Posts by cafilmangel

Original Post by zephyrdame:

I'm 5'1" and 30 years old. My current weight is 142. I'm also medium framed. My lowest was 130 about 4 years ago when I moved to Oregon. I thought I looked GREAT but of course, I wasn't satisified as I had wanted to go down to 120.

It took me a long time to reconcile that 130 pounds was the right weight for me despite the fact it's on the outer edge of the BMI scale.  But, as I always remind myself just because you're short with small wrists doesn't mean you don't have breasts, hips, butt, and muscles.  The one good thing is my body shape for some reason gives me a the illusion of being a little taller.  People are shocked when they find out I'm 5'' 1'.  And the hourglass figure means I carry my weight well.  I never look as heavy as I am.  Of course, I'm not happy with the extra padding, but it's some consolation that others don't take as much notice.

When I'm working (I'm a freelancer) I purposely cook large portions to divide up over the week to take to work for lunch.  And the trick for me is I'm only cooking a batch of something specifically to divide up so I'm not using it as a meal right then where I might be tempted to over due it like with pizza.  However, when I do make something that is  multiple servings for a meal, I try to divide and store the leftovers before I even sit down to eat my meal that way I'm not tempted for seconds.  Regardless of how many or few servings I make I try to cook meals where the servings are low calorie with good nutrition.

I first lose weight in my face, waist, and back.  Then I lose around my hips.  The first time I lost weight I lost in the chest which I was very happy about because I was a little too well endowed.  But, when I gained weight back it didn't go right back to my breasts which I was happy about.

I can completely relate.  I'm 5' 1'' and according to the sight small framed. BUT, I have muscle, chest, hips and a bum.  I always said my shape would be perfect if I was just three inches taller. :)   At my lowest weight I was 130 pounds, size 6 and people would always say I looked tiny even though it was on the outer edge of the healthy BMI for my height.  This is why I have little faith in BMI charts.

I also relate to the pants and skirts issue.  Too hippy and busty for petite clothing, too short for regular sizes. (And yes, the Petite section always looked like a nice place for my grandmother to shop.)  When I was a kid I always had to roll the bottom of my jeans or my Mom would have to have them hemmed to be the right length.  Thank goodness some stores (Gap, Express) sell short sized pants that only shorten the length of the pants while still allowing a girl her hips.

Well, I also think there's also a lot of confusion about the term BMR. A BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day and did nothing. The number this site gives you, and shows on the burn meter, isn't a BMR number.

This site calculates your daily calorie output based on a formula that adds your BMR PLUS the amount of calories you burn through daily activity. The formula for a sedetary person is BMR  X 1.5.  The factor the BMR is multiplied by increases based on your average activity level. I think of the number given by this site as my calorie output. You can eat below your calorie output, in fact, you need to in order to create a calorie deficit. It's normally suggested you want to create a deficit between 500 to 1000 calories a day in order to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

I've noticed that most people throw around the term BMR when what they mean is calorie output. So, as I understand it, generally speaking and with all caveats, you shouldn't eat below your BMR, but the number this site, and most others, gives you isn't your BMR.

*Edited because I had written out the formula incorrectly.

Original Post by alexandrapaige:

Hello!

My previous topic got mostly negative responses, so I've been pretty quiet, but now I have some more questions:

1) Body Frame. I've always assumed that I had a very large bone structure. I've never been very thin, yet my ribs have always been pretty visible-- when I put my arms up, you can see each individual one. However, when I tried the fingers around the wrist test, my fingers easily reach and if I stretch, they even overlap a teeny bit. Is this test correct for everybody? I'm shorter than most people (5' even); could my height possibly make that test inaccurate for me?

2) Targeting Weight Loss to a Specific Spot. Ultimately, I would like to lose inches all over my body, but the most pressing area is my chest. I've always had boobs that are proportionally extremely large for my height (in seventh grade when I began developing, there were rumors going around about me getting a boob job ) I've so far lost ~8 pounds(!) since I began counting, and, while I believe I'm losing band size (I'm now comfortably on the smallest hook of a 34 rather than on the middle, where I began) my cup size hasn't budged. If anything, I'm even more disproportionally large than when I began.

The reason this is so important to me is that I'm considering getting a breast reduction, but my mother wants me to hold off going to a consultation until my BMI is lower because a) I'll possibly lose enough weight to not need surgery, and b) she's pretty sure they'll tell me to lose anyway. Does anyone have experience with this?

