year 2009, short girls aiming to lose 20-30 LBS

so due to all the end-of-year celebrations. I've gained tons of pounds.

I'm 5'2 at 131.12LBS (59.6kg)

aiming to lose 25 pounds to reach my happy weight.

anyone joining me?

Thank you very much for the welcome!  Informal or not, I think you have a great support group going here and I love how you take the time to "talk" to each person.  I apologize if I don't have time to post more often, but I will check back and see how everything's going for everybody during the week.

So for the weigh-in today...

Height: 5' 2''
Started at: 146.2 lbs
Last weigh-in:  144.4 lbs  --which was really high due to an overindulgent weekend!  :(
Current weight: 141.0 lbs  --thankfully most of the water weight came off this week
Goal weight: 120 lbs
Left to lose: 21 lbs

This week went surprisingly well for me (finally lost the weight I was hanging on to since I upped my calories).

Height: 5'1.5"

Goal: 100 lbs

Last week: 122.5 lbs

This week: 119.7 lbs (down 2.8 lbs)

Finally back out of the 120s :D

A little late in the game but ready to join!! I'm 5'0 and weigh 132lbs. My goal is to be somewhere around 112-115 by early summer! I've slowly been working out about 3-4 times a week but my main problem is eating better. It's so hard for me to stick to a healthy diet and I'm the type of person that wants to eat every 2-3 hours. So finding healthy snacks that I can tolerate is the main problem. Hopefully by joining this group my attitude towards food will change and I can keep up my fitness routines! Good luck to all :)

Yay I finally lost a little.  I am now 140.3! 

ilikekenneydy - what do you enjoy eating?  I eat 6-7 times every day.  There is a lot you can have!  Actually, you can have anything.  Its just portion control.  Fill in the gaps with veggies to keep you full

I measure out 100 or so calorie portions and keep them in 4oz gladware containers.  (salad in much bigger containers)

I do mini-meals because "snacks" will not keep my hunger at bay for long. 

Examples:  Oatmeal and egg or banana, cottage cheese and fruit, tuna and whole grain bread or crackers, salad and string cheese. 

For dinner I might have fish, 1/2 cup rice and a cup of veggies.  or a turkey burger. 

I'm ashamed to say that I love anything sugary and salty. If I were to have something sweet, like say a nutrigrain bar, I'd have to follow up immediately with something salty. I can't seem to balance my cravings. I do love fruits and veggies but I guess it's the laziness of preparing them all. Thanks so much for all your suggestions :) I'm giving this change 100% so I better start cracking that whip!!

Loss this week: 1 lb

Current Weight 133.6 lbs

I was surprised to see the number on the scale this morning because I had a bad week with eating! I ate a little too much and not as healthy as I would have liked!! But nevertheless, I exercised and still managed to lose a pound! Congrats to everyone who lost more!!

I was reading another forum yesterday about eating and exercising and what has a larger influence on weight loss. I think that eating has a much larger influence, but both are important! What do you guys think??

Have a good weekend everyone!

Name:  Gwen

Height:  4' 11.5" (lol ... I do love to count those lovely .5"! haha)

Starting Weight:  171 (when I joined CC) 150 when I joined this challenge

2/27/2009--  145.5 lb

3/6/2009 --  144 lb

Loss This week --  1.5 lbs

Loss Since Starting This Challenge -- 7 lbs

Well, I have FINALLY gotten myself moving steadily in the downward direction ... good-bye roller coaster and hello weight loss!  I really had to buckle down this week and get back to basics after my splurging the other weekend because I was having some serious low motivation after that!  Although, oddly enough, I do believe that weekend helped me!  I think it must have jolted my metabolism or something!  I KNOW it motivated me to buckle down and get back to basics like when I first started this lifestyle change!  Now, I am seeing results going in the proper direction ... and staying there instead of bouncing up and down, up and down, up and down!  Woo Hoo!  Who knew cheeseburgers could help, eh?

redselene:  Congratz on your loss this week!  I sooooo can't wait until I see the 130's!  I would also love to see your comparison pictures!  I have seen others pics that have posted them ... but they are usually much taller than we are! I would love to see pics from another shorty like me!  I have some before pics but I need some new ones to compare to (it's been awhile since I have taken during pics) ... maybe I will do that here real soon and post mine too.

