Attention 5'6" ladies

[martim]

What on average is a healthy weight and calorie range for my height at 5'6"? I'm trying to figure out how much on average I should weigh and what my BF% should be. TIA=)

[fitness4fun]

I have learned in my nutrition class that you should add 5 lbs for every inch after 5' so, for us, a good weight would 130lbs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. If you lift heavy, you may weigh more than that, but could be smaller than the one who doesn't lift but weighs the 130 lbs.

As far as bf% I'm not sure. I do know that you don't want to go to low. If your period stops, then you are to low...not healthy.

Hope this helps

[MauiZos]

I have learned in my nutrition class that you should add 5 lbs for every inch after 5' so, for us, a good weight would 130lbs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. If you lift heavy, you may weigh more than that, but could be smaller than the one who doesn't lift but weighs the 130 lbs.

As far as bf% I'm not sure. I do know that you don't want to go to low. If your period stops, then you are to low...not healthy.

Hope this helps

So at 5'0" or 5'1" I should be 100-105lbs?? No freaking way! Even before I started lifting I could never get much below 113lbs and I was a size ZERO.

[rachelw]

Hi..
I am a dietitian (not a sports nutritionist, though)..new to the boards so Hello!

the previous poster is correct...it is 100 pounds for the first 5 feet then 5 pounds for each additional inch for women..

MauiZo's...this is just an 'estimate' we use..it also depends on body frame..sometimes, i may , when im assessing clients, add or subtract from this depending on frame size.

also, as we all know...a woman that is 5'6 and 130 but doesnt lift a single weight has a much different body comp than a woman that is 5'6 , 130 with some muscle..

hope that helps!

[DUMB BELLE]

Firstly I want to say: FORGET ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT!!!!!! In my opinion scales should be banned. Use the mirror and your clothing to determine whether your shape is changing.
WEIGHT is all relative. I buff bodybuilder could weigh 120kg and a fat, couch-potato of the same height could weigh the same but who do you think will LOOK better????

As far as body fat and calories go it all depends on what your goals are.

As a starting point to figure out calories, I like to use the Harris Benedict Calorie Formula as it takes many different aspects into consideration.

Although I like the HB Calorie Formula, I must say that I use it as a STARTING POINT. You will have to play around with your calories a bit depending on your goals but this will at least provide you with a “ball-park” figure to start from. Also remember to give everything a DECENT trial period before making adjustments. One of my biggest mistakes is my impatience. At one stage I was changing my diet or workout routine every 2 weeks because “I wasn’t seeing results” until I realized that the reason I wasn’t seeing results was because I never gave my body enough time to respond. I would say, try different diets for at LEAST 4 weeks before you evaluate whether you achieving the results you want. Ok, I’m going off here…… back to your calories:

HARRIS BENEDICT CALORIE FORMULA

- 1st: work out your BMR according to the following formula

BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54cm
1 kilogram = 2.2lbs

Eg: 655 + (9.6 x 62.72kg) + (1.8 x 170.68cm) - (4.7 x 29)
655 + 602.112 + 307.224 - 136.3
1 428 = BMR
(NEVER EVER go below this)


- 2nd: Assess your activity level using the table below

~Sedentary (little or no exercise in a week) = BMR x 1.2
~Lightly Active (1-3 days per week of exercise) = BMR x 1.375
~Moderately Active (3 - 5 days per week of exercise) = BMR x 1.55
~Very Active (6 -7 days per week heavy exercise) = BMR x 1.725
~Extra Active (daily heavy exercise and physical day job) = BMR x 1.9

- 3rd: Work out your daily calories needed for maintenance

DAILY CALORIES NEEDED = BMR X Activity level

Eg: 1 428 x 1.55 = 2 213.4 calories per day for maintenance

- 4th: for weight loss subtract approx 600 calories (depending on your goals) from your maintenance calories

WEIGHT LOSS = Daily calories - 600 calories

Eg: 2 213.4 (daily calories) - 600 (calories) = 1 613.4 calories p/day for weight loss
(Do not go much lower than this as you might jeopardize muscle mass)

Remember:
4 calories in each gram of carbs
4 calories in each gram of protein
9 calories in each gram of fat

Like I said, this really is a ball-park figure and you’ll have to play around to see what works for you. If you feeling worn-out or have a lack of energy then increase your calories slightly and if you want to lose bf then subtract between 200 - 600 calories (depending on how low you want to go) - just remember not to drop your cals too low too fast as this will be counterproductive.

