Will losing 10 lb really take that long for a petite women?
fitalie93
Posts: 9 Member
I'm only 5'0 and weigh 106 pounds. This sounds tiny but trust me, I have a good 10 lbs to lose. I feel heavy, flabby , undefined and bloated. This is me at 106 pounds:
According to MFP I have to eat 1200 calories or else I'll day lol. I'm unable to exercise till February but I don't want my weight loss to be sooooooooooooooooooooo slow! It's incredibly unmotivating and makes me hate being short even more.
Any tipps? Is it really not possible to eat less than 1200 calories?
According to MFP I have to eat 1200 calories or else I'll day lol. I'm unable to exercise till February but I don't want my weight loss to be sooooooooooooooooooooo slow! It's incredibly unmotivating and makes me hate being short even more.
Any tipps? Is it really not possible to eat less than 1200 calories?
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Replies
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You don't need to lose weight. If you're not happy with how you look, you need to investigate recomp.
And don't eat less than 1200. Your body needs energy and nutrients to function properly.24 -
You don't need to lose weight. If you're not happy with how you look, you need to investigate recomp.
And don't eat less than 1200. Your body needs energy and nutrients to function properly.
I'm in the middle range of a healthy BMI but obviously the stomach rolls, full cheeks and fatty waist need to go away. I used to weigh 95 pounds which is healthy for my height and I was neither super skinny nor malnourished, I had a nice figure.16 -
Losing that amount of weight would put you at the very bottom of your healthy BMI range. Feeling “flabby” and “heavy” at 106 pounds is worth discussing with a mental health professional.38
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Why not incorporate weight training instead of trying to lose weight? Weight training does great things for a figure.30
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Slow your roll. Because yes, weight loss is slow, especially vanity pounds. I'm 5'1", so I feel you. You don't need to lose 10 pounds, at most maybe 3. It makes a huge difference when you're as short as we are.
The real thing you need to do is strength train. I know you don't want to hear this, but it makes a big difference to body composition and how good you look at a higher weight.
The other real thing you need to do is accept that real life weight loss when you are light and petite is not like The Biggest Loser. At most you are going to lose a half a pound a week, though a quarter pound a week isn't unlikely considering how short, light, and sedentary you are.
Bear in mind that such small losses can get lost in the noise of normal weight fluctuations due to hormonal issues, fluid retention due to sodium or carb intake, and increased exercise. For your sanity, I'd suggest tracking your weight trend in a trending app like Happy Scale, Libra, or Trendweight. Look for the changes over a period of 4-6 weeks, and ignore the day-to day ups and downs.
Make sure you read the forum stickies to learn how to properly log so that you are actually eating 1200 calories. When you're petite like we are, accurate logging saves a lot of frustration.38 -
What type of exercise are you doing? For you I would recommend a personal trainer to help you target the specific area you are unhappy with. You are absolutely beautiful and I don't think it's the number on the scale that will make you happy. It's your body and if you are unhappy with something by all means change it/ but in my opinion you do not look overweight or bloated. If you are feeling that way maybe a few diet adjustments and the personal trainer to help reach your goal.6
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aliciatastic1 wrote: »What type of exercise are you doing? For you I would recommend a personal trainer to help you target the specific area you are unhappy with. You are absolutely beautiful and I don't think it's the number on the scale that will make you happy. It's your body and if you are unhappy with something by all means change it/ but in my opinion you do not look overweight or bloated. If you are feeling that way maybe a few diet adjustments and the personal trainer to help reach your goal.
I know I'm not overweight (I lost 25 pounds already) but I felt my best at 95 pounds. When I gain weight it goes all to my waist and legs/butt which I don't feel good about at all. I was never super skinny, even at 95 pounds, I was just slim and had a nice waist. I definitely want to start weight lifting and also dancing, but I won't be able to exercise until the end of February/early March.5 -
Based on your photos there, losing 10lbs will not be your answer. Believe me, I have been there. I looked almost exactly like you in the top picture years ago being the same BMI (but taller). I totally understand the feeling. I ended up losing the 10 lbs and I was not happy with my shape at all. My glutes became more flat and I lost a lot of muscle. I had to put on weight to fix it. When I compare the two photos now I look completely different being 10-15lbs heavier.
I would consider eating at maintenance and lifting. And if you do want to lose a few lbs, that's fine but take it step by step since 1lb on your frame can make a big difference.20 -
95 pounds is barely within normal range and just shy of being clinically underweight. I don't think that's a healthy goal.