rmbrinkley:  Welcome!  I, too, am under 5 feet tall!  I was informed by one of my students this week that I am a "midget".  LOL!  Gotta love how teens will just say it like they feel it!  haha.  Our stats are very close ... and I feel positive that we can do it!!  Glad to have ya on board!  Congratz on your AMAZING 4.4lb loss in 2 weeks!  Our stats are very similar ... we CAN do this!! yes we CAN (did I just channel my inner cheerleader? -- SCARY haha)!

plingu:  Staying the same is better than gaining, right?  I hit a plateau that I am FINALLY coming off ... so I had been yo-yoing all over the place for awhile without seeing any real difference but the one comfort I had was that at least I wasn't gaining.  I won't have reached my goal weight by June either but I also am hoping to make good headway on getting there!  I have my 20 year reunion this summer and I am determined to get as close as I can!  We can do it, I just know we can!

jla0610:  WOW!   Congratz on a 2 lb loss and breaking that plateau!  That is so hard to do, I bet you feel so good right now, and you should!  I love it when I see great results after being so "good" !  It motivates me to keep working hard. 

I hope you enjoy your time with your babies!  And, I second that exspensive thing when they get to be 17-18 years old!  I have an 18 year old ... who is going to be doing Running Start this next quarter and next year (which is a program for high school kids to take college classes in order to earn both high school and college credits) ... I KNOW how expensive they are!  haha ... and my child is a girl ... which I think they cost more than boys! LOL!

melinska:  Congratz on your 3.4 lb loss!  Don't you love it when you see a dip that shows results from all your hard work?  I know it motivates me to keep going and working on making healthy food choices and exercising regularly!  You are right that some of that is water weight ... but I would bet dollars to donuts that some of it is the fat you want to lose as well!  Take that credit ... you deserve it for all your hard work!!

yummy_kitty:  Woot!  Woot!  Upping calories can be sooooo scary!  I know it was for me ... but it really does work out in our favor in the long run!  I am so happy that you are getting closer to your goal!  You are about an inch taller than I am ... are you in your healthy weight range right now?  100 lbs seems a little bit low ... did you check that on the CC BMI tool to see where that would put  you in terms of healthy BMI?  I know, I am shooting (eventually) for 100 lbs ... and I think that puts me at the lower end of my healthy BMI weight.  You may want to check that out if you haven't done it already.  You may be closer to your lower end healthy weight range than you think!  Nice loss this week...hope things are going well with you, I have been thinking about you a lot this week!  Sending positive thoughts in your direction, sweetie!

ilikekennedy:  Welcome!  The more the merrier!  I love how you said, "healthy snacks that you can tolerate" it made me giggle a little bit!  I can feel you on that one!  A few months ago, I was struggling to find some variety and I posted in the weightloss forum to get some ideas for healthy snack ideas.  Much of what was suggested made me make the "sour face"! haha ... BUT ... some of the ideas were foods or food combos that I had not tried ... and I did find a few new ideas that kept me happy!  Maybe you could get some new ideas too? I am not a big sweets person ... but I do LOVE the salt! 

Here are a couple ideas that I got ... and maybe you will find one or two of them useful:  Pita Chips (I like the garlic herb ones yummy), multi-grain tortilla chips, Fiber One bars (chocolate chip oatmeal ones are really yummy), dry roasted, lightly salted edamame, rice crackers (I like the artisan 4 cheese flavored ones...mmmm...), nonfat vanilla yogurt with Just Bunches cereal mixed in, laughing cow swiss cheese wedges and babybel cheese, clementines and navel oranges (I carry those in my purse ... lol) and 100 calorie kettle corn popcorn or 100 calorie regular popcorn, sugar free hot chocolate (I have to make it with the non-fat skim milk to tolerate the "sugar free" taste AND my favorite:  Weight Watchers Giante Latte Bars!  I am not an ice cream person ... nor a sweet person ... but I LOVE these things!!  I hope that helps!!  Let me know!

madamq:  Congratz on your loss this week!  And, I LOVE the idea of making up some 100 calorie snacks to have on hand!  I wish I could be that motivated ... but I think you have just inspired me to try that this weekend!  I think that will make snacking much easier for me.  I usually try to carry around a few things in my car or my purse (Fiber One bars, Almonds, Oranges, pita crackers) but that doesn't require me to measure them out ... I think I will try that with some other things and I will let you know how it goes!

bure7360:  Congratz on your loss this week!  1 lb is awesome!  I think sometimes a few of those "bad" eating days can help jump start our metabolism.  I had a weekend like that awhile ago and I really think it helped get me moving in the downward direction after a super long plateau! 

