Is it harder to keep in shape if you're short?

[Willow4]

I'm 5'1 and I find it very hard to keep myself at a healthy weight, I weigh 98 pounds. But because I'm short when I gain weight it looks awful.

Is it easier for taller people to keep in shape and get away with gaining a few extra pounds?

[Lilly987]

I'm 5'11 and I can either gain or lose up to 10 pounds without it being very visible.
So, for taller people, it's simply a matter of weight being distributed on a bigger body, so it appears like there's less of it.
But when it comes to being in shape, that has a lot to do with genetics, in my opinion. Some people get toned muscles faster than others, some people find it easier to create and maintain a cardio routine... I don't think it depends a lot on your height.
Also there's the entire lifestyle to consider, if you eat healthy, don't drink and don't smoke (or do it moderately), don't do drugs, get enough night sleep etc, you are more likely to be in good shape and keep your ideal weight.
So there is a difference between simply being skinny and actually being in shape.
In my opinion, you should just do the best with what you have.

[Willow4]

You're very lucky! lol. I go to the gym 3 times a week so I look after myself as much as I can but I can gain weight easily and with my stature it tends to just go on everywhere and look less than great..

Annoying is an understatement!

[Lilly987]

Yeah, but on the other hand, I'm trying to grow waist-long hair for ages now, and if I were the same height as you are, it would already be waist long, but since I'm not, it's only mid-back long. :D
So, there's an upside and a downside to everything I guess :)

[Willow4]

Fair point! lol but at least you just have to wait for your hair to grow..if I gain weight I'm got to work my butt off to get it off super quick haha

[Anonymous]

Height doesn't make much of a difference in whether you can stay in shape or not. I'm 5'3" and honestly weight doesn't look great on me but that's because I don't TRULY work out and stay toned. I'm 90 pounds which is under weight and even at 100 pounds I look too thin, and am. So you're not far off, I think you may have body issues like I do. I know what you mean as our torso and limbs are short, but also I suppose I don't know how much weight you think looks bad. At 108 range I am pushing it. My ideal is 105, in my head.

[TadCurious]

It's probably a little easier for taller people. I'm 6'3" and 195 lbs. I've got a little bit of a belly (it's the ice cream), but when I say that I do people poo poo that. But in your previous avi pic, where you're standing by the rocks underneath the lion, you have a very attractive build and body.

[Willow4]

Thank you! That was a kind thing to say :) and it's the damn ice cream for me aswell! That on top of pizza takeaways O.o You sound like you have a great shape :)

[TadCurious]

well I just looked at your new avi pic, and you look great in that one too! Tell your mum I said Hi from America!

[Willow4]

Thank you so much! :) I will and tell your mom ;) the same lol

[jasoneight]

I'm pretty tall. 6'5. And I keep in shape by running and exercising. If anything I could stand to gain some weight. I guess it may be easier. That being said, I love short, petite girls, and you look great.

[Willow4]

Wow you're a tall guy! I'd probably walk straight into your tummy lol and better to gain a little than lose a little I always think :) Thank you so much! :)

[jasoneight]

A lof of girls that I like are stomach height, haha. Not that atypical. Besides, there's a large range of acceptable weight. Too many times people shoot for the low end of it.

[Willow4]

True, we're just all tuned in to keep getting smaller :/

[Willow4]

Thank you very much! :)

[BertMacklinFBI]

yeah by default taller people kinda have it easier that way. the fat just spreads throughout their entire body so it takes more to notice.

[Willow4]

Doesn't seem fair to me somehow :P

[BertMacklinFBI]

there's the ups and downs for both sides. tall people can't fit into small places like you can lol.

[Willow4]

Not if I gain weight! lol ;)

[BertMacklinFBI]

but you won't right? cause you have will power and self control:) and you care about your temple.

[Willow4]

I try to look after my little temple, yes :)

[BertMacklinFBI]

awesome. *two thumbs up* I like women who take care of themselves, especially their temple.

[Willow4]

Thank you lol I horse ride..I constantly have to watch the poundage :/

[BertMacklinFBI]

lucky you. horse riding is something I wanna do before I die.

[Willow4]

I'd take you with me but...you live in the States :/

[BertMacklinFBI]

well would I be able to ride my own horse if you took me? lol. I don't think I can ride on the back.