Why not stay above 100 pounds for a while and see what weight training does for you? It really does make you smaller at a higher weight over time.18 -
Fellow shorty here. It does become harder as you have less and less to lose so I recommend incorporating exercise at this point. I hate exercise but I've realised that to lose those last few kilos its necessary and will help tone you. Aim for 1200 but dont force yourself to eat if you aren't hungry1
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Oh, then I guess that just leaves focusing on your diet as an option. What's helped me: I cut out 90% of processed food from my diet. I don't eat any unnatural sugars. The only fruits I eat are berries. I do eat carbs but only wholegrains with no sugar added. I do vegan protein shakes. Lean protein. I do monthly doctor visits to monitor my health. I stay hydrated and drink only water.36
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aliciatastic1 wrote: »Oh, then I guess that just leaves focusing on your diet as an option. What's helped me: I cut out 90% of processed food from my diet. I don't eat any unnatural sugars. The only fruits I eat are berries. I do eat carbs but only wholegrains with no sugar added. I do vegan protein shakes. Lean protein. I do monthly doctor visits to monitor my health. I stay hydrated and drink only water.
I never eat processed food anymore. I could stand giving up dairy though.
PS I really like your hair color in your profile pic!9 -
aliciatastic1 wrote: »What type of exercise are you doing? For you I would recommend a personal trainer to help you target the specific area you are unhappy with. You are absolutely beautiful and I don't think it's the number on the scale that will make you happy. It's your body and if you are unhappy with something by all means change it/ but in my opinion you do not look overweight or bloated. If you are feeling that way maybe a few diet adjustments and the personal trainer to help reach your goal.
I know I'm not overweight (I lost 25 pounds already) but I felt my best at 95 pounds. When I gain weight it goes all to my waist and legs/butt which I don't feel good about at all. I was never super skinny, even at 95 pounds, I was just slim and had a nice waist. I definitely want to start weight lifting and also dancing, but I won't be able to exercise until the end of February/early March.
Given your stats if you lose 10 lbs really fast with no exercise (resistance training) you are likely to lose a lot of muscle and likely will end up looking "skinny fat."18 -
aliciatastic1 wrote: »What type of exercise are you doing? For you I would recommend a personal trainer to help you target the specific area you are unhappy with. You are absolutely beautiful and I don't think it's the number on the scale that will make you happy. It's your body and if you are unhappy with something by all means change it/ but in my opinion you do not look overweight or bloated. If you are feeling that way maybe a few diet adjustments and the personal trainer to help reach your goal.
I know I'm not overweight (I lost 25 pounds already) but I felt my best at 95 pounds. When I gain weight it goes all to my waist and legs/butt which I don't feel good about at all. I was never super skinny, even at 95 pounds, I was just slim and had a nice waist. I definitely want to start weight lifting and also dancing, but I won't be able to exercise until the end of February/early March.
Given your stats if you lose 10 lbs really fast with no exercise (resistance training) you are likely to lose a lot of muscle and likely will end up looking "skinny fat."
But I don't get it, I used to weigh 95 pounds and looked great and I never used to work out a lot, maybe 1-2 times a week some cardio. If I was able to look good then, why shouldn't I lose 10 pounds to get back to 95?5 -
aliciatastic1 wrote: »What type of exercise are you doing? For you I would recommend a personal trainer to help you target the specific area you are unhappy with. You are absolutely beautiful and I don't think it's the number on the scale that will make you happy. It's your body and if you are unhappy with something by all means change it/ but in my opinion you do not look overweight or bloated. If you are feeling that way maybe a few diet adjustments and the personal trainer to help reach your goal.
I know I'm not overweight (I lost 25 pounds already) but I felt my best at 95 pounds. When I gain weight it goes all to my waist and legs/butt which I don't feel good about at all. I was never super skinny, even at 95 pounds, I was just slim and had a nice waist. I definitely want to start weight lifting and also dancing, but I won't be able to exercise until the end of February/early March.
Given your stats if you lose 10 lbs really fast with no exercise (resistance training) you are likely to lose a lot of muscle and likely will end up looking "skinny fat."
But I don't get it, I used to weigh 95 pounds and looked great and I never used to work out a lot, maybe 1-2 times a week some cardio. If I was able to look good then, why shouldn't I lose 10 pounds to get back to 95?
Body composition can change over time.
At the end of the day you do what you want to do, we can only make recommendations. All I know is I am heavier than I used to be, I am stronger, I feel better, I look better and I can eat more.22 -
Ok, so you want to lose a few pounds, but with a recomp you may not need to lose 10.
Your weight loss, to be healthy, and lose the minimal amount of muscle, will be around 1lbs a month.
Eat your 1200 cals PLUS exercise calories.
Use a food scale for everything. You will need to be as accurate as possible.
You don’t need a gym. Start walking. While walking concentrate on your posture. Good posture can work wonders on how your mid section looks, and help strengthen your abdominal muscles.
There is also a bodyweight programme called Nerdfitness, start doing that 3 times a week, at home, consistently. Once you can do it, as written, it is time to move on to another programme, or find a way to make it more challenging.
Assess where you are, and where you want to be in February/March when you can afford a gym membership, and come back with your goals, and we can recommend a good lifting programme that will suit your needs.
