5'2" and maintaining: how many calories?

Title is pretty self explanatory I think :) I'm wondering if anyone else out there is 5'2" (or thereabouts) and maintaining, how much do you weigh and how many calories do you eat to maintain? Also how active are you?

Absolutely, its counterproductive to label some foods as "bad" and others as "awesome". Because the more taboo a food becomes in your mind, the more curious and tempted you will be to eat the bad stuff. Its like telling a little boy he can play with his lego-set but not his gameboy. Eventually, the boy will get sick of playing with the lego, and will only want the gameboy. While theres no big issue here if he does play his gameboy all the time, but there is an issue where YOU start feasting on chocolates and fried food all the time.

Its much better to let yourself have everything, but to limit portions of foods that might be unhealthier than the alternatives.

I agree, everything in moderation is the key:)

hi

good for you, sounds like youre getting a good understanding on what it is to LIVE LIFE and find a balance btwn food+living.  for me, it does not mean eating only veggies and living at the gym but rather foods that i want, that i can manage in my busy lifestyle, that I think are good for me, not what someone else deems "healthy" and not someone else's idea of a good amount of excecise.  i guess i only say this bc for so long i compared myself to the other ppl on the site, how much they ate+excercised and it really threw me for a loop.  many of the ppl posting are just really into food or excercise and so they end up being the ones posting but i dont think the majority of "healthy" ppl in the world act like the majority of ppl posting here, if that makes any sense.

have a great day!

Awesome, seems like you're living the NORMAL life now, not obsessed with your weight etc. Congrats on not falling for that trap... because its pretty easy if you keep watching other people's way of eating and exercising. And as you said, the people that type on the forums are not necessarily representative of the "normal way of eating"... they normally tend to be overly finichy about what they eat... and lets face it, in the real world, you're going to make mistakes here and there. Whats the point in being so restrictive now and then making it tons harder for yourself to live / eat normally?

You go girl, lol.

 

hmm, yea, life is too short and too busy to worry so much about what i eat, how much i weigh, excercise, whatever.  ive just started my first job and i just dont have time to worry about that silly stuff.

i also think lots of ppl dont let themselves trust their bodies and eat less and excercise more than they need to.  i eat fishsticks+chicken nuggets bc i like them and theyre conveninet, i cant live in my kitchen, its my choice and im fine  w that.  i just want to live my life, i dont want it to be centerd around this silly waste of food thinking, i just want to live, lol.

Good for you, there IS more to live than food... even though food is great lol.

Ive been trying a lot of new foods recently, like quinoa and soya beans, and while it might take a bit of time to develop a taste for these, Im excited about the health benefits each brings.

Its great that you're eating a variety of food, like nuggets lol. By having the same menu over and over, you may deprive your body of essential nutrients it needs to function optimally. An open perspective to food will ensure a better distribution of nutrients for a healthier and happier state of mind and body :)

It's  ALL about how active you are

I'm 5'2" and currently 128 lbs. I'm working to get down to 119 lbs AND stay there lol My weight loss range is 1200-1550 cal while if i want to maintain I can eat up to 1800 cal. Granted, I'm not *that* active: I burn abt 600-800 cal from cardio a week (that's 15-20 min stepper every other day, give or take)

hi

so i think i said before, but i just recently started my 1st full time job and i guess it takes a while to get used to waking up early and all, but the LAST thing i want to do when i get home is cook, im sooooooooo tired!  so i think trying new foods is great, i just cant see myself cooking quinoa or whatever, maybe ill discover new frozen foods, lol! i really dont know about health foods, not that i eat only junk, but ya know.

CRICKET-hi! 119 sounds like a great goal, altho im sure 120 would be just as great!  i dont do much excercise either so dont feel bad altho i cant imagine eating 1200, are you sure you need to go that low in order to lose and not gain?

Original Post by agruskin:

CRICKET-hi! 119 sounds like a great goal, altho im sure 120 would be just as great!  i dont do much excercise either so dont feel bad altho i cant imagine eating 1200, are you sure you need to go that low in order to lose and not gain?

my WEIGHT LOSS range is 1200-1550 cal...and not my maintanance. I lost almost 40 lbs on that range and my doctor told me I didn't mess up my metabolism. I use SparkPeople actually to keep track of everything and they base the range on how much exercise you do and such.I changed my lifestyle almost 3 yrs ago and haven't looked back since. I don't eat red meat, I don't eat ANY fried food...I don't eat white bread , white rice...and such...

Yeah, 120 lbs would also be great lol

I am semi-vegetarian and usually average around 1300 cal; but I've got days when I eat 1200 cal and not feel hungry. Granted there are also days when I eat 1450 cal or so - usually when I work out.

CRICKEY-hi, yes, i got that youre losing on that amount, the 1300 just seemed to be low and wondered if you could eat more+still lose.

i was vegetarian for a few yrs, nothing to do w/ weight loss but now i love meat, seriously, i feel SO energized when i eat it, its crazy! lol  i dont really have any foods that i stay away from and eat what i like i guess, white bread or whatever but i think whats important is to remember that you dont want to set yourself up for failure, you want to create a lifestyle that is conducive to your life which it sounds like you are doing, like not living at the gym bc who wants that, life should be lived, rt?!

