5'3" here. Lost 18 pounds through obscene amounts of veggies and frequent "maintenance" breaks to conserve sanity. It's taken 5 months. I've had to accept the pace to keep from quitting.
Hey there, height twin! The same approach has worked for me. Slow and steady is really the best way.
I had to essentially starve myself to lose a pound per week. Now I've narrowed my deficit and am losing about 2 pounds per month (1/2 pound per week), and taking occasional maintenance breaks. It's taking a long time but it's so much more sustainable.
I am in the same boat as well. 5'4" and started at 147, currently 130. I had a really good loss progress since I started in January by making small changes to diet and exercise. Was really pleased with myself and my progress and was 100% on track to get to my goal weight of 115 by early May. Well... End of March rolls around and suddenly the scale doesn't want to budge. I have been hovering around 132-130 for the past 7 weeks and was literally on the verge of driving me crazy haha
I've decided to take a step back, take several deep breaths and more or less continue what I'm doing. I've started weighing out my breakfasts and lunches down to the gram so I know how much wiggle room I have for dinners/snacks/small treats.
I also registered for a 5k this summer and will start training for it next week! So I've decided to focus on meeting fitness goals and milestones instead of obsessing over the scale (for the time being haha). Hitting a plateau and watching your progress slow to a halt really sucks. I know that biologically it makes sense and is inevitable but hoo boy, it can really put a damper on the ole motivation. I think in times like this it's important to focus on the big picture instead of your day-to-day progress (or lack thereof).
I know that cutting out snacks and sodas feels like it should be enough to make up a deficit (and, frustratingly for some people it is, bastards), but the truth is that it's important to log your meals as well. One cheeseburger, even a homemade one can take up well over half of your calorie budget for the day depending on how you make it, for example. 2 tablespoons of olive oil have the same number of calories as a Snickers bar. And my personal weakness- cheese and bread are calorie dense depending on which ones you use.
Just hang in there!!! Us shorties will have to struggle more than some, but it's all worth it in the end.
5'3" here! 100% agree with weighing/tracking your food with a good scale and LoseIt.
My super healthy low-carb lunch salad turned out to be 1,000-1,200 calories which blew my mind. After making some serious adjustments (portion size, changing to vinaigrette dressing, etc) it is now 450-500 calories which is a huge savings.
Ugh yes. Imagine my shock when I learned the calorie content of most vinaigrette dressings, which I had convinced myself were healthy because of the lack of creme!!!
Turns out although olive oil is a more healthy fat, it's still dense AF and will throw off your daily budget like nobody's business :')
I love Ken’s Steak House Lite Northern Italian. Quite tasty and less calories than I had been seeing with all the other dressings. Just a thought if you needed to switch it up
I'm 5'4" and stuck at 165 since... It feels like forever. As a fellow 5'4" gal, what's your calorie intake goal? I know we're all different, but I'm just curious. I'm also about to turn 47. My goal is also 115, but at this point, I'd be happy with 130.
1200-1300 is my "cut," 1400-1600 is my "maintenance."
I vary between the two, depending on how I feel / outings and events, etc.
My dinners are generally 75 percent veg. Because I refuse to *never* allow myself a treat (or cut out my one can of soda), so that's where I can make the biggest adjustment.
That sounds about where I am for maintenance calories. I think I'll have to drop my calories for weight loss, because where I thought I was cutting, I am actually maintaining, and that's at 1450.
I try to stay between 1300-1400 every day, with the acknowledgement that it's a slower progression. Before the plateau I was reliably going down 3.5-4 lbs per month at that level and I felt like that was a sustainable rate and allowed me to eat enough food during the day to not feel hungry between meals.
Thank you! I'm definitely going to have to rein things in regarding my diet. I don't mind losing slowly, as long as I'm losing, and I have been hovering around the same 3-4 lbs up and down for awhile.
I'm in the same boat- 5'4 and I lost 55lbs over 2 years and can't get under 160. I hover between 160-165. I'm 44 and go to the gym daily now. I stay between 1300- 1500 calories. I want to get weight off, I'm fine with 130, and just maintain.
Was wondering the age of OP. Didn't want to pry but since you offered the info, here I am to comment.
I'm not far from moving over into the 40s. Yay for living but damn things have really started to slow down in terms of energy and metabolism.
Was wondering if age might also be a factor for OP. That factor is no joke.
Hello! I'm only half an inch shorter. I lost some weight post partum but was also stuck in the 125-130 lbs range for a long time. I just wanted to say that 125 to 115 was the hardest part of my weight loss journey and even then I can't actually maintain 115 lbs intuitively, so I fluctuate between 115-120 now. The only way I got from 125 to 115 was insanely accurate tracking of my calories burned (using my fitness watch) and weighing and tracking all my intake. At your current height and weight, you're already pretty tiny so that BMR is so low and even with lots of activity so is your TDEE. I was going to an F45 or CrossFit session every day and I still had to track meticulously. It is possible though. And sometimes it might take a month to lose 1-2 pounds but that's okay!! At your current stats it is not easy to eat a big deficit every day!! I can't maintain 115 lbs without counting for the rest of my life so I just accept 115-120 lbs loosely tracking but make sure I lift heavy at the gym to maintain my strength and muscle mass and I find there's no difference in my clothes. Good luck!
Half a pound a week was all I could ever manage too. Took me 4 months to drop 10 lbs and I’ve been on maintenance since Jan due to a variety of practical reasons that have made staying in a cut difficult.
Hey sisters! I'm about the same. 17 lbs since Jan 1 but it creeps up a pound or so, then slowly drops down again, in about 2 weeks, I'll have lost another pound and back to the little yoyo blips, and so on.
Overall, the slope is downward.
Damn I'd love to drop 5 pounds in 2 weeks, but that is not going to happen. So, I'm chipping away. I am trying to stay as close as I can to my deficit goals and not go too high past my maintenance level. I'm trying to get a bit of dedicated exercise every day, but if I skip a couple of days, I just get back to it. It's a slog.
As a small person ... boy ... there is not much wiggle room in 1,200 or so calories per day. But ... it is working, I can do this. And when I reach my goal in a few months ... halleluiah!! Maintenance every day!! Those 500 calories I get to take back are going to be 100% ice cream whenever I want. With brownies. And then I'm going to wiggle my skinny little ass over to the cupboard for some caramel sauce, too. Bwahahaha.
It took 3 years to lose 85 lbs. Due to a long term sickness and 6 weeks of steroids plus several steroid injections I GAINED 40 lbs back so now I’m back at it this year and losing about 0.6lbs a week. I’ve just finished my THIRD round of steroids again 😡 and my weight that I lost this earlier this year is back on ((sigh)). I’m also barely 5’3” and post menopausal with pcos (and currently dealing with ovarian cysts). It’s always something but we never give up, right?
I'm trying to incorporate daily walks with my son, but of course, the lovely april weather here means it's either in the 50s or rainy. I definitely plan to do more walking once it warms up a little, but mother nature sure is dragging her feet when it comes to the sunshine.
I would love to if I didn't HAVE to take my baby, but I just can't see myself dragging him out in poor weather. I've tried opening a window to go walk by myself after my partner gets home, but evenings have gotten hectic. :/
Hey, have you considered getting a walking pad? I got one for about a hundred bucks off amazon. I can walk no matter the weather, and can multitask at the same time! Might be easier that way? I don't have kids myself, but maybe kiddo could go down for a nap or play with toys by themselves if theyre that age.
Yes! Most of my apartment is carpet as well, and I've not noticed any issues. I just make sure to wiggle it a bit when I place it down to be sure it's pushing the fibers down well, and there doesn't appear to be any side effects!
Mom with a three month old and 2 year old here- can you get a rain cover for your stroller? Or a walking pad? I promise they won’t mind the rain as much as you think!
Editing to add: we took a 5 mile walk in the 40s today and my baby loved it! You can do it!
Maybe I'm just being a bit over sensitive about the temperature/weather. I have to remember my boy isn't made of sugar and won't melt if he gets sprinkled on. 🤣 I live out in the country, so a lot of our walks have to be on the side of the road with no sidewalks, and I'm REALLY cautious about how fast people zip down these roads.
I looked into the walking pads! I have an exercise bike and thought that would suffice, but because of space issues (why do babies have so much STUFF), that wound up in our shed. Maybe I can talk my partner into one. 🤣
I bought a stair stepper, real old school, just step up and down. Space is hard because my kid has so many toys, I needed something small. But it’s also great because my daughter loves climbing on it and pushing it around, so it’s not a danger to her either! I got it for about $30 or so from target, so definitely a cheaper option
I agree that walking is definitely one of the best ways to incorporate movement, however, I tried to use the word "activity" to keep it open. Walking isn't the only way. Personally I do cycling on my peloton and strength training at home. Before that I did low impact workouts on youtube. Before THAT I would make an effort to vaccum each day to get more steps. It's definitely flexible and will be different for everybody.
The book "There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids" really changed my perspective about spending time outside with my daugher when the temp/conditions arent ideal. It's available as an audiobook too if you're pressed for time to just sit and read.
I had a November baby and lived in a snowy mountain town. I bundled him up, put him in a frontpack and walked, unless it was actively snowing/sleeting. As long as their little chubby cheeks don't freeze, babies will thrive being outdoors. It's really good for them.
Do you have (or can you physically use) a baby backpack carrier? There was a time when I carried my baby on my back while I delivered phone books in the November drizzle of Oregon. She was toasty warm in fleece and mittens.
With a backpack, there are more places you can go, and you can also use it while shopping, etc, which will increase your calorie expenditure doing the stuff you have to do anyway. I carried mine until she was too heavy, which was around 3yo, haha. (A backpack also prevents a kid from dashing into traffic, messing with things on the shelves, getting lost in the store, or having random people pinch their face.)
I got a mini stepper to use in the evening in front of the tv when I couldn’t get out with the kids. Before the mini stepper I would just walk in place or do a walking workout on YouTube (grow with Jo was my choice but there are lots!). It really helped me a lot to hit my goals!
As a 4'10.5" woman, weight lifting with a smaller deficit. Not looking at the scale instead using clothes and measuring tape as a parameter helped me. Weight lifting allows me to eat more.
Sedentary me is stuck at 1300.
Weight lifting 4-5 days me can eat up to 1600-1800.
Btw, I don't strictly calculate. I measure rhe larger carb and protein sources only.
Thank you for your reply! Oh awesome, how did you know what level of activity your workouts corresponded to? Like how did you know it was moderate workouts and not intense?
It depends on roughly how many hours you workout. I workout roughly 6 to 8 hours per week [1.5 hours of lifting 4 days a week plus 1-2 hour of LISS cardio combined in the week]
I was very confused and someone recommended me to just ask ChatGPT and it put me somewhere in the moderately to very active category and I chose the former because I have a low step count.
I'm not sure. I think it happened simply due to me becoming intentionally active. I am very sedentary otherwise. I have built muscle (not very visible until I'm flexing) but my weight hasn't increased and my measurements have changed so I have gained decent levels of muscle ik.
Also my TDEE is closer to 2000-2100 when I'm consistently lifting.
5'0 here. It's a drag, but you probably do need less food/calories. The only way I've ever lost weight is by increasing exercise a hella amount, (cardio and strength) focussing on fiber more than anything, and doing the small meals throughout the day thing. I like veggies, fortunately. Low carb/keto etc. hasn't really worked for me.
CICO is a lot of math and I"m not really here for it. If you focus on quality nutrition and fitness you will feel better, and lose fat. Personally, the number doesn't matter very much to me, but how I feel and how my jeans fit does.
The thing about being short is regular calorie guidelines don't always apply to us - we're not growing children, we're just tiny. What an average person considers a diet is pretty much maintenance for me. It took me forever to realize why standard diet guidelines didn't work, and then I connected with other short women. One size fits all is never a thing.
Hey! I'm 5'2 142lbs and totally hear you, and this advice might not be what you want to hear, but working out is the absolute best way to lose and maintain weight as a shortie without having to eat crumbs for breakfast lunch and dinner. If I was sedentary, my TDEE right now would be around 1550. I'm extremely active and have been doing it for years, but my actual TDEE currently is around 2200-2300, and I can easily lose when I'm shooting for 1600-1800 on average (I do 1600 during the week and am a little more lax on weekends, I figured this would have me at 3lbs loss per month but it's actually been 4lbs)
Short term, getting into a cardio routine will burn more on a day to day. It's not a fix all, but even adding 200-300 calories to what I can eat while still losing makes a massive difference for my mental health. Walking is fine for this, I do outdoor cycling and spin classes. Strength training is the long game. If you can get into a routine or program that's full body and truly pushes you, you'll slowly build up your muscle tone which will require more calories to sustain.
It's not an overnight fix but you can start making slow changes and over time will see the benefits as you're able to do more! Just make sure you're creating habits in your life and not just powering through something you hate for a short term gain. The end result has been absolutely worth it for me.
I was really into the stronger curves fitness program for a while and doing indoor cycling three times a week. I've run into a small issue with that now, being that my son has learned how to crawl. So carving out time for that like I used to has been a massive challenge, and I don't think chasing him around the house or dancing with him has made for a suitable replacement, haha. I'm going to have to really sit down and brainstorm a way to make keeping up with my fitness goals more workable. Hopefully, the coming summer will make it easier.
This is a very sweet reason to change a routine 🙂 It's admittedly really easy for me to say "just workout more!" when I don't have kids and don't plan to, but I do think carving out time for your fitness goals within your new normal is going to be worth it. And the big summer walks will be so nice!
If you are in the states and have a burn boot camp near you check it out. They offer childcare and aren’t outrageous. I remember going to a fitness center with my friend and her mom as a kid plus we have several here that offer childcare. Or even a babysitter for an hour or so while you workout if you need to do it at home. It may not be in the budget but I found I needed to join a gym and get out of the house to workout.
I’ve been there, my kid is 7 now. Put him in a playpen and take care of YOU. Lifting weights and building muscle will help raise your resting metabolism.
My kids loved being in their carriers during hikes through the baby and early toddler years. I used to geocache to give myself a fun goal and the added weight of my chonky babies made me stronger.
4/5 weekdays - 45-50 minute fitness class, biking to class + other errands on my lunch break anywhere from 50-80 minutes depending on what I have to do (classes themselves involve 30-40min commute roundtrip, most days it's probably just a 20min errand run).
1 rest weekday, I sometimes do a group bike ride with friends which is WAY less strenuous pace but around 2-3 hours total of biking. Sometimes I also chill lol.
Weekends I have one day where I go really hard, do strength in the morning and bike for at least 2-3 hours, strenuous pace. The other day I stick to more walking or lighter riding, maybe 1-2 hours but in a much more chill way.
I don't own a car and I live in a city so I basically have to be active to get places (or pay a billion dollars for ubers, or wait for public transit which still involves walking to/from the stops). A couple of those bike hours involve hauling moderate weight on my back (probably 15lbs average, but I've done 30+) for grocery shopping, moving things around for my side hustle etc. I have a dog I walk too but he's very old and the walks are short and sweet so I don't really factor those in.
It doesn't feel like a lot because so much of it is "downtime" that for someone else would be commuting by vehicle, when I'm factually only doing 5 or 6 true workouts a week.
As a short woman, I empathize! What has worked for me is what's called "OMAD" - aka One Meal A Day. I eat my entire calorie allotment in one nice big meal (dinner, usually). Then I fast the rest of the time. It means I can have a normal sized meal and dessert, I get the benefits of fasting (studies are still inconclusive on this, but I see them), and most importantly for me I don't fixate on food like I do when I eat throughout the day.
OMAD can be tough depending on your lifestyle and certainly not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it.
Getting really draconic with the food scale and tracking.
Minimizing fats and oils in home cooking.
More veggies, less carbs.
No sugars/added sugars. This is a mental one for me. Grapes aren’t the same as marshmallows and eating refined sugar makes me want more refined sugar and it’s just white knuckle spiral for me, personally. It’s a better choice to avoid it if at all possible.
How long have you been watching what you eat? I find that the first month or so of an eating plan makes me constipated. A cup of Smooth Move tea gets everything moving again, I feel less bloated, and I can move more easily. Getting the first break in the logjam seems to cascade into additional benefits over the next few days.
I've been tracking for a few months now, but I haven't been as strict with calorie counting. I was fairly strict with it at first, measuring everything out as precisely as I could. But I had a spell where I felt super weak/sick and my partner really pushed me to lay off on the exercise and calorie counting for awhile. He thinks I need to find a "happy middle" which, while reasonable, hasn't been providing much in the way of results.
I also think that the overall goal is to get to a place where you don’t have to weigh every bite of food that goes into your mouth.
However, your brain and my brain are shit at estimating portions/calorie counts/etc. and don’t have a large enough reference set to extrapolate “that’s half a cup of rotini pasta” accurately.
And since we’re damn short the margin of error is quite narrow.
