Petite People?

[anniet]

Anybody Here between 5 feet and 5' 3" that wants to be on a thread to discuss the challenges of being short and losing weight?

Some think it's easier because they think you can lose a few pounds and it looks like more, but I think there are some challenges too...anybody else find that?

 

[anniet]

Awww c'mon...I can't be the only person here that's short...can I?

 

[Mary Anne]

I am 5 ft tall. I never heard it say that short people make it look like more. I think the biggest challange is you normal weight # is so much lower then someone two or three inches taller. I feel like there is very little wiggle room.

 

[Wishes n Dreams]

I agree that being short has it's own issues in weight loss. Right now I am 5'2" and weigh about 226, and when I have told people my final weight loss goal, somewhere between 115-125 they always say "that is way too skinny" I just want to be like "I am 5'2" so that is my ideal weight, it might be too skinny for you at 5'8" or whatever but not for me."

 

[anniet]

the nice thing is that when you lose about 10 pounds people think you have lost a lot of weight (at least that happens to me - I lost 8 and got tons of compliments but I kept saying "Hold on, I've got 45 more to go!")

some of the other issues I find are with lifting weights on the machines. A lot of the machines, expecially for biceps don't fit me properly even with the adjustments so I have to move to free weights.

I also think I really have to watch calorie intake closely - I know others who have just gone low carb and eat as much as they want and they can lose as much as they need to, but when I've cut out carbs it really has never been enough...I have to cut my portions down to about at least 3/4 to 1/2 of what others would think would be okay.

 

[JudyS]

I'm short, but I'm definitely not petite, unfortunately!

I find people don't really notice that I've lost weight unless I've lost a LOT, but that's because I'm pretty big to begin with.

One thing I'd like opinions on is walking/jogging speed. I'd LOVE to do a Disney 5k or 10k, but I find it very hard to make the speed requirements (which are 4 mph or 3.8 mph.) I've been exercising quite diligently for a long time, but just can't get my speed up. I'm hoping my slowness is at least partly due to how short my legs are (I wear pants with about a 27" or 28" inseam), and not just to being out of shape! Any thoughts on this?

 

[anniet]

I'm short, but I'm definitely not petite, unfortunately!

I find people don't really notice that I've lost weight unless I've lost a LOT, but that's because I'm pretty big to begin with.

One thing I'd like opinions on is walking/jogging speed. I'd LOVE to do a Disney 5k or 10k, but I find it very hard to make the speed requirements (which are 4 mph or 3.8 mph.) I've been exercising quite diligently for a long time, but just can't get my speed up. I'm hoping my slowness is at least partly due to how short my legs are (I wear pants with about a 27" or 28" inseam), and not just to being out of shape! Any thoughts on this?

Judy - I have about the same inseam and I did the Disney Half Marathon in 2005. One thing a trainer suggested to me to get in shape and bring up my speed was intervals - walk for 2 minutes, jog for 30 seconds. If you need some inspiration I recommend a book by John Bingham called No Need for Speed. He was out of shape and in his 40s when he began running.

You'll get there!

 

[ksoehrlein]

I am 5'2.5" and signed up for Race for the Taste despite the 4mph requirement. My husband is 6'6" and can hit the pace with a slow, loping walk. Me? Not so much. But I started the couch to 5k program this spring and now I can walk for quite a while at that pace and can run even faster. The key is to just keep building up gradually. You can do it, even with short legs. The motivation of a Disney race can really help you stay focused, so even though the pace sounds challenging now, I'd say give it a shot.

 

[kamgen]

Hey everyone! I have been on and off the WISH board since it first started.
In 2004 I lost 55lbs. Then I had two children and life happened and now I am bigger than I was before.
I am 5' and weigh 177 right now. It is difficult to be short and fat. For me it is frustrating because I already did this weight loss thing and I dont want to do all that ever again.....but now I have to. I could really use the motivation and help from people like me!

