Light Petites Maintaining on 2000+ Calories...?
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Woo huh? Lmao. Ok, good luck with reality.
Lol. I promise it wasn't me who sent a woo. I know MFP claims the woo button has two meanings, but I only use it for troll comments and ridiculous comments like "ACV makes you lose weight." Whether or not I agree with a comment, everyone who replies to my threads gets a like from me since I always appreciate people taking time to reply. However, I'm confused by your "good luck with reality" comment. Not everyone has to live as you do to maintain a light weight and high TDEE. Also, while I do think your comment will be useful to lurking noobs, @TeacupsAndToning is correct in saying that you did not really address my questions properly.Ok, I’m going to be frank. I think you are overthinking this.
Most of my life I’ve been very petite. Just under 5’2” and average of 98 pounds. The times I’ve gained have been for specific reasons, latest was childbirth.
To be honest, ‘maintenance’ for me in the past was not something I though about. And being naturally thin was more a factor of the following:
1. I didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve never turned to food for comfort.
2. I don’t have a sweet tooth and don’t crave junk. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy dessert. It means, I don’t eat it constantly, daily, or even really weekly. Once in awhile, I get dessert and enjoy a few bites. I just don’t want it all the time.
3. I don’t eat until I’m stuffed. I eat until I’m no longer hungry.
4. I don’t limit foods. In fact, I savor and enjoy what I eat. I just don’t eat in extremes.
5. I move. A lot. I don’t think of it as exercise. I just move. Roller skating one day. Hiking the next. Biking at the beach or renting a canoe. Whatever. I just enjoy being active.
6. I can be antsy. I don’t like to sit still. But when I am still, I relax and enjoy it.
7. I sleep regular hours.
8. I drink water. Actually, aside from coffee in the morning and wine at night, I pretty much only drink water.
9. I don’t enjoy fast food or commercial soda. And I don’t eat or drink either.
That’s all I can think of. Hope you find some use to it.
I already practice everything you've written except all or some of 1,2, and 9. I do not enjoy just a few bites of sweets/junk every once in a blue moon, and chocolate will always bring me temporary comfort. I enjoy fast food, but not soda, juice, alcoholic beverages, etc. I've found that the 2000 calorie range makes a difference between feeling somewhat deprived versus enjoying more of my favorites in life. No, food is not my only joy in life, but it's definitely one of them. Maybe I could maintain on 1500 calories with time and training, but I like movement as much as I like sweets, so I'm not suffering by living an active lifestyle and maintaining on ~2000 calories.
Last Sunday marked my second year in maintenance (yay!), but I've been overweight/obese my whole life. Your way of living is something I've seen in some of my "naturally" thin friends/family and has often been repeated in threads here like "Do naturally thin people actually think different?" However, I'm not one of those people who can truthfully say as you do that maintenance comes easily to me. I track regularly and accurately, and though I do make sure I hit my macros and eat nutrient-dense foods, I can and will easily eat past my TDEE unless I watch out. My stomach seems to be a bottomless pit, and my appetite is big. Idk why, but it is what it is.
Really, I like my TDEE right now, and while my movement all day long helps out a ton, I also crave structured routines, and I'm getting bored with my own right now. Therefore, I wanted to see what other women around my height and weight might be doing for some inspiration.
Sorry. That comment I wrote was definitely not directed at you. I just took the time to try to offer some tips, and I didn’t think the woos from other people were appropriate. I didn’t think you had done it.
Congratulations on your weight loss journey. You have a lot to be proud of!
I do maintain at around 2000. I think less than that is unnecessary while living an active lifestyle.
I wish I could give you speifics on things I do, but I cannot. I really do switch it up. Like right now I’m looking into horseback riding lessons. At the moment I’ve been hiking a lot by the beach and roller skating there. I might try surfing or paddle boarding this summer. I just try to do things that seem fun.
The only consistent thing I do is Pilates. I do that about 2 times a week. But I consider is more preventative physical therapy.
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I'm going to the the annoying "I'm not what you asked for, but..." person!