[Willow4]

Yes you can have your own horse..but you have to keep up with me lol ;)

[BertMacklinFBI]

well...being that I have no prior experience..how hard could it be to ride a horse? hehe

[Willow4]

lol if you land on your butt first time round you're welcome to come grovelling and ride on the back with me :D

[BertMacklinFBI]

im assuming I grip the horse with my knees and legs and tighten my core right? that should keep me from falling off?

[Willow4]

Don't drip with your knees, squeeze the saddle with your thighs :) back straight, heels down and keep your weight in your pelvis...and you'll be fine ;)

[Willow4]

*grip

[BertMacklinFBI]

see another benefit of being on the shorter side. it sounds like you have a much easier time riding a horse haha.

[Willow4]

I'm currently recovering from broken hips from a fall haha so not entirely true!

[BertMacklinFBI]

ugh I just cringed a bit from reading that! broken hips sound super painful. we use our hips a lot when we move. can you enlighten me?

[Willow4]

Sorry...I meant to say ribs not hips :/ I would cringe at the sound of a broken hip aswell lol. My horse got spooked by a bird that flew pretty close to his face and he reared, I fell of the back and got a nice kick to the stomach lol.

[BertMacklinFBI]

your horse kicked you? dangg. at least you can now say you got kicked by a horse lol. broken ribs are okay until people keep trying to make you laugh:p

[Willow4]

Yeah then suddenly it doesn't seem so funny anymore :P

[RedThread]

I think this kind of goes both ways.. I'm around 6'5" and sometimes I'll gain weight slowly and not realize it because it takes more weight to really make a difference and by the time I notice I'm like "shit I gotta lose 15lbs. Time to go running everyday."

For short people they notice weight easier because less is more to them.. They have an advanced warning system. The downside to that is that they have a smaller range of what's considered to be an acceptable weight since like I said less weight gain or loss is more noticeable to them.

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

Oh yes i think so, I'm 5'9"- 5'10"
i can carry lot of weight but i got
lose weight but either way it sucks
being overweight but I've saw girls
5'0" and weigh more than 98 pounds
and they still looked good i am
not picky I think height makes
no difference, a weight problem
is a problem

[Willow4]

If I gain weight it goes around my middle which is the worst place it could go and being that I'm short I have a short torso..I don't stretch out very well :/ My only option is to be healthy but I'd eat junk if I could get away with it lol.

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

awe yea i know some people gain weight different areas it
seems, i have European ancestry so we carry that gene to
be big people , my Uncle before he passed away was 267
when he died he was 167 , he had terminal cancer he only
lived 6-7 months after diagnosis, he had for while never
knew it , him and mom were brother and sister, they died young,
loss my mom age 58, him age 61 , now i'm awaiting?

[Willow4]

I'm so sorry you lost your mum and Uncle so young :( I really am. Don't think that you'll be next though, you can still live healthily and be as active as much as you can be with disabilities. You can do it and you have a lot of life yet in you! :)

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

Awe thank you for support your so sweet :) XD

[Willow4]

Thank you too for always being sweet to me! :)

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

Your very welcome hunnie, your very beautiful young woman:) XD

[Willow4]

Aww thank you so much! :) *blushes* lol

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

Your welcome:) XD lol

[Slavanna]

Yes, it is easier for us (5'9" here), because there's more surface for the fat to distribute on. There's another side to this coin though. If a tall person is obese, it'll be a cold day in hell before they see visible results of their diet. So look at it like this: it's easier for you to wow people with weight loss.

[WeaponZero]

Generally speaking at 5'1" 98 lbs is on the side of underweight. You probably have very low LBM (lean body mass) which helps to explain why when you gain it doesn't collect well.

[Willow4]

Due to incidents in my past I lack muscle mass in one of my legs and I have nerve problems with my legs which makes exercise difficult but I try to go to the gym 3 times a week :)

[ani123]

Yes I believe so. I'm 4'9 and for me, it's so hard gaining weight. But when I do gain weight only a bit for a short period of time, I notice it even though nobody else does.

[Willow4]

You must have a harder time than me! lol. The good thing about it I guess is it forces you to control yourself

[kheserthorpe]

With clothes on, people hardly notice if i gain or lose 20 lbs.

On the flip side, I'd probably need to take several cycles of steroids to actually put on noticeable muscle.

[Willow4]

I don't think you need more muscle, I think you look great as you are :)

I am incredibly jealous of you being able to gain 20lbs without anyone noticing though lol

[kheserthorpe]

-with clothes- :p

And the scale notices if I'm weighing in to fight too, lol.