3) I Love to Drink, but it's what got me here in the first place. I'm a college student who recently turned 21 and had been taking as much advantage of that as I could. After gaining ~10 pounds and realizing how incredibly bad my indulgences were for me, I quit the LI iced teas and fruity martinis cold turkey and have been sticking to diet coke and vodka and light beers. I've also been factoring them into my calories to make sure that I'm not going over. I just want to make sure that, as long as I allot for them, alcohol won't hinder my weight loss. Will it?

Thanks in advance for all help!

I can very  much relate to what you're saying.  I have small wrists, ankles, and am small boned, BUT I have hips, bum, muscular thighs for my 5' 1'', and am a busty hour glass shape.  The upshot of this is even though general BMI says I should be below 130, I know at 130 I look skinny and that's my ideal weight.  The wrist test on this sight isn't necessarily inaccurate but it's not a complete test.  In the end you need to do some experimentation to find out what you caloric needs are unless you go to a doctor or nutritionist who can do more accurate, specific testing to your needs.

The breast situation I completely relate to.  I was at  a D cup at one point.  When I lost weight I went down to a full C and could finally buy button down shirts that didn't pull.  Even when I gained weight back I I stayed at a full C. Funny thing is people always think I'm larger than a C because my chest is proportionally bigger than the rest of my body.  That's the thing about losing inches everywhere, you may go down a cup size and still be disproportionately large on top.   It's hard to say if your cup size will go down as you lose weight because everybody is different, so all you can do is lose weight and see.  However, speaking to a doctor looking at your specific situation would give you more information.

Alcohol won't hinder your progress as long as you account for it in your calorie total which it sounds like you're doing. I love having a glass of wine at night with dinner.  I make sure I leave room for it.  Also, it sounds like you're doing the smart thing trying to choose lower calorie beverages. Keep it to moderation and you'll be fine. 

Plus you said you've already lost 8 pounds. That's great. Congratulations on your progress. 

Also, I wouldn't get so down on yourself for eating two cookies. Two cookies in one week isn't going to blow your diet. Neither is two slices of bread. Following a meal plan like the one you're on, perfectly, is nearly impossible. The goal is to eat well most of the time. And a big question is are you learning how to eat for a lifetime that's going to maintain your weight loss. In life, you're going to have moments when you eat something that you'll look back on and say maybe that wasn't the best choice. The important thing isn't to fall into a shame spiral about it. It's one moment, and it doesn't erase every other moment when you made the right choice and doesn't stop you from making right choices in the future.

I know you're following a low calorie diet, but it may be too low. Are you eating more for breakfast than a piece of fruit? Personally I found have a larger breakfast helps set me up for not over eating through the rest of the day. I have a serving of Egg Beaters eggs, piece of fruit, tea, and if I still feel a little peckish I'll eat a couple of baby carrots or cherry tomatoes. Also, you may want to add in a couple of snacks between meals. They can be low calorie snacks like vegetables or fruit. And maybe you should allow yourself some whole wheat carb (whole wheat pasta, brown rice) once or twice a week so you don't feel deprived.

Original Post by lucindadevries:

Yeah! Good for you. I can't leave my white foods for the brown. Maybe later on but it is hard enough adjusting to this. I can easily get in fruit but veggies are not my friend. I am thinking about making a veggie soup that I had from a privious diet. I could blend it so I could just chug it. I know I need them but I really hate them.

 I know incorporating lots of vegetables into a diet can be difficult.  I found blended soups were a great option for me.  I make a butternut squash soup with golden delicious apple.  The original recipe called for cream so I nixed that and found that just blending it made the soup creamy and sweet which satisfied me both with taste and texture.  

I'm 5' 1'', 151, 36-31-40 and I just started on this site to track calories yesterday, although I started working out and eating better last week.  I'm already down one pound (yay me!)   My goal is to get back down to 130 where I was after doing WW two years ago.  Stress eating put most of the weigh the weight back on this past year. 

And it's been great reading everyone's post and very reassuring as I restart my healthier life.   

Everyone is different of course, however when I hear that drastic a change I wonder how much are you exercising and how much are you restricting your calories.  Any extreme changes to your lifestyle can mess with your cycle, however if you're introducing changes at an incremental, steady pace then your body should adjust appropriately.  Personally my cycle didn't change although some of my PMS symptoms disappeared and my period shortened. 

Still, some people systems are more sensitive and any small change throws your cycle off.  Still, as you continue your body should adjust.