At 5'6" 125 lbs I maintain on around 2800 kcal with a combo of powerlifting training and triathlon training, so usually 1-2 workouts a day, and then being somewhat active the rest of the time (ie not sitting on my *kitten*, I walk to the grocery store instead of driving, for example). With that said, I don't think there is a magic workout. I think having enough endurance to do some significant work (vs getting tired after only a short while) is a big factor, though.1 -
My wife (5'3" on a good day) runs about 15-20 miles per week and lifts once per week...I can't give you specifics of her lifting as she works with a personal trainer. Maintenance is around 2300 calories.
She's also very busy around the house doing this and that most evenings and weekends.1 -
I’m 5’2”, 129 and 63. I have maintained for the past 7 months on 1200-1500 calories (1500 if I add in exercise calories). I also have a few slip days a week, which is why I’m in maintenance, not weight loss. If I could actually hit 1200 plus exercise I’d get to my target of 125, but having discovered that I can actually maintain afterall, I’m staying at this weight for awhile.
I stationary bike 35 min (10 miles) and row 10 min, 4 mornings a week before work. Two of those days I add in a night “strength and endurance” class at the gym. One night is upper body and core, and one is legs and core. We use weights, TRX and body weight. It has almost no cardio, and is 60 min long.3 -
Woo huh? Lmao. Ok, good luck with reality.
Lol. I promise it wasn't me who sent a woo. I know MFP claims the woo button has two meanings, but I only use it for troll comments and ridiculous comments like "ACV makes you lose weight." Whether or not I agree with a comment, everyone who replies to my threads gets a like from me since I always appreciate people taking time to reply. However, I'm confused by your "good luck with reality" comment. Not everyone has to live as you do to maintain a light weight and high TDEE. Also, while I do think your comment will be useful to lurking noobs, @TeacupsAndToning is correct in saying that you did not really address my questions properly.Ok, I’m going to be frank. I think you are overthinking this.
Most of my life I’ve been very petite. Just under 5’2” and average of 98 pounds. The times I’ve gained have been for specific reasons, latest was childbirth.
To be honest, ‘maintenance’ for me in the past was not something I though about. And being naturally thin was more a factor of the following:
1. I didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve never turned to food for comfort.
2. I don’t have a sweet tooth and don’t crave junk. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy dessert. It means, I don’t eat it constantly, daily, or even really weekly. Once in awhile, I get dessert and enjoy a few bites. I just don’t want it all the time.
3. I don’t eat until I’m stuffed. I eat until I’m no longer hungry.
4. I don’t limit foods. In fact, I savor and enjoy what I eat. I just don’t eat in extremes.
5. I move. A lot. I don’t think of it as exercise. I just move. Roller skating one day. Hiking the next. Biking at the beach or renting a canoe. Whatever. I just enjoy being active.
6. I can be antsy. I don’t like to sit still. But when I am still, I relax and enjoy it.
7. I sleep regular hours.
8. I drink water. Actually, aside from coffee in the morning and wine at night, I pretty much only drink water.
9. I don’t enjoy fast food or commercial soda. And I don’t eat or drink either.
That’s all I can think of. Hope you find some use to it.
I already practice everything you've written except all or some of 1,2, and 9. I do not enjoy just a few bites of sweets/junk every once in a blue moon, and chocolate will always bring me temporary comfort. I enjoy fast food, but not soda, juice, alcoholic beverages, etc. I've found that the 2000 calorie range makes a difference between feeling somewhat deprived versus enjoying more of my favorites in life. No, food is not my only joy in life, but it's definitely one of them. Maybe I could maintain on 1500 calories with time and training, but I like movement as much as I like sweets, so I'm not suffering by living an active lifestyle and maintaining on ~2000 calories.
Last Sunday marked my second year in maintenance (yay!), but I've been overweight/obese my whole life. Your way of living is something I've seen in some of my "naturally" thin friends/family and has often been repeated in threads here like "Do naturally thin people actually think different?" However, I'm not one of those people who can truthfully say as you do that maintenance comes easily to me. I track regularly and accurately, and though I do make sure I hit my macros and eat nutrient-dense foods, I can and will easily eat past my TDEE unless I watch out. My stomach seems to be a bottomless pit, and my appetite is big. Idk why, but it is what it is.
