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.

Yes I do trust her because she has got some great results from others. If she can get women running sub 3 hour marathons then she clearly knows what she's talking about.

Personally I feel I do need fuel for longer than 90 minutes and if anybody can run for 2 hours or longer on empty then fair play to them but I can't do that, 13 miles is already pushing it, now I'm aiming to go further I need those carbs in me.

And this is where it all goes wrong with weight loss. I want to get faster, go further, get stronger but also lose weight but to get faster, stronger and go further I need to eat and then I don't lose weight!

Loads of runners advise taking in fuel for a long run. This is just one of the sources.

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20794621/how-to-eat-during-long-runs/

I’d you’re running 1/2 marathons in the same time the women she coaches run a full marathon, your training (running and eating) will be very different. Your “time on feet” is much longer. Sub 3hr marathon runners are a pretty fit lot and are unlikely to be trying to lose weight.

Good evening, everyone.

@Waiting9 I can relate to what you say about feeling bulky in my legs from strength training. I’ve always quite liked my legs, as they’ve always been quite slim, but they’re starting to feel too bulky for me. Well done for losing your final bit of weight. How have you balanced cutting calories to lose the weight, whilst fuelling yourself enough for workouts?

Has anyone found what a sensible about of calories is to aim for when trying to lose a few pounds, but also wanting to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients for workouts etc? I’m currently set to 1400 calories on Nutracheck, but wonder if that’s too many? I’m 5ft2, do Caroline Girvan workouts and am quite active. Any thoughts from anyone? I only need (want!) to lose a few pounds, mainly to try to help with the stomach fat, but still struggling to lose anything.

I have a lot of muscle mass in my legs. I've got 15" calves and they don't wobble when I tense them. I like the strength in them, but with short legs and tiny feet, they are not dainty
I do not do midi-length skirts/ dresses.

I've got a lot of mass in my thighs too. A bit more wobble there though. I think my thighs are close in circumfrence to my 12yo's waist 😂

That's why my target isn't at the lower end.

In good news my scales are indicating that my small losses are fat and not undermining my muscle mass which is what I want.

@ACuppaAlwaysHelps

I’m glad someone can relate!

For my legs I have stopped doing bulky quad workouts like leg press/leg extension machines. I’m trying to focus more on cardio and upper body.

It is hard to fuel workouts and lose weight. I take a pre-workout shake before gym and a protein shake after training. I eat more on gym days and less on other days. It’s not perfect but I have managed to get my body fat percentage down to around 22-23% whilst maintaining/slightly gaining muscle. My body is at a place where I’m not getting significant muscle gains but I’m still losing fat, which I’m happy with. I have been buying the “protein” M&S ready meals and yoghurts too.

i also think given the amount of effort you’re putting in, it might just take a few more months of consistency where your body will naturally lean out around your tummy! It’s just a long process.

Definitely which is why she bases the fueling on time as opposed to distance. A half marathon will take me 2 and a half hours and feel pretty tough so I will need extra help to get through especially in the early stages where I'm still building my fitness. Someone who runs a marathon in the same 2 and a half hours will probably be running a half in less than 2 hours so to them fueling isn't necessary and they already have a better fitness base than me anyway.

All the good runners are just naturally tall and thin, I'm very much not tall and although I'm petite I don't have the same willowy stature of some of the really good runners. I take a week off exercise and I'm having to work really hard to build it back up again, a week off the diet can mean a significant gain. The opposite is also true, a week trying really hard in training and I might gain a bit more fitness, a week of trying really hard with the diet and I might lose a bit of weight.

But it doesn't sound like her coach is taking this into account.

I’ve just come on to ask the exact same question. I’ve been managing just fine on 1250 Cals having logged absolutely everything for a few days on Nutracheck. Would love to hear from others around 5’2, what calories have allowed them to lose consistently?

for me ( aged 68) 5’2” I only lose consistently on 1000

I'm 5'2" but I don't log my food anywhere so don't know exactly how many calories I'm eating now. All I know is that I had a very bad habit of snacking on crap - biscuits, pastries & chocolate every day. I have cut out all snacks bar one rich tea biscuit that I have with my cup of tea after dinner. I finish my evening meal by 6:30pm and don't eat again until 10:30-11am the next day so I suppose that's intermittent fasting. I've also upped my water intake.

