Any petite ladies successfully losing weight??? Need help!
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Healthymama2018
Posts: 6 Member
Hi Everyone,
I am a Petite (4’11”) 28 year old trying to lose weight after two boys and two c-sections. My current weight is 151 lbs My Goal weight is 115 lbs which is where I was at before babies
I am so confused as to what method is best (Keto, paleo, low carb, low fat?) Also, calories recommended for my height & weight in order to lose are pretty low. I’m scared it may be unhealthy.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated?
I am a Petite (4’11”) 28 year old trying to lose weight after two boys and two c-sections. My current weight is 151 lbs My Goal weight is 115 lbs which is where I was at before babies
I am so confused as to what method is best (Keto, paleo, low carb, low fat?) Also, calories recommended for my height & weight in order to lose are pretty low. I’m scared it may be unhealthy.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated?
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Replies
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The method that's best is the one that helps keep you in a deficit. What number did MFP give you and what was the rate of loss you chose?7
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You don't need to follow any named diet at all. You only need to be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. You can eat anything you want as long as you don't exceed the number of calories MFP gives you.
Given your stats, MFP probably recommends around 1200 calories per day for you. Unfortunately, that's an appropriate number of calories for some very short women, especially if they are also sedentary. It's up to you to figure out whether it's appropriate for your activity level. You can try setting your rate of loss to 1 lb. per week, but since you're short, you may not get many more calories from doing that. However, if you exercise, you get to eat those calories back.
I'm just under 5 feet tall, and lost 100 pounds eating 1200 plus exercise calories. I'm now maintaining around 115 lb. I eat 1400 plus exercise calories in maintenance.10 -
Hi,
MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1200 to lose 2 lbs a week. However I am new to this and it’s a bit confusing because when I researched using calorie calculator online it goes as low as 996lbs if I am very active and way lower if sendentary. However, I am actively working out 6 days a week for an average of 45 minutes.
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Hi @apullum it’s great & very motivating to hear this has worked for you! Do you follow macros recommended by MFP?0
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OK, I wonder whether you'd consider changing your goal to losing 1 pound a week. I lost at 1200 calories a day and lost 2 pounds a week. (By the way, 1200 calories is the lowest MFP recommends). I regret that fast rate of weight loss. I ended up losing muscle mass as well as fat, despite the fact that I was lifting weights twice a week during a BodyPump class. So instead of looking toned, I look pretty wobbly in the arms and stomach. Ugh.
Be sure to eat back any exercise calories you earn. It's critical to keeping you fueled and MFP takes those additional calories into account, and you will still lose weight.
Someone else on here can probably explain the difference in online calculators and MFP. I'd stick to the one MFP gives you after you've adjusted it for a slower rate of loss, and eat back those exercise calories. And whether you should Keto or fast or whatever: I'd just eat the foods you like in smaller portions, and substitute some of those for more filling foods. Calories in, calories out.
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Healthymama2018 wrote: »Hi,
MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1200 to lose 2 lbs a week. However I am new to this and it’s a bit confusing because when I researched using calorie calculator online it goes as low as 996lbs if I am very active and way lower if sendentary. However, I am actively working out 6 days a week for an average of 45 minutes.
2lbs is too steep a deficit with only 36lbs to go. Try 1lb a week you'll be given more calories (MFP doesn't go below 1200cal for women). Also eat a portion of your exercise calories back.4 -
Healthymama2018 wrote: »Hi,
MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1200 to lose 2 lbs a week. However I am new to this and it’s a bit confusing because when I researched using calorie calculator online it goes as low as 996lbs if I am very active and way lower if sendentary. However, I am actively working out 6 days a week for an average of 45 minutes.
1200 is the minimum required for women. Some online calorie calculators will give you lower numbers than that; please don't trust them. At 996 calories per day, you would struggle to get proper nutrition. If a calculator is giving you less than 1200 calories for a particular rate of weight loss, that means the rate of weight loss you've chosen is not healthy for your current stats.
I would set MFP to no more than a 1 lb. per week loss. With 35 pounds to lose, 2 lb. per week is just too aggressive.
You should also eat back your exercise calories, but calculating exercise calories can be confusing. Both MFP's database and gym equipment give estimates that are very high. If you use those methods, then try eating half of the exercise calories they give you in order to compensate for the high estimates.
What I did is enter my activity as sedentary, and then add my exercise calories back separately. I am primarily a runner, and running calories can be calculated fairly accurately, so I ate them all back.Healthymama2018 wrote: »Hi @apullum it’s great & very motivating to hear this has worked for you! Do you follow macros recommended by MFP?
