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?

I would gain a pound a week on 2k calories a day

Im not even short!! Im 5.5 and old (er)

Oh gosh, I never really knew this. I'm 5'8, it never occurred to me that smaller women had a smaller calorie allowance. What a bummer.

It's depressing how little I can eat at menopause as a fairly fit 5'7" 50 year old woman to stay normal BMI . A lot less than my body/brain thinks I need, that's for sure.

Yes!
I have thought this several times, I need a total of 2000 calories a day just to maintain weight, 1750 to lose.
I do have sensory issues with food so it's not easy to keep under 2000 due to my limited diet.
I drink my daily calories and it feels unfair. I know it's my body and it's only my choices what make it that way, but I don't want to only drink 2 cups of coffee a day, and several pints of water. I drink squash, but my normal instant coffees (I do probably drink 6/7 a day) push my calories straight over before I even think about a piece of toast.
I'm only in my early 30s, by the time I get to menopause I'll need to just inhale the smell of coffee to avoid calories.
It's miserable, I wanna eat a biscuit and not gain 2lb.

True. I'm 5'2, early 40s and have found it difficult to shed weight after my 2nd DC. I've been doing dumbbells and hula-hoop for a year. I have not really lost weight, but definitely gained muscle mass and look better, esp. in my midriff. I tend to gain 2kg during summer holidays when I visit my home country with kids as I can't resist my home food and then try to shed it after coming back through simple tricks, like just 2 table spoons of brown rice with half a plate of a salad and home made chicken curry. Unfortunately I have to forget about snacks, try eating grapes, carrots and gherkins instead.

Do you feel hungry? If not then it’s fine, no?

Im sitting in a cafe now. I've just paid £15 for a sandwich and soft drink. It came with fries. I've eaten about half and feel full. Its nice and id like to eat it but I'll feel crap afterwards if I do. Its a waste. My favourite restaurant has started doing 'small plate' versions of the mains which is great.

Same here. I’m 5’6 and I only burn 1500 cals per day (I’m disabled). I have to starve myself to lose weight.

They naturally have more muscle.

I'm 5ft 3, always been active, and my food intake reflected that as I needed the energy. Now at 51, my metabolism has slowed, despite still being very active; however, I have significantly increased my muscle mass over the last year or two, and my food intake has increased again.

@BringBackCatsEyes I'm not sure why you seem so focused on the assumption that smaller people automatically have tiny appetites. Surely the number of posts on this thread suggests that those of us under 5ft 3 aren't magically hardwired to feel full on chicken salads and grapes.

I saw a tiktok where a guy was asking what short women ate to lose weight (after he realised his extreme cut was more than his wife's maintenance) one of the answers was 'bell peppers and tears' that hit home!

Another negative of being small (to joint the shortie moanfest) is that any weight gain really shows. My tall friend will say 'I've put on a stone' and look exactly the same. If I put on a stone I look like weeble.

Its the food environment we live in.

Dont worry it will get easier soon as the food industry is pivoting due to weight loss injections to provide food in much smaller portions. Restaurants will soon follow suit I’m sure and offer “small” adult mains.

With food costs rising manufacturers will drop portion sizes. I reckon us short people will end up being better off than tall people when food gets more expensive and portion sizes drop.

Admittedly I live alone. But I view it this way - less calories equals less food equals less shopping and therefore less cooking/cleaning and lower costs. Win win as it then allows me more time (and money) to do frankly, far more interesting things with my life.

Im sitting in a cafe now. I've just paid £15 for a sandwich and soft drink. It came with fries. I've eaten about half and feel full. Its nice and id like to eat it but I'll feel crap afterwards if I do. Its a waste. My favourite restaurant has started doing 'small plate' versions of the mains which is great.

I would feel nicely full eating the whole thing. I've felt nicely full and when I totted it up I'd had over 3000 calories in a day (included a meal out) - that was me being really careful because I knew I was eating out. I have to estimate calories and work out how much I can afford to eat, rather than rely on appetite.

My Fitbit constantly tells me I've burned off 400+ calories in a gym session and over 2500 in a day. I reckon I should knock off at least a third of what it estimates.

I need to average <1,200 consistently to lose weight and no more than 1500 for maintenance. It's not much, and I'm 5'7" and just about BMI 25. I have a sedentary job but do proper exercise five days out of seven. (Swimming, yoga, gym/weights/cardio). I try very hard to eat protein and fibre. Another difficult thing is I seem to be craving sweet stuff all the time and I never used to have a sweet tooth.

I used to say this.

Then I hit 45.

This thread is otherwise full of my people!!!

I'm not 'so focused' - I have made 2 posts, and in neither did I say I think smaller people automatically have tiny appetites.

I am trying to understand why many smaller women find it hard to maintain a healthy weight.

When I was younger running really helped me stay slim. Now I just worry it would make me hungry.

To lose weight I have to do 1200 calories a day.

Spread that out over three meals and a slice of toast is a huge amount.

Because unless you only ever eat at home or really really plan ahead you find yourself in situations where the standard portion is more than you need. Im taking my kids out tonight for a celebration. I wont want a main, or much at all really but I cant sit there with a side salad a d water so I spend and eat more than I want.

I agree. When I do my fitness pal for instance it tells me I should have around 1250 cals to lose weight. If you say that on here almost everybody says no, you need at least 1500 a day and anything less is starvation. I am 5 foot 2. It's very hard when you are both short and old.

Every portion size is geared up to feed an average man.

And we are conditioned not to waste food in the UK (attitudes are very different in other parts of the world).

Then food is a social thing.

I'm on holiday next week - DS and DH will want to eat large meals three times a day. I typically will eat two small meals a day. We are self catering for a week but have five days we can't do that. So that raises some logistical issues about what we do when. Then if we eat out a standard meal out will set me back my entire days calories in one go.

And don't get me started on food envy.

I am so grateful for the recent trend for 'small plates' but I find it difficult and am finding it increasingly difficult as I get older

Yep.

All these calculations and apps are simply not designed with any woman in the 5' to 5'2 range.

Well, perhaps you could start by reading the many posts in here, none of which have said 'i feel full and happy on 1300-1500 calories a day'

As I said, eating at maintenance for a petite woman means:
Preparing as much of your own food as possible - no work lunches, eating out, buying food on the road

• if you do any of the above, limit it to a starter only, or only fish and vegetables and tell them to hold the oil or any dressings. Or only eat half and throw the rest away

-eat different meals to the rest of your family
-Eat off child sized plates (to get the portion control right)
-Either eat 3 low calorie meals a day and never, ever snack, or only eat twice a day and snack on healthy food like fruit.
-either avoid certain foods entirely as they can't be in your diet in moderation, or if you eat them (eg, a pizza, or have a rich dessert with a meal) only eat one meal that day.

Just like with budgeting, it's easy to limit yourself one day. Try doing it every day, for the rest of your life, and you'll see why it's so hard to keep the average where it needs to be.

Such a disordered thought process.

You won't exercise incase you get hungry. My god.

Yes I get you. I’m 4ft 11 and my daily calorie need is tiny. I run regularly so I can eat a bit more and not put weight on. It took me two years to lose two and a half stone.