[Willow4]

Well I take you don't walk around naked so it hardly matters :P

Feel for me..it notices with or without clothes!

You fight? :)

[kheserthorpe]

I box as a hobby. Not that good, but I like it. That -is- me in my profile pic. I train and spar a bit, and they have a few sparring nights a year at my club where its technically sparring, but basically under full fight conditions, with a ref and unofficial judging. I haven't done any sanctioned amateur, but if the right opponent comes up i'm open to it.

[Willow4]

You must be very fit! My dad was a heavyweight boxer and he used to really have to push himself. It's not easy, I'm very impressed!

[kheserthorpe]

He let heavyweights hit him, I'm impressed, I fight other inexperienced middleweights :D

Nothing like knowing someone's training to literally beat you up to make you think 'maybe i could do a few more reps'

[Willow4]

Still...middleweight, inexperienced or not it takes balls! lol

I would think the possibility of getting knocked out would be a pretty damn good motivation to work out.

[Cyrus7V2]

That's probably the only benefit of being 5'7, is that i can put on noticeable mass quick :P

[thelowanthem]

You might be right, but it also has a lot to do with where you tend to gain weight - for some people it goes right to the middle, others the thighs, etc. So it might be more noticeable depending on that.

[bungaloo]

Yes. I'm not saying it isn't easy for tall people to gain weight but its usually more noticeable on shorter people if there's extra weight floating around.

[Willow4]

Yeah I have to really watch it :/

[bungaloo]

Same , also i think bits partially because there's less places/room for the stuff to go. :p

[Willow4]

I know haha it just makes me blob out all over the place lol

[meibay313]

Haha i feel the same way as you do but it is more like proportion thingy :) it isn't harder for us to lose weight because we are short lol and you dont have to lose weight!!! You are already skinny :)

[Willow4]

It's ok I'm not planning on losing any! haha just that I can gain it so so quickly :/ but you're right, we can go all out of proportion cos we don't have any height to stretch it all out lol.

[meibay313]

Yep yep haha too bad lol i wanna be taller too!! Hahaha :)

[Willow4]

Same and the first thing I'd do would be to order a pizza :P

[meibay313]

Me tooooooo!! :) im hungry now lol

[Willow4]

Same :/ sorry!! haha

[meibay313]

Hahahaha :) lets stay fit!! *having a slice of pizza*

[cavmanier]

For me my body pretty much wants to stay exactly how it is. I just can't relate. I'm 6' if it matters. I've weighed about the same since I was 16.

[Willow4]

You're a lucky man! lol

[cavmanier]

I know and I try not to take it for granted. I feel guilty as I'm literally eating a chocolate bar :/

[Willow4]

Oh but... :( *thinks longingly of chocolate*

[cavmanier]

Meh tbh it's mostly a poor replacement for sex.

[Willow4]

Well I'll join you cos I'm not getting any of that either :P

[cavmanier]

It can be a cruel world :/

[Willow4]

That it can lol

[cavmanier]

The universe just called. I'm not allowed to be a Scorpio anymore.

[Ildskf]

I'd say yes...from personal experience. I'm 5'4"...so even if I gain or loose 5 lbs it makes a huge difference...especially because I carry my weight in my thighs : (

[MissMcK]

Wow, I'm 5'0 and I'm at like 117. I need to eat healthier and commit to the gym lol. But I'd say it's easier for them. They're leaner so they'll be able to get away with a few extra pounds.

[islandinhabitant]

I wouldn't know to be honest. I am 6ft 1 and weigh 184 lbs I need to lose some weight

[Willow4]

I think you look fine just the way you are :)

[islandinhabitant]

Thanks, ;P you look great as you are too! Good things come in small packages as they say!

[Willow4]

Aww thank you lol I hope I live up to that saying! ;)

[Anonymous]

I'm short and have no problem keeping in shape, without meaning to blow my own trumpet, I think I'm pretty bang tidy.

[Willow4]

If you don't no one else will! lol it's good you look after yourself :)

[Opinion Owner]

:) everyone should look and feel good about themselves, there's no point in dwelling in a sea of negativity.

[Willow4]

Very true :)

[erock13]

98 lbs @ 5'1" sounds pretty good
What weight are you aiming for

[Willow4]

I'm not aiming for any weight at the moment lol happy with what I am but I can gain weight so so easily :/ and thank you! :)