I’m a lightweight too, so understand you wanting to get back to your previous weight, but agree with the above posters- a recomp (with maybe a few lbs loss) will probably serve you better, and give you the look you desire in the long term.
Cheers, h.13 -
I'll do that for sure! Thanks.middlehaitch wrote: »You don’t need a gym. Start walking. While walking concentrate on your posture. Good posture can work wonders on how your mid section looks, and help strengthen your abdominal muscles.
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You are well within normal weight for your height; so losing weight will be slow
You might want to look at recomp (building muscle while losing fat) - also a slow process5 -
Patience. You need this body for a lifetime. I'm short, and you can absolutely lose weight quickly. But--you won't be able to sustain the loss in the real world if you take short-cuts, like starvation diets. I'd wait until February when you can work out. You look fine, you're at a healthy weight, you just need to tone up. It's not about the numbers--muscle weighs more than fat. Until you can exercise, work on a healthy diet. Eat more veggies, drink more water, get enough sleep, cut out salt when you can, and move. If you can, go for walks, dance, or try yoga.
FWIW, my goal is 1000 calories a day. MFP allows that, though they recommend I eat 1200. I worry about eating healthy, rather than how many calories I'm eating. I mean, I could eat all my calories in chocolate, and still lose weight. But I'm in this for life, and I need to retrain myself, and break the sugar/fat addiction.10 -
See how this woman looks fitter in the picture on the right, where she is 18 pounds heavier than the middle picture?
That's what working out will do for you.
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Another vote for recomp. Our bodies change over time. The number on the scale isn’t the only factor in how you look. Working on core strength can also help with your posture.6
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Everyone is saying recomp, ignoring the fact that you can't exercise just yet.
Recomp = lose fat + gain muscle.
You can't do the muscle part if you can't exercise.
If you are unhappy with your body, I see no problem with just doing the lose fat part right now and gaining the muscle later. Though I agree with whoever said that a full 10 pounds isn't necessary! You are very short so I think going a bit under 1200 would be ok. Just be careful. If you're not feeling well, up it. Also I would definitely still have some days where you do 1200 or over 1200.18 -
Why are you unable to exercise until February? If it's a health issue it's might be relevant to the advice given. (Obviously if it's personal you don't need to say.)6
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I do nothing but bodyweight workouts, and what I've achieved with that is quite remarkable. Look back at the picture at the bottom of the previous page. I look like that when I work out properly. Ok, I have a much wider pelvis and shoulder bones but that's nothing I could change.1
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aliciatastic1 wrote: »Oh, then I guess that just leaves focusing on your diet as an option. What's helped me: I cut out 90% of processed food from my diet. I don't eat any unnatural sugars. The only fruits I eat are berries. I do eat carbs but only wholegrains with no sugar added. I do vegan protein shakes. Lean protein. I do monthly doctor visits to monitor my health. I stay hydrated and drink only water.
Glad this works for you.
However it is not neccesary or relevant to OP.
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To be realistic plan for 20 weeks minimum.
As others have stated what your goal is is more aethetic based rather than weight. You can expect to lose .5 lb/week safely at this point, but what you're likely pursuing is increased muscle definition, which will require a progressive resistance program. Start with New Rules of Lifting (NROL) for Women or similar program.1 -
You can't just "lose fat", she will lose muscle as well dieting with no exercise and end up looking skinny fat.Everyone is saying recomp, ignoring the fact that you can't exercise just yet.
Recomp = lose fat + gain muscle.
You can't do the muscle part if you can't exercise.
If you are unhappy with your body, I see no problem with just doing the lose fat part right now and gaining the muscle later. Though I agree with whoever said that a full 10 pounds isn't necessary! You are very short so I think going a bit under 1200 would be ok. Just be careful. If you're not feeling well, up it. Also I would definitely still have some days where you do 1200 or over 1200.
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Id personally say try strength training, it will help you build muscle and then you can cut fat1
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This is a problem that plagues so many women. They don't like their physique, so they're convinced they need to lose even more weight to get where they want to be. And then they get there, and they're unhappy with what they see. They end up looking like a lighter version of their previous self with the same lumps and bumps, only with less muscle mass because they lost that essential muscle along with the fat. So they may in fact end up not really liking what they see in the end.
Muscle is essential for health. Adding muscle when you're at a healthy weight will change your body composition and physique as you lose fat and gain muscle in its place over time. Muscle really goes a long way with creating the kind of shape you want. Fat loss alone can't necessarily do that when you're already at a healthy weight. I'm 5'1". I lost 70 pounds down to 123-126 range while following a lifting program. I'm thrilled with my body composition and really don't see a need to lose more, plus I can eat a lot more at this weight.
Unless you have a health condition that demands you lose weight right now (I'm guessing not) I would hold off until you can start a progressive lifting program when you can work out again and make that your focus.
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