Any other short women on here who need very little cals to lose weight?

[moneyinthebinthatsmrtim]

I am 26, and 5'2.

I maintain if I eat anything over 1300.

To lose a pound a week, I can go to 1200.

To lose 2lb, I need to eat a bit less than 1100.

I know this because I've seen it for myself and it's really shocked me. It isn't about to calories, is it! I tried upping calories and no, that doesn't work. I have to stick to very little

There's so little wiggle room.

My H can eat 2200 and not gain any weight at 6'3

This! Doing weights meant I could eat properly and very well and I dropped a dress size in just 8 weeks (but didn’t drop a single lb on the scale!). In just 8 weeks my body shape changed a lot. And I didn’t restrict my calorie intake like I’ve had to before.

severe cal restriction is just utterly miserable. I’d never do that again

I'm the same. 5ft 1.
I actually skip breakfast entirely now and find that an easier way to keep the cals down. I've never been much of a breakfast person anyway and feel much more productive and energised by not eating first thing. I'll then have 'lunch' around 11-12 and evening meal around 6ish. I feel hungry by the time I get to this but it feels more satisfying eat then. So it's a bit like fasting I guess. If I eat breakfast I'll eat more for lunch so it works for me.
I also find exercise makes a huge difference and really accelerates progress.
Friends think I'm starving myself when I say 1300cals but they just don't get it, I'm so short!

Agreed ⬆️

I've built my muscle up by lifting heavy (squats, deadlifts, bench press etc) and I can eat more as a result. Plus I'm toned, have better posture and my mental health is improved 💪

Add in the menopause & a lower TDEE and you are describing me. When I was younger I got on quite well with 5:2 but found fasting days made me feel unwell as I got older.

I changed my mindset a bit and made a decision to go slow. 1Lb a month is still progress after all. I also increased my exercise and made sure I did something every day. Although it's true you cant outrun a bad diet an extra 100-150 helps when the margins are tight.

I also read why we eat too much and focused upon eating real food, more vegetables and fewer carbs. When I do have carbs I try to choose whole grains.

I lost a stone and a half over just over a year and i've kept it off. I've since read Chris Van Tulekan's UPF book and avoid as many UPF foods as I can. An easy change for me was giving up my Coke Zero habit. Artificial sweeteners can make some people crave sugar and I would say I was definitely one of them. I don't crave sweets in the same way anymore and eat a lot less chocolate.

Yes, it's so hard. I'm currently at a healthy BMI but need/want to lose around 7 pounds to be at my 'happy weight'. I've been eating between 1000 and 1100 calories every day for the last month (weighing and tracking everything) and I've not lost any weight!

Those of you saying to do weight exercises - do you have any recommendations for things I could do at home? I wouldn't want to get 'bulky' (I like my slim arms/legs) but building some muscle sounds like a good idea.

It's important to work out your tdee. I hear posters saying they gain on anything over 1200 and think they must sit all day and never even walk anywhere. I'm 5' 2.5" and perimenopausal and lose weight on 1500-1700 slowly but steadily. My maintenance calories are around 2000 according to the tdee calculator. Even when I input my exercise level as sedentary my maintenance is over 1500. Lots of people accept their maintenance as 2000 and work things out from there but the tdee is vital.

@LegoTherapy Do you mind me asking how much you currently weigh? (No problem if you'd rather not say.) My daily step count is 25,000 steps. I eat mainly veg, salad, protein (very rarely have anything UPF), but I'm not losing anything on 1000-1100 calories.

I know all of our situations/bodies are different, but I find it so interesting that you can eat a lot more than me and lose weight?! (I hope the tone of this is coming across right?!) I am just generally interested and perplexed. I must be doing something wrong, but not quite sure what?

@Autumnleaves27 if you are into science, the Andrew Jenkinson book "why we eat too much" explains this in detail. It's not as crude as the cod science "body going into starvation mode", but there is an element of people's bodies resetting the calories that they need. The mental switch for me was the advice to focus on eating what you thought you would eat one you were at your target weight. I started there with healthy foods and tried to eat 100 - 200 calories less than TDEE Monday to Friday and exercising 100-150 calories every day.

Same 5ft2 46 yrs old. Have given up counting calories. Only have 2 meals a day, gone back on to the carnivore diet, as I felt fantastic on it 5 years ago for those 5 months. Lost 2 stone in weight, no aches and pains, dry cracked heals were smooth and healed, cellulite almost gone, no period pains at all after suffering every month since a teenager.

Began eating everything again in 2020 and all the weight I lost piled back on, and the aches and pains returned. Sick of it now, 10st 13 on Wednesday, weighed this morning 10st 11. Need to stick at it again.

