Petite support for losing a few pounds/getting to our 'happy' size

[ACuppaAlwaysHelps]

Hi all. Following on from the thread that @SprayPaint started yesterday, a few of us (@Waiting9 @Horriblehistoree @FaceofSpades) seemed keen to have a thread to support each other in reaching our weight loss/body shape/fitness/health goals.

All petites are welcome on this thread, but it seemed like it would be particularly helpful to have a corner of Mumsnet for those of us who are petite/small framed and officially a 'healthy weight' but know we feel/look better a few pounds lighter (which would still be within a healthy weight/not underweight).

Maybe we can share goals, progress, struggles, things that are working, etc.? It would also be lovely to hear from any petites who are at a 'happy weight' and what you are doing to be successful.

Someone (maybe @FaceofSpades?) posted some helpful thoughts on the thread yesterday.

Please share how you all think this thread could be helpful.

Feel free to share as much or little as you like. Height, current weight, goal weight or other body measurements, nutrition, calories, exercise, NSV, etc.

Stumbled on this thread…so glad I did! A year ago I was 14 stone 11lbs, at 5’2 obviously ridiculously overweight. I now weigh 9st 5, I don’t think I’ve been this weight…well, ever. I look so much better and actually petite. I’d like to lose another 5lbs or so and plan to do this by starting to up the exercise, as I currently walk the dogs and that’s pretty much it.
Feels so good to see fellow smaller ladies!

Welcome @BoysBagsShoes. You have to tell us your technique for losing so much weight in a year.

Thank you, @blueshoes 😁 I basically cut out majority of sugary things, cut down on alcohol, bread, cakes, crisps and portion sizes. My meals had always been well-balanced…just large! Little things, like saying no to biscuits at work, really helped. Once I started to lose and notice it, it was relatively easy, I was amazed at how quickly my body adapted. I’ve upped my walking slightly, really need to do more to tone up as I’m now a bit jiggly😂

Positive trends on the new scales. Subtle, but positive.

The numbers were a bit awry at first because if I switch them on sideways on, they then add on 1.25kg of their own mass. I've worked out that the best technique to dodge this is to have them near flat on the ground and slide the on switch with them as flat as possible.

I've decided on little and often as the trends will show through fluctuations. I'd rather see the fluctuations transparently than weigh in weekly/ monthly and have progress distorted by something like hormonal bloat hiding the progress made.

It's been a good weekend. Productive exercise sessions. Sensible eating choices. While I don't tend to go mad because "weekend", I don't think I've got the slack to relax and take easy options for 2 out of every 7 days.

@BogRollBOGOF
They look some bad ass scales to me!!
Well done you.

Just want to say I managed to stay the same after the weekend so that is a really good feeling, especially as it time of the month too.

We can do this ladies. I'm really proud of us all because I don't think people really understand how bloody hard it is when you are petite. I genuinely believe they think we are naturally slim.

I know this sounds even more daft but gonna write it down. Sometimes after my evening meal I'll have a few bites of those big posh strawberry meringues you can get in nice delis. They so hit the spot!

Let's have a good week everyone x

The scales were only £26 from Argos!

They are good for giving context to the subtlties of modest changes.

We'll convieniently ignore this morning's 1kg jump which is totes obvs water retention from the gym last night
It probably was to be fair. I'm taking the win on the barbell squats anyway. I started them about 6m ago on the 20kg bar, and have gone up to 40kg, and I'd rather celebrate that than fret about fluctuations.

OK who else can only do pounds and stones? I'm only 50, it's not as though it was still totally imperial when I was at school, but when people say, 'I'm x kilos' I have to reach for the converter to find out what that is in old money!

Me! ( I’m 68) Despite being an infant teacher for 40 years and measuring in kg, cm etc at work, I still bake at home in lb and oz and measure my weight in stones.
8 st 13lb has a nicer ring to it than a kilo number!
Yes I’m officially maintaining from today, back to my weight pre last child. Only taken me 33 years, previously have only got as low as 91/2 stone.

@Storynanny1 well done on your loss!

I use kilos when I weigh and plot....but then convert to stone to see how i am getting on!

I have no idea why I do this!