As far as eating versus exercise?  I think I would tend to agree with the eating as being a bigger influence.  I think exercise is ESSENTIAL for weight loss ... but if I eat 4,000 calories ... there is no way I would have the time to actually exercise that off! haha!  Just my two cents ... for whatever it is worth!   You have a good weekend, too!  Happy losing!

Congrats on your 1.5 loss this week Gwen! And your total loss since joining Caloriecount. Wow, you've had so much success! I'd be thrilled to be half as successful as you :)

I think 100 lbs is fine for me, because I used to be just a smidge over 100 (105-110) and I still felt pretty chubby. So I nudged my goal to just below that. If I look great before I hit my goal, I'll stop early. I think it puts me at 19 which is still healthy according to a few BMI sites, and a teensy bit too low according to others.

The problem is, the BMI can be pretty inaccurate. When the chub on your tummy is so pronounced that you practically look pregnant, it's hard to believe it when the calculator is telling you you're too teeny. But I'll be careful, I promise. :)

i should do this.  haven't been on forever here. i managed to lose 5 lbs in jan but gained it all back and i think some more too. :(

therefore, i'm looking to lose more than 30 lbs unfortunately.

i'm 5'1.5 too. i hope to get down to 120 by june at least.

I know its a little late but i would like to join too, ive been reading this thread and it seems like all of you have similar goals as me , and it seems like this could really help.

im 5'1  and I weigh 139 , Im trying to get down to 120 and then see how I feel after that . I have been a member of this site for almost 2 years and twice i have gone down to about 130 and gone up again so i really hope i can lose some weight and keep it off

good luck to all this weekend :)

Hi everyone  :)  I'm pretty much repeating all the other latecomers.... I actually just joined this site today and stumbled upon this thread. I love that there are so many others that are also 5' 1.5", lol!  Anyway, i'm at 131 and would like to be 110-115 by June.  I lost 45 pounds about 2 years ago and am just thrilled that i've managed to keep it off, but I want to lose just a little more.  I was 119 for about a minute, and I was so proud.  

I exercise pretty regularly (now), but I'm thinking that I need to increase my calorie intake (from what i've been reading) and that really scares me.  I got down to 119 by reducing calories, and that obviously didn't work because I gained 10+ pounds.  So we'll see!  Good luck to you ALL, and congrats on all the pounds lost so far!   :)

Belated Friday Weigh-In

Height: 5'3.5
CC Start Weight (Jan 28): 162
Last Friday: 155
This Friday:  153 (YAY!)
Today (Sunday): 156 (GRR)

Can you seriously gain 3 lbs. over a weekend?  I went over my calories probably by 500-700 Friday and Saturday (for a total of maybe 2100 each day), and this is what I get.  Well I won't do that again. 

Clearly, I'm among those who can't resist the temptation to weigh more than once weekly.  It's not every day, but every other to every three.  I should probably keep weighing on Fridays and Mondays to hopefully dissaude myself from binging on the weekend and putting weight back on!

Madamq thanks for bringing up the thing about cardio vs. strength training.  I've been doing both... one day I focus on cardio for about an hour, the next day I do a bit of cardio to warm up, weights for about 30-40 mins., and if I have time, I might do another 20 mins. or so of cardio (usually the elliptical since it's my favourite).  If cardio is that important for weight loss, maybe I should be focusing more on it... Wonder what 20 mins. cardio, 20 mins. weights, then a different type of cardio for 20 mins., would be like...?