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

I know exactly what you mean! I recently lost 5 lbs and DF said you really can tell 5 lbs. on you! WHAT! It is true. I need to drop at least 30. Two years ago I lost 80 and everyone said I was too skinny but I still needed to drop about 15 lbs. Well, now I have some back on and need to get going again!

The hard part for me is getting my head in the game.

Any takers on a petite support group?

 

[3DisneyKids]

Hey--5'2" here and have some of the same complaints as others. If I gain 10 pounds, it looks like SO much more. My friends who are 5'7" or so can all easily hide an extra 10-12 pounds. Me? No way. It puts me in a different size and everything.

I guess the flip side is true as well...you lose 10 and it shows, so that is something!

I am still 10 pounds above my goal weight and it is difficult because I am still not "thin." Taller folks look thin when they just have 10 left to go. I certainly don't look fat, but I just look average.

One thing I'd like opinions on is walking/jogging speed. I'd LOVE to do a Disney 5k or 10k, but I find it very hard to make the speed requirements (which are 4 mph or 3.8 mph.) I've been exercising quite diligently for a long time, but just can't get my speed up. I'm hoping my slowness is at least partly due to how short my legs are (I wear pants with about a 27" or 28" inseam), and not just to being out of shape! Any thoughts on this?

I am a runner (now...sure didn't used to be) and I run at 6.0 with about a 28.5" inseam. I started out being much slower. My running speed was 4.8 and my walking was 3.8. There are two things that you can do to improve your speed...

1--lose weight. (Easier said than done, I know!) This just makes sense. The less you have to lug around, the faster you can go.

2--do tempo runs! This is what every major runner does to improve speed. Olympians, professionals, right down to little ol' beginners like me. There is tons of information available on tempo runs, so do a bit of research and you will find a program that works for you. Here is my tempo run work-out:

--10 minute warm-up at easy pace (for me, this is about 5.2)
--5 minute tempo pace (this should be "comfortably hard"...you CAN do it, but you sure wish it was time to stop!) For me, this is about 6.3-ish
--3 minutes recovery...very slow easy pace (5.0)
--5 minutes tempo
--3 minutes recovery
--5 minutes tempo
--10-15 minutes slow easy pace again (back to about 5.3-ish)

This works out to a nice 40-45 minute run.

Before you can begin tempo runs, though, you first need to get to the point where you can run continuously for 30-35 minutes (at ANY pace that you can maintain for that duration).

 

[DznyDreams]

I agree that being short has it's own issues in weight loss. Right now I am 5'2" and weigh about 226, and when I have told people my final weight loss goal, somewhere between 115-125 they always say "that is way too skinny" I just want to be like "I am 5'2" so that is my ideal weight, it might be too skinny for you at 5'8" or whatever but not for me."

Hey! We're almost the same size....I'm just 1 inch taller. I'm setting a higher goal for myself because of my less-than-petite bone structure. I'm in the same boat as JudyS - short, but not petite. I'm aiming for 135-140, which is the high end of the range WW offers. When I reach that range, if I or my doctor feels that I should lose more, then I will. For now, I'm focused on the short-term goals since I have 85-90 more lbs to go. On a positive note: I'm very close to being able to say that I've lost 100 lbs altogether.

I find that walking with friends is near impossible for me. Almost everyone I know is a good 3-5 inches taller than me. I wish there was a walking club for short people!

 

[JudyS]

Judy - I have about the same inseam and I did the Disney Half Marathon in 2005. One thing a trainer suggested to me to get in shape and bring up my speed was intervals - walk for 2 minutes, jog for 30 seconds. ....

I am 5'2.5" and signed up for Race for the Taste despite the 4mph requirement. My husband is 6'6" and can hit the pace with a slow, loping walk. Me? Not so much. But I started the couch to 5k program this spring and now I can walk for quite a while at that pace and can run even faster. The key is to just keep building up gradually. You can do it, even with short legs....

....
I am a runner (now...sure didn't used to be) and I run at 6.0 with about a 28.5" inseam. I started out being much slower. My running speed was 4.8 and my walking was 3.8. There are two things that you can do to improve your speed...