Honestly I think we're all so very different that things like skeletal density/build, muscles, hormones, age, water retention and how frequently we poo etc all have a huge impact on what we weigh. Its a nightmare!!

Just to make a general point, though everybody is different, eating too little can be a barrier to weight loss, as contrary as that sounds.

Your body will go into starvation mode, You may not lose if your body thinks it can't afford to.

My BMR is 1084. My body, therefore, needs that many calories to keep the engine just ticking over. But not necessarily that exact amount every single day, so if I was doing 5/2 fasting It wouldn't do me any favours on my eating days to only eat my resting calorific needs. Michael Moseley explains this better.

It's one of the reasons we have been hearing so much lately that it isn't as simple as calories in, calories out.

My problem, which I am addressing right now, after going over the dreaded 9 stone, is too many biscuits and cake and an inactive Easter fortnight. Just this morning I weighed myself and I have dropped below the 9 mark.

I am trying to focus just on no biscuits and cake and making sure I move more when not at work (I have a fairly active job). One of the changes I have noticed since menopause is that I am a lot more 'still'. In my younger days, when sitting I would jiggle my knee a lot. I couldn't really stay sitting still for long. I bloody can now when I get the chance.

I've been more selective about my carbs. Trying to stick to more natural forms/ smaller portions of them, but not being punitive.

I've had a more carby breakfast today because I'm going to do a long run. On less energertic days, I've been having more proteiny omelettes. Breakfast tends to set the tone for the day for me.

I've been trying to increase salad/ veg and protein.

For sweet fixes, sticking mainly to dark chocolate and fruit which at least have other nutrients/ fibre.

According to Garmin, my average resting calorie burn (so BMR) is 1503. Over the past 4 weeks my active calories are per day 431- but that's not consistent daily. I've been averaging out at 1934 calorie burn total. MFP is set at 1650, which ties in with the very gentle downward trend on the scales. It's somewhere between maintaining on a sedentary day and losses when more active.

It's a hard balance to find. I am finding it a managable balance. It's not too low affecting my energy or triggering boom and bust. I feel like I'm having enough, but it does have to be thought out.

The awkward bit with calories in/ out is not all calories are created equally and will have different levels of avaliability for the body to process efficiently.

@BogRollBOGOF where do you find your average resting calorie burn on your Garmin? I have never seen that on mine, just my goal calories and my estimated active.

I'd love to see what it thinks my BMR is is.

Thanks.

I have been rubbish since about Thursday last week. Have not weighed in, calorie counted or considered what I am eating. It was a stressful weekend, but hope by the end of next week to be fully back on track mindfully eating, drinking, counting and weighing again. I cant do too much damage in a poor two week break.

It’s really helpful hearing about the different calories and carbs/protein, etc. and how they can vary so much, even though we are all short.

@BogRollBOGOF I also try to use my Fitbit in a similar way to how you use your Garmin and as @Waiting9 said to try to eat slightly more or less based on my workouts.

I’ve attached a couple of screenshots of my last 2 days of my Fitbit burned calories. I’m aware fitness trackers often wildly overestimate the burned calories but I’m now wondering if I should slightly increase my calories? It seems strange to do that, when I’m not losing, but now wondering if I’m not fuelling my body enough? My burned calories are around 2600 for both of the last 2 days. Even allowing for this not being accurate, I’m wondering if eating 1300-1400 calories is slowing down my progress? Does anyone have any thoughts?

Does anyone else have a Fitbit? How do your burned calories compare with what you eat?

Are you in maintenance or still wanting to lose?

My burned calories are around 2600 for both of the last 2 days. Even allowing for this not being accurate, I’m wondering if eating 1300-1400 calories is slowing down my progress?

I would think if you were eating just about 1/2 of what your body needed you'd be very hungry. Do you feel hungry? What sort of walking was it? Power walking, or just steps totalled during a regular day?

(There might be a delay in image posting)

I've done my 10 mile run today over the middle of the day, so my running fuel is logged as "lunch". I haven't had a proper meal yet and it takes a while to have much appetite to eat again, but I'll have something shortly.

I had a Red Bull to help me out of "runcrastination mode" and fire me up to get out of the house. It was finished in the first half at the end of the first two legs.

