PLEASE HELP, can this be true? I'm 4'11...
 

I actually think it is harder to lose weight if you are shorter since you do have to cut calories by quite a bit (you don't have the leeway that taller people have). I don't know the answer to your problem, but 600 calories a day puts you into starvation mode. You still can't eat below 1200 calories. You might just have to stay at your current weight because eating less than 1200 calories will starve you anyways. Thinking about that depresses me, actually, because it isn't fair. It's not fair that some people are genetically predisposed to fat either, but that's the way life is. Sucks.

You can't really go by online calculators to figure out how much you need to eat to lose. Everyone is different and there are so many factors involved.

I know Bally's offers a way to estimate your metabolism but other than that, I haven't heard of any other near effective means.

I would set a caloric level such as 1200 and try that for a month and see what happens.

Also, weight fluctuates daily on many factors so I wouldn't worry about the day to day fluctuations.

Your BMI is slightly over 25. A BMI of 20-24.9 is considered normal. Maybe you can just work out a little more and reduce your calories a bit, even if it means a slower weight loss.

I'm definitely not an expert but you're already pretty low on the calories, and I've seen so many times that you shouldn't eat less than 1200 cal/day for too long.

Have you consulted with your doctor or maybe a nutritionist?

A daily intake of less than 1200 calories isn't necessarily 'starvation', especially not for a short person. The 1200 calorie threshold refers to nutrients, not starvation: the idea is that the average person can't take care of their nutritional needs on less than 1200 calories per day. A smaller person, like the OP, might very well be able to satisfy their nutritional needs with 1000 (well spent) calories per day and a vitamin pill. But the issue is nutrition, not starvation (although for many people the two will go hand in hand).

Twentytogo, as I see it, your options are to either consult a nutritionist or to just play in by ear. Have you tried eating 1000 or 1100 calories a day plus exercise to see what happens? All those calculators are just estimates: it might be different for your body.

You could also think about adding weight training to your exercise routine. Muscle needs more calories to maintain itself than fat does, so you get to eat a little more too. :)

Sqwigg blogged about something like this recently...if you are already working out like a fiend...ya might wanna look into it.

Stay healthy! :hug:

Hey! Take a deep breath now. Ahhhhh.... OK, here's what I did. I took your height and weight, and assumed you have an age like 30. I entered this information into my FitDay program, and set your activity level at sedentary. What I got is that your everyday calorie burn, with NO exercise, is 1,744 cals. To lose 20 pounds in three months, you would need to drop your eating by 458 cals a day, average, so you would eat an average of 1,286 cals per day.

Remember, that's without exercise. If you were exercising you would have a bigger deficit, or you could eat a bit more than the 1,286.

If you are younger and even more active than sedentary, your burn level would be higher still.

I think you must have been looking at some pretty weird calculators! :yikes:

Jay

Ok, I took a deep breath, lol. I thank everyone so much for the responses. I am confident I will lose my last 20 that has been sending me insane for years now. Its been a yoyo for such a long time. I was closest to loosing it again about 2 years ago, I got down to about 114. I am 43 now, which I am sure placed my metobolism in another lower level. To acheive that loss, I worked out cardio and weights, 5-6 days a week (60-90 min. daily), eating an average of 900-1200 cal. a day. I been doing this long enough, I understand portion control, lean chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit. Fat free dairy, yogurt everyday, blah blah blah. Let me ask this...I know I have screwed up my metoblism big time due to my constant yoyo dieting for several years. What is the best way to increase it? Can it be done after years of it? Can it be done now that I am over 40?

The only proven way to increase your metabolism is weight training to build muscle.

It may take longer than 3 months...the less you weigh, the less you can sanely lose each week. Patience and lifestyle.

All you have to do is cut calories and portions and increase workouts.

Dont worry about calorie deficits....its impossible to do that....but just remember that if you eat, say, 1200 calories a day and work out for an hour, you'll be fine, because you burn calories by walking around, breathing, sleeping, brushing your teeth....I'm not saying that that will make you lose weight but it adds up. And even if you simply cut portions and eat less, you'll lose weight because your metabolism will speed up a little.

My suggestion is to drink a lot of water and green tea. and lots of fruits and veggies!

Hello again!

I agree with ennay about building muscle with resistance training.

Also, I am rather older than you are, and my resting metabolic rate is still over 1600 cals per day.

Eating below 1200 cals per day is NOT recommended unless you are under medical supervision. You can actually slow your metabolism by eating too little. I would say that if you are exercising as much as you say you are, then you should be able to lose weight while eating closer to 1400 cals per day. You would probably feel better, too.

Also, it could be that at your age, your goal weight is too low, even given that you are 4 ft 11. What is so important about losing 20 pounds? Why not 10?

I am not an expert--and it might be good to consult a nutritionist--but I'd suggest keeping with your stepped-up exercise and increasing your calories to 1400 for two weeks and seeing what happens. Of course, don't add a bunch of carbs--try for a balance of nutrients, and concentrate mostly on protein.

Jay

I'm going to take everyones advice and work on it. It all does make sense. As for my weight, well that could be up for debate. I really want to be a size 4. Maybe even if I weigh more when I get there. At my height, a size 4 is not SKINNY. I have been there many times before (remember I have yoyo'd, ugh). I was very happy a size 2, but now that I am older I think that may be unrealiastic. I was a size 6 early 2007 and still looked pretty chubby. Right now I'm a loose size 8. Very chunky for being short.

Ultimately, my more than anything, my goal is to finally maintain a weight I comfortable with, continue to work out and eat the right amount for good health and fitness the rest of my life. I want the yoyo'ing to be DONE!