The FastDay Forum

Hello everyone,

I've not found a thread for this already so apologies and point me in the right direction if there is one!

I'm interested to know how those of us who are not blessed in the height department are all doing. Do we have a harder task that the tall people out there? Are you all meeting the average of a pound a week? I know I am so far, but recent weeks I have plateaued a bit and I know that having a week off leads to a big gain for me, which then takes a bit of catching up to get back to where I was.

I'm 5'3" and my husband is 6'2"
We've been fasting for the same length of time, but he has lost at a much faster rate than me. He's now out of the obese category whereas I've still got some way to go before I move into the overweight category. Admittedly he still weighs more than me, but that's as it should be given our height difference. I look at him now and I can see the outline of some of his limb muscles again and his tummy is much slimmer. I look at myself and I don't see either of those things happening yet- I'm still very wobbly. He's going to be looking pretty good on the beach this August whereas I'm still going to be Mrs Thunderthighs.

I've been playing around with the TDEE calculators and there is a whopping 600 calorie difference between his and my requirements if we were at exactly the same BMI. Fair enough, I can cope with the fact that men need more calories than women. I ensure my portion sizes are smaller than his when eating. Even if I change the gender to female but keep the tall person details the same, there is still a difference of 370 calories in TDEE due to the extra 11 inches of height.

I've now lost more than 10% of my body weight but that has taken 5 months and there is still double that amount to go before I get in the healthy range. I know I can get there, but it does seem very hard to do.

Do any other shorties out there want to join me in tracking our progress together?

Hi no more mrs michelin. I am 5'4 and have been wondering the same thing, but not brave enough to ask in case it was a silly question. Glad you asked it first!
I'm not sure that I am a good candidate but am happy to compare shortie notes.
I lost 1lb per week for the first 7 weeks, stayed the same for a week and then put on 2lb this week. All on 5:2. Haven't done anything different so not sure why. Happily life is getting in the way of fasting this week, so I am trying out 16:8 this week for the first time.

I tend to dissagree; I don't think size makes much difference in losing weight. More important, how overweight you are, your commitment and your life style
I am only 5'3" my partner is 5'1"; I have been losing 1.5lb a week since I started on 1st April. My partner is finding it much more difficult, only lost a few lbs in the two months. She works away during the week; staying in hotels and meals out most of the time does not help. I think thats the main reason she is finding it difficult rather than her height.

Hi there, I am also 5ft 4" is that short? I think it might be a bit! It's really annoying that every inch shorter seems to result in a fairly big drop in TDEE! How can that be? I am sure it doesn't result in a similar drop in appetite. And biscuits and cakes are one size fits all, but they do more damage the shorter you are!!! Still I am losing so far with 5:2 albeit slowly....

I'm 5ft 4 too and lost 7lbs in first month. Then put on a bit over Easter and my birthday. Lost that and have now stuck for all of May. Definitely would like to track progress with other shorties.
I'm pear shaped with tree trunk legs and not much in the way of ankles either but I have noticed that my trousers are looser around my thighs so there may be hope??
My weigh day is Friday. Can we have a weekly thread?
Sue

I'm 5' and I've lost 15.5lbs so far since the end of Jan. I haven't lost anything for the last 3 weeks as my TDEE has gone down quite a bit and I don't think I've allowed for that! Over the Bank Holiday I couldn't manage a proper fast so I've missed meals here and there but when I have eaten it was the same as everyone else and some alcohol which I don't usually have. This morning my scales said I had lost 1lb so very pleased about that. Being short does affect your TDEE quite a lot it seems. I have noticed that I now have a significant waist and I have gone down a couple of sizes in jeans which is brilliant.

Well. I'm 5'2" so a shortie here too. Ooohh I wish I was 5'4" those 2" make a difference hahaha.
I would say it's how much weight you have to lose rather than your height.
I have lost 1-2lb a week on average with a couple of hiccups along the way. I have lost 24lb so far and down 2 sizes in trousers.
I do agree though. TDEE isn't too kind to us short ones!!

Hi, I'm 5'4" with a 6.5' husband who is a fidgeter. Talk about differing calorie requirements! I do think that even if we were the same height, the gender difference (with bigger muscles) makes a huge difference. Unfair! But that's life.

Shall we have a single shorties united thread then and all just post on the one thread so it's not all over the place?
I'm sure someone else was asking about height being included on the tracker. Would we like that? We could ask Moogie. Also wondering if it could be included as a filter on the forum stats.
Any other bright ideas or requests?

I'm 4'11" (well, depends on which leg I stand on but that's my tallest!) and my TDEE is a miserable 1340 for sedentary days - starvation I'd call it! I'm a weird shape too so have gone 'empirically': 1700 cals on feast days and 500 cals on fast days (4:3'ing) has done me fine so far, even with a few blowouts at weekends! I'm wondering if the TDEE calculators are that good at our 'extreme' end of the scale.

You're doing really well FatDog. Feels a bit rude calling you that

Oh I'm so glad to hear from you all!

I think it might be interesting to be able to filter on the stats by height. I eat similarly to my husband except I have smaller portions, he certainly drinks more alcohol than me, but we have similar activity levels.

I think there is an issue for us shorties in portion sizes generally - one biscuit, or even one banana or egg is a far higher % of our TDEE than it is for taller people.

I have a large frame, but I'm not aware of a TDEE calculator that takes that into account (by which I mean I take a large size in hats, so a big skull, and I have size 7 feet, which is at the top end of normal for women, and certainly at the top end for someone of my height.

Thanks for the boost izzy - I will look better than I have for years but then again, I've avoided been seen on the beach in a costume for a very long time. I have gone down a size and a half, but there's still a way to go. And yes, my dear husband does love me, whatever size I am.

Here I am! Another Shortie at 5' 1" and an older one at that, grandmother, (have shrunk from lifelong 5'2")and still working hard just about full time! Workout at the gym 3 times a week, having success with helping repair a shoulder injury and getting more toned for sure. BUT losing weight with 5:2 is fantastic, since Jan lost just over 1lb a week. As for inches, it's wonderful to feel so trim, energetic and well - 2 sizes down, and moving well. (see my tracker if you like). Am trying to keep to the TDEE figures put up on my tracker which change as I lose weight.
It is interesting that even with my weight-and- inches losses my muscle volume is only very very slightly down on latest measurement and according to the trainer at the gym " it's insignificant" . This underlines what MM says about not losing muscle volume on the 5:2 fasting regime.
"Slow and steady wins the race." Keep at it!
Katharina

Hi, another shortie signing up - 5ft 3ins.
In my 18th week, on my 40th fast & I've lost 20lbs so far. So averaging just over a pound a week & really happy with my weight loss so far. Didn't work out my TDEE as not calorie counting on feed days but was sad to see how low it was when it was added to the progress tracker. Another disadvantage to being smaller lol - oh to be taller

Hi guys, is there room for another little one?
I am 4'10" (and I would KILL to be 5'4" lol)
I also think it's grossly unfair that our TDEE is so low, making it so easy for us to overeat and gain weight. I am loving 5:2, found it really easy and intuitive and I've lost an average of about 1 lb/week but like a few of you I've been on a bit o a plateau for the last few weeks.