While running I ate the two fruit and nut bars. I split the run into 4 1.25x2 out and backs with the car and a toilet block as a central part. I ate ½ a bar on each leg. Being hot weather I had a 200ml carton of apple juice at the end of the 3rd leg as water wasn't enough with the sweating. That was a spontaneous decision from my post-school stash for fixing dehydrated, hangry teenagers 😂

My pacing and energy stayed consistent. I did it as a gentle run 30s/ walk 20s to try to keep my ankle functioning, but my energy intake felt balanced to what I was using/ what I had avaliable in my system.

I'll probably end up with a significant deficit today then increased hunger tomorrow. I have got cross-training scheduled in for tomorrow which will be a lighter expenditure than today.

So for long run day I had a 500-600cal breakfast (I didn't measure precisely) of banana and seed pancakes with frozen berries and plain yoghurt.
Then the 500 cals pre/ during run featuring 91g of carbs supporting a 2 hour run. That was influenced by timing over lunch time and heat.

Hi, I haven't read the whole thread, there's a lot of messsges!! But looking for some advise if possible and hoping here is a safe place where I won't get ridiculed.
For the first time in my 51 years I need to lose a little weight, around 7llb. I've restricted my calories to around 400 the last 3 days and have been to the gym everyday! Yes, I'm hungry!!!
My diet everyday since Monday has been...
a banana, a 1/3 pack cooked chicken chunks (from Asda) and a bowl of homemade vegetable soup for dinner. I would like to eat normally at wknds... can I do that? Takeaway Saturday night and normally leftover takeaway or a pub roast on Sundays.
I'm 7.9 stone and am normally around 7.0 to 7.3. I have a really small frame and am 5.1 tall. Normally a 4-6 size now 8.
I still look very bloated, when do you start to feel a difference? I just want to get back into my clothes! Nothing fits!!

You need a lot more than 400. Even very restricted, short-term diets for health management like Fast 800 are at least double that. You just can't get the range of nutrients you need on so little food. You'll also end up constipated because there won't be enough fibre to move through your system and that will make you sluggish and heavy as it backs up.

Start with an online calculator to work out you BMR (existence calorie burn) and TDEE- what you actually burn in a day with activity level factored in. A fitness tracker may have this kind of information which is useful for more personalised information.

You then need a modest deficit below your TDEE. You can pace that evenly each day.
Another option is 5:2 where you eat your full TDEE 5 days a week and have two very low calorie days a week (there is a fasting/ 5:2 chat section) 5:2 is not recommended for people with a history of disordered eating.

Not all calories are equal. Prioritise protein (it helps you keep precious muscle) and vegetables/ salad. Complex carbs also contain useful nutrients. The harder your digestive system has to work at breaking down foods in a more natural form, the more satisfying your diet is, and the easier it will be to maintain.

@pinkpedi At 51 weight gain around the middle is likely to be down to hormones/loss of oestrogen. Severely restricting calories is one of the worst things you can do for it, you will just loose muscle and reduce your TDEE further resulting an increasing resistance to fat loss.

I find that a healthy diet which is high in protein works best, you want to be getting 1.6g protein per kg ideal body weight, eat lots of fibre and cut sugar/starchy food. What exercise are you doing? Ideally you want to be doing something to build muscle at least 2 x a week.

@ObelixtheGaul I’m still wanting to lose a few pounds.

@rosemarble My walking is a mixture of purposeful, fast walking and also just normal life/active lifestyle walking. I also did a Caroline Girvan weights workout on the days for the screenshots I attached.

@pinkpedi I agree with the advice you’ve already been given above. You really need to eat a lot more than 400 calories. Really focus on protein and fibre. Do stay around on this thread. We understand the challenges of being shorter (but the answer is not going to be eating 400 calories a day!).

You might have simply hit a bit of a plateau. Here's an article I found about it.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326415#why-do-plateaus-happen

So, happy as I might be to get below 9 stone, my waist to hip ratio is awful. But, frankly, I don't have that sort of shape. Even when I was 7 stone I don't think my hips were wider than my waist. That isn't my figure.

This is supposed to be more accurate than BMI, but my waist would have to be less than 24 inches to be smaller than my hips. How is that going to happen? I'd be skeletal at that waist size.

Your hips are less than 24" ? I can't have understood!