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’m 4ft 11 and weighed around 9st before having kids in my early 30s. Could eat pretty much what I wanted and drop a few pounds just by cutting out snacks & skipping breakfast.

After DC2 was born, aged 36, my weight had crept up due to pregnancy to around 10st. I tried really hard to shift the extra once he was around 6 months old but it stubbornly stayed put. I had to really drop my calories which I could only sustain for a few weeks at a time as it was miserable.
I put a few more lbs on during Covid and was almost 10st 7lb. Tried again to lose weight by dropping my cals to around 1000 a day. Again I Lost and gained the same 3 or 4lbs over 6 months.

Eventually ended up going on Mounjaro and lost a stone and a half which I’ve maintained for 6 months. It’s really hard though. I only eat 1300 cals a day. It’s like being on a diet all the time!

😂😂😂

No. It's 5ft3.5. I was being generous!

That's actually quite short, I thought it was about 5ft5 at the turn of the century!

On average heights google says

The average height for women in the UK is approximately 5ft 3.5in to 5ft 4.5in (roughly 162cm–164cm). Data from 2024 indicates a mean height of 162.1cm (just under 5'4") in England, while other sources place the UK average slightly higher at 5'4.5" or 163.94cm.

Interesting, I would have thought average was taller. People make endless comments about how short I am, but then I am only 4ft 11.

Yep. Im not very short at 5'5 but I can still eat very little and gain so easily. I find intermittent fasting effective. I dont eat breakfast anymore and have late lunch. I am no longer hungry at all until then. Its such a pain..

Incredibly hard, disabled, five feet and menopausal, can’t exercise , can’t lose weight healthily

If it’s any consolation to anyone, my DP (who’s also quite short for a man - 5ft 6) was a food hoover until recently when he had to stop doing weights. Now he’s crying over portion sizes along with me. Obviously I’m supportive but inwardly a bit smug. Turns out those deadlifts are magic calorie burners!

Those calculations are rubbish. A TDEE calculator says I need 1800 to maintain. My Fitbit shows that I have burned an average of 1500 calories a day for the past month. I’d gain massively if I ate 1800 a day!

Of course it’s not ideal to eat 1000 calories a day, but for those of us with a slow metabolism it’s the only way to lose weight.

I think it’s not just the calorie intake, it’s how obvious weight gain is. The margin for me (5’3) is very small and a little extra weight seems to change my body shape very quickly. So depressing

Yes, I'm a 5"1 office worker with 6"2 manual worker boyfriend. I've taken to reminding him that olive oil is the enemy of the small woman and so is butter, as he tries to glug 100mls of it in the pan and garnishes the dish with another 50ml. Quite jealous of his ability to eat a 6 pack of 300 calorie chocolate cookies to no effect as that's more than my daily allowance 😭(he isn't fat, crazy active job).

Yep- another petite lady who has had to accept that I really don’t need many calories so weight loss means very very little food.

It doesn't have to be if you find a privately owned basic one, and it does the same job as the big trendy companies. Plus you'll be supporting a local business. I go to a men's 'bodybuilder' type gym. Costs me £20 a month and it is open 24 hours.
It does the job.

YABU because the larger plates for taller people fill them up the same amount so you are both just as hungry

and you are cheaper to run

Yes because everyone's appetites are entirely proportional to their size and we only eat according to appetite and nothing else which is why everyone is the ideal weight for their height and obesity is a myth 🙄

Similar height. And used to weigh 7.5 - 8 stone. Pregnancy pushed me up to 10. Now menopausal im around 10 stone.

I remember doing weight watchers years ago with exh. H could have 18 points. A peach was 2 points. It wasn’t sustainable for me so I stopped.

To not gain weight I stay around 1200 cals. Really difficult.

I’m 5ft 4.5. In my teens was 6.5/7 stone. In 20s 8 to 8.5, 30s 9-9.5, 40s 10 stone etc. I’m now almost 13 stone but this is due to anti depressants medication. I’d be happy at 10 stone, I look pretty good then. My willpower is pretty bad though when it comes to food.

My nana who was under 5ft, 4 ft 12 or something was a size 6-8 up to 90 years old. She had no breakfast but 2 digestive biscuits, cup a soup and toast for lunch, normal dinner, rarely snacked but had fish and chip supper once a week and cake every afternoon with friends. She also had osteoporosis probably as she had hardly any dairy.

@Thesofathatwas how do you get the vitamins and minerals etc you need if you are eating less than 600-800 calories?

I am 5’1 and have always thought how I would be able to eat more if I were taller, or eat the same but be slimmer.

I am about 49-50kg now but have always had a good appetite and at one point was several kg heavier.

I think my maintenance calories are about the same as the allowance in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment!

Can you not see that it is beyond just height?

Plenty of posters have said they used to be able to eat good amounts when they were younger but after being in peri or menopausal means the amount they can eat now without gaining weight has vastly reduced.

I have always been the same height but also could eat vast amounts when I was younger so what has the cheaper to run got to do with it?

I would like to see the MINI! Shetland please thank you 😀

Yes- I make a point of having some dairy as I don’t like milk in hot drinks, so don’t get the usual dairy intake most tea/coffee drinkers have. Always think “at my height, can’t afford to shrink”.

If I shrink in old age I risk being mistaken for a borrower.

You’ve got half a foot on me. I’m v envious. So 10 stone would look vastly different on me v you.

My appetite I suppose is smaller generally. I use a side plate or bowl for my dinners. Never a big dinner plate.

Whilst there’s a few short women here - where do you buy jeans from to fit length?!!
(sorry op x)

Yeah I think I’ve shrunk. 😢