1--lose weight. (Easier said than done, I know!) This just makes sense. The less you have to lug around, the faster you can go.

2--do tempo runs! This is what every major runner does to improve speed. Olympians, professionals, right down to little ol' beginners like me. There is tons of information available on tempo runs, so do a bit of research and you will find a program that works for you. Here is my tempo run work-out:

--10 minute warm-up at easy pace (for me, this is about 5.2)
....

Oh, man. I feel awful now. I have been trying for about two years to get my speed up, with no luck. I can only do faster than 4 mph for about 30 seconds before I get really winded and have to stop. I can't average more than 3.4 mph, it seems, no matter how hard I try or how long I train. I exercise a lot -- at least an hour every day -- and I do those little 30 second jogs diligently, but I never seem to improve. The idea of 5.2 being an "easy pace" just seems inconceivable to me.

As for losing more weight, I would love to, but I have really really really struggled just to lose the weight I have so far, with feeling absolutely famished and freezing cold a lot. (I was even using an electric blanket for part of July.) I am just a naturally heavy person, so please don't post telling me that I must be eating wrong -- I have tried all sorts of diets and losing about 35 or 40 pounds is a major accomplishment for me; I don't think losing more is possible until modern medicine invents something that makes my hunger level and metabolism more like a normal person's.

It makes me so upset when people say what worked for them, and then I try it and it doesn't work for me. I don't know what's wrong with my body, but it just doesn't seem to work like other people's bodies do. I would desperately like to find other people in the same boat so I wouldn't feel so alone, but they don't seem to exist.

I've started crying now. I really wish I hadn't posted.

 

[DznyDreams]

Oh, man. I feel awful now. I have been trying for about two years to get my speed up, with no luck. I can only do faster than 4 mph for about 30 seconds before I get really winded and have to stop. I can't average more than 3.4 mph, it seems, no matter how hard I try or how long I train. I exercise a lot -- at least an hour every day -- and I do those little 30 second jogs diligently, but I never seem to improve. The idea of 5.2 being an "easy pace" just seems inconceivable to me.

As for losing more weight, I would love to, but I have really really really struggled just to lose the weight I have so far, with feeling absolutely famished and freezing cold a lot. (I was even using an electric blanket for part of July.) I am just a naturally heavy person, so please don't post telling me that I must be eating wrong -- I have tried all sorts of diets and losing about 35 or 40 pounds is a major accomplishment for me; I don't think losing more is possible until modern medicine invents something that makes my hunger level and metabolism more like a normal person's.

It makes me so upset when people say what worked for them, and then I try it and it doesn't work for me. I don't know what's wrong with my body, but it just doesn't seem to work like other people's bodies do. I would desperately like to find other people in the same boat so I wouldn't feel so alone, but they don't seem to exist.

I've started crying now. I really wish I hadn't posted.

Oh, Judys Please do not cry. I believe there are actually a lot of people in the same boat as you. As a matter of fact, my mom is one of them. It is very frustrating for her to go to WW with me. Even though my weight loss efforts have slowed considerably as compared to last year, I am still sticking to the WW program and losing slowly. My mom, however, can stick to program like glue and only end up with a loss of .2 or none at all for several weeks in a row. That HAS to be frustrating, but you can't let it beat you. The fact that you are still working at it and at least trying to learn of new ways to increase your speed, etc. is terrific. I don't think anyone was trying to make you feel badly about yourself, I just think they touched a nerve. It's okay . . . . REALLY!

I am just curious though.....have you had a thyroid check lately? I know that thyroid conditions cause many of the symptoms you have mentioned. Just a thought . . . Hang in there!

 

[jbucci]

I had to jump into this thread. I am 5' tall and could stand to lose about 40 lbs. It is really frustrating because the wt seems to fall off of my DH while I eat less than half of what he does and lose next to nothing. I have also started jogging this year and have gradually built up my pace. I can now walk as fast as 4.3mph and jog comfortably at 5mph and for around 4-5min at 6mph (meanwhile my 6 ft tall DH looks effortless at 6mph).

