Short Girls: I NEED your help!

coconutflower
coconutflower Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
❤Hi, I'm 5"2 and I don't have that much left to lose - about 8 pounds. I weighed 100 pounds most of my life but went up to 108lbs recently from eating too many bags of chips and jars of almond butter. So I'd like to get back down to 100lbs - but I want to do it properly - no starving, no binge eating.

I have a few questions for short ladies out there with a smaller amount to lose:

1. Do you think 1200/day works? Or is something like 1000 or 1100 better?
2. How many calories do you/would you eat to maintain?

Please post your stats with your answers so I can get a better idea of how your advice would fit me :)
Thank you!!!

Replies

  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 811 Member
    I'm 5'1" and 1200 day is the minimum requirement for eating. I started out at 1200 and after 15lbs or so, I stalled. I then upped my calories to 1450 and I eat back my calories. Been losing weight that way. It works.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    i try to net more than 1200 daily, and its been working for me. i am 5 foot 3 and 117 pounds right now, but i am not really concerned with the number on the scale. i am trying to build fitness and more sexy muscle tone, and i dont care if that number reads 117 or 110; as long as i look fit and trim i am OK ;)
  • kryscallarman
    kryscallarman Posts: 114 Member
    I think it depends on your body and fitness level. When I ate a 1200 calorie diet and did not workout I gained weight (not a lot, but it does add up).

    I do not eat back my exercise calories unless I did alot and feel like i need the energy.
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
    Im 5'1". I started at 175, im now 142 (size 6) , goal weight is 125. I eat around 1200 and i dont eat back my exercise calories. I plateaued for a while and i bumped up my intake but that made me gain. I recently started calorie cycling which got me back on track. I do a 2 days at/around 1200 and then a day up at 1400-1500 and then back down.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I am 4'11" and I eat between 1600 and 2000 calories a day. You barely have anything to lose. Put your weight loss at 1/2 a pound a week maximum. More then that and you will lose muscle mass and look even more flabby. I would include strength training it will really give you the body you want.
  • PulchritudinousLady
    PulchritudinousLady Posts: 66 Member
    So short girls should eat less than what's recommended here on MFP?

    Or, should I trust other TDEE calculators like the one on fitnessfrog.com, calorieline.com, or scoobysworkshop.com

    (Websites: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html, http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, or http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee)
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    So short girls should eat less than what's recommended here on MFP?

    Or, should I trust other TDEE calculators like the one on fitnessfrog.com, calorieline.com, or scoobysworkshop.com

    (Websites: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html, http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, or http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee)
    Do TDEE minus 15% and forget eating your exercise calories.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    1200 will work just fine. I eat between 1200-1500 (when I stay in my goals) and lose fine. No need to eat less than 1200-promise.
  • nwhitley
    nwhitley Posts: 619
    I'm 5 ft and 1/2and weigh 108. I run 5-6 times a week, so I def. eat more than 1200 calories. And, I've been maintaining since Feb. Even on the day I don't exercise, I eat at least 1600 calories. Like today, I ran 10 miles, burned almost 800 calories, and have probably eaten about 1700 calories so far today. I think you should eat a minimum of 1200, but it depends on how much you are planning to exercise. Plenty of people eat less, but I exercise too much to eat that little.
  • MsQt
    MsQt Posts: 793 Member
    Wait!!!! The OP deactivated her account:huh: Have a good holiday everyone!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I think it all depends on your BMR. Find your BMR and never go below that. I consistently eat at or just about my BMR and have lost weight with no issues. Don't be afraid to eat, it works :smile:
  • nreamon
    nreamon Posts: 46 Member
    I tried eating around 1500 a day, tried 1100 a day... Ive tried everything! Ive lost motivation and have been fluctuating between 5 lbs for months now.... Im out of ideas!!!
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    I'm 5'2 112 lbs and my BMR alone is around 1200 calories. I eat between 1500-1600 calories most days and usually have a 200-350 calories deficit from exercise
  • mariezimmerle
    mariezimmerle Posts: 6
    Go to or call your doctor if you can thats what I did
  • nwhitley
    nwhitley Posts: 619
    Wait!!!! The OP deactivated her account:huh: Have a good holiday everyone!

    Ok.... that's a little strange.
  • PulchritudinousLady
    PulchritudinousLady Posts: 66 Member
    Wait!!!! The OP deactivated her account:huh: Have a good holiday everyone!

    Ok.... that's a little strange.

    WHO was deactivated?
  • Ariberri9
    Ariberri9 Posts: 206 Member
    Well, hello! :smile:

    I'm 5'2" and 129 pounds (though I haven't weighed myself in a week or so). I currently eat 1390 calories, and I would NEVER go under 1200. 1200 is the minimum a woman needs to eat. 1200 is an ABSOLUTE MUST.

    I have my diet profile set to "lose 1/2 pound per week"; to maintain my weight, according to MFP, I'd have to eat an extra 1750 calories per week (since I'm eating at a loss of 1750 per week right now), which amounts to roughly 110 extra calories per day.

    I'm dropping inches pretty well (I'm not concerned with weight) with what I'm doing, and I have lost 7 pounds since I began. Then again, I began ten weeks ago, which is less than one pound per week. However, I am bulking up my muscle via weight-lifting and protein. So if I only focused on dropping weight, I may have been able to drop a lot more.
  • iqbalkaurthin
    iqbalkaurthin Posts: 19 Member
    I am a little under 5 ft and have still atleast 10 pounds to lose (have lost 30 so far) I try to net at 800 calories a day. So the day I workout (usually 6 days a week) I can comfortably eat 1200 gross calories but the day I dont workout I stop at 1000 gross calories. The negative 200 against net goal of 800 is motivation enough to stop eating.

    I keep my metabolic rate up by eating on time and not allowing long gaps between meals. I eati a little every 2 hours - but just a little. Some weeks when I am travelling I do bust both net and gross goals but on a monthly basis I think I am at 1200 gross calories a day.
  • nyxt
    nyxt Posts: 60
    I'm 4'9 and I eat around 700 calories a day and it works. I tried eating around 300-500 calories and I hit a plateau.

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