is it me or is it hard to lose weight when you're already small?

i'm 5'5" and i weigh 111 lbs. im trying to lose some inches off my waist for physical reasons. i find that when you're already a small frame its so much harder to lose weight.

my best friend just had a baby and she is dropping the weight like no other. she eats probably as much as i do and does at home exercise. i hit the gym and eat at her rate and she loses 10 lbs and i lose 2.

why is it harder for smaller people to lose weight?

of course its harder to lose weight when your small, because your body doesnt need to lose as much, so it is way pickier about giving up any fat.  also, i dont mean to lecture or anything, but at 5'5 and 111lbs  you may flat out not need to lose fat, so your body isnt going to do it.  you can tone up by exercising, but not actually lose weight.   also, if your friend just had a baby then her body totally needs to lose weight wheareas yours doesnt. 

When you're smaller, you're also not carrying around so much extra weight so you burn less calories throughout the day. Someone who is also your height and 20 pounds heavier than you is obviously going to burn more calories simply because they have to carry around that extra 20 pounds.

yeah, i found that i have to work out extra harder at the gym and longer than people who do weigh more. im sitting on the cardio machine for like an hour and i only burn 600 cal...while someone next to me can burn 600 cal in like half the time.

Hey there, I just posted on your other thread. How old are you?

At 5'5" and 111lbs you have a BMI of 18.5 which is considered underweight at Calorie Count and is certainly very slim in anyone's opinion. 18.5 is the very low end of the BMI scale for an adult. If you lose the 7lbs you gained over Christmas you will be significantly underweight and at risk for health problems in the future.

Are you sure you really want to or need to lose additional weight?

Original Post by 23inchwaist:

im trying to lose some inches off my waist for physical reasons.

So not medical reasons??  You want to be underweight for vanity??  That sounds smart.  You're probably having a hard time losing weight because your bady doesn't want to be underweight.

Yes, vanity reasons. I have started modeling so I am doing this for a reason.

I am 23, not some 15 year old. I've always been a small frame all my life. I realized that Calorie Count is probably not the place to be asking questions of this sort because everyone seems to be getting on my case about trying to lose weight when I'm already a small frame. If I wasn't into this modeling thing, I don't think I'd care so much about my weight because I KNOW that 111 is small...actually it's not my weight that concerns me the most, it's making my waistline smaller.

Btw, everyone here has goals and their own personal matters for losing weight. All because I am a small frame doesn't means I shouldn't have a healthy diet and exercise regimen. If I want to lose weight for physical reasons, that is my reason. I realized that this may be the wrong outlet for questions of sort because apparently everyone is losing weight for health reasons. Nonetheless, thanks for all advice and snide remarks and good luck to your weight loss goals.

having a healthy diet and exercise plan has nothing to do with weight loss.  if you actually need to lose weight then an healthy diet and exercise plan is a must, but health and weight loss are not the same thing.  we all know that everyone has personal goals and i hope your happy one day, but weight loss is not the only way to achieive it, and i doubt it will help a person who is already tiny.

That makes sense.

So your friend is losing weight like crazy because her body was building up to babydome. That's what happens after you have a baby.

Also, I totally relate to how much it sucks to be small thus having a small amt of calorie allotment. I am not nearly as tiny as you are (it's not my frame, I'm naturally athletic/muscular), and theoretically I only burn like 1560 w/o exercise. I love food & have no model aspirations, so I like to eat! Unfair! So, I exercise like a mofo

1) Have you tried exercise outside of "the gym?" (e.g. martial arts, swimming, dancing) Sometimes different exercises can change the shape of your body dramatically, especially when it comes to your waist. Martial arts/kickboxing is an awesome way to sculpt a waist.

2) Have you considered that if your waist isn't slimming down that it's muscle, not fat, that's giving you inches? If that's the case try to take pride in it. Obliques are sexy! For photos there's always corsets, spanx & airbrushing.

Oh they airbrush a lot...but I would prefer not to be airbrushed anymore, which is why I'm trying to whittle my waist. 