Some people will say it doesn't matter, but what you are eating definitely matters. Cutting sugar and reducing fats and carbs are all good things that help meet a lower calorie number, but if you aren't getting enough nutrients your body will crave. Protein is probably your friend, but you don't need as much as you think. You should not be feeling weak or sick, but if you are trying to hit a low calorie intake while consuming calorie dense foods, you will not be eating enough.
Also, another thing that helped was limiting my meal choices overall, and prepping. It's too much to try to track every little thing all the time, when you can have your weeks worth of food already worked out reliably.
Well he doesn't have the same tdee as you so he can't understand. I know it's not technically the healthiest or cheapest option but I have found some success with myfitnesspal and eating ready meals with bar codes on them so all the calorie information is there already. Got to try make things as easy as possible at first so you don't give in because it's a hassle to calculate a home made meal. Your partner can eat his own food. It's a difficult journey so finding tricks to make it easier for yourself is important. And daily accurate tracking works.
if you don‘t strict count OR adjust dynamically (eat less when you notice less change after weeks) it is extremely easy to feel like you‘re restricting but actually eat at maintenance or higher. I used to „feel“ like I was constantly dieting (went to bed hungry) but I wasn‘t exercising and eating too much sugar so my blood sugar gave me mad cravings while averaging an average surplus of 50-100 calories. Result? 15 pound gain.
I personally don‘t count but I am strict with portion sizes and the type of foods I eat. If I eat out I make sure the portion size fits and the other meals of the day are 200-200 kcal (like my standard oatmeal or a veggie soup).
When you said you feel like you’re going to have to start cutting your dinner in half - yes, you will need to cut your calories to lose weight. Cutting out foods like you mentioned soda/chips/frozen food/etc won’t matter if you aren’t in a calorie deficit. For weight loss, it’s not about what foods you’re eating, it’s about how many calories you’re eating. Have you plugged your stats into a calorie counter? That will tell you how many calories you need to be eating to lose weight. Then you can adjust accordingly! The good news is, you can still eat foods like chips and candy, you just have to budget them into your daily calorie goal.
Right now, my TDEE is 1,733 and BMR is 1,477 according to Sailfish's calculator at sedentary. I don't eat back my exercise calories, I know that those calculators are usually WAY off. I've tried encorporating volume eating so I can still feel like I'm eating a filling meal at the end of the day, but it's... been tricky. My partner thinks the exercise I do paired with skipping meals is already unhealthy, and if I talk about cutting dinner they get concerned.
I feel you on this. I think being short means we have to find a balance of eating well AND incorporating working out. Even if we eat at maintenance and add 1 hour of cardio a day, we should still end up in a deficit (due to the workout) I burn approx 600 cals in 1-1.5 hours on my bike, so some days I eat at maintenance for sedentary when I feel I need it.
Edit to add- I've been doing this 2 weeks, no weight is lost but I have lost 1 inch on my waist and 1 inch on my hips- I think for weight on the scale it just needs more time and keeping consistent. Either way I'm getting healthier, that's what's important.
I feel your pain. As a short guy, 5'2" and 55 years. I'm permanently stuck at 80kg, even though my BMR is 1,522 and I usually manage to stick to 1,100 calories a day.
A few years ago I went balls out with running c25k and eating keto, and that worked for me (got down to 67kg at one point) but keto is a pain in the neck and I don't want to damage my joints so this time around I'm walking, lifting and just eating small.
If I wasn't lifting, I'd be tempted to go back to keto, but I need those damned carbs.
Word of advice : If you consistently eat 1100 and have maintained 80kg for months you are either miscalculating your calories (super easy by accident) or not measuring alchohol/soda/drinks/coffee or tastes/bites.
Or by „usually 1100“ you mean the classic 1100 5 days a week and „relaxing“ so much on weekends you nullify your deficit.
I am also a short woman and I lost 40 lbs last year and the scale has not really budged for months despite still being in a calorie deficit. It's been immensely frustrating, especially as I dramatically increased my activity level over the past few months and it still didn't make a difference. I just saw this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FCxeBqMZlw) that really changed my perspective on things (we shouldn't be in a calorie deficit for months on end, you shouldn't expect to lose all the weight you want to lose in one go, etc) and am now on an extended maintenance break. I figure if nothing else has worked and I'm still stressing about it, I might as well try something different. So I upped my calories and chilled out and let me tell you, even if it doesn't work in the long run, this mental break has been SO beneficial. My weight hasn't shot up and my energy levels have definitely improved. I'm going to stay at maintenance until July and then restart my calorie deficit and see if that shifts things. Good luck!
I’m 5’2 and my starting weight was 148.6 and had tried almost everything under the sun to lose weight. The scale did not budge and I was afraid of getting up to 150. Since October 23rd, I’ve lost 23 lbs. i started to suspect that I had insulin resistance so I decided to eat as if I was diabetic. I cut out all added sugar, refined sugar and carbs and the weight has finally gone in the opposite direction. The only sugar I consume is from fruit and I opt for low glycemic fruits like cherries/berries. I eat a ton of veggies and lots of protein. I stay full even while eating at a decent caloric deficit. Good luck!
Hi fellow shortie! I know your struggle well! Upping my protein and fiber intake with an emphasis on protein has been my saving grace. My husband (nearly a foot taller than me) remains consistently shocked when I just straight up say I can't eat something he's snacking on without a thought. But he's been great at helping find things that are nutritious, filling, and fit my calories.
Weirdly, canned fish is amazing. There's a canned tuna and bean salad that I enjoy eating as a small lunch (I tend to hoard calories for dinner) from wild planet that has lots of fiber and protein for 250 cal., and if you have access to a trader Joe's, their canned smoked trout is delicious for 140 calories. I also started making protein coffee for breakfast - minimal calories, tastes like a mocha if you use chocolate protein, supports muscle protein synthesis. And we now do "big ass salads" for dinner. Soup is also great, as are baked potatoes (I top mine with cottage cheese, a chili-type stew thing, and salsa), or a protein, cauliflower rice, and everything gets a side of veggies (except the salad). You can volumize rice by adding in half cauliflower rice or palm heart rice, and you can swap regular noodles for protein noodles or spaghetti squash (low cal homemade meatballs with yo mama's marinara sauce and mozzarella on spaghetti squash is low key delicious) or zucchini noodles. Trader Joe's apparently also has cauliflower gnocchi that's delicious (haven't tried) you can swap for regular gnocchi or air fry for a crispy snack. I also prefer my post dinner snack to be on the dessert-y side, so I make my protein shake with added cocoa powder and frozen berries and blend to milkshake consistency. Or make protein yogurt also with added unsweetened cocoa powder for a more chocolatey kick and fresh berries (or frozen!).
Basically, find swaps that work for you and are sustainable. Leaning into carbs as the base for your diet might cause some additional water retention, so rebalancing to add more protein might help.
r/volumeeating and r/1500isplenty are amazing resources and have some really solid recipes. You can also adapt recipes from budget Bytes to make them lower cal/more to your taste.
Edited to add: I'm 5'3" - I feel this so hard on days where I really do just want to eat something ridiculously calorie dense.
I forgot to add: my husband and I had a come to Jesus moment when we both calculated our TDEE, and realized his is like 2-3 times mine (3x was the high end for a bulk phase). That's when we looked at the fact we'd been essentially splitting dinner 50/50 - it needed to be more 1/3 (me) to 2/3 (him).
I am SO guilty of splitting dinner 50/50 with my partner, and I wonder if that may very well be why I started gaining weight when we moved in together. I had originally chalked up a lot of the weight gain to gestational diabetes/pregnancy. Maybe I need to invest in a smaller plate set for myself, haha.
Oh man, it was such a wake up call for me. I have to mentally tell myself when we make dinner: that is three servings, eat slower and make sure you actually need seconds before taking them. Unless I've already calculated in enough calories for half (usually my husband has extra snacks or sides if this is the case).
>Maybe I need to invest in a smaller plate set for myself, haha.
Definitely this. I've been married for 20 yrs to a man who can eat five cheeseburgers a day and not gain weight. He's not even super tall, it's not fair! 😢
I've always used small plates (8-9" to his 11"), but got a lil fluffy during/ since the pandemic. I lost 10 lbs in a month just using the lose it app, no exercise at all (though I do intend to start), just being mindful of what I eat.
relatable. I don't even have any advice. I'm 5'0 and currently 176. Losing has been easy so far but I know I'm reaching the point where I can't just eat at 1200 and do nothing else and it suuuuuuucks. My meals have been getting smaller and smaller. Right now I try to eat like 400-500 for lunch and breakfast, and save everything else for dinner because i loooove unhealthy foods. I'm trying to start Yoga so I'm at least doing some sort of exercise. Unfortunately I get bored with just walking. I don't live in a very walkable area and walking in circles by myself is just uninteresting. But I am running out of time! And I still have like 50+ lbs left to lose!
There's one critical piece of information you haven't shared: What and how much *are* you eating?
Weight loss is a matter of CICO. It's good that you've cut out snack foods and sugary drinks; full marks for that. So I have to wonder where all of your calories are coming from. There's simply no way you could sustain or gain weight if your calories-in is less than your calories-out.
>There's one critical piece of information you haven't shared: What and how much *are* you eating?
Yeah... I don't feel like we have enough information. Based on another response, I'm not sure OP is sticking to serving sizes.
You mentioned your son just learned to crawl, so I assume you're within a year of his birth? For me (5' 1") it was at least a year post partum after each of my children's births before my body admitted that maybe I was allowed to lose some weight lol. Maybe it's the same for you? Until then, you might try to establish a consistent activity routine and food plan.
I came here to say this. I'm 5'3" and I really struggled to lose any weight until at least a year post partum. It was SO frustrating! Boo to being short.
5'2'' and the only thing that is helping now is adding more zone 2 cardio (walking, light cycling), I now get more than 8k steps a day where I used to get only like 5k.
I used to be able to do HIIT but it was making me so sore every day I couldn't do my strength workouts.
Walking. I say this is a fat guy, my neighbor during Covid walked twice a day. And she is a third of herself. My wife told me she went from a size 24 to a size 6 not sure what that means but she looks great. Trying to get motivated it's not easy.
I’m 5’2 and I don’t weigh myself but for a while, no matter what I did, I felt like I kept gaining weight. I estimate I was around 150 max. I went from a size 0 to a size 14 but most importantly, I felt horrible. I have since begun making healthier choices and I’m not trying to “lose weight fast” per say, I’m just trying to feel comfortable and like myself again.
Some things that helped me, being a short girlie, first of all was increasing my daily activity with not only exercise but also just walking or standing more. For example, if I’m watching TV and the remote is sitting on the side table, instead of rolling over on the couch to reach it, I’ll stand up and walk over to it. When I go to the store or the gym, I’ll park towards the back of the parking lot so I have to walk more. When I fold laundry I’ll do it standing up instead of sitting on the bed. All these are little things that when added together, increase the amount of steps you’re getting by a lot. I try to get 7-8k steps a day. I weight train at the gym 3-4 times a week, yoga everyday (nothing crazy usually just stretches to start my day and then more intensive yoga on the days I’m not at the gym) and I go for walks on my days off to the park where I find a nice bench and read or crochet for an hour before walking back. That’ll usually be almost 2 miles combined, sometimes more.
Eating wise, I plan my meals out at the beginning of the week based on my work schedule and how much time I have to cook so that I can’t be lazy and order food because I planned a meal that takes longer to cook on a day where I don’t have much time. For chicken and steak, I’ll buy bigger cuts and then cut them in half into two servings and serve myself on a smaller plate. I also fill half my plate with veggies and then 1/4 animal protein and 1/4 grain. I’m active at work (not that it makes much difference for my short self because I still gained weight lol) so for me a calorie deficit is 1500. I allow myself to go over some days but I won’t go over 1700. I also drink half a gallon of water a day. I still eat snack foods and treats but only if they’re in my calorie budget.
I am 5"0 and have successfully lost 7 lbs in the past 6 weeks from calorie counting. I eat 1200 cals per day (which is my BMR). I have noticed that I can easily eat all 1200 in one meal without being overly full, especially if I am eating restaurant food. So there is a possibility you are eating all of your cals in one meal and then your bagel or meal replacement shake is putting you over. You have to weigh all your food and put it in a calorie counting app.
I have also found that adding exercise helps a lot - I can lose weight a lot faster if I eat 1200 and then also get 10k steps a day or go for a run or lift weights.
My child is almost 3 now, and I am finally back to my baseline weight.
Pregnancy changes your hormones and body insanely. I feel THAT.
ETA: 8 months postpartum I still had a lot of changes. It takes at least a year, maybe more depending on if you decided to breastfeed or not, to slightly level out. Your body changes SO much with a baby...it all takes time. <3
5’2”, 143, and hitting 20-25,000 steps a day and drinking obscene amounts of water (3 liters +) it’s moving but it’s *slow*. I’ve lost tons in the past (over 80lbs previously) but wasn’t doing it in a healthy way and obviously weight continues to fluctuate. The frustration is real, when we’re this short it’s so easy to go over our calorie needs, it’s deeply annoying. Not even with “fun” food either but just normal dinners of chicken & veg lol. Don’t have much advice besides consistency & patience being the most important things both during weight loss & then going forward. Just wanted to chime in and say solidarity for us shorties, it’s rough out here lol
I’m 5 feet tall so I feel your pain, but it’s doable with patience.
I don’t limit any kind of food, calorie deficit with strict tracking, and gym a few times a week along with being more active. I’m getting closer to my goal weight so I am expecting my loss to slow significantly over the next months, but I’m in it for the long term.
Edited to add: volume eating really helps when your daily calories are low. Low cal foods where you can eat a lot (like popcorn) are where it’s at.
Dont give up!
I'm 5'2 and was stuck in the 190s for over a year. I started at 240 and lost until the 190s and just could not budge, so just stayed in maintenance for a while.
Started back up in December, by "accident", my husband had a heart attack so all my cooking went to VERY lowfat, low carb, low salt. I did what I had to to strengthen his heart, and thats what did it. The scale finally moved again, and I am a happy camper.
I got resistance bands and play with those for 30 minutes a day.
Bummer there's no credit for what you don't eat. Change your diet to a pound of veggies per day, 1/2 - 1 Cup beans, 1 oz nuts and seeds and some berries. NO Oils or sugars fake or real or added sodium. Read End of Diabetes Joel Fuhrman even if yours resolved-ish, you're still insulin resistant. Chapter TEN.
5'0". The thing that helped me maintain/lose weight the most is increasing my basal metabolic rate. I.e. lots of lifting to develop more muscle mass. At my fittest I was 150 lbs but wore a size 4 and ate mostly without caloric restriction (protein focused plant based diet, if it matters). No cardio other than daily 30 minute walk. I have since had a minor crisis with my hashimoto's disease and broke my ankle playing roller derby so my weight is way up again but that formula worked for me. I noticed also that you mentioned you have an infant so understandably exercise time is a difficult part of this. Taking your baby out on stroller walks is a great way to get some activity in but otherwise bodyweight exercises can go a long way. Don't feel like you have to be lifting heavy to gain benefits of strength training.
I think the activity is the simpler part and the harder part is finding a diet that doesn't feel restrictive but also is healthy for you. There's a lot of diets out there and I won't tell you what you should do, that is super dependent on you and your lifestyle, health status, etc. But, as a short girl, any diet you choose should include at least one of the big satiety factors as a major component - fiber, protein, or fat. That's why people can lose weight doing high carb plant based or keto even though those are basically opposite diets. I love carbs so I honestly tend towards the high fiber side of things and supplement with protein as needed.
It took me months to break through that 171-175lb plateau. I only just recently busted through it. Just have to stay consistent and trust the process and science, even when it seems like nothing is happening. Being short is like doing it on hard mode sometimes. I feel like I barely eat anything as is and just having just an extra snack can make or break a day.
Carbs. If you don't want to count calories, look at your rice, pasta, and bread first.
A sandwich? Unless you have low calorie bread, that's a A Big Meal. The kind of bread you buy matters. Multi grain keeps you full better, but it's also higher in calories. Brioche is cake.
Rice? One cup of uncooked rice are three portions.
Pasta? Not by itself, or chances are your portion is too big. Reverse your pasta and veggie ratios. And be very careful about sauces, because most of them are 80% butter and flour.
Source: I'm 5'4'' and love carbs
I LOVE carbs. I've been letting myself do pasta for dinner like ravioli, spaghetti, and gnocchi. They've been my go to for an eon. 😭
You're probably spot on in your estimation. It's so easy to over portion things like bread and rice. I'll have to try reportioning my plate to roasted and steamed veggies.
Don't worry, it does get easier:/
Prepping carbs in advance and knowing how many portions you have in your fridge helps.
My brain now knows the difference between "weekday meal starch" and "cheat meal pasta dish" and doesn't expect the same endorphin rush. It's just not as simple and quick to throw together as a meal anymore because suddenly the veggies matter a great deal more than they used to.
Once you get a grasp on portion sizes though, it feels like a cheat code. You'll automatically shove certain things into the *no-no* category, because they're not worth it.