Anyone else here go to the gym and happen to notice that the people running on the treadmill often tend to be thinner than the people using the ellipticals?  I mean it's not a hard and fast rule, just a tendency I've noticed.  I'm a bit afraid of the treadmill, I think I'm going to make it go too fast and go flying off it or something...

yummy_kitty:  Thanks!  I felt pretty good about my loss this week!  All weekend I have gotten the compliments about the loss so far and that felt pretty good too!  I am 2 lbs from my next big goal of 30lbs!!  That will feel really good ... and then it will be on to the big 4-0!  I am glad you are shooting for a healthy BMI ... I was a bit worried. 

justice4me:  Welcome to the thread!  I, too, have more than 30 lbs to lose but I will be happy if I make it to 130 by June and OVERJOYED if I actually make it to 120 by then.  Good luck to you!  I know we can do it!!

blueberrytea:  It is never too late!  Welcome to the thread!  I think this is going to be a great group of shorties to keep us all motivated!

kayrenayn:  Welcome to the thread and to CC!  It is never too late to join!  It will be great to have someone who has already worked to hard and lost the weight and kept it off!  Increased calorie intake is a little bit scary at first ... it goes against our instincts I think.  I was stuck on a plateau for bit and tried everything to get my weight moving in the right direction to avail ... upping the calories and having a "cheat" weekend really kicked me back into losing the weight!  With us shorties it is difficult because we are already alloted so few calories ... cutting back is not always an option unless we want to put ourselves into the dreaded starvation mode.  More excercise and increased calories really does work ... but I do understand that fear ... I didn't believe it until I was desperate to see the scale start moving and nothing else worked!  Good luck!

amyvegan:  I bet your 3 lb gain is water weight.  Congratz on the loss ... and I am sure you will see that 3 lb discrepancy disappear as quickly as it showed up!  It would be sooooo hard to gain that in one weekend!  You would literally have to eat 13,500 calories more than you actually burned.  I bet whatever you were eating was loaded with sodium ... and maybe you didn't do a good job of drinking enough water?  That would be my guess, anyway. Don't beat yourself up for giving yourself a break from all your hard work... we all need it every now and again ... just make sure you get right back on track and a few days of reverting won't be the end of the world! 

I weigh myself every day ... I am undecided whether it is a good thing or a bad thing for my psyche but it is certainly an obsession, that is for sure!

I don't go to the gym ... but once in awhile when I stay at my BF's house I go to the YMCA with him and now that you mention it ... yes ... those on the treadmill do seem to be thinner than those on the elliptical.  Weird.  Although, I own a treadmill and one of my friends has an elliptical ... and she is DEFINITELY thinner than me!  In terms of your work out routine ... I think it is just important to do both ... and mix it up once in awhile so you body does not get used to whatever it is you are doing.  I would give your idea a try ... 20 minutes cardio, 20 minutes strength training and 20 minutes different cardio sounds great!  I work out at home ... and I sometimes do a warm up on the treadmill for about 10 minutes (slowly increasing speed) ... then do strength training in my legs ... then 5 minutes on the treadmill ... then strength training on my CORE ... then 5 mintues on the treadmill ... then strength training on my arms ... then 10 minutes on the treadmill (slowly decreasing the speed) and then end with stretching or some type of yoga.  I enjoy that because it breaks the cardio up a bit ... and if I do my strength training in supersets (with very little rest in between) I can keep my heart right up pretty darn good.  Sometimes I just have to mix it up a bit or I get bored.  I always say ... whatever works ... just get up and move!

Hello all,

Wheeeeww, I have forgotten about this thread! Sorry guys =\

Currently, my scale is broken so i cannot weigh in.

But i think i've gained weight :(

I'm feeling it.

Although I did get a few comments these past few weeks that im "beginning to lose some weight"!

I'm not sure though........im battling bulimia as well as trying to get this weight off, so most of my "good days" end with a very very bad one :[

Good luck all.!

alkcollowen:  Don't you just love to get the comments on all your hard work?  I sometimes feel as though I look like I have gained weight ... but when I get those comments it just reaffirms that I am doing better than I thought.  Even if you have a "bad" day ... don't beat yourself up!  I always find it most helpful when I can focus on what I have done right, instead of focusing on what I have done wrong.  I don't know much about bulima ... but if you had six good days and one bad one ... I would say that you are having some success!  I work in the field of youth addictions and I sometimes tell kids ... maybe you can't look at being sober for an entire day but break it down into as small an increment as you need to in order to get through it.  Maybe they can only commit to 5 minutes at a time ... or 4 hours at a time -- some days are just like that.  Maybe that will work for you?  I tell kids, ask yourself, "can I  get through the next 30 minutes without using?"  Most of them can commit to that ... if not, "can I get through the next 5 minutes without using?"  Usually people can commit to that -- then after time is up ... go through the process again.  Maybe that will work for you on your "bad" days?  I know I have to do that sometimes ... "can I get through the next 2 hours without eating a cheeseburger?"  ... and then there are some days I can ... and some days I can't!  I find it helpful some of the time to challenge myself -- but if I fail I try to remember not to beat myself up.  I try to remember that I had some success along the way ... even it if it was only 2 hours! 

