losing as body fat.

    As far as calories, I eat regularly (staying at or just below my allowance) and include a protein snack after a workout. This is usually only a handful of almonds, or maybe some tuna on crackers. This extra 100 calories doesn't seem to hurt me at all and helps me avoid impulse eating/overeating later.

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