Fat-Loss Considerations For Petite Women (and Those With Slow Metabolisms)

 Fat-Loss Considerations For Petite Women (and Those With Slow Metabolisms)

Some people have it easy when it comes to dieting.

We all know the type.

  • Your husband stops drinking beer and loses 10 pounds in the first week.
  • Your sister takes up yoga and looks bikini ready in a month.
  • Your brother gives up eating sweets and loses 3 inches off his waist without even trying.

 

Life – and dieting – just doesn’t seem fair sometimes.

Some people are on the opposite end of this spectrum.

You’ve tried everything under the sun, and fat loss is elusive for you.

 

You’ve tried low carb.
You’ve tried high carb.
You’ve tried low fat.
You’ve tried high fat.

You’ve tried high protien, vegan, Paleo, Ornish, Weight Watchers, Atkins, fasting, juice cleanses, and even Carnivore.

 

While dieting is never a piece of cake (sorry, bad pun), some people simply have it worse off than others.

Easily the most frustrating “dieting demographic” is the petite female.

 

There are a number of reasons why short females have an extremely difficult time getting lean and staying lean.

The purpose of this article is to point them in the right direction.

 

Why is dieting harder for shorter women?

There are a number of reasons why dieting is more difficult for women – particularly shorter women.

Shorter women have a minuscule calorie maintenance.

 

Let’s take the case of a normal, shorter female who works out a few hours per week, has a desk job, and is trying to lose weight.

She (correctly) decides that calories are the most important part of fat loss, and she estimates how many calories she burns each day using her smart watch.

 

First, there is an excellent chance her calorie burn estimation is off.

The amount of calories you burn via exercise is much less than you think it is. If your smart watch or activity app is telling you you burn “1,000 calories” per day via activity, it’s likely 500 or less.

 

The hour you spend in the gym 2-3 times per week doesn’t erase the 45 hours per week you’re sitting in a computer chair.

When working with shorter women, we’ve seen anecdotal maintenance calories as low as 1,500 per day. In order to lose fat, you’ll need to eat less than that, or burn more via activity.

 

It just doesn’t seem fair…

 

Because of this small calorie maintenance, shorter women have much less “wiggle room” in their diet.

 

It’s simple mathematics.

 

Take the case of Joe, a 6 foot male with a 2,600 calorie maintenance.

  • Joe decides to go on a diet, eating 1,800 calories per day.
  • That’s 800 calories under maintenance each day.
  • This would give Joe a 5,600 calorie deficit each week (800 x 7).
  • This would equate to around 1.5 pounds of fat loss per week (5,600/3,500).

 

What would happen if Joe “messed up” on Saturday night?

Let’s assume Joe was “good” up until dinner, and at dinner, he went a little bit overboard.

He had an appetizer, a few drinks, a meal, and when he got home, he had a bowl of ice cream.

All in all, Joe ate 4,000 calories on his “mess up day”.

 

What would happen to Joe?

  • The other 6 days of the week, Joe was 800 calories under his maintenance, for a total deficit of 4,800 calories (800 x 6).
  • On his “blowout day”, Joe ate 1,400 calories over his maintenance (4,000 total calories eaten – 2,600 maintenance calories = 1,400 calories).
  • On 6 days, Joe had a 4,800 calorie deficit.
  • On hone day, Joe had a 1,400 calorie surplus.
  • Overall, for the week, Joe still had a 3,400 calorie deficit (4,800 – 1,400).

 

Joe will still lose around a pound of body fat that week, even though he messed up.

 

Now, let’s take the case of Nicole, a 52 year old menopausal woman with a desk job and a calorie maintenance of 1,600 per day.

  • Nicole decides to diet in 1,100 calories per day.
  • That’s 500 calories under maintenance each day (1,600 – 500)
  • And Nicole messes up in the same way – 4,000 calories eaten on a Saturday night.

 

What effect does a 4,000 calorie day have on Nicole?

  • The other 6 days of the week, Nicole was 500 calories under her maintenance, for a total deficit of 3,000 calories (500 x 6).
  • On her “blowout day”, Nicole ate 2,400 calories over her maintenance (4,000 total calories eaten – 1,600 maintenance calories = 2,400 calories).
  • On 6 days, Nicole has a calorie deficit of 3,000 calories (500 x 6).
  • On her “blowout day”, Nicole has a calorie surplus of 2,400 calories.
  • Overall, for the week, Nicole only has a deficit of 600 calories.

 

While Joe messes up big time, he still loses about a pound of body fat.

When Nicole messes up in the same way as Joe, she only loses 0.2 pound of body fat that week (600/3500).

 

Same screw up, much different result.

Still wondering why petite females get screwed when it comes to dieting?

While most men can diet and have plenty of wiggle room for mess ups, shorter women get royally screwed.

 

500 calories is nothing in a society full of processed crap.

