Short girls here - around 5 feet!

Well I seem to have no one to talk to since I'm one of the few out there. I'm around 5'1". Currently I weigh about 126 - 127 (except for right now because I'm ready to start). Anyway, how does everyone handle food intake, calories consumed and the weight charts we are supposed to go by? I feel like we constantly get the short end of the stick. Now this website gives me a decent amount of calories to maintain my weight but I'm obviously trying to lose 11 pounds (when I'm at the weight of 126) so I will be at 115. I know they say not to drop below 1200 pounds but do you think that applies to us short people? How hard is it for you to drop the pounds?

littleshellys- Just curious, do you know what your body fat percentage is? I just can't imagine it's possible for me to get under 100 pounds. I already wear size 1 and 2 in Old Navy... you must be one of those 00 people! Also, how old are you?

Another question. Just how long are your workouts? I run marathons, so once a week I run anywhere from 10 to 20 miles, and 5 days during the week I run anywhere from 3 to 6 miles. My one day off from running I usually do tae-bo or ride my bike for an hour. I run at different paces, depending on the day. Sometimes I throw in short sprints. Sometimes I run at a steady 8 minute mile, sometimes a 9 minute mile. My long runs are always at a 10 minute mile pace.

How long are your strength training workouts? I'm thinking maybe I need to do more than 30 minutes 3 days a week. I do it at home with 8 pound dumbells, and I have to say I find it incredibly boring, even while I'm blasting my music. Any suggestions there?

As far as eating goes, I eat clean probably 90% of the time. My carb percentage is usually kind of high... around 60%.... but then again, I'm a runner so I need my carbs! And I get them all from whole grains, fresh fruit, veggies, and beans. My protein is low though, some days I have trouble getting it to 20%. I just don't like meat that much, and I would always rather eat bread, fruit, or vegetables. I never drink soft drinks, and I allow myself dark chocolate 1-2 times a week.

Seriously, what else do I do?

right there with you! 5'1 118. Its hard because any pounds you gain you can see right away when you are short and have a very small frame like myself.

What do you think is the best weight for us petite girls to whittle away the fat??? Obviously excersize and diet, but any excersize in particular??

I am 5'1 and keep bouncing my weight around 134-139. I keep loosing and gaining the same few pounds. You really have to be committed to loose any weight at this height. I go out of town for a weekend and gain 2-3 lbs just by changing up my regular eating habits and exercise routine. I don't want to get very low in my weight since I am rather muscular and want to gain muscle but I can't seem to get down to 130.

LittleShellys- Do you thinking sprinting is the best fat burner? how do you do your sprints?

Sordino- I know excatly how you feel, i can eat for days and not be full. i have a very MALE appetite, love meats cheeses and every bad and fatty. latley i have only been eating chicken and fish...boooring, but doing it!

Latley that is how i have been feeling. It just is different when you are very small and petite with weight. My friends and even my boyfriend dont get it. they think because i am s petite that im tiny but they dont get if i gain a pound i feel it everwhere and it makes a HUGE difference. Right now i am at my heaviest i have ever been at 118. I am normally 102. My job and boyfriend have affected my weight, i was going out to eat every night and i sit on my btut all day at a fashion job in nyc. I am now working out 5 days a week and eating healthy hoping to get back down in about 2 and half months.

Anyway, what do you do at the gym and every day to make sure you stay on your path?

My job and boyfriend have affected my weight, i was going out to eat every night and i sit on my btut all day at a fashion job in nyc. I am now working out 5 days a week and eating healthy hoping to get back down in about 2 and half months.

Lifestyle is the hardest to beat when you want to keep weight down xD 

Sordino, how bout adding spices and all to your food to make it more interesting?

I'm not a big eater but I like interesting food :P

Does anyone know how to keep sugar low in their diet?

For some reason my sugar has crossed the 100% daily limit everyday since I have started logging, and that scares me slightly ;)

I don't know what my body fat % is. I am 41. My workouts vary. Longer on the weekend. Saturday is my "big" gym" day and I spend a couple of hours in the gym. Sunday about an hour and a half.

Mon, wed, sat I lift. Usually takes me about 40 minutes. I use free weights and the nautilus equipment at the gym.

I sprint on my weight days. You can find all kinds of good information on sprinting and the benefits. Today for example I spent an hour on the treadmill. I sprinted 7 times during that hour and ran/walked the rest. This is how I do it.

I start out walking at 4.1-4.2 mph. I do that for 5 minutes or so until I warm up. Then I do my first run/sprint. I run at 7.5-7.9 MPH depending on how I feel. I hold that for 2 minutes. Then I bump it up to 8.1-8.3 mph and sprint for 1 1/2 minutes. I believe 30 seconds is the recommended sprint time. Then I bring it back down to a walk and wait 3-5 minutes and then do the next run/sprint. In an hour I do this 5-7 times.