Macros are only relevant to other health and fitness goals, not weight loss itself. I honestly didn't pay a lot of attention to my macros, and they're largely a personal preference thing. Because I'm an endurance runner, I have my carbs set relatively high (60% carbs, 25% protein, 15% fat). I mostly just try to get my protein--I'm vegetarian, so I have to pay attention to get enough. But if you're actively trying to build muscle, then you might set your protein higher, and you probably don't need so many carbs if you're not into endurance sports. It really depends on your goals and preferences.2 -
@1BlueAurora @michellesilverleaf Thank you so much ladies for the help! I will take your recommendations & reduce to 1 lb a week. Again thank you for all the help, very much appreciated 2
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@apullum ok great this really helps me understand things a lot better I really appreciate your help! I am pretty new to this and after doing so much research online it gets confusing. I will stick to MFP calorie goals and not worry much about macros. Thank you!3
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I have found that using the macro targets helps me feel more satisfied and less hungry. I am 5’1” and down 8 lbs so far on the 1200 recommended calorie target2
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I'm 27, 5'0".
SW 09/2014: 148.7lbs
CW: 113.4lbs
Been there. I'm currently at 1,200 calories to lose. My maintenance is around 1,400. I eat low carb because it is good and sustainable for me. Find what works for you. Eat what you like.2 -
I'm 5'2-5'3 I started at 160 and ate 1,200 calories everyday (I didn't exercise). I didn't do a special diet, I had just had a baby when I first started. I'm now at 125! I'm back at it again to get down to 110! I'm 21!2
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I’m 5’2” and have lost from 208 to 154 so far (aiming for 135) eating anywhere from 1800-2200 calories a day. I’ve generally been losing a bit less than a pound a week, which seems like not very much, but it does add up, and I find the higher calorie goal much easier to stick to. Even among shorter women there’s a decent variation in how many calories we can eat to lose - the real key is to be consistent and stick to it. Calculators are all just estimates based on population data and don’t take everything into account - you need to watch the scale over time and adjust if needed. Counting calories can take some getting used to, but it absolutely works. Good luck!2
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Healthymama2018 wrote: »Hi Everyone,
I am a Petite (4’11”) 28 year old trying to lose weight after two boys and two c-sections. My current weight is 151 lbs My Goal weight is 115 lbs which is where I was at before babies
I am so confused as to what method is best (Keto, paleo, low carb, low fat?) Also, calories recommended for my height & weight in order to lose are pretty low. I’m scared it may be unhealthy.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated?
We sound almost like twins...im 5 ft and a mom to a girl & boy i have had 2 c sections....i started out at 160 and I'm down to about 128...trying to get to 120 eventually! I eat 1200 calories a day and I work out about 4 times a week. I am a full time worker & a mom to two young children so I have to workout at home. I would say the calorie intake has helped me the most though. My work outs aren't intense as I have never been much good with working out. I mostly walk around my neighborhood & I've downloaded apps to do yoga & different 20 minute workouts (planks, sit ups, wall sit ups, pushups, etc)1 -
@Healthyhunny231567 Thank you for sharing your story. It is so motivating to know someone with such a similar situation as mine has been successful! I’m also a working mommy. However, I work from home. Still, I have no time to get to a gym so my workouts are also at home. I use beachbody on demand and I love it so far! Congrats on all your success! You will be at 120 in no time! 0
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5'3" and 46. I weighed 254lbs when I started MFP (October 30, 2016). I've dropped over 103lbs to date. What worked for me was:
- Not following the most aggressive weekly goal. I set MFP to lose 1lb/week when I started, took the 1720 calories, and found it relatively painless. Now that I'm only about 20lbs or so from goal, I'm on 1400 to lose 1/2lb/week.
- Exercising every day. Not strenuous. I'm mainly a walker. But getting up and moving around.
- Recognizing that a treat didn't have to be a cheat. Planning out indulgences ahead of time. And being realistic about my behavior. (I'm going to my nephew's birthday party. There will be cake. And even though it will be high in calories, I know that I am going to have a piece. So. Let's guesstimate the likely calories for a 2" square piece of frosted cake and figure out how to fit that into my day.) I've found that when I plan it out, give myself permission to have that cake, and recognize that it's not putting me over my calories (or it is, but I decide that it's going to be worth it), I can stop there, avoid the bowls of chips and jelly beans, not go back for seconds, etc. It's when I tell myself that I'm just going to stick to the fruit bowl, not touch the cake, and avoid all treats that I run into problems.
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The best diet for you is the one you can stick to. To lose weight is all about being in calorie deficit - i.e taking in less calories than we burn. It doesn't matter which one you choose, if there's a calorie deficit you will lose.
Personally I ate the foods I enjoyed, weighed and logged consistently, staying within my allowance the majority of the time and weight loss happened. It took more time than I had hoped but I got there in the end.
All the best 1 -
Hey Op I’m 5’2” I started at 175lb I’m now 138lb my first goal is 135 for a normal BMI and final goal is 125lb. My goal is 0.5lb-1 a week since I only have few pounds remaining. MFP set a goal of 1290cals for 1lb and I think 1450cals for 0.5lb. I actually eat on average 1400-1500cals. I’m able to get some calories( 200-250+) from walking and counting steps 7 days a week. That’s all the exercise I do. My Garmin watch is set to minimum 12,000 steps but I walk on average 14,000-15,000 steps daily. I’ve been losing weight this way since 1/2017 and I don’t have to eat at a very low calorie. My approach is slow and steady since I’m in no rush and want my body to adjust properly to a lower weight. I’ve been overweight since age 13.6
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