Each body has its own particular needs for achieving optimal health: What works for you may not work for your neighbor. However, considering our commonalities can also be beneficial, especially regarding weight loss. Experts say tailoring your approach to your body type may deliver more effective results. For instance, short people hoping to lose weight may reach their goals faster and more sustainably by doing one thing in particular, dietitians and weight loss coaches say.
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Maggie Hennigan, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian and content creator, often hears from short clients who are struggling to lose weight and notes that she also has personal experience with the challenge.
“Being petite makes weight loss more difficult because you burn less calories just by existing, but I’m going to give you some tips from a fat-loss dietitian who gets it because I am 4’10”,” she says in a recent TikTok post.
She continues, “One of the many grievances I hear a lot from my petite gals trying to lose weight is that whenever you are trying to exercise to increase your bare minimum calorie burn, you get so hungry and then it makes it even more difficult to stay in a calorie deficit,” she explains.
Hennigan offers a weight loss tip that she says applies to anyone looking to lose weight, but it’s especially helpful if you’re short: Make walking your primary form of exercise by increasing your step count above 10,000 steps per day.
“Everyone says that, but no one tells you why,” Hennigan says in the video. “Walking is one of the only forms of exercise that does not increase your appetite. Let that sink in. That means that you can increase your calorie burn substantially without having to get hungrier,” she adds.
Beyond this, the dietitian says there’s another important reason that walking is so effective for weight loss.
“You’re tapping into the most flexible part of your metabolism, which is NEAT. This stands for ‘Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis,’ which is all of the activity that you do in a day that isn’t designated exercise,” she explains.
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By incrementally adding more movement to your day, she says you can burn up to 400 more calories daily “without having to get sweaty, without having to go to the gym, without having to dedicate tons of time, and—as I just mentioned—without having to increase your appetite.”
Women’s weight loss coach Kate Gugerli agrees that people who are under 5’3” are likely to notice that losing weight is difficult. As a result, she says that many resort to extreme calorie cutting and “living on scraps” to make up the difference, which can be both unhealthy and unsustainable.
Gugerli instead says that upping your step count can give you a “massive metabolism boost,” recommending between 8,000 and 12,000 steps per day for weight loss. For those unable to reach such high levels, aiming for 7,000 steps per day should still have a significant effect, the weight loss coach adds.
In another post on the subject, she suggests carefully creating a more modest calorie deficit of roughly 300 calories and increasing your protein intake to help you reach your goals safely.
Beyond walking, it might be worth introducing strength training if you’re shorter and struggling with weight loss.
“Strength training and getting your steps in are going to become your best friends—especially for the short girls,” Maddie Kossin, a fitness coach and content creator, said in a recent TikTok post. “The more muscle you have, the more calories you’re going to burn at rest, and the more you will burn during exercise.”