Help for petites!

For those questions and discussions on the McDougall program that don’t seem to fit in any other forum.

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Help for petites!

Postby Quayette » Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:58 pm

I’m 37 years old. I’m 5’1/4 and weigh 110 lbs. Four years ago, after low carbing and no exercising I weighed 101 lbs.

Three years ago I started to exercise 4 days per week for about 45 minutes per session (treadmill, dumb bells, pilates, stretching, resistance training, etc.). I exercise very calmly, but very consistently. Right now I’ve been doing my best on this new eating lifestyle for about 5 weeks. I thought I was going to loose the weight a little bit faster. I started on october with a weight of 112.5.

I’m loosing weight very slowly. Im traking my calories and Im eating around 1400 calories per day. I think that if I eat less I would feel hungry. I have 3 large meals per day. I don’t like snacking. I rather have 3 moderate meals than 5 small meals..

I would love to loose 10 pounds, but I know it’s more difficult because I am not overweight. Any tips, advice from another petite lady? I don’t feel fat. I am small, but I think I’m skinny fat.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:49 am

I'm petite and in my mid-thirties, so I understand your position. If you watch any of Chef AJ's videos, she will talk about how the last big of weight she lost came off very slowly, not even a pound a week.

If you are looking for a short term "diet," you can try doing a Mary's Mini (search the forums or newsletters for more info). I lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. Another avenue for slower, yet easier, weight loss is the Maximum Weight Loss program. Three is a great forum here and a monthly weigh in group that is very supportive and full of helpful information. And, I found Jeff Novick's video on calorie density to be very helpful, and it is available on YouTube.

In my experience, compliance is the key to success. No oil, no chocolate, no sugar, no flour products. Everyone is different, though, and it did take me a while to figure out how to get this to work for me. Good luck!
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby vgpedlr » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:49 am

Quayette wrote:I’m 37 years old. I’m 5’1/4 and weigh 110 lbs. . . .

I would love to loose 10 pounds, but I know it’s more difficult because I am not overweight. Any tips, advice from another petite lady? I don’t feel fat. I am small, but I think I’m skinny fat.

If you're not overweight, why do you want to,lose more? Currently your BMI is around 21, which is excellent. With such a low bmi, losing more weight will be slow. If it is appearance that is really the issue, then exercise, particularly strength training, will probably help most.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby MINNIE » Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:20 am

If you are building muscle, you are gaining weight -in a good way.

It's unlikely that you are gaining fat eating this way.

I am also quite small, but I eat right, get a reasonable amount of strength-gaining exercise, and never look at a scale.

To me, weight means nothing, body composition does mean something. If I' gain a little weight from getting stronger, that's a very good thing :).



Just one person's opinion, of course.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby roundcoconut » Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:44 am

Y’know what might help you, is to go back and read as much of ETeSelle’s posting history as you need to, to begin to see how other people have reached and maintained the lower end of their range. (You could pick a different Star McDougaller, but I found that Elizabeth TeSelle’s body is most similar to mine, in terms of what and how we need to eat, to be at the lower end of our healthy range.)

You may find that 1400 calories is more than your body needs to support a weight of 101 pounds. I weigh about 103 pounds right now, and when I spotcheck how many calories I need to maintain this weight, it seems to be quite a bit lower than 1400.

Are you eating anything currently in the way of nuts, seeds or avocado? Those can easilyl be eliiminated without compromising satiety. The satiety from a handful of nuts is minimal, but the caloric load is high.

I get what you’re saying about preferring your body at a smaller size, and if you are willing to do a MWL-style eating plan, then you can absolutely have the size body you like. Of course you can’t have it both ways by sayiing “I want to eat 1400 calories and I want to be as slim as I like” — that doesn’t work. But when you play your cards right, you get to eat a LOT of food for even 1200 calories or so. I mean, seriously 1200 calories buys you a LOT of food, volume-wise and satiety-wise.

Can you re-watch jeff novick’s calorie density video? It would help you immensely also!
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby colonyofcells » Wed Nov 15, 2017 12:26 pm

I am 5 foot 3 and my current bmi is 19. In the past, I have tried using winter squash (pumpkin) as my main staple food. I have also tried eating mostly sweet potato. My current staple food is steel cut oats 6 servings per day (I changed from 8 servings per day to 6 servings per day in order to lose more weight). I am now able to include greens and other vegetables, beans, onions, cooked mushrooms, berries, seeds, herbs and spices in my single dish sweet breakfast cereal and single dish salty dinner soup. I tend to boil in order to get more water into my diet so the fiber will work better.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Quayette » Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:30 pm

Thanks everyone for your advice!

I do want to reach the lower end of my weight range because I have been there and I like how I look that way. Also, I have a round face... so, if I am not at my lowest I look chubby in all my pictures. :(
I know I have gained a little bit of muscle weight since exercising (about 3 years ago). I definitely feel my core stronger, but I would like to feel a little bit lighter. As a petite woman, my shoe size is 5... so being 110lbs means that I could take a few pounds off and have less burden over my feet!

