to think it’s a bit depressing how little you can eat when you’re short?

[stressy1]

I’m quite small, 5'1, and it’s honestly a bit of a shock when you realise how little your body actually needs. When you look into it, your “normal” is already quite limited compared to someone taller and then menopause comes along and seems to shrink it even further.

I am surrounded by people eating what looks like totally reasonable amounts. I join in and think I am eating normally, but over time the weight creeps up.
It doesn’t feel like overeating at all, that’s the frustrating part but it is for my height.

There is so little margin for error. A couple of small extras, a snack, a drink and I have tipped over. Meanwhile taller people seem to have so much more flexibility without even thinking about it.

Anyone else found this?

Definitely go to the gym and build some muscle. I'm only 5ft3 but regularly burn well over 2000 calories, more if I do a couple of classes. Muscle is your answer!

I cant say lack of height has effected by appetite at all nor ability to eat

I guess everyone has someone taller, we can all look at men and say the same thing, we all need to learn to consume whay we burn.

Yeah. I’m 5ft and found it much easier to maintain my weight as a single person compared to now where i live with a tall husband and 2 kids who need calories, so have to factor them in if i want to make one meal for everyone.

I have started a new thing where for dinner, i either have a low carb meal, or a side plate portion. No weight loss though.

And calories in restaurant meals are crazy!

Yes! I’m 5’ 2” and mid-40s. It’s very depressing to realise how little I need to eat to just stay at the same weight. As you say, eating what is a ‘normal’ amount for others very quickly becomes too much; things that aren’t ‘treats’ for anyone else (bag of crisp, normal size choc bar, hot chocolate) have to be factored in. So depressing!

Yes!!!

I know it’s all relative, but when my 6ft3 husband and I did weightwatchers years back, his point count was almost double mine 😡

We are again on a Weightloss kick at the moment and despite me hardly ever snacking, and him sitting with a couple of packets of mini cheddars, he’s losing weight faster than I am. Definitely a downside of being short.

Don’t think OP is suggesting her appetite is the problem! It’s about metabolism.

I have the opposite issue due to being tall - weight doesn’t really accumulate. I need to make an effort to eat (despite having a very good appetite). A missed meal causes weight loss.

One of the few perks of being a very tall woman is that I can eat so much!

Acutely aware of this as I am 4'11" and only got away with eating reasonable amounts because I am constantly on the go/ hyperactive! But as menopause approaches and my energy levels have tanked, I have had to watch what I eat so carefully.

When i was young I could eat anything I wanted, now I am post menopause everything just stays put it is very frustrating, I am .4ft11 and a bit of a barrel!

I hear you. I have to be really firm with my family who are always “just have one, it won’t hurt”.

I need about 800-1000 calories a day, perimenopause and anti depressants have done a right number on my will power and hunger.

Must be so frustrating, men seem to drop weight easier too just for being men!
I’m 5ft 7 and shocked at how easily I can put on weight, basically if I have a sniff of a carb. So I can’t imagine how it is being shorter. And you see people everywhere tucking into all sorts, but then most people have a weight problem

I'm 5ft 1. Weight training and have more muscle than fat. I need a fair few calories. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

The benefit is it’s cheaper as you need less food. You can cook an average amount and have leftovers the next day. Ive found it difficult living with my partner the last few years as he eats so much, I used to cook far less often when it was just me as one pot of food would last me a few days. I’m tall but don’t really snack anyway.

Yep agree totally. 4ft11” (waves to the other shorties 👋🏻) and find even if I don’t eat a lot the weight creeps up. So annoying, no snacks or wine if I want to maintain a normal weight. Im
over weight at the moment and trying again to cut calories and move more but I know it won’t last! It’s so depressing.

For a 40yo sedentary female with BMI 22.3...
A 5'1 woman will need 1371cal
An average height 5'4 woman will need 1494cal

A difference of 123cal per day, or four squares of chocolate. It's not that much different really.

Yes…I’m 5’1”, have PCOS and am now 65. You just have to be brutally honest, it’s basic thermodynamics that big people need more fuel than small ones. In order to eat more or less normal main meals, I now do 16:8 - no breakfast, basically - and try to walk about 5 miles a day, weather permitting.
an Apple Watch and nutracheck keeps me on the straight and, if not narrow then at least not too wide!

It is indeed a ball ache. I’m 5ft2, 40yrs old and can only do 1200 calories a day. It sucks, but accepting the new normal is a mindset – not willpower.

The gym is so expensive though

I have a medical condition and I can't really exercise as much as I used to, and when the dc were younger running about after them kept me fit and slimmer, I don't particularly overeat i like a wine at the weekend that probably doesn't help either, I am about a stone over weight now I think I've just resigned myself to it.

I’m tall (well ‘ish’ at 5’8.5), and I can’t eat much. I have to stick to about 1000 calories a day to maintain my weight (more at weekends). And I have an active lifestyle.

I'm 5 foot 1 and I look at it as a positive because it costs so much less than if I was 6 foot 4.

If I go to a restaurant, I don't have any breakfast and eat around midday and then don't have to eat again until the next day.

Yeah, I definitely feel like this, as a woman of small build and 5’4”. I’ve worked it out that I need 1600 calories a day to maintain my weight and I exercise, so that’s with me burning approximately 1500 calories per week. I do need to increase my muscle mass, but I HATE doing weights!!

I don’t find this. I am 5ft, aged 48 and definitely in peri. I eat quite a healthy diet and eat as much as I want and I don’t put on weight. I am still wearing clothes from pre children. I am quite active though, I dance and play football and do a bit of muscle building. I don’t drink alcohol or empty calorie drinks which I think is a big factor. My calories come from food and mainly healthy food so I can eat big portions. I had 2 bowls of stew and a banana yesterday for dinner as I was starving after dance class.

Yes. I’m 5ft 1.5 and have an underactive thyroid. But I also need a reasonable calorie intake and healthy carbs to support my thyroid function. Balancing calories in vs out is a very difficult balance, it is not just a matter of eating less and moving more.