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?

Yes I agree. Now I'm menopausal I can only eat 1400 a day to maintain my weight. I love food but it's the enemy. In my 30's if I ate 1500 a day I lost 2lbs a week!

Oh, great, now I have thoughts about the horrors of the menopause in my head!

I am 5"3. A perk of my job is that it's brilliant for weight-loss... and it's a free way to build muscle tone without the need for a gym (I have been twice in my life, and it was Not For Me). The only downsides of this free workout regime are that it requires me to walk 10-15 miles a day, and that eating enough to keep my weight up is a very expensive habit!

@stressy1 take up weight lifting. More muscle = better metabolism.

Try and reduce body fat and increase muscle. Pilates is a great starting point if you don't want to go straight in with weights.

I'm mid 40s, albeit very tall, but I eat a LOT as I do a lot of sport and have a decent amount of muscle.

You need to build muscle. I'm 5ft 1 and weigh 9stone and i eat at least 2000cals daily. But i do 8 spin classes a week and swim. I do 100 squats daily.

I and i'm 50 and on HRT. If you have no muscle you will have a lower metabolism.

YADNBU

It's hard socialising TBH - I can't really eat much any more and drinking a glass or two of wine puts me well over the limit!

I agree with the pp who said that living with men/older children also impacts - I eat like a teenager with an eating disorder, and I want to model good eating, but just don't need it!

Yes it is frustrating to feel you put on the lbs much more easily, but you can love your body whatever its size. I am 4'11" and ticked unreasonable because I can choose to be a bit overweight (BMI 27) and eat whatever I like. You do have a choice!

At 5ft 2 I feel your pain! I walk everywhere-probably 15,000 steps a day and that helps. Often uphill. It’s the only exercise I truly like and will know I keep up with. It does mean I can eat without weighing myself obsessively and (mostly) maintains me at about 9st - which I’m ok with.

I do agree, a lot of our eating habits are literally that - habits - and general portions, what we might think are normal to eat, are out of kilter for what is realistic for a short woman. Restaurant meals obviously, but also the calorie count in pretty much any pre-prepared food from the supermarket or how much is put on an ordinary size plate. I'm sure there are some short women maintaining on 2000+ calories a day, but it's definitely not the majority. I walk 10k steps a day, I strength train 2-3 times a week and have done so fairly consistently for over a decade, and I do other sports on top, and I struggle to maintain a healthy weight. My maintenance is around 1750 and I need to stick to 1400 to lose weight, those numbers are higher than some but it's really not much wriggle room especially when I need carbs to have energy for exercise, and that I like to enjoy a variety of food.

Completely agree. I’m in a really similar boat — I’m 5ft 1, around 11st 3, and the NHS calculator puts me in the obese category. What gets me the most is how one tiny thing can tip you over your calories for the day. To stay in a deficit I’m meant to stick to about 1300 calories, which doesn’t go far at all.

My favourite Starbucks drink is 400 calories on its own, so it’s ridiculously easy to go over without even realising. Even a chocolate bar is 150-ish. When you’re this short, there’s basically no room for snacking and you have to be really intentional with every meal. I can absolutely see now how the weight crept on so quickly.

I agree - I do pilates, I walk or jog most days, I have a sedentary job, but I've had to switch to a standing desk with a walking pad as otherwise, since I've lost 3 stone, my daily active burn has dropped from 600 to 400 cals, and I've been struggling to maintain my macros without getting utterly bored by chicken and protein shakes (yes, I know there's lots of options, but I get sick of doing all that work and thinking too!).

I used to watch all those survival things, and I remember one where they had to survive for 21 days in whatever environment it was. Most people lost about 3 stone, but there was this little Japanese woman (same height as me, but half my weight at the time - she was a healthy weight though) and she lost 7lb. Because despite only eating the occasional lizard, her 'running costs' were so low.

This is the main reason I want to be a Gladiator when I grow up. They need to eat absolutely loads because of how muscley and active they are.

This!!

Agree, all you can do to help is build muscle /increase activity

Surely it's all relative?
A smaller person would take smaller mouthfuls, have a smaller portion, but should feel satiated/content (not deprived) when they've eaten what they need.

I understand that people with greater calorific needs have more wiggle room but in the grand scheme of things that shouldn't equal a miserable life.

I'm 4ft 11 walk my commute so about 10k fast steps a day and potter some more. I am planning to get back into running as I used to run 5k three times a week and enjoy it.

I used to like Pilates and may be able to find an online Pilates workout to fit in at home. Used to dance, but no time for that now.

Can any of the strength trainers please tell me how you started. If you were me, active, but not very active, time poor, glued to home a lot of the time due to Children, what would you do to start introducing some strength training to a daily routine that can be built on to build muscle. Without a gym as I may be able to exercise while watching the kids, but not leave them to go to the gym.

Thanks

I started doing Caroline Girvan workouts last year and love them. I pay about £10 a month for her app and started with the beginner programme on there which is slow and steady and teaches you the correct form for movements (don't start with the beginner on youtube, it's not actually a beginner programme it's just an introduction to one of her more strenuous programmes for people who already lift). I started out with some 5kg dumbbells I bought from Aldi and it's made a massive difference. I think there's a long running thread on mumsnet somewhere of people who follow her workouts

@FallenNight get yourself an exercise bike and work on your leg muscles first. Do minimum 45 mins a daily. Increase the bike resistsnce as you get stronger.
Squats, squats and more squats. Build up your quads and glutes.
All can be achieved at home. Consistent daily exercise is vital.

😂😂😂

I do some weight training but I can't manage what you do!

I quite like cycling, and the kids do too, maybe we could force a bike ride every weekend. Squats sounds tedious, but I guess needs must. Should definitely check out Caroline Girvan as I have heard her name mentioned before.

We do have a rowing machine, but nowhere to put it at the moment after downsizing.

Thank you.

It's also to do with hormones. Men lose weight far more easily than women for good biological reasons. Absolutely infuriating all the same!

Isn’t height just one factor with all this? Obviously current weight is another, a lighter person would need fewer calories than a heavier person to maintain their weight. I’m tall(ish) but fairly light and have the same issue with being careful with calories. I would likely need the same calories even if I was 8 inches shorter and the same weight. The difference would be body composition. I would also say activity levels are key and a sedentary person would need fewer calorie than an active person. So it’s all relative really.

Mine is only £24.99 a month and that's for a 24 hour gym and all classes.

You could focus on having the most interesting and varied food when you do eat. Portions generally are far too big now and it’s definitely skewed what we perceive as a normal amount of food