Hey all!

I am trying to shed about 5lbs. of rather recently put on weight. I am only 5'3" so I think I need to really lower my caloric intake if I want to say bye-bye to this extra few lbs.

In your opinions are 1000 calories too low? I do exercise about 5X a week which involves about 1 hour of cardio(elliptical, hiking, or walking) and strength training. It just seems if I go higher cal, the weight takes FOREVER to come off. I am thinking of doing this for about 2 weeks. It wouldn't slow down my metabolism that fast, would it?

Whatcha think?

You aren't very tall and you don't weigh much, so I understand how hard it can be to lose! If you pack as much nutrition as possible into your 1000 calories, I think you'll be fine for two weeks or so. When you're that low, there's no room for 100-calorie packs or diet junk food! Every calorie needs to be max nutrition.

I have to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories to lose too. My two personal guidelines for losing are calories below 1200 and 100 grams of protein. Everything else (carb and fat) falls into place if I hit those two targets.

I don't really eat any diet junk-food or any 100 cal packs.
I am pretty much a whole foods eater. Of course, when I'm bad, I can be really bad! But, for the most part, I eat really clean.
l'll give it a whirl...if i could lose these annoying 5 lbs, I am certain I could keep it off! When you're short like us Meg, 5 lbs. makes a difference, don't you think?

You and me both, babe!!

Five pounds on us shorties is a whole clothes size!

But on the bright side, you guys "only" (only in quotes because I'm sure losing 5 for you is every bit the challenge losing 10 is for me ) have to lose 5 to drop a whole size. At 1 or 2 lbs a week it seems to take us "longer" people just eons to be able to fit into a smaller size

I hesitate to disagree with Meg, but I think 1,000 calories per day is too low, especially given the amount of exercise you do. I'm about your height and weight and when I've dropped my calories down to 1000 per day, my weight loss has slowed to almost a halt; I've found I lose faster if I keep my calories up around 1300 to 1400 per day. At your weight, if you can lose .5 lbs per week, that is an excellent rate. No matter what you do with your calories, I don't think you can expect to lose faster than that.

Something that really helps me lose weight is to include intervals in my cardio workout. I went through a period where I could not do intervals due to a knee injury and my weight loss during that time was a lot slower than when I am doing intervals. And the advantage to doing intervals is that you don't need to do cardio for as long. You might consider cutting back your cardio workouts from an hour to half an hour on a couple days a week and doing intervals for for 15 to 20 minutes of that time.

azmon
It is less about slowing down metabolism and more about your body not getting the vitamins, minerals and trace minerals it needs. You can't just pop a pill and give the body all it needs. The body needs food lol. You exercise a nice amount and the body needs fuel for that. Maybe like blue said put some intervals in your workouts.

Hey Barbara, no worries about disagreeing with me. We're all just sharing our own experiences, which I think is invaluable -- where else can we talk about questions like these?

For me, I know I have to drop lower than most people -- maybe because I'm 53, maybe because I'm hypothyroid (I think that has a lot to do with it), and maybe it's being post-menopausal. And then there's the trying to maintain a fairly large weight loss. Four strikes?

But your experiences are equally valid and might actually apply better to someone reading here, so it's wonderful for you and everyone else to share.

Meg,

Oh, and I am also hypothyroid...I am currently awaiting the results of my blood work because my doc thinks she wants to up my synthroid...I currently take the lowest dosage, which 25mg. I have started to experience some of the symptoms again and she thinks I need more med.

Lucky us...short and hypo!

I'm not coming in with much advice to offer, but it seems to me that if your thyroid meds get increased, it will be a lot easier for you to lose the 5# at your current or only slightly lower calories. I'd wait to drop it too low until you see what the meds change.

Hi, I want to jump in and say that switching up your work-outs would be a great idea too, or making a fun time out of fitness (tennis, hiking, etc...)

Speaking personally -- I'm about your height -- I can't go that low and feel good. If I eat 1000 calories for several days, I start feeling tired, dizzy, etc. The lowest calorie intake that I can tolerate for any sustained length of time is around 1200. It took me a quite some time, several months, to lose that last 5 pounds or so, and that was accomplished mostly by bumping up my exercise duration and intensity. So, I guess you'll have to go with how you feel, but it may also take a little time to lose that weight, realistically. But slow and steady weight loss is better than any gain!!

Azmom - I am with Pat, I think it might be a good idea to wait until you get your meds adjusted. I had an easy time losing when I started on synthroid, then they reduced my dosage since it was too high, and the weight loss slowed dramatically. I am guessing if they increase your dose it will get much easier.

Also, how old are you? Metabolisms change with age, so while 1000 calories is way too low for me (I'm 25, and probably don't exercise as much as you), it might be more acceptable for someone in their 40's or 50's.

Everyone is different and it is about eating nutrition packed food and protein. There are many medically supervised diets that go below 1000 cals. You will have to play around with it and see where your sweet spot is. I know for me my calorie intake has to be low- that has always the way it has been. Even when I was a maintainer my calorie intake is lower than most so it means I have to be very vigilant with the type of food that I eat.

Jessica, I'm 42. I just don't want to give in to the "slower metabolism" theory just yet! I think the minute I do that...I'm in serious trouble!!