I'm looking into getting back into gymnastics and maybe taking up dancing. I used to be really flexible in the past and it's something I would like to do again.

It's not always necessary to lose weight in order to whittle the waist.  Exercise (specifically weights) would be what I'd suggest.  Many people find that when they tone up, they are able to lose inches without necessarily losing scale weight.  This is because they are building muscle.  Muscle weighs more than fat, so it makes sense.

I would suggest checking out the "Fitness" forum.  There are some wonderful people there who can help to give you some advice on how to lose some inches.

Original Post by 23inchwaist:

Oh they airbrush a lot...but I would prefer not to be airbrushed anymore, which is why I'm trying to whittle my waist. 

I'm looking into getting back into gymnastics and maybe taking up dancing. I used to be really flexible in the past and it's something I would like to do again.

 Gymnastics & dancing will be fun!!

So, as a model you are obviously aware that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in print is airbrushed. I'm in marketing, girl, and I wont be the first or last to tell you that. What, you want to try to be the exception to the steadfast all encompusing rule? Think of all the jobs you'd kill by being the only perfect non-airbrushable person in the world. Do something positive for the economy and focus on fitness, not perfection, and give the digital media people something to live for.

 You should talk to Petite_Powerhouse who is 108lbs and needs to eat 3000kcal a day just to stay the same weight.

 Start strength training, and you won't need to worry about the pathetically small calorie allowances that cardio-based workouts give you.

Original Post by 23inchwaist:

Btw, everyone here has goals and their own personal matters for losing weight. All because I am a small frame doesn't means I shouldn't have a healthy diet and exercise regimen. If I want to lose weight for physical reasons, that is my reason. I realized that this may be the wrong outlet for questions of sort because apparently everyone is losing weight for health reasons. Nonetheless, thanks for all advice and snide remarks and good luck to your weight loss goals.

 There's just one problem with this.  It's against the CC guidelines to promote unhealthy habits.  Every time you post, the Posting Guidelines appear at the bottom of the page for your reference.  Here's the part you need to look at and comply with

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines.

What you are doing is not healthy and Calorie Count can offer you no support. 

I understand that modeling is your career, but your quest to be underweight is not in sync with the Calorie Count mission.  I'm not going to lecture you on the damage you can inflict on yourself because you are old enough and intelligent enough to know the risks involved.  I'm just going to ask you nicely to understand why Calorie Count can't support you in what you are trying to do, and ask you, politely, to refrain from asking for advice about it.

I read that you want to lose weight and become underweight to do modelling.

You are of average height, so high fashion runway, where the models have to be at least 5'9" and have a BMI of 16 or less, is out of the question for you anyway.

At 5'5" and a BMI of 18.5, you are already perfect for some commercial and catalog work. You don't need to be underweight for quite a few of those gigs.

I'm about your BMI (5'5" and a couple pounds heavier), and I've had great results by strength training. I look a lot more lean and fit than I did when I started. I'm eating at maintenance, which is usually about 1800 calories a day. However, keep in mind that there's no way to lose inches on your waist only- your body will lose fat wherever it wants to lose fat. Strength training will build muscle, which may make you gain inches in some areas and lose inches in others.

I have done some local runway events here in San Diego and I'm not looking to do catalog or anything like that. It's more like art photos and photos taken of me in swimwear and such.

I'm going to look into strength training. I am currently forcing myself to eat the minimal amount of calories a day since I am not really used to. I think this has to do something with my weight gain because my body is not used to eating the minimal amount.

I'm going to put in a vote for the New Rules of Lifting for Women...there's a growing group of CCers who swear by it! It has given me body confidence that I never knew I could have.

I also want to point out an important distinction- you are unhappy with your body shape, not your body weight. Losing pounds will not necessarily give you the body shape you want. With strength training, you may stay the same weight or gain a pound or two, but you may get closer to the body shape you want.

sigh...try to be 5.2 like me...it's even harder.I try to loose 2 lbs for so much time,I don't know what to do anymore O.o.I'm 101 now