Help and tips from SMALL LADIES please!


#1

I know all about the science behind keto, having lost weight on a high fat version of Atkins many years ago

Current weight 132lbs or 9st 7lbs, height 5ft 4 inches
Target weight 108lbs or 7st 10lbs (BMI 18.5) - the weight I felt best at in the last 15 years (as a keen hillwalker I could practically ‘fell run’ at this weight)

My system loves fat. If I don’t eat enough I get very itchy flaky skin and my body sends me to the mayo, butter pack or peanut butter jar.

I’m looking for LADIES OF SMALL STATURE like me who

  • have reduced to 100lbs or less

  • maintained a goal weight without effort or starving themselves

  • Are reducing comfortably and have lost weight or lost fat (getting smaller as the scale stays the same)

Menopausal or post menopausal ladies should join in too (I’m 50 and got the night sweats!)

To share tips and thoughts please!


(Jane Lapointe) #2

I am very interested in this as well. I am 5’2" and currently weigh 121 pounds. I want to get to 118 though probably could go down at low as 105 but don’t think I’d geel good that light. I am stalled at my current weight but it seems I can’t really fast anymore as I get weak. Tips about maintaining once you are where you’re supposed to be would be welcome.


#3

Following… I am 5’4 and 115 pounds, but I don’t quite feel comfortable at this weight with my small frame. I am about 25% body fat right now. I just started keto about 2.5 weeks ago and have noticed no changes despite sticking to my macros which I calculated from a reputable source. Just very fatigued and irritable, although the irritability is improving and I have noticed more clarity and bursts of energy at times. I think what I’m missing is the gym/yoga… but the fatigue is killing me :frowning: I just have zero motivation to get out there and move my body right now. I really feel as though sticking to my macros and the gym will get me there and would help you too!


#4

Just want to chime in about how body recomposition on keto in women who are on the leaner side/not obese is not necessarily about weight AT ALL. Am on the small size in terms of fat, but am tall height-wise, and have found measurements to be really the only sure sign of body recomposition.

The body tends to prioritize restoring atrophied muscle in the upper body, for example, and muscle is denser and heavier than fat. And the body may also work to change fatty muscle into lean muscle. A lean 120 pound (say, 20% BMI) is really different than a fattier 120 (25-30%). In fact, they look like different bodies!

Esp for non-obese women with relatively small amounts of fat/muscle ratios to change, this is why taking measurements can be HUGELY more meaningful than using a weight scale, regardless of height. Besides, the weight scale has been a culturally stereotyped ploy against plenty a girl and woman, whilst actual health and fitness (muscular strength, physical endurance, and joyful embodiment) is often not celebrated as much as it deserves…


(Cameron) #5

What a great answer… and precisely what I came on the forum this evening to search for! I’m small, 5’2", without a lot of weight to lose – my macros are in order, my ketones are currently 2.4 – and I’ve been doing a heap of self-talking today because I got on the scale after 2 weeks to find that it’s gone up… Hard to relearn this one; I can see how body measurements can absolutely be more meaningful for me. So far I have had a good deal of energy - more than usual; I feel quite good in myself, and was actually surprised that my weight had gone in that direction!

Note to self: throw out the scale :balance_scale: :+1:


(She had one feck to give and that feck is gone.) #6

I’m 5’2.75” :grin: and have been losing most inches in the upper body so far this go round. I’m a size US10-12 right now. Would like to get back into my size 2 jeans and all the other clothes in “that bin” :eyes:. It’s nice that my sport bras are all comfortable again though! I also think my face is getting slimmer.

I know that original poster only wanted to hear from petites who are at a low goal weight, but it’s nice to hear from all my Tiny Sisters :raising_hand_woman:‍♀ :purple_heart:


#7

Thanks to all the ‘Tiny Ladies’ for posting your thoughts! It’s the first time on any forum I’ve had sensible answers. I agree with SlowBurnMary that my goal is not weight loss, it’s more about FAT loss and then sustainable eating after this. People always talk about weight loss meaning fat loss but as we know, if you’re not doing the right kind of diet for you, you’ll get loss of fat and muscle, which is not what we want. And I’m heartened to hear that keto will tend to rebuild lost muscle leading to smaller bodies, and a higher likelihood of keeping fat burning going.

I did Atkins many years ago and followed I would say a pretty high fat version, tracking only carbs and keeping to less than 20g of actual carbs per day (so net carbs was probably around 10g in real terms). I mainly ate red meat, oily fish, mayo, very low carb ‘green’ salad, eggs, cream cheese, small amounts of low carb nuts eg walnuts/brazils/pecans, a few peanuts and extremely low carb veg like mushrooms and courgette (zucchini in US terms). I was extremely healthy without taking any vitamins and all my eczema, migraines and period problems completely disappeared.

