I have no idea what my expenditure is. I do not trust the cal counters on the machines. I think I will invest in a bodybugg. But I do HIIT, Zumba and running for cardio and I weight train 3X weekly. I weigh 142 but I am down from 159 so you are already way ahead of me.

But you've lost more than I have! The only reason I asked is that of course, since you weight 9lb more, that increases your calorie expenditure a bit. No wonder you felt grotty on 1100.

The only machine I have with a calorie counter is my mini exercise bike, and I'm fairly sure that the calorie counter is miles off. All I need on the thing is the timer, then I enter the length of time into FitDay along with the intensity (though I have to guess the latter a bit) and it calculates the calories/minute for me. Which of course depends on my weight at the time. I've been told that the FitDay calculations are decent; bit early for me to tell, I've only been using it five weeks, but so far it seems OK. I'm doing so little on the exercise bike (recently managed to increase it to three whole minutes, huzzah) that it makes very little difference overall anyway, it's more of a rehab thing than a fitness thing. Your exercise regime sounds most impressive! The Bodybugg sounds nifty too.

Any shorties using a bodybugg or similar device? I am thinking about investing in one to lose these last 30 lbs!

Hi! I am just checking in with everyone...the last time I was here I think I was at 121, down from 126.5, and I am currently 108 - 109, depending on the day. I am pretty happy with this weight and I know ideally 105 would be great, but I am 40 now and I think this is where my body wants to be. I guess I am eating around 1200 - 1400 calories as maintenance (I've taken a break from tracking every morsel, but I do keep a running count in my head). When I was losing I was closer to 1000 a day. Some days more, some days less. I think every person is different and you have to find what works for you. It isn't easy and it takes some time to tweak and get it right. For me, cutting back on refined sugars and carbs was the greatest influence on my loss. I don't really exercise in the traditional sense - I am pretty active in my daily life, I bike ride with my daughter, I have a ton of stairs in my house, I clean constantly, stuff like that. I do believe in taking a day or two off plan every now and then and eating something you wouldn't normally eat - for me it is usually something with sugar or carbs, maybe a slice of pizza. It revved up my metabolism because I could see when I would hit a plateau, it was often when I was eating the same foods over and over for a while and by introducing something new, I would actually break through the plateau. Not an exact science, but it worked for me, and it's just a suggestion. I would never recommend anyone eating and/or burning the same calories as me. I am 40 and have thyroid and hormone issues, so I am unique. Oh, and I am really short, too! lol!

I'd call you a very sensible height! What was your calorie deficit, and how much weight did you lose per week? It's really good to hear from someone my size with the same goal weight as me.

So glad to see a group for little teapots like myself (short and stout!) At 5'0", I'm constantly wishing for a few more inches so I'd be looking down the barrel at 40lbs to lose instead of 80. My current goal which seems so so far away still puts me 15-25lbs over what would really be ideal.

And can someone puhleeze give me tips on where to find cute and stylish petite plus clothes?!

Good morning everyone! Nice to see a group for us vertically challenged girls. I am 5' even and struggle with weight. When I met my husband I was wearing a two piece bathing suit and now I don't even like to go to the beach with him unless I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. I have a cruise coming up in a few weeks and wish I had started with 3FC sooner! Anyways, glad to see this thread.. I just started eating right again last Thursday and I have lost 4 pounds.. slow and steady is the right way to go, right? I also haven't added exercise yet for two reasons 1) knees have really been bother me (anyone have any good exercises that can be done with knees hurting?) 2)thought maybe if i just reduced food intake for now... when i begin to plateau, adding exercise will help more.. what are your thoughts??

~ CC

What is a bodybugg? :?:

Kohl's used to be a great place but I haven't been there in awhile. I love capri pants and I wear them all spring & summer and I could always count on them to have petite plus capris.

How much fibre are folks here shooting for? I'm struggling to reach the recommended 20-25g per day, despite eating lots of fresh fruit, veg and wholegrains. I'm guessing it's because that recommendation assumes a 2000 calorie diet, and I'm on 1100 (which is appropriate for my height, weight and activity levels), so it's harder to get enough fibre in on that amount of food. I'm doing fine with the other nutrients, it's just the fibre. As I've been a touch on the constipated side since starting this diet, presumably because there's less moving through my intestinal tract altogether (I gather it's a common problem), I am trying to think my way through this. A tablespoon of linseed in the mornings is helping a bit but not enough.

A bodybugg is a calorie monitoring device. It measures how many calories your body actually burns doing everything. I have had mine for a week and I already see that my metabolism is a lot slower than I thought. I will have to work much harder than I thought to get the rest of this weight off. They use this device on the Biggest Loser.

Esofia: I am having a problem with it too. I actually just went and bought some Benefiber this morning. I used it in my oatmeal and it had no adverse taste at all. I am with you that my body has changed and everything is moving slower now that I eat less. I have a friend that her doctor recommended supplementing her diet with fiber everyday and she has been using it for years. I am skeptical but if it helps I am fine with using it.

Report back on the Benefiber once you've been using it a while? It looks interesting, but it also looks pricey. On the other hand, I've started looking at fibre supplements in general and they're no cheaper so far. I wonder if there's anything similar but cheap which I can sling into my morning porridge? The ingredient in Benefiber is wheat dextrin, and it looks like you may be able to get that on prescription in the UK, so I'll ask my GP about it.

Checked my Benefibre jar and it says it's made of inulin, a vegetable fibre from chicory root, so it might vary from country to country (i'm in canada). You gave me a start, there, because I try to avoid wheat.

Anyone else short and wide? Not wide as in weight wise, but bone structure. My bones are wide (hips and rib cage). I also have NO waist. My ribs sit so close to my hips it's sad. I'm odd shaped... even losing the weight I'll look odd.
Does anyone else have this? I'm short so I feel like I should be little. Not so wide and odd. Short people are always small or weighty, the ones like me that are built bigger, seem odd. People said I was built like a mythical dwarf in high school. I looked "husky strong" and it didn't help I have HIGH testosterone levels so I had to pluck my hair chin and shave a mustache as well as wax a happy trail...
I hate my body...

Hey, ladies. Hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I am unsure about my exact height, but I know I'm between 4'9 and 4'10. At the moment I'm at 221. I've been trying to portion control (which is hard near the end of the month, because my husband and I run out of food and have to mooch off my parents). I've been doing 30 minutes of walking/running intervals 4 times a week, and 2 times a week I've been doing Jari Love's Ripped DVD.