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Or lack thereof. It's so frustrating! I am 41, 5'2", and the weight has slowly crept up. I need to lose 20 pounds. I started keto and despite filling my macros right and watching my calories very carefully I cannot lose any weight at all and those keto headaches are unbearable. My wife, who is 4'11", went on it with me and she's GAINING weight from it. The general consensus and I read this many places is that keto is a very difficult diet plan for short women because of the caloric density of fat. We just can't eat enough food to stave off hunger without gaining weight because our daily calorie requirement is minuscule to start with.
So back to the drawing board. I'll exercise and do whatever, and I don't expect quick results, but I would like some success. I'd love some tips from fellow shorties, other women, ladies in menopause, or people who have a ridiculously hard time losing weight about how to make it easier. There is so much conflicting advice out there. Lower carbs, raise carbs, raise protein, lower protein, fast, don't fast, small frequent meals, three meals a day only, do strength training, only do cardio, it's very confusing and I'm not sure what to do next. I have tried many methods of getting rid of these pounds and it's incredibly hard, much harder than it is even for other women so I must be going about it wrong.
Or lack thereof. It's so frustrating! I am 41, 5'2", and the weight has slowly crept up. I need to lose 20 pounds. I started keto and despite filling my macros right and watching my calories very carefully I cannot lose any weight at all and those keto headaches are unbearable. My wife, who is 4'11", went on it with me and she's GAINING weight from it. The general consensus and I read this many places is that keto is a very difficult diet plan for short women because of the caloric density of fat. We just can't eat enough food to stave off hunger without gaining weight because our daily calorie requirement is minuscule to start with.
So back to the drawing board. I'll exercise and do whatever, and I don't expect quick results, but I would like some success. I'd love some tips from fellow shorties, other women, ladies in menopause, or people who have a ridiculously hard time losing weight about how to make it easier. There is so much conflicting advice out there. Lower carbs, raise carbs, raise protein, lower protein, fast, don't fast, small frequent meals, three meals a day only, do strength training, only do cardio, it's very confusing and I'm not sure what to do next. I have tried many methods of getting rid of these pounds and it's incredibly hard, much harder than it is even for other women so I must be going about it wrong.
Often times you have to try various methods or combinations to get results. In your case, you're right, you are shorter so your body requires less calories. Of course, you need to have a deficit in order to lose, which is hard when (as you said) you don't have a lot of calories to begin with. Also, you are in your 40s. From my experience, your metabolism does change and not for the better. All is not hopeless, though.
I think, honestly, you would be well served by becoming more active. Since you can't cut a lot without feeling ravenous, you're going to have to get that deficit from other means. Working out achieves that. I plugged in some hypothetical numbers based on what you've provided. To lose weight as a sedentary/lightly active person, you'd need to consume 1398 calories give or take, which is pretty low. When I changed the activity level to "moderately active", you could eat 1498, which is doable.
I eat about 1400-1500 calories most days of the week, with one day at 4000+ calories. For my lighter days, I eat about every 2-3 hours, timing meals so that I don't get hungry. Try and choose meals that contain things that fill you up. For me, it'd be beans, fibrous foods, nuts. I feel decently full, despite eating only 1400-1500 calories.
My workouts consist of equal parts cardio and strength training.
Riaelise is spot on. Adding exercise will also make you FEEL better/alive. Cardio and strength training will allow you to eat more (cardio burns fat and calories - muscle from strength training increases your resting metabolism). Let's say you worked up to jogging 2 miles, for a short person, depending on your speed, that is close to 200 calories burned. But you get the aerobic effect as well (burning additional calories a few hours after as you are still cranked up a bit after your run).
I agree. I need to exercise. I did it for years, then got very bored doing it by myself. I live out in the country, and there are few in my area. I will look for some nearby. I think encouragement from other people can really help motivate me again.
I agree. I need to exercise. I did it for years, then got very bored doing it by myself. I live out in the country, and there are few in my area. I will look for some nearby. I think encouragement from other people can really help motivate me again.
I get very bored exercising by myself, too. I go to a local gym where I have friends to talk to while exercising. One thing you could try that works very well for my 37 year old son is exercising while watching TV. He uses a treadmill but there are a lot of options. Tip - if price is an object there are plenty of used equipment for sale at big discounts.
Leslie Sansone has some great walking workout videos that you can do at home to get started. They're on YouTube too.
But yeah, you just have to eat less to get the weight off and it may seem like a very low number at your height and age. There's no way around it.
I would also be careful with your portions. When you're at the lower end of the calorie allowance, even 50-100 cals can offset your weight loss. So just be sure to measure or weigh everything. No estimating
Often times you have to try various methods or combinations to get results. In your case, you're right, you are shorter so your body requires less calories. Of course, you need to have a deficit in order to lose, which is hard when (as you said) you don't have a lot of calories to begin with. Also, you are in your 40s. From my experience, your metabolism does change and not for the better. All is not hopeless, though.
I think, honestly, you would be well served by becoming more active. Since you can't cut a lot without feeling ravenous, you're going to have to get that deficit from other means. Working out achieves that. I plugged in some hypothetical numbers based on what you've provided. To lose weight as a sedentary/lightly active person, you'd need to consume 1398 calories give or take, which is pretty low. When I changed the activity level to "moderately active", you could eat 1498, which is doable.
I eat about 1400-1500 calories most days of the week, with one day at 4000+ calories. For my lighter days, I eat about every 2-3 hours, timing meals so that I don't get hungry. Try and choose meals that contain things that fill you up. For me, it'd be beans, fibrous foods, nuts. I feel decently full, despite eating only 1400-1500 calories.
My workouts consist of equal parts cardio and strength training.
Why do you eat 4000 one day and then 1500 the other days? Is it just preference?
Seems like you could eat a little more on the other 6 days?
Keto would never work for me, mostly because I have a genetic disorder that requires me to keep my fat intake to a maximum of 20 grams per day. I don’t stress about carbs or protein, because it’s tedious enough to micromanage fat intake. My diet consists of lots of fruit and vegetables, sensible portions of pulses, whole grains, and starchy tubers, lean protein (eggs, non-fatty fish, tofu, white meat poultry). It’s pretty similar to the new Weight Watchers, I guess.
As far as working out goes, I don’t lift weights anymore. I did for years but I really didn’t like the way I looked; kind of like Barney Rubble from the neck down. Stair master thrice per week is pretty much it now.
OP, you could also eat two big meals (600-700 cals) per meal a day. That may work, but those meals can't be crap. They need to be balanced since you're getting your total nutrition from two meals. And I'm sorry, I wouldn't skimp on fiber. Fiber makes you full. I don't find veggies very filling at all when coupled with meat. Vegetables contain largely water and that fullness is temporary. Personally I feel full having a balanced meal, 5-6 oz meat, a starch (small potato/red potatoes/3/4 cup of rice/ 1/2 cup of beans), and over half the plate veggies. I eat probably a plateful of broccoli a day. My dinner probably totals no more than 550, but with that configuration I'm full for over 12 hours.
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