Petite frame, very active but very hungry and CAN'T LOSE weight!!
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ellie771
Posts: 15 Member
I am just over 5' which puts me with low BMR calories requirements to begin with, so attaining to a caloric deficit op top of that is really difficult. I do intense cardio 2-3x week and weight lifting 2x week. With my frame, restricting calories puts me in the very low range & the exercise makes me super hungry and unable to maintain 1300-1400 cals a day required for weight loss.
I've been working extremely hard at the gym for 6 months now with barely any body fat reduction to show for it. Any other ladies out there with a similar plight? What do you do to keep satiated on a low calorie diet while maintaining an exercise program? Any examples of what has helped you lose weight? For context, I am about 5 feet tall and need to lose 15-20 pounds.
Any help is much appreciated! I Am getting married in August and feel so hopeless that I have nothing to show for my work...
Thank you!
I've been working extremely hard at the gym for 6 months now with barely any body fat reduction to show for it. Any other ladies out there with a similar plight? What do you do to keep satiated on a low calorie diet while maintaining an exercise program? Any examples of what has helped you lose weight? For context, I am about 5 feet tall and need to lose 15-20 pounds.
Any help is much appreciated! I Am getting married in August and feel so hopeless that I have nothing to show for my work...
Thank you!
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Replies
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How are you determining how much you're eating? Do you weigh (solids) and measure (liquids) everything you put in your mouth?
If you're not losing, you're likely not in a deficit. Do you have any medical reason why your energy needs would be lower?
Feeling fuller comes from finding a macro breakdown and meal schedule that suits you. Some like lots of starchy carbs, some like lots of fat, some like fibre, some like protein (and combinations of these things). I like eating bigger meals less frequently, instead of lots of mini meals - that's personal preference. Mini meals spread through the day make me feel constantly starving.2 -
I do log (and weigh) all solids and most liquids (in the form of skim milk in my coffee). The rest of the liquids are water and no calories drinks. No medical reasons except that I am short (5 ft) and don't weigh a lot in the grand scheme of things, which means that I just need much less calories to maintain, and even less to create a deficit.
Using different formulas a 15-20% deficit puts me in ~1400 range, which I just feel is so little to get thru a full day's work and exercise on top of that.
I suspect that i am not creating a deficit (although it feels like it from being in constant hunger), so maybe its the wrong combinations of foods that I am eating that keep me hungry (overall food is healthy with a low cal protein bar as a treat)0 -
I do log (and weigh) all solids and most liquids (in the form of skim milk in my coffee). The rest of the liquids are water and no calories drinks. No medical reasons except that I am short (5 ft) and don't weigh a lot in the grand scheme of things, which means that I just need much less calories to maintain, and even less to create a deficit.
Using different formulas a 15-20% deficit puts me in ~1400 range, which I just feel is so little to get thru a full day's work and exercise on top of that.
I suspect that i am not creating a deficit (although it feels like it from being in constant hunger), so maybe its the wrong combinations of foods that I am eating that keep me hungry (overall food is healthy with a low cal protein bar as a treat)
Most of my days are 1400-1500 at the moment. I sort of intermittent fast, without being overly regimented. I don't eat breakfast and save calories for later... I find it helps with the hunger.
What is your macro breakdown like?0 -
I'm 5'1", been maintaining btwn 103-106 lbs since February, and am able to average about 1800 cals/day by upping my calorie burn. Unfortunately that's what us shorties have to do if we want to eat bigger - and I love to eat! Luckily I love to run too and am a distance runner, so I haven't run into a lot of issues yet.
So, maybe try upping your calorie burn to bank more calories to eat?2 -
Maybe your body is telling you that your weight is fine and you do not need to lose5
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You need to eat more! I used to be just like you before I started flexible eating. I'm 5'1 and my weight loss plateaus because I was starving my body of the extra fuel it needed to make the workouts in the gym actually produce any results. I started flexible eating and then reverse dieting. I worked my way up from 1200 calories to 2000 calories & look & feel the best I have in my life! If you want some help with this check out this free Facebook support group https://www.facebook.com/groups/OwnYourEatingTribe/ or free resources on http://ownyoureating.com
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I had a little more success when I cut back on cardio. I know that usually isn't what people say but...cardio kinda just made me hungry. I dropped better with lifting in a deficit and moderate to no cardio.2
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I'm not super consistent but overall 45-50% carbs with the remainder equally from protein and fat. Don't think that I can handle fasting (would get too hungry and just overeat everything). Do you have a heavier dinner so that you can skip breakfast?0
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5’3” and 127 lbs here, so while I have a little more wiggle room, I too have had to increase my daily calorie burn substantially so I can eat more and still lose! I have lost almost 70 lbs (almost at goal) and actually eat more than I did before! I run 40-60 km per week and try to get 20-40 k steps per day (a lot, i know). With this level of activity I can eat 2000 to 2200 calories and still lose weight. Eating 1200 - 1500 calories a day was making me miserable, so I decided to walk...run...hop skip & jump each day and enjoy feeling satiated. I would recommend you lower your weekly loss goal to 1/2 lb as you don't have much to lose and will be able to eat a bit more and still get there...eventually. Good luck!2
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I'm not super consistent but overall 45-50% carbs with the remainder equally from protein and fat. Don't think that I can handle fasting (would get too hungry and just overeat everything). Do you have a heavier dinner so that you can skip breakfast?