Good luck to you!  Glad you're here!

~Gwen~

I've been searching for some motivation from other semi - midgets like myself.

I'm 4'9" and I weigh 144 at the start of my journey. Wearing a size 10 pretty much. I was a size 5 in high school. I'm 26 with one child and I want to slim down for the summer too!

So far I'm hoping to get great support from people I can relate to in height. Most people don't understand that a person of my stature can not eat 2100 calories a day, exercise and be okay...... I started out at 900 calories a day and was doing fine the first week. After adding exercise my appetite picked up. So now I'm eating 1000 calories a day and I feel fine again and not hungry or craving at all. I'm trying to listen to what my body needs and fuel it according to my hunger.

So far this method has worked. I down from 144 to 141.

Of course as my appetite increases I add more calories. Well, enough about me. I can't wait to see what happens!

Status:

Start W: 144 lb     &nbs p;     Current W: 141 lb     &nbs p;  Goal W: 120lb (for now)

Ultimate Goal W: 110lb

morisht:  Welcome to the shorties thread!  It is different when you are short  compared to average or tall height people and those of average and tall heights don't always seem to get it! The calorie needs and what not are different than they are for others. 

Having said that ... I do think you should take caution at eating less than 1,200 calories a day unless you are under a doctor's care.  It is not generally accepted practice on CC and we are not encouraged to promote that type of eating.  However, I do think some CC members take to expressing that opinion in a harsh and unkind manner and I, for one, will not take part in that kind of behavior.  Do be careful though, as under-eating (even if you don't feel like you are under-eating) can create some health problems that are less than desirable ... and even though you may be losing now ... it is likely that at some point you will plateau (everyone does sooner or later)  and by then cutting calories is not going to make a lot of sense since you are already not getting enough to nourish your body as it is.  Plus from everything I have read ... and including other forums on this site ... it could eventually make you gain it back faster and I am sure that is a less than desirable side effect after working so hard to take the extra off in the first place.  So please do be careful!  I am glad to hear that you are listening to your body and and feeding it when it is asking for food ... that is good practice to get into as you create a different relationship  with your eating and your food.  One that I would do well by following myself (not my strong suit to  say the least).

Again, welcome to the thread ... us shorties have got to stick together!!  Good luck on your journey!  This is a really great group of short gals to get support from!

~Gwen~

Thanks for the welcome!!!!!

I appreciate the concern but when I started dieting, I would eat according to what my body was telling me I needed. If I needed a snack I had one (i.e. apple, carrots, granola, etc), when my body was ready for lunch I would have a healthy lunch such as ceasar salad, grilled chicken sandwich, etc.. I stopped eating when I was full which was usually after finishing just the salad and a drink. The remainder of the meal would be saved for later.

What I'm saying is at the end of the day, when I go to log my daily food items, the calories added up to less then 900. I was shocked but like I said I was satisfied and not hungry. As I increased my activity level, I found my body needing a few extra calories, so I added on another 200-300.

I'm 4'9", which is the average size of a 10year old so I think I'm going to be fine. Not saying that's what a 10 year old eats like, considering they are wayyyyyy more active then I am. I live a very sedetary lifestyle. This is pretty much how I started my diet when I started cc. I realized everybody's body works differently and has different needs. I don't think it's classified as undereating if you're eating only when you're hungry or need a snack.

I certainly appreciate your concern though. 

raginheadache:

Thank you for all of your advice,Gwen :] I've never thought of it that way. But I finally confided in one of my best friends about it and I feel alot better now...... I'm on my fourth day without resorting to bad habits =]

You guys are all so supportive on here, i love it! =]

morisht:

Welcome to the thread! (: congrats on your weight loss.....but like Gwen said, I would definitely be careful.

Good luck all =D

It's friday again!

Weigh-in!

Starting Weight - 148.2

Last Weigh-in - 143.8

This Weigh-in - 143

Goal - 110

Loss this week - .8

Total loss - 5.2

Total to go - 33

About a pound, not to bad. :)