Really, I like my TDEE right now, and while my movement all day long helps out a ton, I also crave structured routines, and I'm getting bored with my own right now. Therefore, I wanted to see what other women around my height and weight might be doing for some inspiration.
Sorry. That comment I wrote was definitely not directed at you. I just took the time to try to offer some tips, and I didn’t think the woos from other people were appropriate. I didn’t think you had done it.
Congratulations on your weight loss journey. You have a lot to be proud of!
I do maintain at around 2000. I think less than that is unnecessary while living an active lifestyle.
I wish I could give you speifics on things I do, but I cannot. I really do switch it up. Like right now I’m looking into horseback riding lessons. At the moment I’ve been hiking a lot by the beach and roller skating there. I might try surfing or paddle boarding this summer. I just try to do things that seem fun.
The only consistent thing I do is Pilates. I do that about 2 times a week. But I consider is more preventative physical therapy.
No problem! Thank you! ^^1 -
I’m 5’3 maintaining 107-109lbs, I eat 2300 calories, currently eating 2100 and slowly reversing from my last cut. It’s been a year since maintaining.I do legs 3x a week, 20 mins post cardio 4x a week.Legs is a minimum of 90 mins, and upper is a min of 60mins. Legs- this is what I typical do and you may die
Squats 5x10-65lbs
3x10- 95lbs
3X10-115lbs
2x10-135
2x10-145
Deadlifts
5x10-65lbs
3x10- 95lbs
3X10-115lbs
4x10-135
2x10-145
1-2x10-165
Hip thrusts
4x10-115
Seated press
4x10-115
Good mornings-
4x12-65
Upper body
Tricep pull downs
hammer curls
kick backs
preacher curls 4 sets 10-12 reps
Delts
4 sets 10-12 reps ( 1-2x a week)
alternating hammer raise
face pulls
seated rear delt machines
cable lateral raise
cable side lateral raise
seated dumbbell press
seated miltary press
Abs on the 6day6 -
Bump1
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I am 5'0", weigh in at 136, and am 70 years old. I have always weighed more, even at my smallest (which was 122), because those BMI charts do not take in muscle mass, and I am very muscular from the waist down. At this weight and height, I wear size 4 - 6 in Petite sizes, so it's right where I want to be. I have been maintaining for 3 years. My TDEE is 1800, and I rarely go above that. I work out 5 days a week, circuit training, weights, bands, cardio (rowers, elliptical, stationary bike, spinner, etc.). I know that I could never do 2,000 TDEE, even when I am on vacation and supplement my gym workouts with 10,000 steps per day.5
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Sounds like those who maintain at 2000+ are weight lifting and keeping active otherwise, which gives me hope!
I LOVE weight lifting and was really hoping that at 5'2" I could maintain with at least 2000. Right now I'm losing at 1700-1800, I know the less you weigh the less you burn, but it would make me really sad if by the time I lost all my weight I'd be eating the same amount to maintain as I did to lose!3 -
BattyKnitter wrote: »Sounds like those who maintain at 2000+ are weight lifting and keeping active otherwise, which gives me hope!
I LOVE weight lifting and was really hoping that at 5'2" I could maintain with at least 2000. Right now I'm losing at 1700-1800, I know the less you weigh the less you burn, but it would make me really sad if by the time I lost all my weight I'd be eating the same amount to maintain as I did to lose!
sadly that right there is part of why we say dont lose to fast and dont eat in a way you cant sustain forever. When you lose enough your maintenance will be relatively close to your loss #. Youll get more, But sadly not as much more as we wish for
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BattyKnitter wrote: »Sounds like those who maintain at 2000+ are weight lifting and keeping active otherwise, which gives me hope!
I LOVE weight lifting and was really hoping that at 5'2" I could maintain with at least 2000. Right now I'm losing at 1700-1800, I know the less you weigh the less you burn, but it would make me really sad if by the time I lost all my weight I'd be eating the same amount to maintain as I did to lose!
