To wonder how many calories you can eat as a short person?

[shecanbemesurely]

So I tried losing weight for 3 weeks, on 1600cals a day, plus 10 mins high intensity on home workout bike. Nothing. I thought, that’s odd, then persisted another week thinking it would suddenly shift and I might lose 3lb in one go that week? One of those days, just one, I went over my calorie limit and had about 1800 calories

4 days later and still sticking to 1600, I gained half a pound :(

Since then, I’d been doing 1400 a week. I’ve been doing that for 4 weeks and lost just under 1.5lb

For just over 2 weeks now, I’ve been doing 1200 (slightly less but 20cals or so maybe). And guess what! I’ve lost 4lb already so 2lb a week

I am 5’2, stocky build that naturally holds muscle well and not doing an active job but caring for a disabled child so still quite hands on and busy all day etc. I am only 25 so I’d have thought my metabolism wouldn’t be knackered just yet

My friend is 5’7 and can eat 1900 caps and lose weight, whilst working from home on a laptop all day and not working out! I’m very jealous

All depends on quality of diet, exercise and genetics. If you eat 1200 calories of junk you will be hurting your metabolism.

My advice would be to eat more, 1500 min, up to around 2000 cals a day. Do 30-45 mins of meaningful exercise 3-4 times a week (strength training is generally better than cardio as the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn at rest)

Also your 1200 cals a day, without wanting to be harsh, how honest is that, and is it consistent? There are calories hidden everywhere that people forget to account for. (Milk in tea, other drinks, butter, oils, sauces and spreads that are difficult to weigh...

At 1200 cals a day I'd be surprised if you could keep that up for 7 days consistently without caving and wanting to binge.

Yep, definitely not missing any calories out in my calculations. It’s all tracked and I’m shit hot strict with it

It really does seem 1200 or a bit less is my deficit

Don’t weight yourself. Take body measurements. Half a pound is a glass of water. Stick with 1600 and lift weights.

45. Hth

I'm 5'7 and 1600 calories is about right for me. Any more and I'd gain weight.

Makes sense then that I gain weight on 1600 or slightly over. It seems my maintenance calories is about 1400 and deficit 1200 or slightly less for 1 or 2lb a week loss

There is a board/topic called "weight loss chat". This isn't a reasonable/unreasonable question.

700 - 1000 to lose weight
1200 to maintain
more = weight gain

It sucks.

OP, even tho 1600 is right for me, i would agree with @Allmadinhere though. Don't weigh yourself, do weights and take your measurements instead. It will make a difference.

A minimum of 1900 cals to maintain at 48. Before weight training I had to stick to 1200.

Worse part of weight training is all the ruddy food you have to eat.

Do you actually know your TDEE? Your maintenance calories are probably much lower than you think.

https://tdeecalculator.net/

I'm just a little shorter than you and 1,200 is my maintenance level so that's probably about right for you to be losing weight. Most people burn a lot less energy than they think these days.

Yeah, it’s rubbish to be short for this reason!

1200, and even less so 1000 or so calories a day, is really NOT much. I mean, it’s doable - I’ve been doing it. But there’s not much food and you can’t really get away with treats here and there 😩

Do a TDEE calculator online,
And focus on quality calories -fresh veg, pulses and legumes, good fats, lean meat, high protein, whole grains, fermented foods and unprocessed food.

I'm 5'2 and I'd gain body fat on 1000 cals of mostly carbs vs maintaining on 1300ish of high protein foods.

I don't weigh myself because I'm muscly and do weight training but go by my body fat - it goes up drastically when I'm carb loading before an endurance event.

If you're trying to change your body composition i.e. less fat you need to look at what you calories are made up of. Body fat will also not shift from your belly if your cortisol is high. MIN 7.5h sleep per night, no caffiene on an empty stomach etc are the foundations. Women can diet diet diet and not shift fat if their bodies ate under stress.

20% less than maintenance cals to lose weight.

https://tdeecalculator.net/