I will definitely start tracking my calories and try to eat under 1200. I agree, 1400 calories is a lot and I feel pretty much stuffed.
I hace already seen Jeff Novick's videos on Youtube. Now I will be checking out Chef AJ and ETeSelle's story!!! I need some inspiration!!!!

Thanks for everything...
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby vgpedlr » Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:09 pm

Another thought is that going from 112 to 101 is losing 10% of your body weight, no small feat. The lower you go the tighter the margins become, so generally everything slows down. OTOH, at the other end of the bmi spectrum, ten pounds might go really fast. If you are losing, even if slowly, then you're on the right track.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:16 am

I am totally with you, Quayette. Most people don't get it when you want to loose the last 10 lbs, but when you have a small build, it really makes a huge difference. When I put on just a few pounds I look round really quickly as well. There just isn't room to put any extra weight.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Poison Ivy » Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:33 am

It is really the media. They tell all women if you are not razor thin, then you are not attractive. They tell older women this also. That is why so many women have cosmetic surgeries, esp. older women. They are attempting to live up to some ideal beauty standard.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:18 am

I completely disagree.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Willijan » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:27 am

[quote="Poison Ivy"]It is really the media. They tell all women if you are not razor thin, then you are not attractive. They tell older women this also. That is why so many women have cosmetic surgeries, esp. older women. They are attempting to live up to some ideal beauty standard.[/quote

It is good to have this discussion and also your comment, Poison Ivy. I am 5'4 1/2" and I too want to keep my weight down pretty low (110 lbs., or preferably lower, BMI 18.7), and I am aware that my motivation is looks more than health. Right now my weight is 110 to 111. I don't really need to have my weight that low, but it makes me very happy when it is, and very annoyed when it isn't. I just love feeling very slim, and like I don't see many women who are as slim.

On the other hand, we are encouraged on this website, for health reasons, to keep our weight low, and it may also be good for my health. By Dr. Kempner's standards, as shown in one of Dr. McDougall's newsletters, my weight is not even close to as low as his female patients' average weight. And I have a tendency to high blood pressure, and I am already doing all the other things that might get rid of this tendency, including exercise, low sodium intake, and low dietary fat.

And I know I love the way my husband looks when his weight gets quite low.

But, the fashion and beauty standard motivations are rarely mentioned on this site.

As far as how to get weight down if you are already low, my experience is that it is not difficult, it is just very, very slow once you are already at a low BMI. It has taken me about 5 years to go from 127 to 130, down to 110 to 111. Just be faithful to the lowest-fat version of the diet.
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby Willijan » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:29 am

Lyndzie wrote:I completely disagree.


Lyndzie, I wish you would explain your thinking, because it would probably be interesting to me and I might agree with you. I just have no idea what you are referring to and what you mean. :)
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby roundcoconut » Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:07 am

I think it can be really informative to consistently measure out the stuff you eat that’s in the highest caloric density category for you. Just to make sure that you are eating the amount you intend to be eating, and not twice that amount!

If you are currently eating nuts, then put them in a tiny measuring cup before putting them on your oatmeal. If you are currently drinking any soymilk, then measure out two Tablespoons before putting it in your coffee. Don’t assume that “a little bit” is really a little bit, unless your measuring spoons tell you so!

For someone who is already truly doing MWL (no nuts, no seeds, no flours, no nut butters, no avocado, no soymilk, etc.), I’ve found that you can painlessly callibrate your intake of starches so that you are not overconsuming relative to YOUR energy needs. A 101-pound person (and I think it’s smart to mention that we are eating for the weight we LIKE, not the weight we DON’T like) doesn’t need to have a two-cup portion of oatmeal in the morning. You would probably be fine starting with 2/3 of a cup of dry oatmeal, and cooking it with two parts water, and then adding some fruit.

And same with the lentils, and same with the pintos, etc. Find a new normal that is a little lower than your old normal, and fill out the rest of your plate with extra vegetables or (for oatmeal) with fruit. It is just as satiating, but fewer calories. JeffN calls this the Dilution Solution — eating the same amount of volume/weight, but leaning toward a little lower calorie density to get the lower bmi you like.

Whatever you do, don’t just WAIT. I’m not in love with that line of talk, when people tell you, “Oh, the weight comes off more slowly, just be patient.” No, no, no — do what you gotta do, and GET the outcomes you like. So there’s a few thoughts for you! :)
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Re: Help for petites!

Postby vgpedlr » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:12 pm

Appearance is a tricky thing. The relationship of BMI to longevity aside, the adage that beauty (attractiveness) is in the eye of the beholder has truth. And while it is also true that social conditioning influences our aesthetic values, there is still a lot of individual variation. One person's curves are another person's idea of muscularity, or "too big!" Another person's lean is somebody else's scrawny.

It's interesting to note that a great many guys think they would have a great physique if they gained 5-10 lbs while many women think they would look much better if they lost 5-10 lbs. Guys are thinking muscle and women are thinking fat. Probably they would be better off doing the opposite, guys losing some fat will reveal the muscle they already have, and women firming their muscles will get the lean look .
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