This week at the gym I tried to do the elliptical to give my knee a break and realized the handles are made for someone much taller!! I couldn't reach the "take your pulse grips" and still comfortable use the machine

Anyway, I just wanted to join in...

 

[perfectmatch300]

Judy, I feel your pain! I've been trying to get my speed up to standard for a WDW race for about 4 years now and I'm still not there yet. I am 5'0 with short legs and despite what I hear from some, it really is a problem that my stride is so short. I can't even set my pedometer low enough to get an accurate measurement from it!
That said, I do believe I have made progress. Low carb works best for me when I decide to take it seriously, and losing weight really does help. I have also been taking a dance class that keeps me moving at a faster pace for longer periods of time than I would if I'm just walking. I guess when I'm dancing I think I'm having fun but when I am walking for speed it feels like work!
Oh, many of the machines at the gym don't work for me either. Same as several others have already said. Believe it or not, the elliptical KILLS my knees and hips because the step rise is too high for me!
Whatever you do, don't give up! You can do it!

 

[suzannews]

Glad I saw this post...I am 5ft 1in and struggle walking with friends who are much taller. It takes me 2 steps for their 1. I did the Minnie 15K in May and trained for over 4 months with walking and jogging to get under the 15 min/mile. Crossing the finish line was one of the best feelings ever. I am signed up for a 5K this Saturday (as long as the storm moves), Race for the Taste 10K in October and the 1/2 marathon in January.

Nice to "meet" everyone!

 

[3DisneyKids]

Oh, man. I feel awful now. I have been trying for about two years to get my speed up, with no luck. I can only do faster than 4 mph for about 30 seconds before I get really winded and have to stop. I can't average more than 3.4 mph, it seems, no matter how hard I try or how long I train. I exercise a lot -- at least an hour every day -- and I do those little 30 second jogs diligently, but I never seem to improve. The idea of 5.2 being an "easy pace" just seems inconceivable to me.

As for losing more weight, I would love to, but I have really really really struggled just to lose the weight I have so far, with feeling absolutely famished and freezing cold a lot. (I was even using an electric blanket for part of July.) I am just a naturally heavy person, so please don't post telling me that I must be eating wrong -- I have tried all sorts of diets and losing about 35 or 40 pounds is a major accomplishment for me; I don't think losing more is possible until modern medicine invents something that makes my hunger level and metabolism more like a normal person's.

It makes me so upset when people say what worked for them, and then I try it and it doesn't work for me. I don't know what's wrong with my body, but it just doesn't seem to work like other people's bodies do. I would desperately like to find other people in the same boat so I wouldn't feel so alone, but they don't seem to exist.

I've started crying now. I really wish I hadn't posted.

I am so sorry that this thread has made you sad! Please know that my post was meant to be supportive.

And you are not alone!

First, I have been on a plateau for 6 freaking months. And that is working out 2 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week and watching what I eat. I just DON'T lose! So I hear ya there.

And if speed is really stressing you out, go to your local running specialty store (NOT a chain sporting goods store) and see about a running coach. They are usually fairly cheap but man, what a difference!

 

[JudyS]

Oh, Judys Please do not cry. I believe there are actually a lot of people in the same boat as you..... I don't think anyone was trying to make you feel badly about yourself, I just think they touched a nerve. It's okay . . . . REALLY!

Judy, I feel your pain! I've been trying to get my speed up to standard for a WDW race for about 4 years now and I'm still not there yet. I am 5'0 with short legs and despite what I hear from some, it really is a problem that my stride is so short. I can't even set my pedometer low enough to get an accurate measurement from it!...

Thanks, DznyDreams and Perfectmatch300. Yeah, I agree that no one was trying to make me feel bad, it's just so frustrating when it feels like everyone is having success except me.