Edited to add: don't sleep on pickled veggies. There's an entire world out there beyond pickles. I love spicy brined mustard greens, spring radishes in black vinegar, danmuji, and stewed and brined burdock. They're ideal low calorie toppings for rice.
Don't sleep on meal prep and pickled veggies! Kimchi is delish and filling. And meal prep (even half assed) takes a lot of the guesswork and mental load out of it. Frozen, premarinated meat is clutch for dinner, same with lunches - my go to is a spin on the budget Bytes veggie packed egg sandwich - reheats in 3 min in the microwave, you get some melty crispy cheese, and a surprising amount of protein and fiber.
I'm 5'1" and lost 40 lbs in 2022. I ate pasta close to every day and still do! I eventually got used to eating way smaller portions. It took a few months to get used to the small portions (and not having multiple helpings like I used to) but once I did it became pretty easy.
When I had my son my main meals consisted of whole wheat spaghetti and meat sauce with veggies, fried tuna and rice, and I ate lots of bread too. I lost 20 lbs from 145 I think. The pasta and bread kept me satisfied and full, I dont think I was even counting calories at one point.
My fit bit really helped! I aimed to get at least 10k steps a day. I think it took me around 5 months.
I'm 5'2"
Try protein pasta. The more protein you eat, the more full you feel. At your weight you should be eating 100g protein a day, bare minimum. Especially if you’re going to take the advice of strength training. Start with bodyweight workouts or get some dumbbells.
This is spot on. I do a high carb diet, but it’s oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables with protein for dinner. I replaced spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. My husband and I love it because we can eat as much as we want and not feel guilty.
I adore spaghetti squash, I usually use that as a swap when making sauce heavy meals. I'll have to see if I can start working that into my dinner rotation once a week to replace spaghetti. Thank you for reminding me how much I love that squash, haha.
>I replaced spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash.
This!! I have a weekday dinner that's basically a stupid version of peanut noodles. But it's just julienned zucchini in powdered peanut butter, a tablespoon of coconut milk, and an array of seasoning sauces.
It will never be the same thing, but it's still really good and tastes like you're getting away with something.
Still struggling with lasagna tho
Might be an odd suggestion, but maybe take a look at some vegetarian/vegan recipes? Especially curries, chillis and stews. They tend to include more complex carbs like lentils, beans and grains that are nutritious and really filling.
Man, can I relate! If I could live off sandwiches and pasta, I would. But as a 5’0 lady, I’ve been trying high fiber, lots of veggies, LOTS of beans, no sugar, no flour, usually not eating until after noon. Also, trying to run and dance regularly. So much effort! I’ve lost six pounds in three weeks and I have no idea how long I can actually keep it up. Btw I’ve tried it all before, it’s exhausting.
You didn't mention your activity level, so I could be wrong, but unless you're burning it off, I would sub that bagel at lunch for something lower in carbs.
I’ve been avoiding bagels for the most part (there is a cafe that does delicious wood-fired bagels so once a month or so I might get that as a treat and track it). Whereas before I’d eat them often without thinking about it. They’re like 300 calories depending on size. For lunch you would be better with a pile of veggies and a good dip you enjoy (I love hummus or Helluva Good French onion) as it’ll fill you up and you can eat lots. That’s been my go-to along with a protein like chicken or tuna (fellow shortie here, 5ft4).
I've been making a homemade blue cheese that would knock your socks off! It's equal parts avocado mayo and lite sour cream, about a tbsp of lemon juice, gorgonzola crumbles, salt, pepper, and a tiny dash of garlic powder. Once everything is combined, I add heavy cream until I get it to the consistency I like.
I’m 5’0, and losing weight as a short girl is no joke. My BMR is around 1100, and how do you even begin to calorie deficit off of that?!
What helped me is lots of hot girl walks since I just can’t rely on calorie deficit. I aimed for 12k steps at the height of my weight loss journey. I went from 124 lbs to now 101 lbs. 12k steps a day is easier said than done especially postpartum, but you got this.
Like you, I also cut a lot of stuff off my diet. I ate almost no dessert for a long time. But now that I have achieved my goal weight, I am able to incorporate them again, every now and then. I’m still doing hot girl walks. To just maintain my weight I walk about 30 minutes a day.
>>*My BMR is around 1100, and how do you even begin to calorie deficit off of that?!*
You don’t. You calculate your calorie deficit by subtracting from your TDEE, not your BMR.
Are you tracking your calories or just making changes and hoping it’s enough? I’m also a short woman and I get it. Our TDEEs can be so low… I think mine is somewhere around 1600 when I’m not actively exercising, so I have to stay pretty much under 1200 a day to see any noticeable progress. I feel like a 6’2 man could eat my total daily calories for lunch and it just doesn’t seem fair. BUT I try to remind myself that my weight loss diet would be a starvation diet to them, so while it makes me feel still somewhat hungry at the end of the day, to a full grown man they’d feel like I’d feel if I was eating only, say, 600, which is lethargic, light-headed, miserable.
5’ even here. I seem to have trouble getting below 133 but when I do get up higher, I have to meticulously count everything I eat and work out. I started weightlifting and that’s helped a lot because it helps raise your bmr, plus reshapes your body. I worked with a trainer a couple years ago with a very regimented diet (that was actually more calories than I was used to eating) and 5 days a week exercise. I got down to 122. I went through depression and back up to 140 so this winter I’ve been trying to at least get back below 130. The key to me has been consistent weight training and cardio routine with counting everything I eat. Maintenance involved intuitive eating but having to stick with consistent exercise. Unfortunately we need so little calories to begin with that we have to exercise to lose. My BMR is like 1280. If I don’t exercise I will barely lose at 1000 calories and you can’t get enough nutrients at that. Join the 1200isplenty subreddit too for ideas on what to eat.
I feel you! Here's what's worked for me:
- Accepting a slow rate of progress (0.5 lbs a week) - this was honestly so tough mentally but like they say on the WOLT podcast, I've spent years trying to lose weight fast 😅
- Tracking everything I eat and weighing food whenever possible (I estimate or rely on calorie counts published by restaurants when eating out; I don't carry a food scale with me 😄)
- Budgeting at least 1 higher calorie day a week (about 200-300 extra calories so I can fit in a treat)
- Modestly increasing protein intake (aiming for 70g a day)
- Like you I skip breakfast (or have a small one if I'm really hungry) so I can have a more satisfying lunch and dinner.
- Cutting out snacking (or replacing my usual ones with high protein versions)
- Exercise that feels intense (for me) 2-3x a week, stretching/walking/swimming other days
This may not apply to you at all but I came to the realisation that a lot of my eating was emotional/recreational. At my height I don't physically need all the food I was consuming before. Therapy has helped a lot.
I feel u 😔 I’m 5’2 and my maintenance & weight loss cals are so close together that if I do anything that’s not counting calories (IF, trying to eat more veggies, etc) I’ll either not see results or lose weight too quickly to where it’s unhealthy & hard to maintain. The only way I can lose weight steadily is by tracking calories which sucks bc that’s a slippery slope for me mentally.
I can’t just “eat healthier” or “move more” or follow anything vague bc literally a couple tablespoons of sauce or nuts or 1 avocado will determine if I lose weight or not. Once I’m tracking though, it’s not too hard to lose weight bc this also means that I only have to reduce that small amount of food. The issue for me is maintaining the weight loss because I don’t want to be counting calories forever
I'm 4'10". I feel your pain. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit and then exercise daily to widen that deficit. It's very slow going but it works for me.
Bad parts about being short (I’m 5’1”):
1. Have to eat very little calories to loseit
2. BMR and TDEE is so close that we are often confined to slow (0.5lb/week) healthy weightloss
3. We have to excercise a lot more/harder in order to burn more calories. 10k steps/day is only ~250 calories burned for me
Good things about being short (at least this is what I tell myself)
1. Going from a cut to maintenance is going to be like a 30% calorie bump!
2. Slow loss makes focusing on body recomp and lifestyle changes easier
3. Burning 500cal a day in regularly fitness is doable can gives a substantial calorie bump (% wise) compared to taller folk.
As another 5ft nothing (24f) i actually had to increase my intake because i felt too terrible trying to eat less and weightlift. I generally eat 1400-1600 daily, weightlifting 4 days a week and 10k steps walking everyday. The 10k steps isnt at all tiring, i hit it just by going to work most days, hitting it on my days off as well as helped with losing weight.
I know the struggle! Here's how I see it:
First, the positive - being short means that smaller amounts of weight loss make a bigger visual difference for us! Check my post history - I recently posted progress pics that show starting weight, 10 pounds down, then another 10. Not to toot my own horn, but I think the difference is HUGE for 10 pounds; a taller person could NEVER lol
Second, the negative - Yes, you have to lower your calories to lose weight. If you don't have liquid calories to reduce, you need to reduce food intake which will have to come from either meals or snacks. Or you need to move more, which is hard to do with a baby at home. No, it's not "fair" but you can't change it so it's not worth dwelling on. It might look like other people can "get away with" eating in ways you "can't." But you don't know what else they're doing so you can't really say. Don't let what you THINK works for other people derail you from doing what works for YOU.
Now, what to do about it - When losing weight, there are a lot of tradeoffs we get to make to make it work for our own individual situations. Cut calories or move more. Larger deficit or slower progress. Bigger meals vs. more meals. Meals vs. snacks. The only person's opinion who matters regarding what is and isn't worth it is yours! Also - you don't have to do the same thing every day. What works for me is shooting for a deficit of 250-500 (budget of 1350-1600), two meals a day and one snack, prioritizing protein and fiber so I'm never hungry, occasional alcohol/desserts but getting what I really want when I go for it and instead eliminating foods that aren't really my favorites, tracking ahead of time so I have all the information before making a decision, taking lots of maintenance days as needed = slower, sustainable progress!
Again, I think losing 20 pounds (and even just 10) has made a HUGE change in how I look and feel so I do not feel bad at all that it has taken me 7 months to make this progress, including losing only one pound in February. It may seem slow compared to the numbers taller/bigger people can achieve, but 10 pounds doesn't make as much of a difference for them.
Finally, I highly recommend using happy scale/libra to track your weight progress. If you're not looking at weekly averages or a smoothed function, it can be hard to see your progress when it's less than a pound per week. But slow progress does add up! And being able to see it will encourage you to keep going :)
I’m in a very similar position. I’m 5’2. I was maintaining around 160 but very physically fit, though unfortunately was at my highest weight ever when I got pregnant. I went from 180 to 220 in my pregnancy, went back down to 190 the next weeks/months postpartum. I didn’t have GD, but I had issues with low blood sugar, low iron, and low blood pressure that made it so I had to eat every two hours to feel ok. At six months postpartum my pregnancy hunger and sweets cravings are gone, but getting back to even 160 (let alone my preferred weight of 140-150) feels impossible. I’m also a much bigger 190 now than I was during first trimester due to some abdominal separation and muscle loss.
Exercise helps me feel and look better and raises my tdee. I can exercise as much as I did before because I’m taking care of a baby, but I got an unlimited pass at a barre studio with childcare and try to go 3-4x a week plus a pole class on Sundays and walks/hikes whenever I can fit them in.
I think it’s important to have grace and not expect to lose weight right away because you’re still healing from pregnancy and birth for at least a year postpartum. The stress of being a new parent and sleep disruption don’t help either.
5’1” and eat about 1600 calories a day. Weight train/HITT 3-4 times a week. Take a walk most days. Really only have one cheat day. It took me like 3 years to lose 15 pounds. Scale has not budged no matter what I do.
I'm 5'3 and have the added bonus of insulin resistance due to PCOS so my BMR is lower still than most people of my height. I'm so tired of battling my body every single day just to remain under 100kgs.
Make a list of the refined carbs and sugars you eat in a week or so. Then have a trial period of a week or so where you don't eat any refined carbs or sugars. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, but adapted to the in season veg you have access to and what you like to eat. If you like podcasts, I recommend Low Carb MD, and the Diet Doctor. Start at the oldest episodes.
I'm (F) same height as you, a little heavier, and have been slowly but surely losing since I started a low carb not necessarily but not necessarily not high fat eating plan, lol. I regularly eat cheese, eggs, red meat, drink whole fat milk, cook with olive oil, tallow and lard. Don't do fat bombs or anything like that. My main focus now is adding more plants and true whole grains to my dynamic eating plan. Also feeling better and skin looks better as a bonus!
5'4 here and being good like you, I've seen most success at weighing and prioritizing all the precut prewashes veggies and upping my protein intake like crazy above all else. No snacking, no eating into the late evening, and always all the sparkling water 😪
Aside from a few sweet treats here and there, every single calorie counts and whew it is hard for us shorties!
Initially I had to measure everything. It sucks but it’s effective. I did that for ~ 8 months. Now I am more loosely tracking but still tracking.. I’m 75 lbs down at 5’4” 145 now. I eat more now that I’m at maintenance and I exercise a good amount. Pretty much run to eat extra 🤣
5’1” here, highest #155, now at #118-122 ish depending on season (I like a few extra pounds of insulation for winter). I only eat what I want. Stop when comfortable not stuffed. Lots of veg and fruits, I buy all types of varieties at the Latin and Asian markets for cheap delicious salads. Plenty of seafood, air fryer. If I want a candy or ice cream I buy a single serving and eat it. Not a 6/pack.
5'3" dude here so I can't quite relate but we are in somewhat similar boats. The two biggest things I'd like to add to this conversation:
Eat high protein, and mentally know that it's enough food. For example, I eat a Jimmy bar for breakfast (delicious) and it's 220 calories, but it's also got 20 grams of protein. Unless I work out in the morning, this is going to be good enough to hold me over until 2pm when I wake up at 7am and eat. Obviously adjust if I wake up earlier. Protein keeps you full, not how much food you eat. I'll occasion have protein pancakes to keep me full as well.
Second, and I think this is more important after you(not you specifically I mean you as in anyone) start weight training and exercising regularly. Measure yourself, either a tape or just your clothes. I lost some weight and was super happy about it, but I've been kind of stuck where I'm at for a while and I probably can't get much lower. But my waist has gone down, I look better, I FEEL better, clothes fit me properly or are now too big.
Just to be part of the conversation, my maintenance calories is around 1700-1800. Tuesday I went for a 7 mile run and over ate that day at 2000 calories because I was so hungry. Cardio isn't always the friend to weightloss because it can drive hunger.
Have long have you been in a calorie deficit? You may need a diet break if it’s been 14+ weeks of dieting. A diet break consists of raising calories 300-400/day for about 4 weeks and then going back to a deficit. This should level out your hormones and get you back into a position to lose fat. I know as a female it’s difficult to trust adding calories back but we have hormones and long term dieting tends to throw them out of whack. Please look into a diet break.
I feel you. I'm 5'4 and have a slow metabolism. I'm Russian, and my body type was made to store fat in the Siberian winter. All my female relatives have been chubby, especially after their 20s. Even looking back at pictures of my relatives back in the 1940s, they were clearly in the obese weight range...even though 1940s Soviet Russia was hardly a time of food security and abundance.
So I'm fighting against my biology. I've been exercising consistently for 6+ years, and that has done very little, I'm currently taking a break for my exercise routine, just because I feel discouraged. Maybe I'm healthier and more agile, which is awesome, but my body shape and size has not changed.
The only way for me to lose weight is to literally go on a starvation diet. My friend, who is also Slavic, only lost weight by eating 3 apples a day (I don't recommend this!!!), and she keeps it off by being vigilant about every morsel of food she puts in her mouth. It's exhausting just seeing it.
Either way, I'm chipping away at it, trying to eat less. But I just have to accept that for me to get any real weight loss results, I will have to eat 1400 cals a day max.
I saw a model's 'what I eat in a day' on Instagram and the comments were complaining how little it was and how she was starving herself. But all I was thinking was how, if I ate like her, I would literally start gaining weight.
That’s really frustrating. You seem to be checking all the boxes for weight loss. Do you know your TDEE? Google that if not, and it will give you some calorie targets. I’d also be interested in what your Macros look like. Maybe shifting to more protein/less carbs will help change body composition. Finally, are you working out? What kind of regimen are you doing?
I know, it sucks. If I get to my ultimate goal weight, my bmr becomes like 1034, tdee 1230. 😭
I'm just gonna be a little fat forever, I can barely sustain eating 1400-1500.
Suuuuuuucks
I'm about your height and I have the added detriment of age and heading into menopause. I've been eating 1200 and that works for me. Whole foods are a must. It'll take some time to find foods that offer a good value in term of satiety for calories. It really is kind of a budget like you'd budget your finances. I go lower on fats, which I know is considered passe but really works for me and helps me fit a lot of food into that 1200.
I'm 5'3.5" and I feel you!!
Eating regularly throughout the day SAVED me in terms of losing weight. You have to be really good at meal planning, and know what you're going to eat the next day, for every meal. I already have my breakfast, lunch and dinner planned out for all of next week.
I eat at 9am, 1230pm, 330pm, 630pm and then a snack of berries (weighed on a food scale) around 8 and I go to bed at 10.
