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February 6, 2007
Tall People
A tall person, to me, is anyone over 5' 2".
You see, I am actually just below 5' 2", but I round up because it sounds like I have some sort of complex about my height if I tell people I'm 5'1 and three quarters of an inch. You know how uncomfortable people often are with exactness.
I love tall people because they can reach things on high shelves for me. For example, at the grocery store, I am always asking tall people to get things. "Excuse me, tall person," I say, "You're so tall. I wonder if you might be willing to reach that last pack of Quorn tenders from the top shelf."
Tall people (especiallly women at about 5'6" who are not used to being addressed as "Tall Person") are always happy to comply.
Tall women are so willowy and statuesque. I've known a lot of people who only date tall women, and not all of them are tall. I think tall women are beautiful. And there are so many of them, as everyone over 5' 2" is tall in my book.
Yet I feel sorry for tall people. How uncomfortable they look on planes! Their legs just don't fold up into tiny packages. MR always looks like a skinny sardine in an airplane seat. (Luckily, he doesn't smell like one!) When I was dating, I didn't like to date tall men because I was afraid they would squish me. MR only gets to be an exception because he's light. He's like a giraffe: tall, stately, orangish. Calmly nibbling on foliage, at peace with the world.
Tall people can hide things from me by placing them in plain view, just above my eye level.
My two staff organizers are tall. They like to hang the charts so high I can't reach them. But when I'm around they hang them low enough for me, not because I'm the boss but because they're kind, generous, loving tall people. And because no one wants to hear me whine "I can't reach!"
I wear heels all the time. Except at the gym. There are people who have never seen me without high heels on. Most people, in fact. I also stand up very straight. People tend to think I'm taller than I am, but I'm not.
I bring this up because it has come to my attention that many of the newbie CR practitioners are tall!
That is very important because every inch of height means an increase in calorie requirements.
I have been doing CR for nearly 3 years, I am not athletic at all -- a day at the gym is 20 - 30 minutes treadmill and two to three exercises of weight lifting --- I space out my weight lifting exercises so that I never do too much at once, in an attempt to minimize the calorie need fluctuations. A lot of days, my biggest exercise is lifting my giant tabby cat and standing on my toes to kiss MR.
If I go below 1300 calories for more than a few days, I drop weight like a hot potato.
I think you can see where I'm going with this. If you're taller than I am, or more active than I am, or newer to CR than I am (I got here gradually) then you need to be eating more.
I don't mean to be preachy, but I really don't want to see anyone damage his or her health with overly quick weight loss. It just defeats the purpose. And eating too little sets you up for excessive hunger, which sets you up for a binge and makes you feel awful. If this doesn't feel good, it's a clear sign that something isn't going right.
Again, I am so impressed with how all the newbies are using software, focusing on nutrition, swapping tips on how to get the most nutrient dense foods. You are so much more advanced than I was when I started. So don't anyone out there take this as criticism, only a gentle caution that your long term success depends on eating enough calories now. And if you're tall... and almost everyone is... that means you need to eat more than Robin and I do.
I just got home from a great meeting that went late. I am very jealous because two of my favorite people in the world are off on assignment in Scranton hanging out, but I'm still happy to be home with my kitties and my sweetie. It's so cold here I feel l like I might lose a limb. In fact, I think it's time for me to crawl under some blankets and make MR squeal by attempting to warm my ice block feet (which take forever to warm up on cold days) on him. Isn't that what love is all about?
*** Note: Shelia makes a good point that metabolism can slow with age, so people with more planetary seniority can sometimes get away with eating less. Also, people who have gradually cut down on their calories can often eat less because they've trained their bodies to do that. But my warning remains: if you're brand new, it's better to start a bit higher rather than risk throwing your body into overly quick weight loss and setting yourself up for hunger and a binge.
Also, if you don't drink alcohol, it is likely that you can hold the same weight at a lower calorie level. For some reason (I don't have time to dig up the study right now but it was posted to the CR list within the last month or two) in lean women, alcohol calories burn off much more easily than food calories. So while, for instance, I don't drop weight like a hot potato if I'm eating 1300 calories of all food, no glass of wine, if I'm having a glass of wine with dinner, as is my custom, I can't go much below 1300 without dropping weight. Between the well-documented benefits of moderate red wine consumption and the personal quality of life issue for me (I love to have a glass of wine with dinner!) it's a worthwhile investment of calories for now. But I've experimented with doing it both ways, and definitely found that if I'm not drinking alcohol I can eat fewer total cals and maintain my weight.