My loss is glacial but it is moving so I will keep on going. I was reading another competitive undereating thread yesterday. The comments about anything under 2000 calories being under eating are so disheartening. So I'm back here with my people.

On the scales this morning, lost 2 lbs. Woohoo. 6 lbs to go.

10+ stone is too depressing so I'm in kg mode 😂
I find it simpler for the purposes of data, (some calculators cock up lbs/ decimals) but intuitively stones make more sense for people.

Me again 😂

So I've spent about 3 weeks reducing sugars especially in more processed foods and simple carbs and focusing more on proteins, veg and smaller portions of carbs with some meals. When I've needed a sweet fix, I've eaten fresh fruit...

One day a week while DS has an activity I go to a nearby pub, order a coke and enjoy 45 mins of reading time. I don't get on with artificial sweetners so non-alcoholic options are pretty limited. As a once a week treat, I'm fine with continuing the habit (and it justifies parking in their car park for an hour)

This week, I poured my coke into the glass, went to drink and was surprised at how sweet and strong it smelt. Like smelling a jar of honey. I enjoyed it, and actually noticed the taste more. But I'm surprised that I'm noticing a smell/ taste difference within 3 not particularly draconian weeks!

The other thing I've really noticed in the past week particularly with the colder, duller weather over the weekend is that I've felt cold easily. That kind of cold that isn't solved by putting a jumper on. The warm sunshine has been very welcome today!
It looks like it is common with the metabolic difference of burning fats compared to using more instant energy sources. It's not the most comfortable sign of progress though 😂

I couldn't face low calories again, it was miserable & I was so hungry, so the past week I've tried fasting (16:8) and I think I've cracked it!! I'm full of energy, not hungry in the fasting window, and I've lost another 2 lbs - clothes feel better.

I eat a huge breakfast at 8am (porridge with oat milk, cacao powder, chia seeds, nuts & blueberries

Followed by big lunch at 2pm with veggies, beans and chicken or fish, sourdough bread on the side.

Averaging 130g protein per day but not counting kcals.

Now around 8 stone 8lbs.

Delighted!

@Vallanthat is amazing. Have you been losing 2lb every week or since you switched it up?

I definitely fluctuate during the week. I'm a lb heavier today and I know you shouldn't weigh daily.

I just want these last 4lbs off!!! I get the feeling it will take some time. X

Everyone is doing really well! I don't dare weigh myself because I know there will be at least a kg gain. Since I've had to take a step back from running due to a dodgy leg I've been really moody and I've just been overeating and drinking too much alcohol over the last 3 weeks.

To make matters worse I'm racing at the London Landmarks Half in 2 weeks and I feel like a blob. All race photos make me look huge at the best of times, this feels so much worse being in such an iconic place.

It's too late to make a massive difference but I'm off all alcohol and really trying to stick within a small deficit, clean up my diet and just go have fun, trying not to worry about how I look. I am proof of the fact that BMI isn't always a good indicator, I am very average but I'm carrying a lot of fat, certainly more than you would expect from someone my size/age and activity levels.

I've had a week away from home, and the weight has gone up. I tried to eat well but it's just so much harder when you're not cooking for yourself. Anyway, back on it again this week. My sweet tooth has been creeping back in - need to have some better fruit options for that as we've just had hard pears and red apples in our veg box recently, neither really do it for me.

Still showing subtle, undulating but positive trends. The next week may well be victim to hormonal interference, but I'd rather know the pattern and accept it (and still celebrate when my kidneys have dealt with it 😂)

I'm feeling like it's worth the effort and going somewhere now. It's hard early on to be patient and trust it.

I’m stuck at 9 st 3.5 except for one weird day when I was 9st 2.

I’ve cut back on snacking but unfortunately exercise has also reduced due to one of my usual classes stopping 😭 so guess it offsets. I will wait and see what happens over the next few weeks… I ought to get back to running really… (I am so not a runner)

The good news is that slow running is more efficient at burning fat than pushing hard (which uses more of the glycogen stored in your muscles). Jeffing (run-walking frequent short bursts of intervals) is great for being more efficient and reducing the effort. I often do it on long runs and used it for my marathon a couple of years ago.