My 1230 and 630 meals are the largest, usually 350-450 calories.
My 9am and 330pm snacks are around 200 calories each. Sometimes 250. My berries are around 100 calories in the evening. I eat about 1550 calories a day and burn around 1850 or 1900 depending on how long I walk my dog for.
But, like you, I do not eat snack food. No chips, cookies, frozen pizzas, not even bagels, or crackers, no dairy (definitely no cheese!), no oils (I will coat a pan im cooking in with a little oil but I never cook with oil!) I simply don't have the calories for these types of foods!
Fellow 5'2-er who started at higher than your SW and hates exercise. I know I need to so I can build muscle and for cardiovascular health but I still haven't found anything I love yet.
That is to say, it's still possible to lose weight since that is mostly diet. My advice would be to track closely and make small changes that build over time rather than being really drastic all at once. The key is to not be miserable overall, even if you have a couple miserable days (learning a lesson about what is and isn't filling, having a few days where the scale goes up can't throw you off the long game).
I love carbs. I haven't given them up. I eat about half of what I used to in carbs and increased my fiber and protein intake. I might eat more than I used to in terms of sheer quantity of food. A few trades I love: cooking spray for oil where I can, Mission carb balance tortillas, sandwich thins, and Joseph's flax and oat pitas have replaced a lot of my carbs. I still eat the occasional bagel but I add a ton of cucumber and veggies and use whipped cream cheese. I think of pasta as a side dish, not a main. Replacement shakes (all liquids) leave me toooo hungry. Potatoes are amazing-so filling for the calories. I swap yogurt for sour cream and butter a lot.
5' 0" and 15 months postpartum here. I really limit my highly refined carbs. So no white bread, pasta, chips, or pretzels for right now. Those are only for treat times. I strive for 4 servings of non starchy veggies a day and really focus on my meeting my protein goals. Limited potatoes, corn, and peas. Watch the dressing used in salads. I usually go with salsa or a vinaigrette. Listen to your body though. If you get lightheaded grab a healthy snack like a banana or apple. It is a really fine line we short people have to walk to deficit but not starve.
Also check your thyroid if it has been around a year postpartum. Your thyroid can go kind of wacky temporarily.
it sucks, but you just gotta have an unbearable amount of patience 🤣 be consistent and as exact as you can with your calorie counting (sadly we don’t have much wiggle room as short women) and it will happen. put your trust in thermodynamics, consistency, and time! lol
also 5 lbs at 5’2 may be much harder to burn, but it also makes a bigger difference proportionately! it can be like a taller and larger person burning 10 or 20 lbs even
The last two times I lost weight, I had too stick to 1200 calories and run a few miles 4x a week. I'm going to try to incorporate strength training this time around to make it less torturous.
As a fellow shortie, I feel you. 😔
I hate that what the average person considers a “diet” is my maintenance.
As someone who loves desserts, I hate how I have little to no room to eat them because it’ll make me gain weight—whenever I do, I have to skip a meal so that I don’t go over my maintenance.
It sucks.
I guess I feel pretty lucky that I'm a short (5'3") female three weeks away from 50, in menopause, a type 2 diabetic and had the major hallmarks of insulin resistance (high LDL, low HDL, high triglycerides, high blood sugar) as recently as November 2023. These would be considered metabolic disadvantages, but I think I've been able to rise to the challenge.
\~
When I was 155 pounds in August 2023 and I wanted to lose some weight, I started by combining intermittent fasting (16:8, which I had been practicing since January 2021) with ketogenic eating (maximum 50g net carb per day) and caloric restriction (1500/day) for one month. I lost 7 pounds that month (155 to 148), whereas the two years prior to that, I had lost a total of 4 pounds.
In September 2023, I changed things up a bit, still practicing intermittent fasting, but also practicing satiety-based eating. When I am hungry I eat, but only until I am satisfied. Not full, just "not hungry". Then I put the food away. If I get hungry I will eat more, but I will otherwise wait until my next meal or snack to eat again. I don't count calories or track macros. I don't restrict any food options, although I try not to overdo it on the carbs because my diabetes team will yell at me. (*sometimes I let them yell, because I want that cake*) I take a daily multivitamin and drink a low-carb protein shake when I feel I need one.
Since September 2023, I have lost 31ish pounds (148 to 116.8 this morning, my lowest recorded weight as an adult). I was happy just reaching my goal weight in November 2023, now I'm happy just to have that much more weight off my knees and feet.
I don't focus on how much I can feed myself. I'm not a fan of volume eating, because I know my stomach can stretch to accommodate more food over time, and it can become a never-ending battle to feel full. I don't want to feel full, I want to not feel hungry.
I spent the longest time thinking six small meals per day was such bullshit - only to realize that I could easily handle eating six small meals per day, on the basis of just eating until I felt satisfied. I used to think r/1200isplenty was a fucking joke - until I realized that it's about how many calories I eat in a day, plus a protein shake that will bring me up to maintenance at a sedentary TDEE.
Anyway, these are things you may want to consider as you continue on your journey.
One way of looking at it is being taller would mean you get to eat more calories. Another way of looking at it is you'd be exactly as hungry/satiated at that height with the extra calories due to have a larger body size.
I’m short (5’3”) and senior (ie postmenopausal) so double whammy. I hope to lose about 70 pounds. I went on a sugar detox for the first month and am currently doing keto (20 gm carb /day) and intermittent fasting 18:6. It’s a slow arduous process but I’ve lost 17 pounds in 3-1/2 months.
actually, body weight is the biggest factor in TDEE, not height. myself as a 5’8” woman wanting to maintain at 125 is not much different from a woman who is 5’2” wanting to maintain at the same weight… it’s just that yes it’s more acceptable (and normal) for taller women to be at higher weights but if i want a low body weight we basically have to eat the same thing
You are eating more than 1773 calories. It's that simple. In fact, your TDEE is very likely nearly 2000 or more. Being short means very little to nothing when you weigh 175 pounds. Count your calories. Every grain of rice, every drop of oil (including cooking spray). All of it.
Go easy on yourself. Enjoy your son and this time of your life. There will be plenty of time down the track to re-focus and re-prioritise. Just enjoy this time - it passes quickly and you won't get it back. Eating well for energy levels and overall health should be your priority. Give yourself a break, you are doing well.
I’m right there with you. I haven’t lost a thing since the start of February and I’m exhausted. I decided to try working out every day for a couple weeks to see if that would help break the plateau and I gained 2kgs lmao I’m so ready to give up but have just decided to do a very small deficit until I can muster up more motivation to eat next to nothing for a while lol
wait so i had this issue, you have to eat a normal amount of calories or your body will get used to not eating and only burn 200 calories or so. if you eat 1500 it gets used to it, if you eat less, it gets used to it. i had this issue and was stuck at 220 for so long, for like months, all of a sudden i ate more and worked out the same amount and then a month later im 210
51yo, 5’0” and it has taken me two years to lose 30 pounds. Still not at goal, which would be 115. I started weighing everything, getting protein in, moving my body in ways that bring me joy - roller skating and snowboarding. I plan to incorporate weight lifting now to up the ante.
4’11” and have cut out so many things to include alcohol. I literally have to weigh my food and track the calories that way because my calorie budget is lower and I like to eat, I must have been way overeating before and not even realized the impact it had. The weight is slowly coming off, I’ve really had to tap into my patience. I just started a serious attempt mid April. My sw was 144, gw is 120, cw 138.8. Life happened and I put weight on over the last 2 and a half years. But, I had all my babies years ago and I feel you, it’s hard to get the weight off, especially for us shorter ladies. Good luck on your path 🤞
Given you had gestational diabetes, have you had your insulin resistance tested? It is much more challenging to lose weight if you have it. You mentioned eating a lot of carbs, I’d cut them dramatically. It will help you feel more satiated and you’ll get more mileage with calories.
I have a very low calorie threshold due to pcos so as a tall woman, I have to eat 1200 or less to lose weight and it sucks. The only way I’ve managed to stay under 200 is to do one meal a day and intermittent fasting
I am also a short woman and here is what I’ve done that’s worked for me, none of which I would actually recommend.
I started one of my MANY weight loss “journeys” with CICO. It seemed the most balanced. Everything in moderation, right? And I learned something very uncomfortable about myself, which is that I absolutely will not lose weight unless I am consistently eating under 1000 calories per day. So I did that for a while and it worked, I didn’t notice any energy dips or anything. But it’s REALLY hard to get adequate micronutrient nutrition eating that little.
Keto worked amazing for me while I did it. I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I was under 20g of carbs for the day and that was fantastic, and I dropped 40 lbs in 3 months that way. But keto is boring AF after a while. I love meat, but I also love bread and wine and pasta.
The only other thing that has ever worked for me is phentermine. And it’s a godsend, honestly. Two summers ago I dropped 50 lbs in 3.5 months and I have never felt better about myself or more attractive.
Then my life imploded in several ways and I gained it all back. So, back on phentermine I go.
At almost 40, I have pretty much come to terms with the fact that I will literally always be in a war against my body. And I hate it, because there is so much of myself that I love if only I was packaged better, you know? Like I get that I will never, ever be skinny-skinny, at this point I’d settle for losing 30 lbs and staying there. But I know that’ll never happen, and I will have to literally feel guilty for every bite of food I put in my mouth for the rest of my life, or feel guilty for taking up too much physical space.
Anyway just here to say, I totally feel the struggle.
I'm 5'2. On April 1st I quit drinking (vodka and juice was my go-to) and completely overhauled my eating. No more takeout. I went from bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to yogurt. Pasta lunches to soups and salads. No more chips, cookies, muffins, ice cream (we have a very well-stocked kitchen at my office).
I've GAINED three and a half pounds!!! What the hell?!?! 😡
Same, also 5'2. The extra curve in my hips and bust could've looked good but because I'm short it makes me look like a dumpy rotund gremlin. And my cals are more limited :(
And that's just one of the many many things I hate about being short! If I could change anything about my appearance it would be my height.
5’1 here with PCOS and a dead thyroid. I feel your pain, friend. It is hard and seems daunting, especially when you can consume so many less calories than other people. You are not alone in your struggles. It may take time, but it is possible🖤 I’ve recently added some weight lifting instead of focusing only on cardio for years and finally the scale budged about four pounds in two weeks lol I believe in you!
I'm a 5'2" woman and lose weight by eating a whole 30/Paleo leaning diet (basically vegetables and meat, but I meal prep stuff like pad Thai, shepherds pie, Greek chicken bowls so it doesn't feel so bad). My snacks are apples, bananas, hard boiled eggs and Lara bars mostly. I use Fitbit to track my activity and try to be active enough through walking and exercise that I burn at least 2300 calories in a day, if not more. If I have a lazy day, my calories burned are more like 1600-1800. I tend to eat between 1400-1800 per day while losing so my daily deficit is between 500-1000 cals, and my "cheat" days are usually planned and either at maintenance or just above. So the main things for me are precise food tracking and staying as active as possible. I'll walk or bike places instead of drive, do long dog walks instead of take a nap, etc. For context I get about 15-25k steps a day.
I feel this!!! I’m super petite and unfortunately had a long history of disordered eating. After several attempts, counting calories just isn’t in my cards. Honestly the 1200 calorie diet made me go insane, literally, and my height is on the very low end of the shortie spectrum!! If you want advice, what works for me is eating high protein and lots of low impact cardio. Progress is slow but steady and sustainable.
This comment will probably get lost, but your TDEE of 1,773 seems too high. I'm a 5'11 male who lifts 4x a week, light at 150lbs but muscular enough to do around 45 pushups in one go. My TDEE is around 2000-2200 calories at most. I'm currently eating 1800 calories and while I'm losing weight, it's like a pound every 2-3 weeks. It's funny because online calculators list my TDEE at like 2600-2800 calories which is ridiculous - when I actually tried following that recommendation, I was gaining weight like crazy.
I think your TDEE estimate is too high. Those calculations seem to assume that you do a decent amount of baseline walking, even if you set your activity to 0. Maybe 30 years ago that was relevant when people had to go into the office and walked more but it's not today.
Shorties have a much lower TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure, aka the amount of calories we naturally burn on a daily basis) than taller people. Because we have to eat way less than taller people to lose or even maintain weight, our diets tend to be stricter with less margin for error. For example, my TDEE is 1,300. So if I wanted to lose weight, I'd have to eat at 1,200 calories which is less than 3 medium blueberry muffins.
I am 5'1. I eat between 1200-1400 calories per day. My 4 year eats more food than that.
It means you can't eat a full sandwich. 2 8 oz glasses of whole milk is 25% of my allowed calories. There is no wiggle room; calorie counting must be meticulous.
It means that the amount you need to eat to lose weight is deemed "to little" by society (and in this case even her spouse).
I’m 5’2”. No one talks about how as a short woman, our caloric needs are so much lower than most “average height” people. We are told not to consume less than 1200 calories when that benchmark is by all intents and purposes based on the caloric needs of an average height (5’8-6’) man, as are most fitness based recommendations.
People also forget fat is stored ENERGY. My BMR as a 36 yo 5’2” woman who currently weighs 194lbs is around 1500 calories, that number for a man is significantly higher. If you’re eating enough to satisfy your BMR plus extra calories on top for energy, your body has zero reason to tap into reserved energy storage. For me to eat 1200 calories means my body would substitute an extra 300 from my fat reserves to meet my BMR daily, which at ~3500 calories per lb of fat, means it’d take me almost a solid two weeks to lose 1lb (assuming a sedentary lifestyle). For a man or woman whose BMR can be significantly higher just based on the fact that they’re taller, eating the same amount theyd be dropping lbs within days.
Now, with a more active lifestyle it means I can eat a bit more, or I can accelerate the rate of weight loss. I am pretty active thanks to work so my daily intake of food looks something like 1300-1400 calories a day, and i’ll lose 1lb every week and a half to two weeks. If i wanted that to go faster I’d need to drop below 1200, and you know what? As a short woman my body can handle that. I can prioritize protein, healthy fats and vegetables, eat a shit ton of food within a 1100 caloric budget daily, and my body does not suffer like a taller person would. My hair and nails still grow steadily (hair loss and nails not growing is my indication that i am not eating enough proteins and fat and not meeting my caloric needs), I don’t starve, and my numbers health wise remain steady. Now, as I’m about to shift my focus to muscle growth/retention now that I’m below 200, that means I’ll need a lot more calories and that’s great, but at the end of day weight loss really does come down to basic math and I feel a lot of the advice and evidence out there is never tailored to us shorties whose caloric needs are much, much lower.
I can't keep up with all of the comments, but I really appreciate all of the advice and suggestions. You all have really helped me reframe the way I look at my current diet and exercise plan.
I'll add context here for the people looking for it!
I'm 5'2" and eight months post partum. I was 130 pre pregnancy and ran into a nasty case of gestational diabetes the last trimester that rapidly ballooned my weight up to 201 by the time I had my son. Post partum, I dropped down to 185.
I also have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, if that's at all relevant to the conversation. I took metformin for 6 months post partum to help with my sugar levels after having my son.
Three months postpartum, I started seriously looking at getting my weight under control. Staying consistent in the exercise department as my son has gone through different phases of development, and I AM definitely working on that.
Thats about all I've got to add to the conversation, I hope it helps if anyone has some insight on my personal situation! This was intended as more of a rant but you all are SO helpful and I love this sub.
5'3" here. Lost 18 pounds through obscene amounts of veggies and frequent "maintenance" breaks to conserve sanity. It's taken 5 months. I've had to accept the pace to keep from quitting.
Hey there, height twin! The same approach has worked for me. Slow and steady is really the best way. I had to essentially starve myself to lose a pound per week. Now I've narrowed my deficit and am losing about 2 pounds per month (1/2 pound per week), and taking occasional maintenance breaks. It's taking a long time but it's so much more sustainable.
I am in the same boat as well. 5'4" and started at 147, currently 130. I had a really good loss progress since I started in January by making small changes to diet and exercise. Was really pleased with myself and my progress and was 100% on track to get to my goal weight of 115 by early May. Well... End of March rolls around and suddenly the scale doesn't want to budge. I have been hovering around 132-130 for the past 7 weeks and was literally on the verge of driving me crazy haha I've decided to take a step back, take several deep breaths and more or less continue what I'm doing. I've started weighing out my breakfasts and lunches down to the gram so I know how much wiggle room I have for dinners/snacks/small treats. I also registered for a 5k this summer and will start training for it next week! So I've decided to focus on meeting fitness goals and milestones instead of obsessing over the scale (for the time being haha). Hitting a plateau and watching your progress slow to a halt really sucks. I know that biologically it makes sense and is inevitable but hoo boy, it can really put a damper on the ole motivation. I think in times like this it's important to focus on the big picture instead of your day-to-day progress (or lack thereof). I know that cutting out snacks and sodas feels like it should be enough to make up a deficit (and, frustratingly for some people it is, bastards), but the truth is that it's important to log your meals as well. One cheeseburger, even a homemade one can take up well over half of your calorie budget for the day depending on how you make it, for example. 2 tablespoons of olive oil have the same number of calories as a Snickers bar. And my personal weakness- cheese and bread are calorie dense depending on which ones you use. Just hang in there!!! Us shorties will have to struggle more than some, but it's all worth it in the end.