I didn't think I could handle skipping breakfast either.... Til I did it. I eat most of my calories after 730pm.
Perhaps try increasing protein and fat slightly?1 -
I'm not super consistent but overall 45-50% carbs with the remainder equally from protein and fat. Don't think that I can handle fasting (would get too hungry and just overeat everything). Do you have a heavier dinner so that you can skip breakfast?
Oh yeah. Skipping breakfast is like the only way I can lose at this point. It makes the rest of the day soooo much more pleasant. I get up at 4:45 am and eat my first meal around 12. Even that meal is only 200 calories or so. Then I finish the remainder between 4 and 9 pm.1 -
@LisaEatSleepRun wow congratulations on your success! That's huge progress for anyone especially petite ladies. I'd love to up my daily movement aside from the several weekly workouts but have a 40+ hour a week office job. Maybe adding an hour's walk will help with the calorie burn. Thanks for the advice!0
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I'm 5'1", been maintaining btwn 103-106 lbs since February, and am able to average about 1800 cals/day by upping my calorie burn. Unfortunately that's what us shorties have to do if we want to eat bigger - and I love to eat! Luckily I love to run too and am a distance runner, so I haven't run into a lot of issues yet.
So, maybe try upping your calorie burn to bank more calories to eat?
That's my goal weight actually. How often do you run and how many miles at a time? On a good day I can do 6 but so drained after that can only do 4 or 5 for the rest of the week with rest in btwn. Running is great but it hurts my legs so I need to recover after. Bit then running always makes me ravenous so I can easily cancel out my deficit after all that hard work.0 -
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What? My lifting is included in my lightly active activity level/TDEE.0 -
redhd29leo wrote: »Maybe your body is telling you that your weight is fine and you do not need to lose
I could've believed that except that a few years ago I was able to get to my goal doing exactly as I do now, but now it's just not having the same results. I'm in my early 30s and this was just a few years ago so hopefully my metabolism didn't drop that much just yet...0 -
What? My lifting is included in my lightly active activity level/TDEE.
Right sorry, so you create a calorie deficit thru food from your TDEE (which is lightly active, including mostly weight training)?0 -
What? My lifting is included in my lightly active activity level/TDEE.
Right sorry, so you create a calorie deficit thru food from your TDEE (which is lightly active, including mostly weight training)?
Yes. I maintain on 1900. I eat 1500 Sunday-Friday and 2030 on Saturday. Average 1600 daily for around .5lbs lost per week. But I don't lose weekly because it's just hard when you're relatively lean already.
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I'm 5'1", been maintaining btwn 103-106 lbs since February, and am able to average about 1800 cals/day by upping my calorie burn. Unfortunately that's what us shorties have to do if we want to eat bigger - and I love to eat! Luckily I love to run too and am a distance runner, so I haven't run into a lot of issues yet.
So, maybe try upping your calorie burn to bank more calories to eat?
That's my goal weight actually. How often do you run and how many miles at a time? On a good day I can do 6 but so drained after that can only do 4 or 5 for the rest of the week with rest in btwn. Running is great but it hurts my legs so I need to recover after. Bit then running always makes me ravenous so I can easily cancel out my deficit after all that hard work.
I run about 10 miles/day. I've been distance training for over 10 years, and an athlete my whole life (32 years old now), so it has required conditioning, but it's habitual now, just like brushing my teeth every day.0 -
Yes. We shorties don't have it easy. I find it much more manageable to spread my cardio out throughout the day (i.e. quick walks) in order to avoid cardio hunger. On days I knock out my 10k in one go, I need to fuel properly before or after or else I'll feel ravenous long after.1
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