Losing weight as a Short Woman

Published 6.28.2026: It’s a fact that shorter women need fewer daily calories, that’s a function of the energy balance. And I believe in the energy balance. I am vertically challenged, so this is me. This speaks to me.

However, I aslo believe in the power of NEAT (non-exercize activity thermogenesis), which the fitness YouTuber (new to me) never mentions, except to dismiss it. I think NEAT is a hidden superpower that allows a shorter woman to eat more. Yes, lifting weights also helps, but her points about reverse dieting are correct. BUT she then dismisses the affect of NEAT.

Frankly, exisitng on 1400 calories (admittedly this was the dieting amount) sounds dreadful to me. I prefer eating a bit more, and moving a bit more in terms of my NEAT. I’ll be honest and say that the energy balance trackers online tell me that to maintain my current weight, I need to eat about 2000 calories— if I adjust the activity levels. 1800 is the number that pops out using the standard input. I think (after taking my cardio and NEAT expenditure into account), that’s roughly where I am. I say this because I’m not losing weight at the moment, therefore, I’m not in a deficit. But neither am I gaining weight.

Actually, my calorie deficit is coming from my drinking less. I am trying to cut down my alcohol intake (to varying degrees of success). Actually my best success is that I have added homemade sorbets to my menu, rather than having a third glass of wine. (And yes, I’m working on avoiding the third). I’ve had some success cutting back on alcohol doing this, but it’s not like sorbets are calorie free. And to be fair, these are “real” sorbets, made with sugar and fruit. Less calories than ice cream, but not zero.

The trainer (whose name is Rosi May) apparently does not believe in high flux dieting… where you move more to eat more. And to be honest, my daughter also pooh pooed it. My daughter does, however, use the power of NEAT to try and help her calorie deficit. I don’t try and manage her weight loss because she has an eating disorder history but I am glad that she has taken my advice about NEAT.

So what is high flux (also called Gflux) dieting? I learned about it on the Chasing Clarity podcast, hosted by trainer Brandon Da Cruz. Basically it’s what I said above, you move more so you can eat more, and it’s particularly important for petite women who don’t have a lot of calories to cut if they want to lose weight. I agree that shorter women need to eat less than a taller woman, but I don’t agree that you are stuck at 1400 calories to lose weight.

I’d rather walk to increase my NEAT rather than suffer with only 1400 calories to eat. Particularly if you’re an omnivore that’s really not that many calories. And yes, I know you can eat lean protein sources, blah. blah,blah. The bottom line is that it’s NOT that many calories, and givein the error bars inherent in counting calories, NOT A FUN WAY TO LIVE. And it is tough to maintain.

Her complaint was that people reacted to her calorie total as though it were a toddler amount. I’d point out that toddlers are growing, adults are not. I do think that Americans (writ large, pun intended) eat too much. But most people need more sustenance than 1400 calories would provide. Unless you’re a particular type of vegan, which I am not. (The type of vegan I mean would be low fat and whole foods based. Veganism has treats just like omnivores do, and those treats are quite calorific).

People are those type of diets (or are followers of Dr. Jowl Fuhman) tend to eat less because the foods that they choose are naturally low in fat and low in calories. I don’t eat that way… though I do tend to keep it vegan for breakfast and lunch. But I know that my diet choices and the amount that I eat wouldn’t pass muster with those people. But that’s neither here nor there and for today beside the point.

I do eat animal protein, particularly at dinner when my husband tends to cook. And maintaining 1400 calories while eating meat is difficult. And to be fair, this influencer doesn’t say that it’s easy to do. Her maintenance caorie level is only 1700, but again, she doesn’t believe in moving more to eat more. Frankly, I’d move more so that I could eat more, but that’s just me.