A trip or two to the office vending machine per day (or one meal dining out) can easily do it.

 

So, what can Nicole and others like her do?

What tips do we have for petite females to consistently lose body fat?

How can those with a low calorie maintenance set themselves up for success?

 

Here are some tips that can help.

 

Helpful fat loss tips for those with a low calorie maintenance

 

Tip #1:  Eat 3 meals per day, and eliminate snacks completely

Hopefully you know by now that “eating 6 meals per day to stoke your metabolic fire” is a myth.

Your overall calorie consumption for the day versus your calorie burn will determine your rate of fat loss.

 

Lowering your meal frequency and eliminating snacks is a great way to eat bigger, more satisfying meals and “feel” less like you’re dieting.

A 2 or 3 meal per day set up will help you feel more satiated after your meals, and reduce the chances of snacking in between them.

The complete elimination of snacking is a requirement in these situations, though.

 

Snacking, grazing, etc is a nasty habit – and it’s a habit that will stop fat loss in its tracks.

Stay fully hydrated, sip on some low/zero calorie beverages, and realize that every calorie counts in your situation.

 

Tip #2:  Forget “low carb”, go “low fat” instead

Everyone and their brother wants to go “low carb” these days.

Because carbs are bad and fat is good, or some other nonsense like that.

This is complete bullocks, and a total myth.

 

While low carb dieting can work for some people, for the petite female, food volume is extremely important.

You want to do everything you can to eat foods that are as filling as possible.

 

Fat has over twice as many calories per gram as carbs do (9 vs 4).

Fat also doesn’t fill you up the way carbs do.

 

When most people think of “carbs” they think of potato chips, ice cream, and pizza.

These aren’t “carbs”, these are “fat-carb combos”.

 

Instead of focusing all your attention on eliminating carbs, instead, eat leaner cuts of protein, don’t add extra oils and/or butters to your foods, and emphasize whole food carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, oats, and fruit.

You’ll be fuller, have more energy, and find dieting more enjoyable that way.

 

Tip #3:  Throw away your scale – use body measurements instead

With our fat loss clients, we urge them to stop using the scale to determine their progress.

This is important for everyone, but doubly so for shorter women.

 

I’ve seen women lose 5″ off their waists when they get serious with dieting and start taking up strength training.

And those exact same women don’t lose a single pound on the scale.

 

This often frustrates them; we’re so conditioned to believe the scale is the end all be all when it comes to fat loss.

 

But which would you prefer?

To drop 5 dress sizes and have the same scale weight?

Or to drop 5 pounds and not have a difference in how your body looks?

 

This is the difference between losing scale weight and losing pure body fat.

You want to build muscle in the right spots, and lose fat in the right spots.

5 pounds of muscle takes up far less space than 5 pounds of fat takes up.

 

If you’re strength training with intensity, and eating plenty of protein, you are likely gaining muscle that’s masking your scale weight losses.

This is a very good thing.

 

Tip #4:  Strength train regularly with intensity; get stronger and work on increasing your calorie maintenance

There are a number of ways to increase your calorie maintenance.

Strength train to build muscle; muscle burns more calories than body fat does, even while at rest.

Get your daily steps up into the 10,000 per day, or higher.

 

Eat plenty of protein, as protein has a huge metabolic advantage.

One of the worst things you can do if you’re in this situation is to starve yourself and do lots of cardio.

This will only result in significant muscle loss, which will make it harder to keep the weight off in the future.

 

Tip #5:  Have patience and play the long game.

Yes, I know you want to drop 30 pounds in a month.

But that’s not going to happen to you.

 

You need to develop the consistent habits that will allow you to lose the weight over time.

You need to work on your discipline and your lifestyle every day.

 

You need to forgive yourself if you mess up and not allow a simple set back to turn into a 2 week fiasco.

 

Remember the Big Rocks of Fitness always:

  • Strength train regularly with intensity.
  • Eat plenty of protein.
  • Keep your calories in the right range.
  • Walk as much as possible.
  • Stay hydrated, get your rest, and minimize your stress.

 

And buckle up, because if you want to make this work, you need to be committed for the long haul.

 

Final thoughts

If you fall into the demographic of “short female”, this article should give you hope.

Instead of feeling like you can’t do it, you now have a game plan for success.

The good news is we’ve seen countless women learn how to drop the weight and change their lifestyle permanently.

 

It takes time, patience, and perseverance, but it can be done.

We have a long track record of helping this tough demographic succeed; check out the link in the footnotes if you’d like to speak to us about our coaching program.

 

 

Jason Helmes is a former Plymouth-Canton teacher who owns and operates Anyman Fitness out of his Canton home. Anyman Fitness is an online fitness coaching service that helps its clients reach their goals in a simple, straightforward manner. You can contact Jason at jason@anymanfitness.com, or apply for a spot in his coaching program here

 

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