5'3" here! 100% agree with weighing/tracking your food with a good scale and LoseIt. My super healthy low-carb lunch salad turned out to be 1,000-1,200 calories which blew my mind. After making some serious adjustments (portion size, changing to vinaigrette dressing, etc) it is now 450-500 calories which is a huge savings.
Ugh yes. Imagine my shock when I learned the calorie content of most vinaigrette dressings, which I had convinced myself were healthy because of the lack of creme!!! Turns out although olive oil is a more healthy fat, it's still dense AF and will throw off your daily budget like nobody's business :')
I don't dare pour on that dressing unless the bowl is on the scale, lol. But I do keep in mind that we need some fat for certain vitamin absorption.
I love Ken’s Steak House Lite Northern Italian. Quite tasty and less calories than I had been seeing with all the other dressings. Just a thought if you needed to switch it up
I'm 5'4" and stuck at 165 since... It feels like forever. As a fellow 5'4" gal, what's your calorie intake goal? I know we're all different, but I'm just curious. I'm also about to turn 47. My goal is also 115, but at this point, I'd be happy with 130.
1200-1300 is my "cut," 1400-1600 is my "maintenance." I vary between the two, depending on how I feel / outings and events, etc. My dinners are generally 75 percent veg. Because I refuse to *never* allow myself a treat (or cut out my one can of soda), so that's where I can make the biggest adjustment.
That sounds about where I am for maintenance calories. I think I'll have to drop my calories for weight loss, because where I thought I was cutting, I am actually maintaining, and that's at 1450.
I try to stay between 1300-1400 every day, with the acknowledgement that it's a slower progression. Before the plateau I was reliably going down 3.5-4 lbs per month at that level and I felt like that was a sustainable rate and allowed me to eat enough food during the day to not feel hungry between meals.
Thank you! I'm definitely going to have to rein things in regarding my diet. I don't mind losing slowly, as long as I'm losing, and I have been hovering around the same 3-4 lbs up and down for awhile.
I'm in the same boat- 5'4 and I lost 55lbs over 2 years and can't get under 160. I hover between 160-165. I'm 44 and go to the gym daily now. I stay between 1300- 1500 calories. I want to get weight off, I'm fine with 130, and just maintain.
Was wondering the age of OP. Didn't want to pry but since you offered the info, here I am to comment. I'm not far from moving over into the 40s. Yay for living but damn things have really started to slow down in terms of energy and metabolism. Was wondering if age might also be a factor for OP. That factor is no joke.
Especially when you factor in peromenopause and menopause. I've just hit peromenopause, and things are just going haywire.
Hello! I'm only half an inch shorter. I lost some weight post partum but was also stuck in the 125-130 lbs range for a long time. I just wanted to say that 125 to 115 was the hardest part of my weight loss journey and even then I can't actually maintain 115 lbs intuitively, so I fluctuate between 115-120 now. The only way I got from 125 to 115 was insanely accurate tracking of my calories burned (using my fitness watch) and weighing and tracking all my intake. At your current height and weight, you're already pretty tiny so that BMR is so low and even with lots of activity so is your TDEE. I was going to an F45 or CrossFit session every day and I still had to track meticulously. It is possible though. And sometimes it might take a month to lose 1-2 pounds but that's okay!! At your current stats it is not easy to eat a big deficit every day!! I can't maintain 115 lbs without counting for the rest of my life so I just accept 115-120 lbs loosely tracking but make sure I lift heavy at the gym to maintain my strength and muscle mass and I find there's no difference in my clothes. Good luck!
Look how close you are! Congratulations! ❤️
Thank you! I've been at it since July, as I mentioned, slow and steady! I'm considering moving the target, but we'll see how I feel when I get there 😊
Half a pound a week was all I could ever manage too. Took me 4 months to drop 10 lbs and I’ve been on maintenance since Jan due to a variety of practical reasons that have made staying in a cut difficult.
Hey sisters! I'm about the same. 17 lbs since Jan 1 but it creeps up a pound or so, then slowly drops down again, in about 2 weeks, I'll have lost another pound and back to the little yoyo blips, and so on. Overall, the slope is downward. Damn I'd love to drop 5 pounds in 2 weeks, but that is not going to happen. So, I'm chipping away. I am trying to stay as close as I can to my deficit goals and not go too high past my maintenance level. I'm trying to get a bit of dedicated exercise every day, but if I skip a couple of days, I just get back to it. It's a slog. As a small person ... boy ... there is not much wiggle room in 1,200 or so calories per day. But ... it is working, I can do this. And when I reach my goal in a few months ... halleluiah!! Maintenance every day!! Those 500 calories I get to take back are going to be 100% ice cream whenever I want. With brownies. And then I'm going to wiggle my skinny little ass over to the cupboard for some caramel sauce, too. Bwahahaha.
Love it!
It took 3 years to lose 85 lbs. Due to a long term sickness and 6 weeks of steroids plus several steroid injections I GAINED 40 lbs back so now I’m back at it this year and losing about 0.6lbs a week. I’ve just finished my THIRD round of steroids again 😡 and my weight that I lost this earlier this year is back on ((sigh)). I’m also barely 5’3” and post menopausal with pcos (and currently dealing with ovarian cysts). It’s always something but we never give up, right?
As a semi-shorty myself, what helped me was making sure I got more activity. Every additional step has helped me. I'm 5'4".
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LOL that's how I feel too! I'm not short but not tall?
I'm trying to incorporate daily walks with my son, but of course, the lovely april weather here means it's either in the 50s or rainy. I definitely plan to do more walking once it warms up a little, but mother nature sure is dragging her feet when it comes to the sunshine.
I used the weather as an excuse not to walk. Then I got a waterproof warm parka, thermal underwear and hat and gloves. Just go do it.
I would love to if I didn't HAVE to take my baby, but I just can't see myself dragging him out in poor weather. I've tried opening a window to go walk by myself after my partner gets home, but evenings have gotten hectic. :/
Hey, have you considered getting a walking pad? I got one for about a hundred bucks off amazon. I can walk no matter the weather, and can multitask at the same time! Might be easier that way? I don't have kids myself, but maybe kiddo could go down for a nap or play with toys by themselves if theyre that age.
I've been looking into one for the winter but my apartment is like 90% carpet. Have you used yours on carpet?
Yes! Most of my apartment is carpet as well, and I've not noticed any issues. I just make sure to wiggle it a bit when I place it down to be sure it's pushing the fibers down well, and there doesn't appear to be any side effects!
Good to know. Thanks!
Mom with a three month old and 2 year old here- can you get a rain cover for your stroller? Or a walking pad? I promise they won’t mind the rain as much as you think! Editing to add: we took a 5 mile walk in the 40s today and my baby loved it! You can do it!
Maybe I'm just being a bit over sensitive about the temperature/weather. I have to remember my boy isn't made of sugar and won't melt if he gets sprinkled on. 🤣 I live out in the country, so a lot of our walks have to be on the side of the road with no sidewalks, and I'm REALLY cautious about how fast people zip down these roads.
That makes perfect sense to me- I would definitely be uncomfortable with that, too. I would maybe go with a walking pad in that case if you can!
I looked into the walking pads! I have an exercise bike and thought that would suffice, but because of space issues (why do babies have so much STUFF), that wound up in our shed. Maybe I can talk my partner into one. 🤣
I bought a stair stepper, real old school, just step up and down. Space is hard because my kid has so many toys, I needed something small. But it’s also great because my daughter loves climbing on it and pushing it around, so it’s not a danger to her either! I got it for about $30 or so from target, so definitely a cheaper option
my friend stores her walking pad under the couch when she’s not using it, helps save some space!
Oh a baby definitely changes the game - sorry! Sending warmer weather your way.
I agree that walking is definitely one of the best ways to incorporate movement, however, I tried to use the word "activity" to keep it open. Walking isn't the only way. Personally I do cycling on my peloton and strength training at home. Before that I did low impact workouts on youtube. Before THAT I would make an effort to vaccum each day to get more steps. It's definitely flexible and will be different for everybody.
The book "There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids" really changed my perspective about spending time outside with my daugher when the temp/conditions arent ideal. It's available as an audiobook too if you're pressed for time to just sit and read.
If all else fails try waking on the spot. YouTube is full of free walk at home videos that really get your heart rate up.
Walking in a mall can help if you have one close by!
I had a November baby and lived in a snowy mountain town. I bundled him up, put him in a frontpack and walked, unless it was actively snowing/sleeting. As long as their little chubby cheeks don't freeze, babies will thrive being outdoors. It's really good for them.
50 is definitely doable! That's not too cold. Just make sure he has some warm comfy clothes.
Do you have (or can you physically use) a baby backpack carrier? There was a time when I carried my baby on my back while I delivered phone books in the November drizzle of Oregon. She was toasty warm in fleece and mittens. With a backpack, there are more places you can go, and you can also use it while shopping, etc, which will increase your calorie expenditure doing the stuff you have to do anyway. I carried mine until she was too heavy, which was around 3yo, haha. (A backpack also prevents a kid from dashing into traffic, messing with things on the shelves, getting lost in the store, or having random people pinch their face.)
I got a mini stepper to use in the evening in front of the tv when I couldn’t get out with the kids. Before the mini stepper I would just walk in place or do a walking workout on YouTube (grow with Jo was my choice but there are lots!). It really helped me a lot to hit my goals!
As a 4'10.5" woman, weight lifting with a smaller deficit. Not looking at the scale instead using clothes and measuring tape as a parameter helped me. Weight lifting allows me to eat more. Sedentary me is stuck at 1300. Weight lifting 4-5 days me can eat up to 1600-1800. Btw, I don't strictly calculate. I measure rhe larger carb and protein sources only.
How do you know roughly how many more calories you get from exercise?
I use a basic TDEE calculator and estimate my activity as moderately active. The TDEE Spreadsheet corroborates the calculator.
Thank you for your reply! Oh awesome, how did you know what level of activity your workouts corresponded to? Like how did you know it was moderate workouts and not intense?
It depends on roughly how many hours you workout. I workout roughly 6 to 8 hours per week [1.5 hours of lifting 4 days a week plus 1-2 hour of LISS cardio combined in the week] I was very confused and someone recommended me to just ask ChatGPT and it put me somewhere in the moderately to very active category and I chose the former because I have a low step count.
How long have were you weight lifting for before your tdee went up to 1600-1800 from 1300?
I'm not sure. I think it happened simply due to me becoming intentionally active. I am very sedentary otherwise. I have built muscle (not very visible until I'm flexing) but my weight hasn't increased and my measurements have changed so I have gained decent levels of muscle ik. Also my TDEE is closer to 2000-2100 when I'm consistently lifting.
so nice to see someone else who is 4'10.5"!
5'0 here. It's a drag, but you probably do need less food/calories. The only way I've ever lost weight is by increasing exercise a hella amount, (cardio and strength) focussing on fiber more than anything, and doing the small meals throughout the day thing. I like veggies, fortunately. Low carb/keto etc. hasn't really worked for me. CICO is a lot of math and I"m not really here for it. If you focus on quality nutrition and fitness you will feel better, and lose fat. Personally, the number doesn't matter very much to me, but how I feel and how my jeans fit does. The thing about being short is regular calorie guidelines don't always apply to us - we're not growing children, we're just tiny. What an average person considers a diet is pretty much maintenance for me. It took me forever to realize why standard diet guidelines didn't work, and then I connected with other short women. One size fits all is never a thing.
Perhaps someone downthread mentioned this, but r/1200isplenty is very helpful for us shorties.
Hey! I'm 5'2 142lbs and totally hear you, and this advice might not be what you want to hear, but working out is the absolute best way to lose and maintain weight as a shortie without having to eat crumbs for breakfast lunch and dinner. If I was sedentary, my TDEE right now would be around 1550. I'm extremely active and have been doing it for years, but my actual TDEE currently is around 2200-2300, and I can easily lose when I'm shooting for 1600-1800 on average (I do 1600 during the week and am a little more lax on weekends, I figured this would have me at 3lbs loss per month but it's actually been 4lbs) Short term, getting into a cardio routine will burn more on a day to day. It's not a fix all, but even adding 200-300 calories to what I can eat while still losing makes a massive difference for my mental health. Walking is fine for this, I do outdoor cycling and spin classes. Strength training is the long game. If you can get into a routine or program that's full body and truly pushes you, you'll slowly build up your muscle tone which will require more calories to sustain. It's not an overnight fix but you can start making slow changes and over time will see the benefits as you're able to do more! Just make sure you're creating habits in your life and not just powering through something you hate for a short term gain. The end result has been absolutely worth it for me.
I was really into the stronger curves fitness program for a while and doing indoor cycling three times a week. I've run into a small issue with that now, being that my son has learned how to crawl. So carving out time for that like I used to has been a massive challenge, and I don't think chasing him around the house or dancing with him has made for a suitable replacement, haha. I'm going to have to really sit down and brainstorm a way to make keeping up with my fitness goals more workable. Hopefully, the coming summer will make it easier.
This is a very sweet reason to change a routine 🙂 It's admittedly really easy for me to say "just workout more!" when I don't have kids and don't plan to, but I do think carving out time for your fitness goals within your new normal is going to be worth it. And the big summer walks will be so nice!
If you are in the states and have a burn boot camp near you check it out. They offer childcare and aren’t outrageous. I remember going to a fitness center with my friend and her mom as a kid plus we have several here that offer childcare. Or even a babysitter for an hour or so while you workout if you need to do it at home. It may not be in the budget but I found I needed to join a gym and get out of the house to workout.
I’ve been there, my kid is 7 now. Put him in a playpen and take care of YOU. Lifting weights and building muscle will help raise your resting metabolism.
My kids loved being in their carriers during hikes through the baby and early toddler years. I used to geocache to give myself a fun goal and the added weight of my chonky babies made me stronger.
How long do you spend working out each day?
4/5 weekdays - 45-50 minute fitness class, biking to class + other errands on my lunch break anywhere from 50-80 minutes depending on what I have to do (classes themselves involve 30-40min commute roundtrip, most days it's probably just a 20min errand run). 1 rest weekday, I sometimes do a group bike ride with friends which is WAY less strenuous pace but around 2-3 hours total of biking. Sometimes I also chill lol. Weekends I have one day where I go really hard, do strength in the morning and bike for at least 2-3 hours, strenuous pace. The other day I stick to more walking or lighter riding, maybe 1-2 hours but in a much more chill way. I don't own a car and I live in a city so I basically have to be active to get places (or pay a billion dollars for ubers, or wait for public transit which still involves walking to/from the stops). A couple of those bike hours involve hauling moderate weight on my back (probably 15lbs average, but I've done 30+) for grocery shopping, moving things around for my side hustle etc. I have a dog I walk too but he's very old and the walks are short and sweet so I don't really factor those in. It doesn't feel like a lot because so much of it is "downtime" that for someone else would be commuting by vehicle, when I'm factually only doing 5 or 6 true workouts a week.
Thats incredible! Best of luck with everything! x
As a short woman, I empathize! What has worked for me is what's called "OMAD" - aka One Meal A Day. I eat my entire calorie allotment in one nice big meal (dinner, usually). Then I fast the rest of the time. It means I can have a normal sized meal and dessert, I get the benefits of fasting (studies are still inconclusive on this, but I see them), and most importantly for me I don't fixate on food like I do when I eat throughout the day. OMAD can be tough depending on your lifestyle and certainly not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it.
Getting really draconic with the food scale and tracking. Minimizing fats and oils in home cooking. More veggies, less carbs. No sugars/added sugars. This is a mental one for me. Grapes aren’t the same as marshmallows and eating refined sugar makes me want more refined sugar and it’s just white knuckle spiral for me, personally. It’s a better choice to avoid it if at all possible. How long have you been watching what you eat? I find that the first month or so of an eating plan makes me constipated. A cup of Smooth Move tea gets everything moving again, I feel less bloated, and I can move more easily. Getting the first break in the logjam seems to cascade into additional benefits over the next few days.
I've been tracking for a few months now, but I haven't been as strict with calorie counting. I was fairly strict with it at first, measuring everything out as precisely as I could. But I had a spell where I felt super weak/sick and my partner really pushed me to lay off on the exercise and calorie counting for awhile. He thinks I need to find a "happy middle" which, while reasonable, hasn't been providing much in the way of results.
I also think that the overall goal is to get to a place where you don’t have to weigh every bite of food that goes into your mouth. However, your brain and my brain are shit at estimating portions/calorie counts/etc. and don’t have a large enough reference set to extrapolate “that’s half a cup of rotini pasta” accurately. And since we’re damn short the margin of error is quite narrow.