On Mon-wed I sprint but only spend 40-50 minutes on the treadmill. Usually spiriting 5-6 times.

On tues, thurs, sat I also use the elliptical for 12-15 minutes and do a mixed workout. Up and down.

I do sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts, ab work, lunges and squats as part of my routine also.

I take one day a week completely off.

Never sprint or lift 2 days in a row.

I sometimes find my workout boring but listen to music and try to focus on my body and how I feel, how my muscles feel, tighten my abs and so on. It is a very mental thing. I have to just do it and never miss or give up.

LittleShellys- Do you thinking sprinting is the best fat burner? how do you do your sprints?

Yes, not just fat burner but I believe it is the best cardio workout you can do. Do a Google search on the benefits of sprinting. It is a great strengthening exercise. Works the entire body, core. Best thing you can do for your Butt!

Not easy to do. I sometimes dread climbing on the treadmill but after my first 2 I am usually pumped and I make it a contest to beat my last session and try to get it done as soon as possible. I always feel great after I am done. Mentally and physically.

littleshellys  ok i just looked at your profile and saw that you're 4'11.  i'm not much taller at 5'1, but your 92 pounds is probably the same as a 5'1 girl's 100 pounds.

STILL, you must be tiny tiny tiny with itty bitty bones.  your sprinting pace is about my 5K race pace, so i think i'm already getting that workout...   when i throw in sprints on my daily runs, i'm going at about race pace.  the biggest difference i see is a LITTLE longer on weight training, and using whatever the "nautilus"   equipment is.  i've never had a gym membership so i don't know what that is!  and your mixed workout seems to be elliptical combined with calisthenics.  with my running, i don't see the point in elliptical, but the calisthenics could help me...

ok, i think i'll try that.  i will add a set to my weight training to add 10 minutes, and add 2-3 calisthenic workouts a week. 

whew!  people already think i'm crazy for running so much!

seriously though, 4'11 and 92 pounds is awesome, it might actually be a little TOO small!  Good job! 

Original Post by sordino:

littleshellys  ok i just looked at your profile and saw that you're 4'11.  i'm not much taller at 5'1, but your 92 pounds is probably the same as a 5'1 girl's 100 pounds.

STILL, you must be tiny tiny tiny with itty bitty bones.  your sprinting pace is about my 5K race pace, so i think i'm already getting that workout...   when i throw in sprints on my daily runs, i'm going at about race pace.  the biggest difference i see is a LITTLE longer on weight training, and using whatever the "nautilus"   equipment is.  i've never had a gym membership so i don't know what that is!  and your mixed workout seems to be elliptical combined with calisthenics.  with my running, i don't see the point in elliptical, but the calisthenics could help me...

ok, i think i'll try that.  i will add a set to my weight training to add 10 minutes, and add 2-3 calisthenic workouts a week. 

whew!  people already think i'm crazy for running so much!

seriously though, 4'11 and 92 pounds is awesome, it might actually be a little TOO small!  Good job! 

Yes, your height and weight would be about the same. People think I am crazy too. I am not a good long distance runner and I don't like running. That is why I do the sprints. I can get it over quickly.

I found this great website that show you how to calculate calories you burn.

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/how-many- calories-do-you-need.html?pageNum=1.

Calculations make sense, and they give almost the same calorie intake and burn rates. Eg. I am exactly 5 feet , 26 years old. According to their calculations i would need 1127 minimum not to go to starvation mode. That's not very much different from the 1200.

Heya shorties!

Just a quick pop by to see how everyone is:D

Yeedy how is the increasing calorie thing going?

I am hanging in there.  Just come by to see if my weight goals are in line with others at my height (5'1) and looks like I am on target.  I am aiming for 136 right now I am 166.6, down a pound from friday.  So that gives me a nice round number to work with.

I am still taking in about 1600-1700 calories and doing 30 minutes of cardio or weights daily.  Seems to be working.

Original Post by littleshellys:

I have not always been this weight. I was 135 before I started. I felt horrible. Way to much weight for my size. Slowly I lost it. In the beginning I did not know what I was doing. Just eating less, not exercising. I lost 10LB and stayed there for years. Then about 3 years ago I started working out. 2 years ago I got serious and started weight training and working out better. Eating better and now I eat clean most of the time.

It is hard for short girls. Pretty much an everyday struggle. But I like how I feel now as opposed to then so it keeps me motivated. I also love food and love to eat. Today was my cheat meal so I just got done eating a cookie AND a brownie. As soon as I am done with it I think about next Fridays cheat meal.  I love brownies.

Tomorrow is my major workout day. Hours in the gym to keep the weight off. Sprints and weight. Always a struggle.