I chose not to eat unhealthy foods which include everything that is not exactly in a natural state. White bread and white rice are too processed and don't have ANY nutrients left. They are just caloric bombs! I haven't eaten white bread since 1999 and i don't crave it. Actually looks and smells like a sponge to me...YUCK

Same for fried food, it makes my stomach turn wt disgust...bleeahh

I made a choice to change my lifestyle and live a healthy and active life. I don't "diet" so I don't have "forbidden foods", just that i won't touch certain foods that are not healthy.So yeah, it's ALL about making it a lifestyle!

I never liked meat. At most I'd eat seafood or chicken but not often either. I thrive on veggies and fruits. But I need to get enough protein and i'm not friends wt tofu...

heh i never set foot in a gym lol I have work out equipment at home. I use my stepper and my dumbbels. I also play tennis wt my husband, especially during summer.

You can eat more than 1300 cal IF you work out more. At 5'2" your BMR is around 1500-1600 if set on sedentary. So if you add exercise you can eat more and still create a deficit. I usually try to keep my deficit at most 500 cal a day so if I burn 200 cal exercising and my BMR is 1600...

 

1600 sedentary + 200 exercise = 1800 cal

I can eat 1300-1400 cal and create a deficit of 400-500 cal

granted if i am hungry i eat more but try not to get over 1800...

and btw: no, the maths doesn't work all the time lol usually salt or that TOM influences the scale as well.

 

so if i wanted to maintain i could have 1800 cal and still be ok

and yeah, play wt that range where you won't gain; try eating 1700-1800 and watch the scale for a week or two (but NOT around TOM lol)

 

Perannum - I was 103 lbs and I decided to gain to 110, where I am now

I feel MUCH better at this weight, and it was not hard for me to achieve!

I have also had an annoying voice in my head in the past that tells me I look better when I am very thin - so I took up Pilate’s, started keeping active in the ways I enjoyed enough to want to do the rest of my life instead of running and strenuous aerobics which I don’t like, and ate only natural foods so my skin, hair and nails are healthier then ever

So over all I LOOK much better, and realized that body weight is only ONE component of the visual picture, having nice skin and etc also make your over all image look healthy or not.

I am 5 ‘ 4 and maintaining on an average of 1850, but over 2000 on body pump days ( weights class that goes for an hour )

Thanks for the feedback personaltrainer87. Its great to hear that you've reached a healthy weight and are maintaining on a reasonable number of calories.

As for me, I can gain weight if i eat 2500+ cal a day, which i intend to do eventually. Its hard because theres no pressing need for me to gain weight, but i know the long term consequences of staying at a low bmi are very bad.

Plus, I partly attribute my metabolism to my genes. In my family, everyone is slim or average in weight. Like I have two sisters and both are underweight when they eat quite alot. I do try to eat healthy (though im often eating out so it is hard to monitor) and I do a little bit of strength training. I dont do any form of cardio besides shopping? LoL.

 

Original Post by perannum:

I dont do any form of cardio besides shopping? LoL.

 

LOL indeed, shopping is my cardio as well :) you that Carrie Bradshaw said it in SATC, right? lol i do use the stepper though and play tennis (in the summer).

I believe that cardio is good for the stamina and endurance and for keeping a healthy heart. So, even if you don't like to do it, you should find something you like and do *some* cardio

 

I don’t do cardio either, apart from body pump ONCE a week

My goals are to work on my core/ midsection and have the best, strongest midsection/abdominals possible, and to also have toned, long muscles and Pilate’s and body pump once a week are what I need to achieve my goals

I do not need or enjoy setting time aside to run on a treadmill, I actually tried it out for a few months, I ran for 30 - 45 minutes without stopping and I was proud of my achievement and I DID feel great afterwards but ultimately I do not enjoy it any more, and I needed to eat 400 calories or more to compensate, and as much as I LOVE food, I do not feel good having to eat that much

It is GREAT you want to gain weight by the way! Your picture is beautiful and you look lovely and healthy! BUT, medical experts have proven that even if it is your natural weight, you will be at less risk of many health problems if you gain a LITTLE, it doesn’t have to be a lot, but a little bit will make a huge difference!

Thanks for the reminder about cardio - cricketro05

Thanks for the advice on weight gain - personaltrainer87... you put it so nicely:) its really good that you have a specific goal ("have the best, strongest midsection/abs")... you will definitely get there at this rate.

 

 

PERNAUM-hi, hope all is well, i just want to throw my 2 cents in by saying yes, cardio is good for health, but, most ppl are moderately active enough in day to day activities that when looking to gain a few pounds, the only cardio id suggest would be some walking a couple times a week.  you wont get fat or become physically unhealthy doing this amount compared to someone who does hours of intense cardio a week, diff excercsie for diff ppl w/ diff goals.

stay well!