Hope this helps a bit!

Keep us posted

[ChickenTuna]

Hi..
I am a dietitian (not a sports nutritionist, though)..new to the boards so Hello!

the previous poster is correct...it is 100 pounds for the first 5 feet then 5 pounds for each additional inch for women..

MauiZo's...this is just an 'estimate' we use..it also depends on body frame..sometimes, i may , when im assessing clients, add or subtract from this depending on frame size.

also, as we all know...a woman that is 5'6 and 130 but doesnt lift a single weight has a much different body comp than a woman that is 5'6 , 130 with some muscle..

hope that helps!

great post,...all people who are the same height are not twins.

[ChickenTuna]

A buff bodybuilder could weigh 120kg and a fat, couch-potato of the same height could weigh the same but who do you think will LOOK better????

so true Belle! I would love to have a photo example of 2 people the same height and weight side by side, one buff and the other not... to demonstrate body comp.

[MauiZos]

MauiZo's...this is just an 'estimate' we use..it also depends on body frame..sometimes, i may , when im assessing clients, add or subtract from this depending on frame size.

Ok, I mean OBVIOUSLY I know that a well muscled person is going to be much heavier than a non-fit person of equivalent size. I am well aware that I am technically "heavy" for my height and even for my size, so I'm not saying that my weight is anywhere normal.

I still think that 100lbs as a recommended weight for a 5'0" person is insane. That is on the very low end of what would be considered a healthy weight range for someone of that height.

[rachelw]

mauizos..

again, its not just the height that I look at it..its the persons frame..

for example, im 5'8..my IDEAL weight by that formula I gave you is 140 but Im pretty small framed...so, I would subtract about 10 pounds from that and say my ideal weight would be about 130.

and like Dumb belle said...
The Harris Benedict is a good starting point for calorie needs..
I use this all the time with my patients..I estimate their needs first with this and if they lose or gain too quickly then I can adjust up or down as needed ..but surprisingly , most of the time, its pretty 'on the money' for me (course, i do work with a fairly older group of patients)

Rachel

[Pumped1981]

Hey MauiZos, honestly, I agree with you...100lbs for someone 5ft is like nothing! I think that worrying about a number is not important, it's all about how you look and feel that matters...I used to be obsessed with a number, it was a waste! Now, I'm 5ft5, 125lbs, and trying to gain more muscle, so naturally I have to gain more weight...BTW, u look AMAZING! What do you do?? Ok, hehe, sorry...Anyways, it's just a number, so to the original poster, just go by how u look and feel

[MauiZos]

Hey MauiZos, honestly, I agree with you...100lbs for someone 5ft is like nothing! I think that worrying about a number is not important, it's all about how you look and feel that matters...I used to be obsessed with a number, it was a waste! Now, I'm 5ft5, 125lbs, and trying to gain more muscle, so naturally I have to gain more weight...BTW, u look AMAZING! What do you do?? Ok, hehe, sorry...Anyways, it's just a number, so to the original poster, just go by how u look and feel

I absolutely agree that you should go by how you look and feel - forget the scale! The only reason I was pressing this point is that I think it's precisely BECAUSE of idiotic "formulas" like this that say if you're 5'0" you should be 100lbs that women end up with a complex about their weight. It's just unrealistic and not healthy to set women up with those kind of expectations.

Thanks for the nice words, BTW. What do I do? I lift like crazy 6 days/week, eat my face off, sleep lots, and don't do any cardio. Haha... that was the bulking phase anyway. The cutting begins next week. Eeek!

[fish153]

I'm with the other women here -- you should go by how you look and feel.

I'm 5'4" and weigh around 132 with a pretty low % of body fat ... and I rarely look at the scale.