@Autumnleaves27 I weigh 8st 12lbs down from something like 10st 10lb. I changed my eating habits about 21 months ago and lost weight slowly and steadily over around 9 months. If I take my eye off the ball I gain around 3lbs (like over the recent school holidays because I'm not walking as much). I walk around 7-8 miles a day on average.

Are you eating enough protein ?

Yeah you need to throw the scales away. Tape measures all the way.

Those of you saying to do weight exercises - do you have any recommendations for things I could do at home? I wouldn't want to get 'bulky' (I like my slim arms/legs) but building some muscle sounds like a good idea

Women always think they're going to bulk up. It's actually really hard for women and takes a lot of time and effort. What you find is your shape changes and your clothes fit better. I used to worry about legs looking big but what I found is I like them solid and strong. No jiggles.

I personally wouldn't say start at home. It's easy to get it wrong and end up with injuries. Find a PT and learn how to before doing it at home. When I'm in the house I use kettlebells but I wouldn't have known how to use a kettlebell without being shown.

Me too, I'm 5'2" and a wheelchair user, I have to eat 1000 kcal to lose a lb a week.

I have found my people! 5 foot 1, 50 years old. I gave up alcohol and lost a stone in 6 months but I've stopped losing now and need to eat basically nothing to lose any more fat. I'm doing weights now but I'm finding lifting heavy a challenge so I fear I'm wasting my time. Probably time for a pt but it's expensive on top of gym membership. Oh well!

@moneyinthebinthatsmrtim when you say maintain, what weight are you maintaining at? I'm overweight and I've often wondered what it would take if I ever lost it to maintain.

It's quite shocking how little some people need. I feel good eating 2000 a day, but only need 1300. Which is hardly anything, especially with sugared drinks and booze! (I love my coca cola and wine!)

I'm 5 ft 5 in,which I suppose isn't terribly short,but I need to eat a ridiculously small amount to lose the tiniest bit of weight. I've noticed that it's got worse as I've got older. 20 years ago,I could lose 2 pounds a week on 1500 calories. Now I'm 60,I'm lucky if I don't put ON weight on that amount. I find it most disheartening. If I stick rigidly to 1200 calories per day,I may lose half a pound in a week. To be honest,I'm getting totally pissed off with it. I've managed to lose 7 stone over the last 4 years by doing intermittent fasting,but I've been stuck at the same weight now for a year with 4 more stone to go. My GP won't prescribe Wegovy/Ozempic as he said it's not safe for someone like me who has suffered a pulmonary embolism.

I'm 5'3" and menopausal. I could live on sticks of celery and not lose weight 😭

I've calculated that I need 800-900 to lose, up to 1100 to maintain (with moderate activity) and will start to gain on around 1200.

I did an NHS weight loss programme and my coach told me I could eat up to 1700 a day to lose and 2000 a day to maintain 🤦🏻‍♀️ (according to my stats).

Honestly, I'd be the size of a whale if I followed this advice.

The NHS needs to start prescribing weight loss jabs to folk to help them. You lose the will to live if you go a month and only lose 2lbs or something. You're constantly hungry and weak as well.

I can relate! 4ft 11, fast approaching 40 and just verging on 11st. The struggle has definitely got harder now im approaching my 40s compared to my 30s. Lower carb is the only way I can seem to lose 😕

4ft 11 here and have lost a stone in 5 months having 1000 a day... when people say it's not enough calories, I don't know what to say as if I have any more than this I maintain or gain!

I'm amazed you can lose a pound a week with only 100 fewer calories a day. But then again you are so young.

I'm in a perfect storm situation of being 49, perimenopausal, with chronic fatigue and pain, so exercise is very limited for me. I maintain at around 1200 calories but it would take 2 months to lose a pound if I only reduced my intake by 100 calories. I just aim to not gain anything now. It's miserable enough on that.

When you are short too, I am 5ft, aged 52, it shows more if put on. My 5ft 8 inches work colleague don't get this. Obviously probably means you can telling lost it too. I struggle too and it hard.

Could it be types of food you are eating or maybe how much you are moving?
Have you had your thyroid checked?
Yeah some people do have a lower metabolism but worth checking your body is working to give you the best chance.

I am 5ft and just 14st. Currently lost a stone in 2 months on around 2500 kcal, but 2500kcal of healthy foods. (though i am aware being so heavy gives me a higher metabolism )

Hi, I’m a lot shorter than you (4ft8) and don’t check calories at all tbh. I eat what I feel like eating, making sure to have 5 a day and avoid UPFs. I used to have an unhealthy obsession with calories as a teen but as I got older found “intuitive eating” and slow chewing (helps you realise when you feel full) to be a lot more effective at maintaining a healthy weight. That said, what I think helps the most is that I do a lot of exercise (running, walking, HIIT and swimming) as it makes me feel good and I like being outdoors.