Shorties trying to lose weight!

[SwimmingOnEggshells]

I started my fatbusting journey a couple of weeks ago and my plan is to document my progress here.

So far I've been doing a fair bit of cardio - 5 times per week - and I'm hoping this will help me get rid of some lbs. I posted a thread on AIBU looking for people's advice on only using exercise to lose weight but the general consensus is that no, I need to calorie restrict too. Boo! is what I say to that but maybe I need to face facts that I'm no longer a spring chicken and need to make a concerted effort with food too to shed anything!

Anyone want to join me?! @neverenoughchelseaboots

Current weight: 60kg/132lbs
Target: 50kg/110lbs
Height: 5'0 :(
Age: 39

Nonames I've planned my meals for today to make sure I eat better and am not tempted to have anything that would mean a poorer choice. I have tuna defrosting for dinner and am having tinned salmon and cucumber on ryvita (which I really like) for lunch.

I’ve just walked along the beach with adult furloughed son and we had a tea halfway along. Son had a bacon sandwich which I looked on enviously at. It’s such a pain being short, I wish I could have just had one and enjoyed it. But didn’t as it would have been about a third of the calories (in 5 bites) that I can have if I don’t want to put on weight .

Does anyone think that the TDEE calculator has estimated their TDEE as too high? Mine is 1455 per day (45yo, 5 foot 1, sedentary, 10 stone right now). But I am consuming around 1000 calories a day at the moment, and not eating any exercise calories, and am losing weight on the whole (but for the odd blip).

If I ate 1450 calories each and every day, I am sure I'd gain.

Yes I think it always seems high. I would only maintain at1200 ( 5’2”9 st2/3 and aged64)
Maintaining on 1200 for ever seems grim
One calculator says maintain on 1400, I would slowly increase on that

I’m glad you think the same! I think I maintain at about 1250. Which is why my weight has been too high for the last few years! I really have to come to terms with having to exercise often to be able to eat what i like, and to have some v low calorie says to balance things out.

@WellTidy mine is 1455. At 1200 I maintain. I have done 1 week at 800/900 and I lost 1.4kg after weeks and weeks of not losing anything at 1100/1200.

When I calculated though I’m unsure about “ level of activity” I’m retired but definitely don’t sit down quietly all day! But I don’t do “ exercise” formally. I try to walk at least 2 miles a day but it’s at a leisurely pace, I play with a baby, toddler, 5 year old one afternoon a week each of the 2 families, and in lockdown Summer of ‘20 we cycled at least 2 hour circuit every fine weather day. So I don’t tick sedentary but the next one which I think is lightly active. But not sure my leisurely beach strolls count!

@WellTidy your KYLIE story is wonderful! I loved reading that. Thank you. She does seem a nice person who would hug a teenager. I looked up what she looks like close up now.. I think she has a bit of a face-lifted rubbery-pumped-up look, which I was sad to see. I am sure she would be more beautiful without having had work.

Back to the rest of us, and I read here that it has not been an all round success. However, I do notice that the gains reported are sooo small. Get it in perspective ladies! Be busy, be active, be good, and the corrections to the tiny blips happen by themselves.

Us Shorties do have calorie intake problems. I agree that the charts are not quite right, but equally calorie counting is so hard that even a cup of tea has to make a difference, so it must all be counted for the (say)1000, 1200 or 1450 calories if Calorie Counting is your method.

I think everyone who is over weight, like I was, should look at calories. It was really interesting to learn and good to put into practice portion control. At first I was shocked at the small amount of cereal. That went on for ages. Then it dawned on me, I had to give up cereal. It was calorie counting that shows me, as a petite woman, that I cannot eat the same as one of my teenage boys even half the time, and stay slim.

Regarding the charts, if I measure out and stick to my TDEE now that I am maintaining- it feels exactly like a cutting back proper diet and yet there was still a little creep up in my weight. I don’t count calories any more but I think I need about 1350. I just need to be really retrained and to eat less than I naturally would enjoy. When I am really busy, I eat less. I find drinking back coffee and tea in the mornings helps dieting.

I lost a bit for my weigh-in this week by swapping dinner the night before for just a small portion of cheese and a glass of wine . I was 50.8kg in the morning which was pleasing. The trick this week is to hold onto that loss!

I have noticed that my jeans are tight so I could do with losing a bit more and definitely not gaining.

I have given up chocolate for Lent. and not coping well. Roll on Mother’s Day and Easter! There will be chocolate!