My jeans have reminded me why I'm on a mission... my inner thighs have shredded yet another pair. Sigh
If only spot reducing was a thing!

Another positive weigh-in. BMI down to 25.9
Weight 63.9kg (just about 10st), so that's the winter bloat gone. I've got a 60kg target in which would bring me under the "overweight" threshold and I'll evaluate then. I've gained muscle in recent years so chasing weights that I was about 10 years ago may not be suitable now.

@BogRollBOGOF well done, I do love your data. I keep looking at the Garmin smart scales because I have a Garmin watch i use for health tracking and they would link. But they are terribly expensive.

I'm down again a tiny bit today. But honestly 0.5lb a week is going to require ALL my patience!

I'm hungry this morning which is not a good sign. Bad things happen when I am hungry, maybe its my food choices.

Yesterday
B: Shreddies
L: Soup (glorious sweet potato and coconut dahl ) with added roasted veggie.
D: Tesco stir fry meal deal kit with tofu for protein.
S: Apple, 2 cream crackers, 1 posh chocolate.

Today
B: Blueberry Wheats
L: Roasted veg with cous cous
D: Steak Fajitas - planning to put a wrap in a bowl and pile the meat, veg and dippy bits on top. But might buckle and just eat loads if I am hungry.
S: Given I am hungry too much probably. I'm home alone tonight, will swerve the wine, maybe a 0 alcohol beer and a bag of pop chips.

https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/home-and-furniture/bathroom-accessories/bathroom-scales/c:29551/?gclsrc=aw.ds&&_$ja=tsid:11675|acid:560-635-6198|cid:6459395962|agid:76223676926|tid:kwd-334483907498|crid:611615482765|nw:g|rnd:8960062191027721610|dvc:m|adp:|mt:p|loc:9046414&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=6459395962&utm_term=argos%20scales&utm_content=text&utm_custom1=76223676926&utm_custom2=560-635-6198&cmpid=GG05X&GPDP=true&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnPS-BhBxEiwAZjMF0hOPSfdx5HkHt6MdnAHdJ9EmsmZ-9mtyAzDEZ09OGh9O4USROSjQTBoC6KEQAvD_BwE

It's the Renpho scales that I've got. Garmin was slightly tempting to talk to the rest of my data in Garmin Connect (maybe it would stop criticising my fitness age as my body mass is in part higher due to good muscle mass...) but the Garmin price tag was OTT and reviews weren't glowing enough to justify their financial league. It's a shame that I can't manually input that data.

It's an annoying oversight of Garmin's algorithms as they know that body mass can be elevated because someone is fit and muscular.

My policy of not buying bread that I can eat seems to be helping, so I've tended to have an omlette most mornings. This morning's was mushroom, courgette and cheese 😋

I bought a protein powder last week to add to smoothies. I don't get on with sweetners and have to be careful with lactose and soya so ended up with a vegan, unflavoured pea protein. I'm not totally convinced that it's not just overpriced sawdust, but to be fair the smoothies have been surprisingly filling.

I got through yesterday on the omlette, smoothie while busying in and out through the day, a babybel and spaghetti bolognese (less pasta, more meat & veg)

I've gone 3 weeks without a Red Bull 😁
I've been experimenting with green tea, either a small cup in with the smoothie or with lemon, ginger and a bit of honey.
My energy is more even than it's been for a long time, but I'm missing that sense of "ignition" to start doing something.

Garmin was slightly tempting to talk to the rest of my data in Garmin Connect (maybe it would stop criticising my fitness age as my body mass is in part higher due to good muscle mass...)

I thought Garmin fitness age worked on VO2 max?

It depends on the model. My old FR45 did, and I had a fitness age of 20, then when I "upgraded" to the 255 it takes BMI into account and won't give me a fitness age more than 4 years younger while set at a BMI of 25 (I didn't tell it about the 26!). My VO² max is 44 (saying top 10% for age & sex)

Annoyingly DH has a different model and his fitness age goes right down when the sod is a decade older!

I totally don't have a grudge against Garmin. No not at all! (Currently "maintaining" fitness so I suppose it could be worse )

It's not all about Garmin. I'm also fed up of my thighs shredding trousers/ jeans/ leggings