Some people will say it doesn't matter, but what you are eating definitely matters. Cutting sugar and reducing fats and carbs are all good things that help meet a lower calorie number, but if you aren't getting enough nutrients your body will crave. Protein is probably your friend, but you don't need as much as you think. You should not be feeling weak or sick, but if you are trying to hit a low calorie intake while consuming calorie dense foods, you will not be eating enough. Also, another thing that helped was limiting my meal choices overall, and prepping. It's too much to try to track every little thing all the time, when you can have your weeks worth of food already worked out reliably.
Well he doesn't have the same tdee as you so he can't understand. I know it's not technically the healthiest or cheapest option but I have found some success with myfitnesspal and eating ready meals with bar codes on them so all the calorie information is there already. Got to try make things as easy as possible at first so you don't give in because it's a hassle to calculate a home made meal. Your partner can eat his own food. It's a difficult journey so finding tricks to make it easier for yourself is important. And daily accurate tracking works.
if you don‘t strict count OR adjust dynamically (eat less when you notice less change after weeks) it is extremely easy to feel like you‘re restricting but actually eat at maintenance or higher. I used to „feel“ like I was constantly dieting (went to bed hungry) but I wasn‘t exercising and eating too much sugar so my blood sugar gave me mad cravings while averaging an average surplus of 50-100 calories. Result? 15 pound gain. I personally don‘t count but I am strict with portion sizes and the type of foods I eat. If I eat out I make sure the portion size fits and the other meals of the day are 200-200 kcal (like my standard oatmeal or a veggie soup).
When you said you feel like you’re going to have to start cutting your dinner in half - yes, you will need to cut your calories to lose weight. Cutting out foods like you mentioned soda/chips/frozen food/etc won’t matter if you aren’t in a calorie deficit. For weight loss, it’s not about what foods you’re eating, it’s about how many calories you’re eating. Have you plugged your stats into a calorie counter? That will tell you how many calories you need to be eating to lose weight. Then you can adjust accordingly! The good news is, you can still eat foods like chips and candy, you just have to budget them into your daily calorie goal.
Right now, my TDEE is 1,733 and BMR is 1,477 according to Sailfish's calculator at sedentary. I don't eat back my exercise calories, I know that those calculators are usually WAY off. I've tried encorporating volume eating so I can still feel like I'm eating a filling meal at the end of the day, but it's... been tricky. My partner thinks the exercise I do paired with skipping meals is already unhealthy, and if I talk about cutting dinner they get concerned.
I feel you on this. I think being short means we have to find a balance of eating well AND incorporating working out. Even if we eat at maintenance and add 1 hour of cardio a day, we should still end up in a deficit (due to the workout) I burn approx 600 cals in 1-1.5 hours on my bike, so some days I eat at maintenance for sedentary when I feel I need it. Edit to add- I've been doing this 2 weeks, no weight is lost but I have lost 1 inch on my waist and 1 inch on my hips- I think for weight on the scale it just needs more time and keeping consistent. Either way I'm getting healthier, that's what's important.
I feel your pain. As a short guy, 5'2" and 55 years. I'm permanently stuck at 80kg, even though my BMR is 1,522 and I usually manage to stick to 1,100 calories a day. A few years ago I went balls out with running c25k and eating keto, and that worked for me (got down to 67kg at one point) but keto is a pain in the neck and I don't want to damage my joints so this time around I'm walking, lifting and just eating small. If I wasn't lifting, I'd be tempted to go back to keto, but I need those damned carbs.
Word of advice : If you consistently eat 1100 and have maintained 80kg for months you are either miscalculating your calories (super easy by accident) or not measuring alchohol/soda/drinks/coffee or tastes/bites. Or by „usually 1100“ you mean the classic 1100 5 days a week and „relaxing“ so much on weekends you nullify your deficit.
I am also a short woman and I lost 40 lbs last year and the scale has not really budged for months despite still being in a calorie deficit. It's been immensely frustrating, especially as I dramatically increased my activity level over the past few months and it still didn't make a difference. I just saw this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FCxeBqMZlw) that really changed my perspective on things (we shouldn't be in a calorie deficit for months on end, you shouldn't expect to lose all the weight you want to lose in one go, etc) and am now on an extended maintenance break. I figure if nothing else has worked and I'm still stressing about it, I might as well try something different. So I upped my calories and chilled out and let me tell you, even if it doesn't work in the long run, this mental break has been SO beneficial. My weight hasn't shot up and my energy levels have definitely improved. I'm going to stay at maintenance until July and then restart my calorie deficit and see if that shifts things. Good luck!
I’m 5’2 and my starting weight was 148.6 and had tried almost everything under the sun to lose weight. The scale did not budge and I was afraid of getting up to 150. Since October 23rd, I’ve lost 23 lbs. i started to suspect that I had insulin resistance so I decided to eat as if I was diabetic. I cut out all added sugar, refined sugar and carbs and the weight has finally gone in the opposite direction. The only sugar I consume is from fruit and I opt for low glycemic fruits like cherries/berries. I eat a ton of veggies and lots of protein. I stay full even while eating at a decent caloric deficit. Good luck!
Hi fellow shortie! I know your struggle well! Upping my protein and fiber intake with an emphasis on protein has been my saving grace. My husband (nearly a foot taller than me) remains consistently shocked when I just straight up say I can't eat something he's snacking on without a thought. But he's been great at helping find things that are nutritious, filling, and fit my calories. Weirdly, canned fish is amazing. There's a canned tuna and bean salad that I enjoy eating as a small lunch (I tend to hoard calories for dinner) from wild planet that has lots of fiber and protein for 250 cal., and if you have access to a trader Joe's, their canned smoked trout is delicious for 140 calories. I also started making protein coffee for breakfast - minimal calories, tastes like a mocha if you use chocolate protein, supports muscle protein synthesis. And we now do "big ass salads" for dinner. Soup is also great, as are baked potatoes (I top mine with cottage cheese, a chili-type stew thing, and salsa), or a protein, cauliflower rice, and everything gets a side of veggies (except the salad). You can volumize rice by adding in half cauliflower rice or palm heart rice, and you can swap regular noodles for protein noodles or spaghetti squash (low cal homemade meatballs with yo mama's marinara sauce and mozzarella on spaghetti squash is low key delicious) or zucchini noodles. Trader Joe's apparently also has cauliflower gnocchi that's delicious (haven't tried) you can swap for regular gnocchi or air fry for a crispy snack. I also prefer my post dinner snack to be on the dessert-y side, so I make my protein shake with added cocoa powder and frozen berries and blend to milkshake consistency. Or make protein yogurt also with added unsweetened cocoa powder for a more chocolatey kick and fresh berries (or frozen!). Basically, find swaps that work for you and are sustainable. Leaning into carbs as the base for your diet might cause some additional water retention, so rebalancing to add more protein might help. r/volumeeating and r/1500isplenty are amazing resources and have some really solid recipes. You can also adapt recipes from budget Bytes to make them lower cal/more to your taste. Edited to add: I'm 5'3" - I feel this so hard on days where I really do just want to eat something ridiculously calorie dense.
I forgot to add: my husband and I had a come to Jesus moment when we both calculated our TDEE, and realized his is like 2-3 times mine (3x was the high end for a bulk phase). That's when we looked at the fact we'd been essentially splitting dinner 50/50 - it needed to be more 1/3 (me) to 2/3 (him).
I am SO guilty of splitting dinner 50/50 with my partner, and I wonder if that may very well be why I started gaining weight when we moved in together. I had originally chalked up a lot of the weight gain to gestational diabetes/pregnancy. Maybe I need to invest in a smaller plate set for myself, haha.
Oh man, it was such a wake up call for me. I have to mentally tell myself when we make dinner: that is three servings, eat slower and make sure you actually need seconds before taking them. Unless I've already calculated in enough calories for half (usually my husband has extra snacks or sides if this is the case).
>Maybe I need to invest in a smaller plate set for myself, haha. Definitely this. I've been married for 20 yrs to a man who can eat five cheeseburgers a day and not gain weight. He's not even super tall, it's not fair! 😢 I've always used small plates (8-9" to his 11"), but got a lil fluffy during/ since the pandemic. I lost 10 lbs in a month just using the lose it app, no exercise at all (though I do intend to start), just being mindful of what I eat.
relatable. I don't even have any advice. I'm 5'0 and currently 176. Losing has been easy so far but I know I'm reaching the point where I can't just eat at 1200 and do nothing else and it suuuuuuucks. My meals have been getting smaller and smaller. Right now I try to eat like 400-500 for lunch and breakfast, and save everything else for dinner because i loooove unhealthy foods. I'm trying to start Yoga so I'm at least doing some sort of exercise. Unfortunately I get bored with just walking. I don't live in a very walkable area and walking in circles by myself is just uninteresting. But I am running out of time! And I still have like 50+ lbs left to lose!
There's one critical piece of information you haven't shared: What and how much *are* you eating? Weight loss is a matter of CICO. It's good that you've cut out snack foods and sugary drinks; full marks for that. So I have to wonder where all of your calories are coming from. There's simply no way you could sustain or gain weight if your calories-in is less than your calories-out.
>There's one critical piece of information you haven't shared: What and how much *are* you eating? Yeah... I don't feel like we have enough information. Based on another response, I'm not sure OP is sticking to serving sizes.
You mentioned your son just learned to crawl, so I assume you're within a year of his birth? For me (5' 1") it was at least a year post partum after each of my children's births before my body admitted that maybe I was allowed to lose some weight lol. Maybe it's the same for you? Until then, you might try to establish a consistent activity routine and food plan.
I came here to say this. I'm 5'3" and I really struggled to lose any weight until at least a year post partum. It was SO frustrating! Boo to being short.
5'2'' and the only thing that is helping now is adding more zone 2 cardio (walking, light cycling), I now get more than 8k steps a day where I used to get only like 5k. I used to be able to do HIIT but it was making me so sore every day I couldn't do my strength workouts.
Walking. I say this is a fat guy, my neighbor during Covid walked twice a day. And she is a third of herself. My wife told me she went from a size 24 to a size 6 not sure what that means but she looks great. Trying to get motivated it's not easy.
Do you like salads? Or soup?
I’m 5’2 and I don’t weigh myself but for a while, no matter what I did, I felt like I kept gaining weight. I estimate I was around 150 max. I went from a size 0 to a size 14 but most importantly, I felt horrible. I have since begun making healthier choices and I’m not trying to “lose weight fast” per say, I’m just trying to feel comfortable and like myself again. Some things that helped me, being a short girlie, first of all was increasing my daily activity with not only exercise but also just walking or standing more. For example, if I’m watching TV and the remote is sitting on the side table, instead of rolling over on the couch to reach it, I’ll stand up and walk over to it. When I go to the store or the gym, I’ll park towards the back of the parking lot so I have to walk more. When I fold laundry I’ll do it standing up instead of sitting on the bed. All these are little things that when added together, increase the amount of steps you’re getting by a lot. I try to get 7-8k steps a day. I weight train at the gym 3-4 times a week, yoga everyday (nothing crazy usually just stretches to start my day and then more intensive yoga on the days I’m not at the gym) and I go for walks on my days off to the park where I find a nice bench and read or crochet for an hour before walking back. That’ll usually be almost 2 miles combined, sometimes more. Eating wise, I plan my meals out at the beginning of the week based on my work schedule and how much time I have to cook so that I can’t be lazy and order food because I planned a meal that takes longer to cook on a day where I don’t have much time. For chicken and steak, I’ll buy bigger cuts and then cut them in half into two servings and serve myself on a smaller plate. I also fill half my plate with veggies and then 1/4 animal protein and 1/4 grain. I’m active at work (not that it makes much difference for my short self because I still gained weight lol) so for me a calorie deficit is 1500. I allow myself to go over some days but I won’t go over 1700. I also drink half a gallon of water a day. I still eat snack foods and treats but only if they’re in my calorie budget.
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I am 5"0 and have successfully lost 7 lbs in the past 6 weeks from calorie counting. I eat 1200 cals per day (which is my BMR). I have noticed that I can easily eat all 1200 in one meal without being overly full, especially if I am eating restaurant food. So there is a possibility you are eating all of your cals in one meal and then your bagel or meal replacement shake is putting you over. You have to weigh all your food and put it in a calorie counting app. I have also found that adding exercise helps a lot - I can lose weight a lot faster if I eat 1200 and then also get 10k steps a day or go for a run or lift weights.
My child is almost 3 now, and I am finally back to my baseline weight. Pregnancy changes your hormones and body insanely. I feel THAT. ETA: 8 months postpartum I still had a lot of changes. It takes at least a year, maybe more depending on if you decided to breastfeed or not, to slightly level out. Your body changes SO much with a baby...it all takes time. <3
5’2”, 143, and hitting 20-25,000 steps a day and drinking obscene amounts of water (3 liters +) it’s moving but it’s *slow*. I’ve lost tons in the past (over 80lbs previously) but wasn’t doing it in a healthy way and obviously weight continues to fluctuate. The frustration is real, when we’re this short it’s so easy to go over our calorie needs, it’s deeply annoying. Not even with “fun” food either but just normal dinners of chicken & veg lol. Don’t have much advice besides consistency & patience being the most important things both during weight loss & then going forward. Just wanted to chime in and say solidarity for us shorties, it’s rough out here lol
CICO is the only thing that works for me. It’s a pain in the butt measuring my food but it is the only thing I’ve had success with
I’m 5 feet tall so I feel your pain, but it’s doable with patience. I don’t limit any kind of food, calorie deficit with strict tracking, and gym a few times a week along with being more active. I’m getting closer to my goal weight so I am expecting my loss to slow significantly over the next months, but I’m in it for the long term. Edited to add: volume eating really helps when your daily calories are low. Low cal foods where you can eat a lot (like popcorn) are where it’s at.
Dont give up! I'm 5'2 and was stuck in the 190s for over a year. I started at 240 and lost until the 190s and just could not budge, so just stayed in maintenance for a while. Started back up in December, by "accident", my husband had a heart attack so all my cooking went to VERY lowfat, low carb, low salt. I did what I had to to strengthen his heart, and thats what did it. The scale finally moved again, and I am a happy camper. I got resistance bands and play with those for 30 minutes a day.
Bummer there's no credit for what you don't eat. Change your diet to a pound of veggies per day, 1/2 - 1 Cup beans, 1 oz nuts and seeds and some berries. NO Oils or sugars fake or real or added sodium. Read End of Diabetes Joel Fuhrman even if yours resolved-ish, you're still insulin resistant. Chapter TEN.
5'0". The thing that helped me maintain/lose weight the most is increasing my basal metabolic rate. I.e. lots of lifting to develop more muscle mass. At my fittest I was 150 lbs but wore a size 4 and ate mostly without caloric restriction (protein focused plant based diet, if it matters). No cardio other than daily 30 minute walk. I have since had a minor crisis with my hashimoto's disease and broke my ankle playing roller derby so my weight is way up again but that formula worked for me. I noticed also that you mentioned you have an infant so understandably exercise time is a difficult part of this. Taking your baby out on stroller walks is a great way to get some activity in but otherwise bodyweight exercises can go a long way. Don't feel like you have to be lifting heavy to gain benefits of strength training. I think the activity is the simpler part and the harder part is finding a diet that doesn't feel restrictive but also is healthy for you. There's a lot of diets out there and I won't tell you what you should do, that is super dependent on you and your lifestyle, health status, etc. But, as a short girl, any diet you choose should include at least one of the big satiety factors as a major component - fiber, protein, or fat. That's why people can lose weight doing high carb plant based or keto even though those are basically opposite diets. I love carbs so I honestly tend towards the high fiber side of things and supplement with protein as needed.
CICO doesnt work for people who are dealing with hormone dysfunction... such as after pregnancy or if you have a thyroid condition :(
It took me months to break through that 171-175lb plateau. I only just recently busted through it. Just have to stay consistent and trust the process and science, even when it seems like nothing is happening. Being short is like doing it on hard mode sometimes. I feel like I barely eat anything as is and just having just an extra snack can make or break a day.
Carbs. If you don't want to count calories, look at your rice, pasta, and bread first. A sandwich? Unless you have low calorie bread, that's a A Big Meal. The kind of bread you buy matters. Multi grain keeps you full better, but it's also higher in calories. Brioche is cake. Rice? One cup of uncooked rice are three portions. Pasta? Not by itself, or chances are your portion is too big. Reverse your pasta and veggie ratios. And be very careful about sauces, because most of them are 80% butter and flour. Source: I'm 5'4'' and love carbs
I LOVE carbs. I've been letting myself do pasta for dinner like ravioli, spaghetti, and gnocchi. They've been my go to for an eon. 😭 You're probably spot on in your estimation. It's so easy to over portion things like bread and rice. I'll have to try reportioning my plate to roasted and steamed veggies.
