Am I right in thinking the smaller you are the harder it is to loose weight?
greenzgal
Posts: 20 Member
Im 4'11 in height and currently weigh 147 lbs so I'm quite petite, however I just don't seem to be shifting the weight, I work out at least 5x a weeks for 30 minutes minimum burning max 300 calories but I can't seem to shift my weight, I genuinely eat quite well, low carbs, low sugars so I'm not sure what else I can do.
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Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.4
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Yes. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you require for maintenance. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat, but the general rule is to not eat fewer than 1200 a day. So, for someone who already requires few maintenance calories, it can be very difficult to create a deficit. That is why weight loss is typically much slower for those individuals.2
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In general, your current weight, your height, your age and your gender will decide what your baseline calorie requirement is. So a 6ft male will have a larger calorie burn than a 4ft female. Whether this makes it harder for the 4ft female to lose weight is debatable, she just has less calories to play with.
To lose weight you need to create a deficit in calories.
You don't mention calories.3 -
Bigger bodies with more muscle tend to burn more calories at rest, so in that way it makes it easier to obtain a deficit. However, you mention eating low carb, low sugars, but don't mention calories. It is good to eat healthy, but for losing weight, calories are the only thing that are going to matter. Too much healthy food is going to keep the weight on. You may lose weight slower, but you can still lose.2
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Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.
As someone who is short I'd have to disagree with this. Now I am at my goal weight my BMR is 1100ish calories and my NEAT is only 1375ish. Imagine how little you can eat without eating to lose quicker than a pound a month. Now try and fit all your micronutrients into the equation. Now see if there are any calories left over for treats.
It is possible to lose weight. I have done it. It can just be very slow going without decent exercise to enable a reasonable deficit and still eat at 1200. Helpful hint. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories. I never ate more than half. This is the only way I managed a reasonable deficit.4 -
Im 4'11 in height and currently weigh 147 lbs so I'm quite petite, however I just don't seem to be shifting the weight, I work out at least 5x a weeks for 30 minutes minimum burning max 300 calories but I can't seem to shift my weight, I genuinely eat quite well, low carbs, low sugars so I'm not sure what else I can do.
I say no, weight loss is not more difficult at a lower weight but accuracy is more important. How many calories per day do you eat? For being petite, you will need to be very accurate and probably consume 1300-1500 per day for a slow rate of loss. Food scale for everything. Make your calories count. Lots of veggies, lean meat. High fiber, some healthy fats to help you feel full.1 -
Smaller people also don't burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. OP I don't know what kind of work out you are doing for 30 min, but it's highly unlikely you are burning up to 300 calories.4
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Depends if you are thinking in terms of percentages or pounds.
1% of a 100lb person is only a pound.
1% of a 200lb person is two pounds.
So is it twice as hard or just the same and you need to adjust your expectations to match your size?
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Lillymoo01 wrote: »Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.
As someone who is short I'd have to disagree with this. Now I am at my goal weight my BMR is 1100ish calories and my NEAT is only 1375ish. Imagine how little you can eat without eating to lose quicker than a pound a month. Now try and fit all your micronutrients into the equation. Now see if there are any calories left over for treats.
It is possible to lose weight. I have done it. It can just be very slow going without decent exercise to enable a reasonable deficit and still eat at 1200. Helpful hint. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories. I never ate more than half. This is the only way I managed a reasonable deficit.
Why do you have to eat at 1200?1 -
You definitely get less calories to play with at a shorter height.
I ran your stats through a TDEE calculator (http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/) and your sedentary TDEE is 1550 calories. That means just by sitting on the couch (or at a desk) all day with minimal activity, your body burns 1500 calories over a 24 hour period.
So to lose a pound a week, you need a 500 calorie daily deficit. That would put you at only 1000 net calories a day! Most people recommend eating above 1200 calories a day to make sure your body has all the nutrients it needs. So if you eat 1200 calories a day, that will allow you to lose a bit more than 1/2 a pound per week.
Tracking your calorie intake accurately is key - weigh your food with a digital kitchen scale and track all your liquids too. Also keep in mind that calculating calories burned from exercise can be tricky - gym machines often exaggerate that number. A lot of people recommend only eating back half of the calories you think you burned.
Good luck!0 -
Yes. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you require for maintenance. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat, but the general rule is to not eat fewer than 1200 a day. So, for someone who already requires few maintenance calories, it can be very difficult to create a deficit. That is why weight loss is typically much slower for those individuals.Yes. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you require for maintenance. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat, but the general rule is to not eat fewer than 1200 a day. So, for someone who already requires few maintenance calories, it can be very difficult to create a deficit. That is why weight loss is typically much slower for those individuals.Yes. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you require for maintenance. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat, but the general rule is to not eat fewer than 1200 a day. So, for someone who already requires few maintenance calories, it can be very difficult to create a deficit. That is why weight loss is typically much slower for those individuals.Yes. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you require for maintenance. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat, but the general rule is to not eat fewer than 1200 a day. So, for someone who already requires few maintenance calories, it can be very difficult to create a deficit. That is why weight loss is typically much slower for those individuals.
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Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.0
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Lillymoo01 wrote: »Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.
As someone who is short I'd have to disagree with this. Now I am at my goal weight my BMR is 1100ish calories and my NEAT is only 1375ish. Imagine how little you can eat without eating to lose quicker than a pound a month. Now try and fit all your micronutrients into the equation. Now see if there are any calories left over for treats.