Recently, I was trying to find advice to help me do C25K, and the first site that came up in Google was www.C25k.com. It's full of statements like, "C25K is a fantastic program that's been designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers or 30 minutes in just 9 weeks....ANYBODY CAN DO IT!... All of you can finish C25K, I have no doubt whatsoever. I have never seen one person say 'this is too difficult, I'm stopping the program' Yes, you can do this!" I suppose this is meant to be motivational but I found it so discouraging, as if I were the only person in the world that can't do this. Gee, if "anybody" can do C25K and I can't, then I guess by definition that makes me nobody! But, DznyDreams, you are probably right that there are other people in the same boat. In fact, I'd bet that the www.C25k.com website is wrong and there are lots of other people who can't do C25K, but many of them are too embarrassed to speak up. I suspect that in general, people are much more likely to speak up if their running/weight loss/whatever plan is going well than if it isn't.

Perfectmatch300, congrats on sticking with it so long, and I definitely believe short stride plays a role! (I'm taller than you, too, so that makes your sticking with this even more impressive.) I guess we just have to hang in there. I do know that all this exercise has improved my health. (In particular, my "good" cholesterol has almost doubled, while my "bad" cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar have all dropped. My resting heart has dropped, too.) Exercise is probably doing wonderful things for your health, as well. I guess we need to ignore these arbitrary goals (like 15 minutes per mile) that are designed mostly for taller people, and just focus on what we know helps our health.

I am just curious though.....have you had a thyroid check lately? I know that thyroid conditions cause many of the symptoms you have mentioned. Just a thought . . . Hang in there!

I get asked that a lot, but my thyroid level has been tested by numerous endocrinologists and isn't low. It looks like I'm going to have to wait for medicine to progress before it figures out what's wrong with me. Unfortunately, even doctors seem to believe that being heavy is determined only by behavior, not physiology, so not many of them are doing research on this -- very frustrating. I appreciate the virtual hug, though!

....
And you are not alone!

First, I have been on a plateau for 6 freaking months. And that is working out 2 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week and watching what I eat. I just DON'T lose! So I hear ya there.

And if speed is really stressing you out, go to your local running specialty store (NOT a chain sporting goods store) and see about a running coach. They are usually fairly cheap but man, what a difference!

A running coach sounds like a good idea; thanks! There is a very good running store near my house and they offer running classes, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up. (That has, unfortunately, been my previous experience with other sorts of exercise classes, even when I contacted the instructor beforehand and was told "It's not hard at all, don't worry.") The store doesn't mention offering individual coaching, but I've emailed them to ask about that and am waiting for a reply.

As for whether we are going through the same thing, though, my guess is that our experiences are pretty different. I would love to be struggling with 10 pounds to lose like you are; I can't seem to get anywhere near that. I really try -- I have been a vegetarian for several decades and have avoided almost all grains for 5 years in an attempt to lose weight, and I often eat so little that I am extremely hungry. I take ephedrine to lose weight (although I worry about its health risks) plus a bunch of other weight-loss supplements. I'm also on a drug (Byetta) that helps suppress appetite, but has to be injected multiple times a day (the needle going in isn't painful, but the drug itself sometimes burns like heck.)

Despite all this, I am currently still about 60 or 70 pounds heavier than what the height/weight charts say I should be, and I have been really struggling to stay there and not gain back what I've lost so far. And, it's not just my problems with weight loss and exercise. My body also is failing me in all sorts of other ways, including that I've tried pretty desperately to have children for 15 years now with no luck (and now it appears that it's never going to happen.) So, I really mean it when I say that my body just doesn't seem to work the way other people's bodies do.

 

[karynnix]

I'm 4'11'' and losing weight is miserable!! I have been at the same weight for years now. I think I'm stuck!

It makes me so discouraged to read in a magazine that to lose weight, all you need to do is add 30 minutes of exercise a day and drink more water. I drink so much water that my eyeballs float. I walk 3 miles almost every single night. I have cut my portion sizes in half. I have cut out most of my fat and sugar. NOTHING works anymore! I have looked at Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, but it's just too expensive to justify purchasing it. There is no reason why you should feel like you need to deprive yourself of everything!

Eating is just not fun anymore. I don't enjoy eating out because all I can think about is how my clothes will fit tomorrow. Two pounds carries on my like 10 would on someone else. It's just not fair!