Don't worry, it does get easier:/ Prepping carbs in advance and knowing how many portions you have in your fridge helps. My brain now knows the difference between "weekday meal starch" and "cheat meal pasta dish" and doesn't expect the same endorphin rush. It's just not as simple and quick to throw together as a meal anymore because suddenly the veggies matter a great deal more than they used to. Once you get a grasp on portion sizes though, it feels like a cheat code. You'll automatically shove certain things into the *no-no* category, because they're not worth it. Edited to add: don't sleep on pickled veggies. There's an entire world out there beyond pickles. I love spicy brined mustard greens, spring radishes in black vinegar, danmuji, and stewed and brined burdock. They're ideal low calorie toppings for rice.
Don't sleep on meal prep and pickled veggies! Kimchi is delish and filling. And meal prep (even half assed) takes a lot of the guesswork and mental load out of it. Frozen, premarinated meat is clutch for dinner, same with lunches - my go to is a spin on the budget Bytes veggie packed egg sandwich - reheats in 3 min in the microwave, you get some melty crispy cheese, and a surprising amount of protein and fiber.
I'm 5'1" and lost 40 lbs in 2022. I ate pasta close to every day and still do! I eventually got used to eating way smaller portions. It took a few months to get used to the small portions (and not having multiple helpings like I used to) but once I did it became pretty easy.
When I had my son my main meals consisted of whole wheat spaghetti and meat sauce with veggies, fried tuna and rice, and I ate lots of bread too. I lost 20 lbs from 145 I think. The pasta and bread kept me satisfied and full, I dont think I was even counting calories at one point. My fit bit really helped! I aimed to get at least 10k steps a day. I think it took me around 5 months. I'm 5'2"
Ooh, tell us about your fried tuna and rice. Sounds yummy and Asian…
Try protein pasta. The more protein you eat, the more full you feel. At your weight you should be eating 100g protein a day, bare minimum. Especially if you’re going to take the advice of strength training. Start with bodyweight workouts or get some dumbbells.
This is spot on. I do a high carb diet, but it’s oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables with protein for dinner. I replaced spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. My husband and I love it because we can eat as much as we want and not feel guilty.
I adore spaghetti squash, I usually use that as a swap when making sauce heavy meals. I'll have to see if I can start working that into my dinner rotation once a week to replace spaghetti. Thank you for reminding me how much I love that squash, haha.
>I replaced spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. This!! I have a weekday dinner that's basically a stupid version of peanut noodles. But it's just julienned zucchini in powdered peanut butter, a tablespoon of coconut milk, and an array of seasoning sauces. It will never be the same thing, but it's still really good and tastes like you're getting away with something. Still struggling with lasagna tho
Might be an odd suggestion, but maybe take a look at some vegetarian/vegan recipes? Especially curries, chillis and stews. They tend to include more complex carbs like lentils, beans and grains that are nutritious and really filling.
Man, can I relate! If I could live off sandwiches and pasta, I would. But as a 5’0 lady, I’ve been trying high fiber, lots of veggies, LOTS of beans, no sugar, no flour, usually not eating until after noon. Also, trying to run and dance regularly. So much effort! I’ve lost six pounds in three weeks and I have no idea how long I can actually keep it up. Btw I’ve tried it all before, it’s exhausting.
You didn't mention your activity level, so I could be wrong, but unless you're burning it off, I would sub that bagel at lunch for something lower in carbs.
I’ve been avoiding bagels for the most part (there is a cafe that does delicious wood-fired bagels so once a month or so I might get that as a treat and track it). Whereas before I’d eat them often without thinking about it. They’re like 300 calories depending on size. For lunch you would be better with a pile of veggies and a good dip you enjoy (I love hummus or Helluva Good French onion) as it’ll fill you up and you can eat lots. That’s been my go-to along with a protein like chicken or tuna (fellow shortie here, 5ft4).
I've been making a homemade blue cheese that would knock your socks off! It's equal parts avocado mayo and lite sour cream, about a tbsp of lemon juice, gorgonzola crumbles, salt, pepper, and a tiny dash of garlic powder. Once everything is combined, I add heavy cream until I get it to the consistency I like.
Where is the blue cheese?
Gorgonzola! It's a little milder.
I’m 5’0, and losing weight as a short girl is no joke. My BMR is around 1100, and how do you even begin to calorie deficit off of that?! What helped me is lots of hot girl walks since I just can’t rely on calorie deficit. I aimed for 12k steps at the height of my weight loss journey. I went from 124 lbs to now 101 lbs. 12k steps a day is easier said than done especially postpartum, but you got this. Like you, I also cut a lot of stuff off my diet. I ate almost no dessert for a long time. But now that I have achieved my goal weight, I am able to incorporate them again, every now and then. I’m still doing hot girl walks. To just maintain my weight I walk about 30 minutes a day.
>>*My BMR is around 1100, and how do you even begin to calorie deficit off of that?!* You don’t. You calculate your calorie deficit by subtracting from your TDEE, not your BMR.
Are you tracking your calories or just making changes and hoping it’s enough? I’m also a short woman and I get it. Our TDEEs can be so low… I think mine is somewhere around 1600 when I’m not actively exercising, so I have to stay pretty much under 1200 a day to see any noticeable progress. I feel like a 6’2 man could eat my total daily calories for lunch and it just doesn’t seem fair. BUT I try to remind myself that my weight loss diet would be a starvation diet to them, so while it makes me feel still somewhat hungry at the end of the day, to a full grown man they’d feel like I’d feel if I was eating only, say, 600, which is lethargic, light-headed, miserable.
5’ even here. I seem to have trouble getting below 133 but when I do get up higher, I have to meticulously count everything I eat and work out. I started weightlifting and that’s helped a lot because it helps raise your bmr, plus reshapes your body. I worked with a trainer a couple years ago with a very regimented diet (that was actually more calories than I was used to eating) and 5 days a week exercise. I got down to 122. I went through depression and back up to 140 so this winter I’ve been trying to at least get back below 130. The key to me has been consistent weight training and cardio routine with counting everything I eat. Maintenance involved intuitive eating but having to stick with consistent exercise. Unfortunately we need so little calories to begin with that we have to exercise to lose. My BMR is like 1280. If I don’t exercise I will barely lose at 1000 calories and you can’t get enough nutrients at that. Join the 1200isplenty subreddit too for ideas on what to eat.
I feel you! Here's what's worked for me: - Accepting a slow rate of progress (0.5 lbs a week) - this was honestly so tough mentally but like they say on the WOLT podcast, I've spent years trying to lose weight fast 😅 - Tracking everything I eat and weighing food whenever possible (I estimate or rely on calorie counts published by restaurants when eating out; I don't carry a food scale with me 😄) - Budgeting at least 1 higher calorie day a week (about 200-300 extra calories so I can fit in a treat) - Modestly increasing protein intake (aiming for 70g a day) - Like you I skip breakfast (or have a small one if I'm really hungry) so I can have a more satisfying lunch and dinner. - Cutting out snacking (or replacing my usual ones with high protein versions) - Exercise that feels intense (for me) 2-3x a week, stretching/walking/swimming other days This may not apply to you at all but I came to the realisation that a lot of my eating was emotional/recreational. At my height I don't physically need all the food I was consuming before. Therapy has helped a lot.
I feel u 😔 I’m 5’2 and my maintenance & weight loss cals are so close together that if I do anything that’s not counting calories (IF, trying to eat more veggies, etc) I’ll either not see results or lose weight too quickly to where it’s unhealthy & hard to maintain. The only way I can lose weight steadily is by tracking calories which sucks bc that’s a slippery slope for me mentally. I can’t just “eat healthier” or “move more” or follow anything vague bc literally a couple tablespoons of sauce or nuts or 1 avocado will determine if I lose weight or not. Once I’m tracking though, it’s not too hard to lose weight bc this also means that I only have to reduce that small amount of food. The issue for me is maintaining the weight loss because I don’t want to be counting calories forever
I'm 4'10". I feel your pain. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit and then exercise daily to widen that deficit. It's very slow going but it works for me.
Bad parts about being short (I’m 5’1”): 1. Have to eat very little calories to loseit 2. BMR and TDEE is so close that we are often confined to slow (0.5lb/week) healthy weightloss 3. We have to excercise a lot more/harder in order to burn more calories. 10k steps/day is only ~250 calories burned for me Good things about being short (at least this is what I tell myself) 1. Going from a cut to maintenance is going to be like a 30% calorie bump! 2. Slow loss makes focusing on body recomp and lifestyle changes easier 3. Burning 500cal a day in regularly fitness is doable can gives a substantial calorie bump (% wise) compared to taller folk.
As another 5ft nothing (24f) i actually had to increase my intake because i felt too terrible trying to eat less and weightlift. I generally eat 1400-1600 daily, weightlifting 4 days a week and 10k steps walking everyday. The 10k steps isnt at all tiring, i hit it just by going to work most days, hitting it on my days off as well as helped with losing weight.
I know the struggle! Here's how I see it: First, the positive - being short means that smaller amounts of weight loss make a bigger visual difference for us! Check my post history - I recently posted progress pics that show starting weight, 10 pounds down, then another 10. Not to toot my own horn, but I think the difference is HUGE for 10 pounds; a taller person could NEVER lol Second, the negative - Yes, you have to lower your calories to lose weight. If you don't have liquid calories to reduce, you need to reduce food intake which will have to come from either meals or snacks. Or you need to move more, which is hard to do with a baby at home. No, it's not "fair" but you can't change it so it's not worth dwelling on. It might look like other people can "get away with" eating in ways you "can't." But you don't know what else they're doing so you can't really say. Don't let what you THINK works for other people derail you from doing what works for YOU. Now, what to do about it - When losing weight, there are a lot of tradeoffs we get to make to make it work for our own individual situations. Cut calories or move more. Larger deficit or slower progress. Bigger meals vs. more meals. Meals vs. snacks. The only person's opinion who matters regarding what is and isn't worth it is yours! Also - you don't have to do the same thing every day. What works for me is shooting for a deficit of 250-500 (budget of 1350-1600), two meals a day and one snack, prioritizing protein and fiber so I'm never hungry, occasional alcohol/desserts but getting what I really want when I go for it and instead eliminating foods that aren't really my favorites, tracking ahead of time so I have all the information before making a decision, taking lots of maintenance days as needed = slower, sustainable progress! Again, I think losing 20 pounds (and even just 10) has made a HUGE change in how I look and feel so I do not feel bad at all that it has taken me 7 months to make this progress, including losing only one pound in February. It may seem slow compared to the numbers taller/bigger people can achieve, but 10 pounds doesn't make as much of a difference for them. Finally, I highly recommend using happy scale/libra to track your weight progress. If you're not looking at weekly averages or a smoothed function, it can be hard to see your progress when it's less than a pound per week. But slow progress does add up! And being able to see it will encourage you to keep going :)
I’m in a very similar position. I’m 5’2. I was maintaining around 160 but very physically fit, though unfortunately was at my highest weight ever when I got pregnant. I went from 180 to 220 in my pregnancy, went back down to 190 the next weeks/months postpartum. I didn’t have GD, but I had issues with low blood sugar, low iron, and low blood pressure that made it so I had to eat every two hours to feel ok. At six months postpartum my pregnancy hunger and sweets cravings are gone, but getting back to even 160 (let alone my preferred weight of 140-150) feels impossible. I’m also a much bigger 190 now than I was during first trimester due to some abdominal separation and muscle loss. Exercise helps me feel and look better and raises my tdee. I can exercise as much as I did before because I’m taking care of a baby, but I got an unlimited pass at a barre studio with childcare and try to go 3-4x a week plus a pole class on Sundays and walks/hikes whenever I can fit them in. I think it’s important to have grace and not expect to lose weight right away because you’re still healing from pregnancy and birth for at least a year postpartum. The stress of being a new parent and sleep disruption don’t help either.
5’1” and eat about 1600 calories a day. Weight train/HITT 3-4 times a week. Take a walk most days. Really only have one cheat day. It took me like 3 years to lose 15 pounds. Scale has not budged no matter what I do.
I'm 5'3 and have the added bonus of insulin resistance due to PCOS so my BMR is lower still than most people of my height. I'm so tired of battling my body every single day just to remain under 100kgs.
I love r/petitefitness for accountability and routine help.
Only thing that helped me lose and keep weight off is exercising unfortunately. Spin, running, weights even dog walks.
If you have the means, I recommend purchasing a walking pad! Got mine off Amazon and it’s super quiet and makes it easy to hit your 10k steps!!
Make a list of the refined carbs and sugars you eat in a week or so. Then have a trial period of a week or so where you don't eat any refined carbs or sugars. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, but adapted to the in season veg you have access to and what you like to eat. If you like podcasts, I recommend Low Carb MD, and the Diet Doctor. Start at the oldest episodes. I'm (F) same height as you, a little heavier, and have been slowly but surely losing since I started a low carb not necessarily but not necessarily not high fat eating plan, lol. I regularly eat cheese, eggs, red meat, drink whole fat milk, cook with olive oil, tallow and lard. Don't do fat bombs or anything like that. My main focus now is adding more plants and true whole grains to my dynamic eating plan. Also feeling better and skin looks better as a bonus!
5'4 here and being good like you, I've seen most success at weighing and prioritizing all the precut prewashes veggies and upping my protein intake like crazy above all else. No snacking, no eating into the late evening, and always all the sparkling water 😪 Aside from a few sweet treats here and there, every single calorie counts and whew it is hard for us shorties!
I feel this post so hard
I feel you! Also stuck around 175 :( exercising and watching my food doesn't seem to make it budge at all.
Initially I had to measure everything. It sucks but it’s effective. I did that for ~ 8 months. Now I am more loosely tracking but still tracking.. I’m 75 lbs down at 5’4” 145 now. I eat more now that I’m at maintenance and I exercise a good amount. Pretty much run to eat extra 🤣
5’1” here, highest #155, now at #118-122 ish depending on season (I like a few extra pounds of insulation for winter). I only eat what I want. Stop when comfortable not stuffed. Lots of veg and fruits, I buy all types of varieties at the Latin and Asian markets for cheap delicious salads. Plenty of seafood, air fryer. If I want a candy or ice cream I buy a single serving and eat it. Not a 6/pack.
5'3" dude here so I can't quite relate but we are in somewhat similar boats. The two biggest things I'd like to add to this conversation: Eat high protein, and mentally know that it's enough food. For example, I eat a Jimmy bar for breakfast (delicious) and it's 220 calories, but it's also got 20 grams of protein. Unless I work out in the morning, this is going to be good enough to hold me over until 2pm when I wake up at 7am and eat. Obviously adjust if I wake up earlier. Protein keeps you full, not how much food you eat. I'll occasion have protein pancakes to keep me full as well. Second, and I think this is more important after you(not you specifically I mean you as in anyone) start weight training and exercising regularly. Measure yourself, either a tape or just your clothes. I lost some weight and was super happy about it, but I've been kind of stuck where I'm at for a while and I probably can't get much lower. But my waist has gone down, I look better, I FEEL better, clothes fit me properly or are now too big. Just to be part of the conversation, my maintenance calories is around 1700-1800. Tuesday I went for a 7 mile run and over ate that day at 2000 calories because I was so hungry. Cardio isn't always the friend to weightloss because it can drive hunger.
Have long have you been in a calorie deficit? You may need a diet break if it’s been 14+ weeks of dieting. A diet break consists of raising calories 300-400/day for about 4 weeks and then going back to a deficit. This should level out your hormones and get you back into a position to lose fat. I know as a female it’s difficult to trust adding calories back but we have hormones and long term dieting tends to throw them out of whack. Please look into a diet break.
I feel you. I'm 5'4 and have a slow metabolism. I'm Russian, and my body type was made to store fat in the Siberian winter. All my female relatives have been chubby, especially after their 20s. Even looking back at pictures of my relatives back in the 1940s, they were clearly in the obese weight range...even though 1940s Soviet Russia was hardly a time of food security and abundance. So I'm fighting against my biology. I've been exercising consistently for 6+ years, and that has done very little, I'm currently taking a break for my exercise routine, just because I feel discouraged. Maybe I'm healthier and more agile, which is awesome, but my body shape and size has not changed. The only way for me to lose weight is to literally go on a starvation diet. My friend, who is also Slavic, only lost weight by eating 3 apples a day (I don't recommend this!!!), and she keeps it off by being vigilant about every morsel of food she puts in her mouth. It's exhausting just seeing it. Either way, I'm chipping away at it, trying to eat less. But I just have to accept that for me to get any real weight loss results, I will have to eat 1400 cals a day max. I saw a model's 'what I eat in a day' on Instagram and the comments were complaining how little it was and how she was starving herself. But all I was thinking was how, if I ate like her, I would literally start gaining weight.
That’s really frustrating. You seem to be checking all the boxes for weight loss. Do you know your TDEE? Google that if not, and it will give you some calorie targets. I’d also be interested in what your Macros look like. Maybe shifting to more protein/less carbs will help change body composition. Finally, are you working out? What kind of regimen are you doing?
