Your favorite fitness model is a 5’6″ lean machine. She’s got glutes like a goddess and she preaches you’ve got to eat to build a booty.
You’ve copied her meal plans and follow her workouts but you still can’t shake your stubborn body fat.
“Why can she eat 2600 calories per day and you can’t?”
You train just as hard in the gym. You eat just as clean as her. It’s just not fair!!!
Truth is…
There’s a HUGE caloric difference between the nutritional needs of an average woman maintaining her muscle and a petite woman trying to lose body fat.
Here’s why short females have an extremely difficult time getting lean – and staying lean:
#1: Calorie maintenance is naturally low
A good rule of thumb is to multiple a persons bodyweight by 14 to get their estimated calorie maintenance.
Naturally, a short female is going to weigh on the lighter end of the spectrum so naturally her calorie maintenance is going to be low.
She just doesn’t need as much fuel as a larger individual.
This could mean a calorie maintenance as low as 1,500 calories.
And in order to lose fat, she will have to consistently eat less calories than that.
It’s just NOT fair!
#2: It takes more energy expenditure
Energy expenditure is calculated with weight as a variable as well.
If we have two ladies do the same exact 30 minute workout one 5’6″ and 140lbs and the other 5’1″ and 115lbs… The 140lb girl is going to burn more calories. So in order to burn the same amount of calories the 115lbs girl has to either workout for longer or more intensely.
#3: Less “wiggle room”
It’s simple mathematics.
Take the case of Kate, a classic 5’6″ babe with a 2600 calorie intake.
Kate messed up on Saturday. She had a busy day, didn’t eat much and then was starving when she got to dinner with her man and she ended up splitting an appetizer and enjoying a drink. All in all, she put down 3000 calories on her “mess up day”
What would happen? Not much, Kate will still make progress because 3000 calories is only 400 calories over her maintenance.
Now lets take Nicole, a fun-sized 5’1″ cutie with a 1600 calorie intake.
Nicole also messed up on Saturday. Same situation. she put down 3600 calories on her “mess up day”
What would happen? Nicole won’t make any progress because 3000 calories is close to double her normal intake.
Kate makes progress even though she screwed up.
Nicole doesn’t make progress after her screw up.
Same screw up, much different result.
#4: Portion sizes are made for average sized person
At restaurants, in packages, what we see on social media…everywhere!
A packet of oatmeal has 32g carbs in it which is fine for the average person. But we as we already established we don’t need quite as much. So what are our options? Use 3/4 and toss the rest? If you’re anything like me, you hate to waste food.
Sure, I guess you could have that 32g of carbs at breakfast, but then that’s like 1/3 of our carb intake for the day and that bowl of pasta you wanted for dinner? Sorry sister, it won’t fit your macros now.
Meanwhile, your boyfriend could have 3 packets of that oatmeal, 2 bowls of pasta and still wouldn’t reach his macro goals.
It’s just NOT fair!
#5: Muscle Building Limits
It is true that the more muscle you build the more your body will burn calories at rest. So that is our BIGGEST motive and savior. The more muscle you build the more food you can get away with eating.
But the truth of the matter is, because we are so tiny, there is really only so much weight that we can lift and only so much that we can grow before gaining fat as well.
On top of that, because our range of a safe calorie surplus is so much lower it takes us much longer to build muscle.
Us short girls just get royally screwed.
And while it seems like the entire universe is against us…. it’s not impossible to reach our goals.
Challenging, yes. But not impossible.
I am living proof! I’m 5’0″, so you can take it from me!
Here are my top tips for fun-sized chicks who want to lose fat
Tip #1: Hit your macros precisely
You’ll have to take extra precision to hit your macros. This means you’ll have to hit your macros spot on 99% of the time. You won’t be able to get away with being close.
Every little morsel of food counts.
This also means that “IIFYM” is not for you. (Lol, all I can think of is “If you give a mouse a cookie”)
Tip #2: Weight train to BUILD muscle
Petite females won’t be able to lift as much weight as everyone else. Just is what it is.
This fact means there will need to be more sets, reps, and exposure to movements to create the same adaptive response.
Go hard when you’re in the gym. Really training with intensity and intent. Don’t just go through the motions
Tip #3: Be consistent and play the long game
As you know by now, there are no quick fixes. You need to live the lifestyle.
Don’t program hop, don’t change your methods so quickly, don’t give up.
I totally get it. You want it all “now” but you gotta take it slow.
Making major drastic changes now will hurt you down the road because then we won’t have any room to manipulate things later.