 

Gosh I wish I could work out as much as you do! It is so hard to find the time. I work full time and try to spend as much time with my son as I can when I'm not working, plus I went back to school to get my degree. I just feel really guilty taking time out of the little time I have to go to the gym. I know it sounds like an excuse but with my schedule (plus my husband works nights so I only see him 2 hours a day).

I'm short, too--5' and 1/2 " (I claim 5' 1").  My problem is 1200 is too easy to hit!  It's nothing!  I usually struggle with 5 lbs, more like 7 right now. I like to be closer to the low end of my range, around 108 lbs, and I crept up to 115 because I like to eat and not all of it good.  I'm in school 3 nights a week, so I can't work out as much as I like to.  I try to work in little things like walks throughout the day, and take the steps ( I work on the 4th floor).  I'm 46, so I don't have the metabolism that I once did :(  . 

sordino - if you feel hungry, maybe it's not the amount of calories you're eating, but rather how they break down.  Do you have any blood sugar issues?  I am hypoglycemic, and I know that eating too many carbs causes my blood sugar to plummet, leaving me hungry (especially if I do that at night; then I wake up absolutely ravenous!).  Make sure to get regular protein; it keeps you feeling full longer, and slows down the rate that the carbs break down in your stomach, so you don't get such a spike in blood sugar (which is often for me rapidly followed by my pancreas freaking out, sending a ton of insulin, and then my sugar drops like a rock).

Original Post by shooster:

Heya shorties!

 

Just a quick pop by to see how everyone is:D

 

Yeedy how is the increasing calorie thing going?

 

 

Thanks for checking up!! I'm doing great, eating more than I ever have! It's hard though because I'm not hungry enough to eat 1200 calories so I just force myself to eat even when I'm not hungry (not quite too hard :P).  Surprisingly, I haven't really gained any weight (if you don't count those usual fluctuations of water weight).  So far I have just been eating close to the amount that my body burns to just get my body used to it.  Now I'm going to start eating around 1200 calories or a little over and see how my body reacts this week.  I feel like I'm eating alllll the time now though!

I'll keep you all updated on how this goes!

Original Post by yeedy:

Original Post by shooster:

Heya shorties!

Just a quick pop by to see how everyone is:D

Yeedy how is the increasing calorie thing going?

Thanks for checking up!! I'm doing great, eating more than I ever have! It's hard though because I'm not hungry enough to eat 1200 calories so I just force myself to eat even when I'm not hungry (not quite too hard :P). Surprisingly, I haven't really gained any weight (if you don't count those usual fluctuations of water weight). So far I have just been eating close to the amount that my body burns to just get my body used to it. Now I'm going to start eating around 1200 calories or a little over and see how my body reacts this week. I feel like I'm eating alllll the time now though!

I'll keep you all updated on how this goes!

Know what you mean! I ate 5 times today to get  all my calories in, but I did hit 1600^^

If I don't pay attention and just eat 3 times then I'll hit 1000-1200 xD

Question related to spent calories

say you burn 1500 a day minimum as a basic thing

and if you drive for an hour burning x calories

is the x calories added?

or what?

Original Post by acrace:

I'm short, too--5' and 1/2 " (I claim 5' 1"). My problem is 1200 is too easy to hit! It's nothing! I usually struggle with 5 lbs, more like 7 right now. I like to be closer to the low end of my range, around 108 lbs, and I crept up to 115 because I like to eat and not all of it good. I'm in school 3 nights a week, so I can't work out as much as I like to. I try to work in little things like walks throughout the day, and take the steps ( I work on the 4th floor). I'm 46, so I don't have the metabolism that I once did :( .

Like axejudge said, have you got an trouble like that?

Also, theysay that if you have a good breakfast, your body burns more through the day..try that?

Warm glass of milk before bed is what I take if i reckon i wont get through the night without waking up (rare, but it works!) plus yay to calcium!

I need to start taking multivits,not getting nearly enough iron (15%daily on average..) or b's in my diet...even though it is varied xD ah well! :D

(edit: meant axejudge) I'm with you on the protein thing. I started eating oatmeal with extra protein and fiber and it really helps stave off hunger. It's sold by Quaker as Weight Control, and Trader Joe's has a couple that are really good.

Hey everyone,

Figured I'd join in on this thread since I'm needing some encouragement as well.  I'm 5'0 and 155.5 pounds.  I'm not sure what my ultimate goal is but my short term goal is 125.  I've changed up my eating and increased my exercise for the last 2 weeks and have lost 5 pounds in that time.  The good thing about being short is that even after losing just a little bit of weight it shows..people have actually noticed already.  Anyway...just introducing myself.  Good luck everyone!

congrats unsaid!

5 pounds is already great, and yeah, the advantage is that it DOES showq asap:) a few friends commented this week on me too even though i still dont see a difference xD

good luck and keep going, you'll get there, bit by bit:)