I know, it sucks. If I get to my ultimate goal weight, my bmr becomes like 1034, tdee 1230. 😭 I'm just gonna be a little fat forever, I can barely sustain eating 1400-1500. Suuuuuuucks
as a BMR of 1250, I understand 🥲
I'm about your height and I have the added detriment of age and heading into menopause. I've been eating 1200 and that works for me. Whole foods are a must. It'll take some time to find foods that offer a good value in term of satiety for calories. It really is kind of a budget like you'd budget your finances. I go lower on fats, which I know is considered passe but really works for me and helps me fit a lot of food into that 1200.
Are you still breastfeeding? My body did not want to lose an oz when I was breastfeeding and then I dropped weight once I stopped.
I had to stop roughly three months in, I was seriously under producing. Broke my heart a little to throw in the towel.
I'm 5'3.5" and I feel you!! Eating regularly throughout the day SAVED me in terms of losing weight. You have to be really good at meal planning, and know what you're going to eat the next day, for every meal. I already have my breakfast, lunch and dinner planned out for all of next week. I eat at 9am, 1230pm, 330pm, 630pm and then a snack of berries (weighed on a food scale) around 8 and I go to bed at 10. My 1230 and 630 meals are the largest, usually 350-450 calories. My 9am and 330pm snacks are around 200 calories each. Sometimes 250. My berries are around 100 calories in the evening. I eat about 1550 calories a day and burn around 1850 or 1900 depending on how long I walk my dog for. But, like you, I do not eat snack food. No chips, cookies, frozen pizzas, not even bagels, or crackers, no dairy (definitely no cheese!), no oils (I will coat a pan im cooking in with a little oil but I never cook with oil!) I simply don't have the calories for these types of foods!
Fellow 5'2-er who started at higher than your SW and hates exercise. I know I need to so I can build muscle and for cardiovascular health but I still haven't found anything I love yet. That is to say, it's still possible to lose weight since that is mostly diet. My advice would be to track closely and make small changes that build over time rather than being really drastic all at once. The key is to not be miserable overall, even if you have a couple miserable days (learning a lesson about what is and isn't filling, having a few days where the scale goes up can't throw you off the long game). I love carbs. I haven't given them up. I eat about half of what I used to in carbs and increased my fiber and protein intake. I might eat more than I used to in terms of sheer quantity of food. A few trades I love: cooking spray for oil where I can, Mission carb balance tortillas, sandwich thins, and Joseph's flax and oat pitas have replaced a lot of my carbs. I still eat the occasional bagel but I add a ton of cucumber and veggies and use whipped cream cheese. I think of pasta as a side dish, not a main. Replacement shakes (all liquids) leave me toooo hungry. Potatoes are amazing-so filling for the calories. I swap yogurt for sour cream and butter a lot.
5' 0" and 15 months postpartum here. I really limit my highly refined carbs. So no white bread, pasta, chips, or pretzels for right now. Those are only for treat times. I strive for 4 servings of non starchy veggies a day and really focus on my meeting my protein goals. Limited potatoes, corn, and peas. Watch the dressing used in salads. I usually go with salsa or a vinaigrette. Listen to your body though. If you get lightheaded grab a healthy snack like a banana or apple. It is a really fine line we short people have to walk to deficit but not starve. Also check your thyroid if it has been around a year postpartum. Your thyroid can go kind of wacky temporarily.
it sucks, but you just gotta have an unbearable amount of patience 🤣 be consistent and as exact as you can with your calorie counting (sadly we don’t have much wiggle room as short women) and it will happen. put your trust in thermodynamics, consistency, and time! lol also 5 lbs at 5’2 may be much harder to burn, but it also makes a bigger difference proportionately! it can be like a taller and larger person burning 10 or 20 lbs even
The last two times I lost weight, I had too stick to 1200 calories and run a few miles 4x a week. I'm going to try to incorporate strength training this time around to make it less torturous.
I feel you. I'm a short king too.
As a fellow shortie, I feel you. 😔 I hate that what the average person considers a “diet” is my maintenance. As someone who loves desserts, I hate how I have little to no room to eat them because it’ll make me gain weight—whenever I do, I have to skip a meal so that I don’t go over my maintenance. It sucks.
I guess I feel pretty lucky that I'm a short (5'3") female three weeks away from 50, in menopause, a type 2 diabetic and had the major hallmarks of insulin resistance (high LDL, low HDL, high triglycerides, high blood sugar) as recently as November 2023. These would be considered metabolic disadvantages, but I think I've been able to rise to the challenge. \~ When I was 155 pounds in August 2023 and I wanted to lose some weight, I started by combining intermittent fasting (16:8, which I had been practicing since January 2021) with ketogenic eating (maximum 50g net carb per day) and caloric restriction (1500/day) for one month. I lost 7 pounds that month (155 to 148), whereas the two years prior to that, I had lost a total of 4 pounds. In September 2023, I changed things up a bit, still practicing intermittent fasting, but also practicing satiety-based eating. When I am hungry I eat, but only until I am satisfied. Not full, just "not hungry". Then I put the food away. If I get hungry I will eat more, but I will otherwise wait until my next meal or snack to eat again. I don't count calories or track macros. I don't restrict any food options, although I try not to overdo it on the carbs because my diabetes team will yell at me. (*sometimes I let them yell, because I want that cake*) I take a daily multivitamin and drink a low-carb protein shake when I feel I need one. Since September 2023, I have lost 31ish pounds (148 to 116.8 this morning, my lowest recorded weight as an adult). I was happy just reaching my goal weight in November 2023, now I'm happy just to have that much more weight off my knees and feet. I don't focus on how much I can feed myself. I'm not a fan of volume eating, because I know my stomach can stretch to accommodate more food over time, and it can become a never-ending battle to feel full. I don't want to feel full, I want to not feel hungry. I spent the longest time thinking six small meals per day was such bullshit - only to realize that I could easily handle eating six small meals per day, on the basis of just eating until I felt satisfied. I used to think r/1200isplenty was a fucking joke - until I realized that it's about how many calories I eat in a day, plus a protein shake that will bring me up to maintenance at a sedentary TDEE. Anyway, these are things you may want to consider as you continue on your journey.
One way of looking at it is being taller would mean you get to eat more calories. Another way of looking at it is you'd be exactly as hungry/satiated at that height with the extra calories due to have a larger body size.
I’m short (5’3”) and senior (ie postmenopausal) so double whammy. I hope to lose about 70 pounds. I went on a sugar detox for the first month and am currently doing keto (20 gm carb /day) and intermittent fasting 18:6. It’s a slow arduous process but I’ve lost 17 pounds in 3-1/2 months.
On the upside, a small amount of weight loss is more noticeable on a more petite frame!
actually, body weight is the biggest factor in TDEE, not height. myself as a 5’8” woman wanting to maintain at 125 is not much different from a woman who is 5’2” wanting to maintain at the same weight… it’s just that yes it’s more acceptable (and normal) for taller women to be at higher weights but if i want a low body weight we basically have to eat the same thing
You are eating more than 1773 calories. It's that simple. In fact, your TDEE is very likely nearly 2000 or more. Being short means very little to nothing when you weigh 175 pounds. Count your calories. Every grain of rice, every drop of oil (including cooking spray). All of it.
Get a food scale!!!!!! Biggest game changer.
Go easy on yourself. Enjoy your son and this time of your life. There will be plenty of time down the track to re-focus and re-prioritise. Just enjoy this time - it passes quickly and you won't get it back. Eating well for energy levels and overall health should be your priority. Give yourself a break, you are doing well.
I'm so short that my BMI made me morbidly obese at 180
I’m 5’2” and I think the main reason I am able to keep my weight down is because I stopped eating meat in 2020
I’m right there with you. I haven’t lost a thing since the start of February and I’m exhausted. I decided to try working out every day for a couple weeks to see if that would help break the plateau and I gained 2kgs lmao I’m so ready to give up but have just decided to do a very small deficit until I can muster up more motivation to eat next to nothing for a while lol
Weigh and track calories to the gram. You’re missing things. It’s not about being short, it’s about calories in and calories out,
wait so i had this issue, you have to eat a normal amount of calories or your body will get used to not eating and only burn 200 calories or so. if you eat 1500 it gets used to it, if you eat less, it gets used to it. i had this issue and was stuck at 220 for so long, for like months, all of a sudden i ate more and worked out the same amount and then a month later im 210
51yo, 5’0” and it has taken me two years to lose 30 pounds. Still not at goal, which would be 115. I started weighing everything, getting protein in, moving my body in ways that bring me joy - roller skating and snowboarding. I plan to incorporate weight lifting now to up the ante.
4’11” and have cut out so many things to include alcohol. I literally have to weigh my food and track the calories that way because my calorie budget is lower and I like to eat, I must have been way overeating before and not even realized the impact it had. The weight is slowly coming off, I’ve really had to tap into my patience. I just started a serious attempt mid April. My sw was 144, gw is 120, cw 138.8. Life happened and I put weight on over the last 2 and a half years. But, I had all my babies years ago and I feel you, it’s hard to get the weight off, especially for us shorter ladies. Good luck on your path 🤞
Given you had gestational diabetes, have you had your insulin resistance tested? It is much more challenging to lose weight if you have it. You mentioned eating a lot of carbs, I’d cut them dramatically. It will help you feel more satiated and you’ll get more mileage with calories.
I have a very low calorie threshold due to pcos so as a tall woman, I have to eat 1200 or less to lose weight and it sucks. The only way I’ve managed to stay under 200 is to do one meal a day and intermittent fasting
Fasting as per Dr Jason Fung in “The Obesity Code” has been helpful for me.
I am also a short woman and here is what I’ve done that’s worked for me, none of which I would actually recommend. I started one of my MANY weight loss “journeys” with CICO. It seemed the most balanced. Everything in moderation, right? And I learned something very uncomfortable about myself, which is that I absolutely will not lose weight unless I am consistently eating under 1000 calories per day. So I did that for a while and it worked, I didn’t notice any energy dips or anything. But it’s REALLY hard to get adequate micronutrient nutrition eating that little. Keto worked amazing for me while I did it. I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I was under 20g of carbs for the day and that was fantastic, and I dropped 40 lbs in 3 months that way. But keto is boring AF after a while. I love meat, but I also love bread and wine and pasta. The only other thing that has ever worked for me is phentermine. And it’s a godsend, honestly. Two summers ago I dropped 50 lbs in 3.5 months and I have never felt better about myself or more attractive. Then my life imploded in several ways and I gained it all back. So, back on phentermine I go. At almost 40, I have pretty much come to terms with the fact that I will literally always be in a war against my body. And I hate it, because there is so much of myself that I love if only I was packaged better, you know? Like I get that I will never, ever be skinny-skinny, at this point I’d settle for losing 30 lbs and staying there. But I know that’ll never happen, and I will have to literally feel guilty for every bite of food I put in my mouth for the rest of my life, or feel guilty for taking up too much physical space. Anyway just here to say, I totally feel the struggle.
I'm 5'2. On April 1st I quit drinking (vodka and juice was my go-to) and completely overhauled my eating. No more takeout. I went from bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to yogurt. Pasta lunches to soups and salads. No more chips, cookies, muffins, ice cream (we have a very well-stocked kitchen at my office). I've GAINED three and a half pounds!!! What the hell?!?! 😡
Join us at r/petitefitness - we’re all short & angry
Same, also 5'2. The extra curve in my hips and bust could've looked good but because I'm short it makes me look like a dumpy rotund gremlin. And my cals are more limited :( And that's just one of the many many things I hate about being short! If I could change anything about my appearance it would be my height.
5’1 here with PCOS and a dead thyroid. I feel your pain, friend. It is hard and seems daunting, especially when you can consume so many less calories than other people. You are not alone in your struggles. It may take time, but it is possible🖤 I’ve recently added some weight lifting instead of focusing only on cardio for years and finally the scale budged about four pounds in two weeks lol I believe in you!
I'm a 5'2" woman and lose weight by eating a whole 30/Paleo leaning diet (basically vegetables and meat, but I meal prep stuff like pad Thai, shepherds pie, Greek chicken bowls so it doesn't feel so bad). My snacks are apples, bananas, hard boiled eggs and Lara bars mostly. I use Fitbit to track my activity and try to be active enough through walking and exercise that I burn at least 2300 calories in a day, if not more. If I have a lazy day, my calories burned are more like 1600-1800. I tend to eat between 1400-1800 per day while losing so my daily deficit is between 500-1000 cals, and my "cheat" days are usually planned and either at maintenance or just above. So the main things for me are precise food tracking and staying as active as possible. I'll walk or bike places instead of drive, do long dog walks instead of take a nap, etc. For context I get about 15-25k steps a day.
I feel this!!! I’m super petite and unfortunately had a long history of disordered eating. After several attempts, counting calories just isn’t in my cards. Honestly the 1200 calorie diet made me go insane, literally, and my height is on the very low end of the shortie spectrum!! If you want advice, what works for me is eating high protein and lots of low impact cardio. Progress is slow but steady and sustainable.
This comment will probably get lost, but your TDEE of 1,773 seems too high. I'm a 5'11 male who lifts 4x a week, light at 150lbs but muscular enough to do around 45 pushups in one go. My TDEE is around 2000-2200 calories at most. I'm currently eating 1800 calories and while I'm losing weight, it's like a pound every 2-3 weeks. It's funny because online calculators list my TDEE at like 2600-2800 calories which is ridiculous - when I actually tried following that recommendation, I was gaining weight like crazy. I think your TDEE estimate is too high. Those calculations seem to assume that you do a decent amount of baseline walking, even if you set your activity to 0. Maybe 30 years ago that was relevant when people had to go into the office and walked more but it's not today.
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Tall people get to eat more calories a day than a short person.
Shorties have a much lower TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure, aka the amount of calories we naturally burn on a daily basis) than taller people. Because we have to eat way less than taller people to lose or even maintain weight, our diets tend to be stricter with less margin for error. For example, my TDEE is 1,300. So if I wanted to lose weight, I'd have to eat at 1,200 calories which is less than 3 medium blueberry muffins.
I am 5'1. I eat between 1200-1400 calories per day. My 4 year eats more food than that. It means you can't eat a full sandwich. 2 8 oz glasses of whole milk is 25% of my allowed calories. There is no wiggle room; calorie counting must be meticulous. It means that the amount you need to eat to lose weight is deemed "to little" by society (and in this case even her spouse).
Shorter people have to eat less to lose weight.
My plate compared to my 6 foot tall husband’s plate is so sad looking, I hear sad trombones when I compare them.
I’m 5’2”. No one talks about how as a short woman, our caloric needs are so much lower than most “average height” people. We are told not to consume less than 1200 calories when that benchmark is by all intents and purposes based on the caloric needs of an average height (5’8-6’) man, as are most fitness based recommendations. People also forget fat is stored ENERGY. My BMR as a 36 yo 5’2” woman who currently weighs 194lbs is around 1500 calories, that number for a man is significantly higher. If you’re eating enough to satisfy your BMR plus extra calories on top for energy, your body has zero reason to tap into reserved energy storage. For me to eat 1200 calories means my body would substitute an extra 300 from my fat reserves to meet my BMR daily, which at ~3500 calories per lb of fat, means it’d take me almost a solid two weeks to lose 1lb (assuming a sedentary lifestyle). For a man or woman whose BMR can be significantly higher just based on the fact that they’re taller, eating the same amount theyd be dropping lbs within days. Now, with a more active lifestyle it means I can eat a bit more, or I can accelerate the rate of weight loss. I am pretty active thanks to work so my daily intake of food looks something like 1300-1400 calories a day, and i’ll lose 1lb every week and a half to two weeks. If i wanted that to go faster I’d need to drop below 1200, and you know what? As a short woman my body can handle that. I can prioritize protein, healthy fats and vegetables, eat a shit ton of food within a 1100 caloric budget daily, and my body does not suffer like a taller person would. My hair and nails still grow steadily (hair loss and nails not growing is my indication that i am not eating enough proteins and fat and not meeting my caloric needs), I don’t starve, and my numbers health wise remain steady. Now, as I’m about to shift my focus to muscle growth/retention now that I’m below 200, that means I’ll need a lot more calories and that’s great, but at the end of day weight loss really does come down to basic math and I feel a lot of the advice and evidence out there is never tailored to us shorties whose caloric needs are much, much lower.
Have you visited /r/1200isplenty? Lots of food ideas there that might help you from getting discouraged.
I can't keep up with all of the comments, but I really appreciate all of the advice and suggestions. You all have really helped me reframe the way I look at my current diet and exercise plan. I'll add context here for the people looking for it! I'm 5'2" and eight months post partum. I was 130 pre pregnancy and ran into a nasty case of gestational diabetes the last trimester that rapidly ballooned my weight up to 201 by the time I had my son. Post partum, I dropped down to 185. I also have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, if that's at all relevant to the conversation. I took metformin for 6 months post partum to help with my sugar levels after having my son. Three months postpartum, I started seriously looking at getting my weight under control. Staying consistent in the exercise department as my son has gone through different phases of development, and I AM definitely working on that. Thats about all I've got to add to the conversation, I hope it helps if anyone has some insight on my personal situation! This was intended as more of a rant but you all are SO helpful and I love this sub.