Anyway, I would say just pay attention to how you feel and what you see in the mirror. The only time I would worry about those formulas is when someone at a particular height weighs way less than they should ... like someone who is 5'6" weighing 92 lbs ... that's not good.

[LeilaM]

hmmm. I'm 5'9" and my LEAN MASS is 140!

hehe anyway, even though we do all tend to look at the scale somewhat, looking in the mirror is the better guage of how you like your looks, right?

[emunah]

The scale is meaningless. I agree completely.

That 5 foot plus 5 lbs for inches is based in insurance charts and also meaningless. I can't believe they still teach that. All it was was a correlation of health.

The HB was based on starving men at the turn of the century. Even that has an error rate of around 20%. A starting point only, as it has been said.

The only way to really determine your maintenance is to track your intake for a few weeks. If you didn't gain, that's your maintenance.

[fitness4fun]

The only way to really determine your maintenance is to track your intake for a few weeks. If you didn't gain, that's your maintenance.

I so agree with this. The other method is just a starting point, nothing else. Don't know why it's causing so much here. As stated before, it's only a guage. As far as I can tell, it's a pretty good one. Most 5'6 women I know are around my size (130) and look similar. Now granted, none are weightlifters, they are just average...not skinny, not muscular, not heavy. My daughter is 5'2 and weighs 115 lbs...and according to the "method" she's 5 lbs over, but she looks wonderful. So see, it's just a guide line and nothing more.

[deeyala]

hmmm. I'm 5'9" and my LEAN MASS is 140!

hehe anyway, even though we do all tend to look at the scale somewhat, looking in the mirror is the better guage of how you like your looks, right?

I was thinking the same thing
So at 5'9" , my lean mass SHOULD be 145..! That's like 5 Lbs less than i am, but i can still nowhere see my abs

I think this method is as pointless as all other methods..




Now we have all short and tall girls complaining about it..

[Sciamach]

yeah, don't look at scale weight. I'm 5'6", 137 lbs or so.

[SeaSiren]

Yep, dump the scale.

[Plato458]

I have learned in my nutrition class that you should add 5 lbs for every inch after 5' so, for us, a good weight would 130lbs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. If you lift heavy, you may weigh more than that, but could be smaller than the one who doesn't lift but weighs the 130 lbs.

I think this is a really useful yardstick for someone who is either very thin or very fat. If I were 250lbs or 85lbs and needed to have some idea of a target weight, then I'd have a good indication using this method.

Maybe for new members carrying a lot of extra BF, it would be a more helpful pointer than the pictures of size 0 role models which sometimes appear with their initial posts.

Taking myself as an example : I'm 5'7" and 144lbs - I know from experience I look best at 135lbish when I haven't been training for a while, and have returned to a more 'normal' size. I'm 10lbs more when I've been lifting seriously.

It's a good indication for the average body - and that's all it's designed to be - like BMI for insurance salesman.

IMO Frame size/metabolism type has more impact than height, but it can be harder for someone who is at either end of the weight scale to accurately assess their own. Their appearance probably suggests/justifies that view ... fat=endo/big frame or skinny=ecto/small frame etc.

I'm have a lot of ecto characteristics (long neck, arms, legs and fingers, little wrists etc) with an endo tendency when it comes to body fat distribution.

It took quite a while for me to work out what on earth my genes were doing to me

Px

[fitness4fun]

Well said!

[Pumped1981]

Thanks for the nice words, BTW. What do I do? I lift like crazy 6 days/week, eat my face off, sleep lots, and don't do any cardio. Haha... that was the bulking phase anyway. The cutting begins next week. Eeek!


Well whatever ur doing u look great!! Best of luck to ya

[Pumped1981]

[QUOTE=MauiZos]Thanks for the nice words, BTW. What do I do? I lift like crazy 6 days/week, eat my face off, sleep lots, and don't do any cardio. Haha... that was the bulking phase anyway. The cutting begins next week. Eeek!


Well whatever ur doing u look great!! Best of luck to ya

[BuffedStuff]

Hey I wish you the best on your journey.