I think it really varies by individual. I'm still some ways away from maintenance but I'm a data nerd and am pretty confident of my maintenance (also female and 5'2", currently 157 lbs). Assuming nothing dramatic changes in the next 27 pounds that hasn't happened in the first 51, I should maintain at a hair under 2000 when I reach 130 lbs. I am set to active at about 10k steps a day, and log around 175 additional calories a day from weight lifting and moderate cardio, which I usually "eat back" in wine form. I lost on 2200-2000 calories for most of last year and am cutting back to around 1750 for the final push.
ETA: Also, weight lifting is The Best.2 -
I don't know if 125lbs is considered light for a petite but I maintain that weight on near enough 2000 cals. I'm almost 49 and only lightly active. When I was really active I maintained on 2300. Less activity means I'm less hungry so around 2000 seems plenty.2
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Yeah, unfortunately it is very individual. At almost 5”4 and weight over 140 pounds and moderately active I’d love to even have 1500 daily. Everyone is different.1
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I'd have to be much more active than is my norm to be able to maintain on 2000+ calories. About 1700 is my maintenance for a weight ranging from 107-120 pounds. (Where I fall in that range depends on how active I am.)
To provide some more details...
I'll be around 120 pounds if I'm lightly active in my daily life but not doing any deliberate exercise or just a little on the weekend.
I'll be around 115 if I'm lightly or moderately active in my daily life and exercising a few times a week.
I'll be around 107 pounds if I'm moderately active in my daily life and regularly doing intense exercise or if I'm highly active in my daily life (with or without additional exercise).1 -
I'm 5'1" and weigh 120. I'd like to lose 5-10 vanity pounds because my thighs are chunky. My TDEE is around 2300-2500, depending on the day.
I do a full body dumbbell routine every other day and get 30K steps a day. I'm a pretty antsy person, and walking is a stress reliever for me. I'm also cold all the time, so I walk a lot to warm up. Additionally, I keep moving to keep my arthritic joints limber. When I'm still, they stiffen up.4 -
I'm 5'1", 139lbs, and losing a pound a week at 2070 while nursing an almost one year old who definitely isn't taking 500 calories a day from me like a smaller infant would. So my actual maintenance is probably higher. I lift heavy 3 or 4 days a week and I'm like the Energizer bunny. I don't do any cardio. I just like staying busy and I don't watch TV much. That obviously pays off because I get to eat more. I never want to see the day when I have to maintain under 2000 calories. Increasing your day-to-day activity has that benefit.2
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JaydedMiss wrote: »BattyKnitter wrote: »Sounds like those who maintain at 2000+ are weight lifting and keeping active otherwise, which gives me hope!
I LOVE weight lifting and was really hoping that at 5'2" I could maintain with at least 2000. Right now I'm losing at 1700-1800, I know the less you weigh the less you burn, but it would make me really sad if by the time I lost all my weight I'd be eating the same amount to maintain as I did to lose!
sadly that right there is part of why we say dont lose to fast and dont eat in a way you cant sustain forever. When you lose enough your maintenance will be relatively close to your loss #. Youll get more, But sadly not as much more as we wish for
Darn! Oh well, the changes I've made I do believe are sustainable, I guess I was just being greedy :P
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Chunkahlunkah wrote: »I'd have to be much more active than is my norm to be able to maintain on 2000+ calories. About 1700 is my maintenance for a weight ranging from 107-120 pounds. (Where I fall in that range depends on how active I am.)
To provide some more details...
I'll be around 120 pounds if I'm lightly active in my daily life but not doing any deliberate exercise or just a little on the weekend.
I'll be around 115 if I'm lightly or moderately active in my daily life and exercising a few times a week.
I'll be around 107 pounds if I'm moderately active in my daily life and regularly doing intense exercise or if I'm highly active in my daily life (with or without additional exercise).
Sorry, I should've noted that at the bolded activity level, if I upped my calories to around 2,000-2,200, I probably would've landed between 115 and 120 pounds. I never tested it out bc my appetite held pretty steady, even with the increased activity. I'd have to make a deliberate effort to average a higher calorie level. But it would've been possible, so I should note that!
That activity level isn't sustainable for me long term though or likely to happen again. I'm happiest at the middle level.
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