I got a book which shoes portion size and calories. What you can actually eat is shocking. Id regularly eat a whole pizza that was 700-1000 cal and estimate it to be 500. No wonder i put on weight.

My scales hovered at 9lb 13 this morning but settled at 10st 0.2 (I tried 3 times and thats what it settled as every time, damn!)

Still down from weekend though.

Very good points being made @modernfemininity and @Nonamesavail - I would add age/menopause as a factor for me. In my mid-fifties now and just can't eat like I did 10 or 20 years ago and expect to stay the same weight unfortunately. I do seem to be able to lose at 1200-odd calories but it is painfully slow.

I am 10st exactly this morning. I had a good day yesterday so I feel that I'm back on track. Good advice modern, I am taking it on board.

Commiserations on the weight fluctuations everyone; I'm also up a lb after a weekend of cake, chinese take away and fish and chips . Plus I have my period. Back on it now and aiming for a maintenance week on Friday.

I don't calorie count as I find I get a bit obsessive with it but I know if I eat like a 'normal' person, i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner and then the odd treat - I gain. It really sucks being small. When I get to my goal weight I reckon I'll have to continue with 18:6 midweek and then I can relax a bit on the weekends.

Hi fellow Shorties,

I've been missing for a while - some of you will recall my mum tested positive for covid about a month ago - after about 7-10 of high fever at home, her oxygen sats dropped slightly so was admitted to hospital and was there for 8 days. Long story short, she needed oxygen for a bit but not lots and only 1-2 consecutive days, and they found she had a blood clot on her lungs. Anyway, she now been home for just over 2 weeks and doing well.

I barely ate when she was in hospital and have spent the last 2 weeks making up for it and comfort eating. I will weigh in on Friday and start getting back on track. I'll catch up on posts but hope you're all doing well x

I agree that retraining to recognise a sensible portion size for shorties is a really good permanent way forward. I know I’ve seriously underestimated in the past. My salad plate trick is continuing to help me as is 16/8.

@purplegirl13 welcome back to the thread. You mum has been through the mill hasn’t she! It was the right thing to be admitted to hospital - she needed that oxygen. You must have been very worried! Hence the weight loss and now making up for it. Enjoy relaxing now she is safe.

10 st 6 for 3 weeks stuck on a plateau
Started at 10st 10 lost 4 stone
X2 slimfast shakes a day have been eating more calories this week
Back to diet friday then hoping i will lose lbs

@purplegirl13 I'm sorry to hear that you've had a rough time, it must have been awful for both you and your mum. Glad to hear things are on the up. xxx

Best wishes to you and your mum purple x

Hi all. Still hovering at the 10st mark (0.8lbs over) frustrating!

Hello Friday people! My joy at being under 9st 3lb last week was short lived! Am 9st 3.4lb today so half a lb up. Not really sure why as not doing anything different. I probably need to start some exercise - working from home is not helping matters. Will hope to nip upward trend in the bud and be back in track next weigh in. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Argh @Morningmaeve that's annoying! Working from home makes it doubly hard to lose, unfettered access to a fridge is a nightmare!

1/4lb loss this week, I'm now 123 and 3/4s. Not too bad seeing that I've had take aways, cake and a few g&ts throughout the week.

Hope everyone is doing well today - almost the weekend!

I’m back down to 9st 13lb after a week of gain and then slowly coming back down. Hoping that this settles and that I start to properly lose again, rather than lose the gain, if you know what I mean.

My scales also said 9.13 yesterday but then I had Chinese for dinner, though I did limit damage but almost certainly over my cals by far😪 im not weighing today!

Morning all, good news here 1.2lb down on last week! Woo. Not sure the 8st 10lb goal by March 17th is doable but I will keep going and try my best.

I'm still off the booze for lent which makes a massive difference and went for my longest ever run last night (1hr 18mins!). Then I had a little emotional cry when I got home because I look and feel more like the me from three years ago, before I was solely focused on baby and toddler rearing while living in a renovation. Lockdown is hard at times but overall my life has begun an easier phase I think and that makes it much easier to maintain good habits.

I've realised my weighing app tracks the monthly average and it's interesting that the losses aren't as big as they feel week in week out, as you see additional drops to readdress the gains on the way. So rather than tracking weekly results, I'm going to track monthly for historic and week on week for current.

Sep - 9st 10.6lbs
Oct - 9st 8.1lbs
Nov - 9st 5.7lbs
Dec - 9st 3.4lbs
Jan - 9st 1.3lbs
Last week - 8st 13.9lbs
Today - 8st 12.7lbs