This is how I’m approaching keto:

Same principle in terms of food make-up, with even fewer carbs but taking a multi-vit supplement.

I’m not tracking macros. That way lies insanity - for me at least. I’m following the general principles - high fat, mod protein, minimal carb. My body tells me what I need to eat and when. If I need more protein it tells me to eat tuna and mayonnaise. If I need more fat it tells me to eat Brussels pate or cream cheese. If I need a few more carbs it tells me to eat peanuts or peanut butter.

I’m drinking only UNSWEETENED drinks. For me that’s decaff coffee, decaff green tea and redbush+vanilla. (I detest plain or sparkling water). I find keeping to unsweetened drinks reduces cravings for sweet things.

I front load most of my carbs to the morning just after I’ve done my main 5 or so miles with the dogs (they get another shorter walk in the evening). The rest of the day I eat absolutely minimal carbs.

I find eating less than 20g of ‘gross’ carbs a day almost completely removes hunger (amounts to probably 15g or less net carbs). The fewer carbs I consume the more my body seems to like it.

I eat small amounts, but eat when I’m hungry during the day (usually between 12 noon and 10pm)

I avoid all fruit and any dairy which for me is relatively high carb such as yoghurt - even greek yoghurt.

I detest cooking and spending ages preparing food so I keep things really simple. All those keto recipes look great but I know I simply will not keep that up.

I am not doing any keto ‘baking’. If my goal is fat loss and eliminating hunger and cravings, then keto brownies are a sure way to completely sabotage that.

If I need a chocolate fix, I mix 3 heaped teaspoons of raw organic cocoa powder with 1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil (melted) and 1 heaped teaspoon vanilla protein powder and sufficient ‘acceptable’ artificial sweetener to make it just sweet enough. (Note : The fibre in the cocoa is good for constipation!)

My goal is fat loss, a sustainable weight loss without hunger, and change in body composition so that I get leaner and smaller. I wouldn’t care if I weighed the same as I do now if I could get back into a UK size 6.

What strategies are you using? And thanks for contributing!


#8

By the way I hate gyms and exercise classes but 5-8 miles a day with the dogs (more at weekends and when the weather’s good) works for me.


#9

I think the key is not to get carb creep. I can do this best by keeping ALL sweet things out of my diet, except for my ‘chocolate fix’ which I’ve outlined in a post below and isn’t really that sweet. Once I’ve got into the zone I do not miss bread, rice, pasta, grains etc and I haven’t eaten much of these over the last 10 years anyway. Sugar is my problem and the more I avoid sugar or sweet things the easier it gets.


#10

Funny I have never had ‘keto flu’. The lower my carbs get the more my body likes it. Everyone is different.


#11

I’m not sure if I count as “small”, but I’ll chime in- I’m 5”3 and I started Keto in January at ~155lbs, currently am ~147lbs. My goal is 125lbs, which is a good weight for my frame. I was down to that weight on Paleo before a stressful relationship and the stress of finishing my masters caused me to regain :frowning:
I find it incredibly hard to know if I’m truly downward trending or if I’ve only lost the initial water weight. I am trying my first extended fast today to see if I experience any results.
Again, sorry if I’m piping up in the wrong category !


(Cameron) #12

Help from all you SMALL LADIES… Any advice on flattening my belly? Have upped my fluids quite significantly, hoping that might assist. I do Pilates 2x a week, yoga at home, beach walks and swims probably 3x a week – but nothing seems to shift this protruding belly! Thanks for any thoughts and advice :grinning:


(She had one feck to give and that feck is gone.) #13

Are you tracking inches? I keep looking at the tummy and thinking - ugh! Then I get the tape measure out and find I’m down another inch! I also look at my start measurements to motivate me. My tum is down about 3inches since Jan 2.

Did the Feb Zorn Fast and definitely lost visceral fat. Go for it!


#14

Not much advice, really- just wanted to say that I have the same issue (protruding belly). In my case, I have had three pregnancies pretty close together. I understand that abdominal muscles can really stretch/separate (it’s called diastasis recti) and this can contribute to this issue even many years later. I have learned as much as I could about it and am trying to do the exercises recommended and avoid those that should be avoided, like crunches. I am 5’2" and 118 lbs. but it can sometimes look like I’m a few months pregnant! :sweat_smile: I’m finding that practicing IF is helping a tiny bit at a time (very slight reductions in waist circumference). Good luck!