I'm curious to know what the calorie intake is for other petite females.

I'm 5'1", take in an average of 1500 to 1600 calories and exercise 5x a week. My weight has plateaued at 121. I did a RMR (resting metabolic rate) calculation which came to 1300 calories, but figure with daily exercise I burn approximately 1850. I'm starting to think that I need to eat 1200 calories a day in order to lose weight. 1200 calories seems like so little. I this what a petite female is supposed to eat to lose weight?

I would just like to see how other petite females are doing to get an idea for myself.

I think it also depends on your age. I am on 1350 and losing very slowly. ... and I exercise 5-6x weekly.

Hi Taurie!

How long have you been at 121? And all that time at 15-1600 cals and the same exercise?

Hi! Well, I stopped counting calories and around Thanksgiving week I went from 121 to 125, but before that I was stuck at 121 for several weeks. I believe my calories ranged between 1200 and 1700 on most days (I'm sure I went well over 2,000 at least one day a week). I wish I kept a diary for that period.

I'm in my early 30's.

In simple terms (which is all my little head can handle ) If you are maintaining then you are balanced as far as calories in vs calories out. I think this is a good thing. At least you know approximately how many calories you're burning.

I don't think you need to make a big changes. It might just be a matter of tweaking something a bit. Off the top of my head ...

... count stringently and, if you still maintain, either ....

... change up your exercise -or- the quality of your food -or- the amount of your food -or- the intensity of your exercise -or- ????

Let's see what the others say.

I'm 5 ft exactly, 30 yrs old, and I cycle calories. I've been losing slowly but steadily (10 lbs since October). My schedule at my current weight (I update it weekly for each lb lost, b/c it lowers the amount of calories needed), is:

Monday: 976 - 1149
Tuesday: 976
Wednesday: 1172 - 1378
Thursday: 976 - 1149
Friday: 976 - 1034
Saturday: 1074 - 1264
Sunday: 976 - 1149

I got this from the calorie calculator at freedieting.com. I tried sticking to the low end for faster results and it backfired, I got stuck...so for the past week I've been trying to stay close to the higher end and have been losing again. Once in awhile I'll eat at maintenance calories just to shake things up a bit and give myself flexibility to indulge a little more for one day.

I exercise rarely, sometimes not even once a week, so I chose "inactive" for the activity amount on the calculator, and just count any exercise I do get as a bonus.

Thanks Susan. Since last Friday I actually did change my routine to do interval training and lengthening my workouts a bit. I'm paying attention to intensity and sometimes wish I could go faster and harder, but I know this will come in time.

As always you give very good sound advice. No need for me to panic... at least I'm maintaining, so a little change might be all I need (as you said). Oh, and 95% of the time my calories are squeaky clean & nutrient rich

Untamed: that is a significant weight loss since October! I'd be super happy with 1 lb a week.

This is great for me to read! I have been overweight since I was 6 years old so I have NO IDEA what a normal is for me! I knew it was around 12-1500 calories a day. I am 5 foot. I really think it is important for me to get the idea of what maintenance is going to be. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Cathy, yeah I've been thinking about this for a while... about being petite and not needing as many calories as the average female. I never considered myself petite until I was 25 when my bf at the time constantly reminded me of it. Now I order small portions of everything, like I'll get a small skinny latte instead of a large skinny latte. Before I use to think that because it was skinny I could have more, but really i need to keep my portions small, like me.

I was really impressed by this line of Taurie's .... but really i need to keep my portions small, like me ....

Simple but oh so true!


Kinda reminds me of something Nelie says ... Eat for the body you want, not for the body you have

I eat between 1200-1550 calories day. It took me about 3 weeks to get my calories that low but I tend to lose weight better when Im at 1350.

I think since your petite and have very little weight to lose its gonna come off kinda slow. Just gradually lower your calories and see if that helps you lose weight

Ugh oh I just noticed that I posted in the featherweight forum lol. My bad

I would really encourage you to build some muscle. Muscle=Metabolism. For us 5'4" and shorter, it's really important so that we can eat a little more. Rather than focus on how many calories you are consuming, I would focus on what they are coming from. If you decide to build muscle, get as much lean protein as you can, keep the carbs to complex only, etc. We all hear the muscle weighs more than fat story, but it really is true. I would encourage you at your weight to get your body fat % measured and focus on that instead of the scale. A woman at our height with good muscle tone (12%BF) can weigh 125lbs and be a size 2. I have always loved strength training because it pulls my focus onto what my body can do rather than what it weighs/looks like. Also, it burns more calories at rest and has the tone you're looking for. You might even gain some weight, but use the BF% as a guide and chuck the scale and BMI. Just my 2 cents as a former trainer and (almost) fitness competitor.

I agree with Beach - muscle is good!

I'd concider myself a smaller person also, which I discovered as I lost weight. In order to maintain I'm eating around 1,400 - 1,500 calories. I eat a bit more of exercise days. When I was loosing I usually at around 1,200 any less and I would stop loosing.

You do need less calories to loose since you are a smaller person. Once my ex boyfriend and I did some research on our calorie intake. He is 6'2, 200 pounds of solid muscle, and a mountain biker - he was able to consume about 3,000 calories to maintain on the days he biked. I on the other hand, eat half of that amount! Every body needs different amounts of food.

I know this thread is kinda old, but I've been repeating this phrase in my head a lot the past couple of weeks. It really helped me look at things a little differently. Just wanted to thank you for it.