Rachel -- I answered your question off-blog, with a series of questions that can help me formulate an answer.
Over time, we may be able to take our calories lower, if we decide that's the right course of action for our own personal circumstances. But in the beginning, be careful!
Posted by april at February 6, 2007 10:12 PM
Comments
you would surely love me, as I am 5'8",
but I must say, that at my age, my metabolism is nil...
I can do quite nicely on 1000 cals. average, give or take a few hundred extra per day.
especially since I am already skinny, so I am not focused on losing weight, (not an issue).
but if I were an active 20-something, it would be quite different. I would need more cals.
people always approach me in grocery stores, and ask me to reach things for them.
Sheila
Posted by: sheila at February 6, 2007 9:47 PM
Woo hoo! I thought I'd never see the day when at 5'3" I'd be called tall!
I agree if you're thin, habitually wear high heels and stand up straight people will think you're taller than you are. I call it "stealth short".
Posted by: Brooke at February 7, 2007 3:56 AM
Good point, Shelia, age can make the calculations different.
You are definitely in charge of reaching things from high shelves at the CR weekend!
a
Posted by: April at February 7, 2007 5:35 AM
Before I joined the Air Force, I thought I was "average"... I'm 5 foot 7... but I am always tapped to the back of formations. Which I suppose would be a great thing if we were back in the frontier days where people shot at each other in rows with muskets. I'd be one of the last people standing in the back. Oh, and try marching behind tall people and trying to keep up! My best friend is very tall and marching behind him is quite a workout.
Posted by: Jake Silver at February 7, 2007 5:38 AM
This is a super important point... even for those of us who are also super short. I'm even shorter than you are (5' 0.5") and I do more weightlifting, yoga and gentle dance than you do. It's really important for me to pay attention to the fact that 1300 is pretty deeply restricted for someone my size and less active.
Though watch out for those heels girl... a fall or twisted ankle can temporarilly derail your exercise program, critical to maintaining bone density, balance and flexibility.
Posted by: thatgirljj at February 7, 2007 11:07 AM
wow, there's someone shorter than I am!
Good point re: heels, but I've never fallen in heels in the entire time I've been wearing them, except for a couple of years ago after a friend's wedding when I was rather intoxicated (champagne toasts and CR don't always mix!) and fell down the steep wood stairs and an Irish bar. Fell all the way down a flight, didn't even get a bruise. I think that fall was more a result of the chanpagne than the heels.
The only other time I've fallen was about a year ago I fell down the steps in our old house, hardwood stairs, wearing the only pair of totally flat shoes I own, and stone cold sober. I got terrible bruises and was sore for about two weeks, which just goes to show the danger of not drinking!
BTW, I was on CR both times and the exact same weight, so the bruises were not a function of less padding! I still have lots of padding in the places on which one tends to fall.
a
Posted by: april at February 7, 2007 12:09 PM
I'm 5'7" and still searching for the "right" CR level, although for right now I'm trying out about 1500-1600. I'm losing at that level (a good thing!) but not quickly, so it's probably a good level for now.
On a totally non-CR topic, I also wear high heels. I like being tall. :) If you haven't tried Insolia inserts for high heels, give them a try! I just started wearing them in some of my heels and they make a huge difference in comfort. Wow. No affiliation, etc.
www.insolia.com
Posted by: Sierra at February 7, 2007 5:12 PM
It's all a matter of perception. My sister-in-law (5'1.5") thinks I'm tall; my sons (all approximtely 6') think I'm short. At 5'4", I know I'm average in height. JD
Posted by: Judith at February 8, 2007 10:17 AM
I know this was posted a while ago, but I have a question. What if I don't get hungry? What tends to happen with me is that if I don't eat enough calories, I end up getting weak and my metabolic rate drops, but I don't get all that hungry. I can't get in enough calories in. Yesterday I had 750 and today I had 950. I'm 5 ft. 7 in. and very young. I am 170 lbs. due to a problem I've been having with bingeing. I just started CRON and I'm on my third day, but I just don't get hungry. Any advice for me?
Posted by: Brianna at March 29, 2007 5:58 PM
I was just looking for different blogs pertaining to tall people and came across yours. I have no idea what CR is but I do work out and try to watch what I eat. I am 6'2 and love to wear heels. When I was younger I hated to draw attention to myself and just by being this tall, I get attention. Add an additional 3-4 inches and everyone does a double take.
I use to be able to eat what I want and not worry about gaining weight, but as I have gotten older, I have had to watch what I eat and add exercise to keep my weight where I want it.
Posted by: Vee at April 11, 2007 6:45 PM