It is possible to lose weight. I have done it. It can just be very slow going without decent exercise to enable a reasonable deficit and still eat at 1200. Helpful hint. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories. I never ate more than half. This is the only way I managed a reasonable deficit.Lillymoo01 wrote: »Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.
As someone who is short I'd have to disagree with this. Now I am at my goal weight my BMR is 1100ish calories and my NEAT is only 1375ish. Imagine how little you can eat without eating to lose quicker than a pound a month. Now try and fit all your micronutrients into the equation. Now see if there are any calories left over for treats.
It is possible to lose weight. I have done it. It can just be very slow going without decent exercise to enable a reasonable deficit and still eat at 1200. Helpful hint. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories. I never ate more than half. This is the only way I managed a reasonable deficit.Lillymoo01 wrote: »Smaller as in short? No. Smaller as in leaner? Yes.
As someone who is short I'd have to disagree with this. Now I am at my goal weight my BMR is 1100ish calories and my NEAT is only 1375ish. Imagine how little you can eat without eating to lose quicker than a pound a month. Now try and fit all your micronutrients into the equation. Now see if there are any calories left over for treats.
It is possible to lose weight. I have done it. It can just be very slow going without decent exercise to enable a reasonable deficit and still eat at 1200. Helpful hint. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories. I never ate more than half. This is the only way I managed a reasonable deficit.
That's just it as well I never eat my exercise calories I see that as my achievement.
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Well, you're eating more than you think. And, all other things equal, it definitely requires less calories for a shorter person to lose/maintain than a taller person.2
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lioness803 wrote: »Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.
Then you're eating too little. Eating that low for a period of time will cause health problems. Also, MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back.
If she isn't losing weight she is not eating too little...*sighs*
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lioness803 wrote: »Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.
Then you're eating too little. Eating that low for a period of time will cause health problems. Also, MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back.
If she isn't losing weight she is not eating too little...*sighs*
Sorry, you're right. I got distracted and forgot her original post. Inaccurate logging is her problem most likely (but if she is only trying to get 800, that would be a problem also.)0 -
I had the same issue. I am 4'11 but weigh 158. You have to give it time! Do lots of HIIT but also incorporate lifting, thats helped a lot. Also, I do intermittent fasting and that also has been helping.0
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I'm 5'3" and 200.6. But six months ago, it was 254. I've been doing mostly long walks and fitness glider, with some resistance tubes for strength training. Just bought a couple of dumbbells yesterday.0
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Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.
bad idea.
You have a calorie allowance that helps you live. It helps your organs survive, and it feeds your brain. Your brain gets hungry. Your brain needs nutrients and eating 800 net won't give them to it. You do not have to burn all the calories you eat by exercising - don't forget the body burns calories by existing, without your help.
I started at your stats. I set myself a NET target of 1500 calories a day. I accepted that being short I'd lose very slowly, and I have. It's probably taken me about a year to lose 20lbs but I'm fine with that. I've taken up running, and it's changed my shape. I feel fitter, I look better, my clothes fit better. And I don't starve myself. I've slowed my weight loss down more than it needs to, because, well, now and then (too often), I go over my target.
you have to be precise with logging, but it WILL work.
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Sounds like you need to review your logging. I suspect there are some errors there.0
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Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.
To clarify, I didn't mean that you need to burn more calories through exercise than you are eating. As others mentioned, you burn calories just by being alive. It's the overall totals that matter. If your BMR is 1500 and you eat 1200, you are already burning more than you eat even before adding in any exercise.
Edited to add:
If you are truly eating only 800 calories and exercising to burn another 300, that means you are only getting 500 calories a day. In that case, you will definitely lose weight, but I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it that way.3 -
Im 4'11 in height and currently weigh 147 lbs so I'm quite petite, however I just don't seem to be shifting the weight, I work out at least 5x a weeks for 30 minutes minimum burning max 300 calories but I can't seem to shift my weight, I genuinely eat quite well, low carbs, low sugars so I'm not sure what else I can do.Sorry guys I should've mentioned my calories allowed per day is 1200 however I often only eat about 800 of that. It is virtually impossible for me to burn more calories than I eat in a day. I also calorie count everything.
Several things:
-At 4'11", 147 lbs, you're 2 lbs away from being obese class 1, so no, you're not small. The ones who find it harder to lose are those who are already on the low end of the normal bmi range. So when you get closer to 100 lbs, that's when you'll find it harder to lose.
-Low carb or low sugar doesn't mean anything as far as weight loss is concerned. If you're not losing, it's because your calories are equal to your maintenance. I eat high carb and I've been maintaining 120 +/-5 lbs for 2 years after losing 35 lbs. I'm 5'4" and eat anywhere from 1700-2200 and my diet is 75% carbs. But to lose and maintain, I needed/need to do 7-10 hrs of exercise/week. Mostly cardio.
-If you're struggling to lose weight, my advice is to increase your cardio to 1 hr/day and keep intensity as high as you can stomach. Next, to reduce your calories without reducing the volume of food you eat and therefore avoid struggles with hunger, you need to increase low calorie density foods like fruits, veggies, even starchy foods like potatoes and oats and beans are very filling without being high in calories. Reducing your use of added oils or fatty foods is an easy way to reduce calories without reducing volume.
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