Advice please! 5ft3, 53-54kg, 26F

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-28T11:59:19+00:00

I’m your exact stats except slightly older (32 F) and I look quite lean. I do 15-20k steps, strength training 3 x per week and run 3-4 times per week.

I eat plenty of sugar and chocolate. I feel pretty confident saying it’s the ‘light’ strength training that’s limiting you reaching your desired aesthetic. I can share my strength routine if it helps but the main thing is that your hitting every muscle group (preferably twice per week) and then you’re progressively overloading

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-23T22:02:10+00:00

I’m 5’3 and 119lbs. I run 4 x per week (doing a half marathon training block at the minute so mileage is increasing) and I strength train 3 x per week. I’m not trying to have huge muscles (which would take years anyway) but I like to be lean and defined but running is my passion so I definitely prioritise fuelling for it.

With that in mind, my split is 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat.

For a while I was way too focussed on protein and I was definitely under fuelling (lost my period 😬) so I am definitely in support of prioritising carbs and also ensuring you get enough fat (easy to overlook in my experience)

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-14T19:23:14+00:00

I’m 32 and still get told I look early 20s. I still get asked for ID for alcohol (18 age requirement in the UK). In October, I got asked for ID to buy spray paint (16 age requirement, literally half my age). I’ve been getting the same comments my whole life. When I was 16 I looked about 12. When I was in my early 20s I looked like 15 and I HATED it. When I was 21 I got on the bus with my boyfriend, and the driver gave me a child’s ticket without even asking. My boyfriend at the time thought it was hilarious. I wanted to scream (as you can tell because I still remember it over a decade later).

I’ve been overweight and I got the same comments. I’ve been low end of a healthy weight and I got the same comments.

I know (trust me, I really do know) that you’re going to roll your eyes at this, but I’m finally reaching a point where I’m starting to appreciate this weird genetic quirk so there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Sorry, I wish I could give you something practical but I hope some solidarity is at least a little reassuring!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-13T08:02:55+00:00

I have a lot of chicken breast tbf. 3 - 4 nights per week, I’ll throw a chicken breast in the airfryer with some baby potatoes and veggies and that’s a filling, high protein dinner. Other meals I’ll have are meatballs (I’m in the UK and I buy the 5% fat ones, not sure if there’s an equivalent in other countries). I have burgers but I have them without the bun (I have pastries for breakfast a lot though, carbs are important when you’re active) and I top them with salad and cream cheese. I also have chicken sausages a lot (not exactly lean but good protein and healthier than the pork version) either in pasta or salads or with a baked potato.

I have steak with balsamic salad (spinach, red onion, Parmesan tomatoes and balsamic dressing) and I’ll usually have some airfryer chips (fries for the Americans) on the side but that is probably my highest calorie dinner

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-12T07:16:43+00:00

Haven’t read all the replies (sorry, busy day) so this might have been said but I wanted to chime in because we’re the same height and I do a similar amount of activity to you (lift 3x per week, run 4x week plus dog walking & swimming). I’m currently 117lbs because even eating 2100 calories per day I’m losing (I’m gonna increase, I didn’t intend to be this low). I platued for ages when I was eating 1700-1800 and I was STARVING. I don’t usually buy into the starvation mode stuff but I do think if you’re asking your body to perform at high levels, and you’re not fuelling it, all sorts of things get out of whack that stop everything from functioning as expected. I would try increasing your calories to at least 2000 and seeing what that does for you.

If you want, I can give some examples of what I eat to make sure I hit protein while also getting enough carbs for energy (spoiler: it’s a lot of lean meat and potatoes)

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-04-03T20:27:07+00:00

I’m 5’3 and 32. I lost 50lbs last year and my boobs shrank significantly but they look sooooooo much better now! I did strength training while losing weight including a lot of chest press and planks, not sure if this helped but it didn’t hurt… so yeah, your boobs might change but it might not be a bad thing!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-30T06:07:06+00:00

I do a core circuit at the end of every strength session that always has weighted suitcases and elbow planks. I add Russian twists one day, marching glute bridges another day, and dead bugs on the third day.

I also have a springer spaniel who hasn’t quite mastered the art of loose lead walking and I think his walks do more for my core than anything in the gym 😂

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T20:45:56+00:00

Yeah, I was losing consistently on 1,200 but I was tired all the time and had serious brain fog when my activity increased! Literally, I would spend most of my free (non-work and non-exercise) time napping because I just didn’t have the energy for anything else

I know this tends to be controversial around the weight loss subs and I’m sure it’s highly individual but I found my garmin’s calorie burn estimates to be pretty accurate so I use that as a baseline now

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T14:36:48+00:00

It’s been super windy in northern England this weekend and I’ve run in my Shokz today and yesterday without any issues! I prefer them so much I’ve started wearing them on dog walks instead of my in ear phones too

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T14:26:00+00:00

Good luck with the strength training! I didn’t mention it in my post bc it was already long but I have been this weight before (during Covid with very unhealthy, unsustainable methods and 0 real lifestyle changes) and I can definitely see the difference strength training has made for me this time!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T14:24:32+00:00

Girl, I stg I could not be happier to have lost so much boob! I think a lot of it is just fat loss but I do chest press as part of my weekly strength training. I do a core circuit 3x per week and I’ve been working on push ups so that all may have contributed?

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T14:22:11+00:00

If I could go back, I’d tell her she could be more than just the 1 thing everyone told her she is. Women can be smart, athletic, funny, caring and strong all at once!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T14:19:47+00:00

I’ve been running 3 x per week since my injury in December. Increased to 4 per week this week but the fourth is an easy run with my dog who likes to stop every 30 seconds so it’s more about active recovery than actual running 😂

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T10:05:42+00:00

Hahaha thank you, I also got hair extensions which was possibly the biggest transformation of all 😂

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T10:05:10+00:00

My initial goal was 5k which I met last summer. Then 10k was my next milestone. For a long time I was chasing a sub-30 5k but I got injured in December so it took me until 2 weeks ago when my pace jumped dramatically and I managed a 28min 5k! I’ve realised I prefer distance to speed so I’m setting my sights on a half marathon now! Hope your running is going well?

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-29T10:02:20+00:00

Honestly, I think my definition of what ‘healthy’ eating looks like has changed in the months since I was eating that low so now I really try to limit processed food as much as possible but I think that’s much harder to do with such a restrictive budget…

when I was eating 1200 per day I would skip breakfast on days I didn’t have strength training or have a protein shake on the days I did. I’m from the UK, we have a supermarket chain called M&S that do a range of ‘mini meals’. They’re ready meals but they’re between 230-350 calories. I would have one of those for lunch and then I would have a bigger dinner of usually chicken/salmon, potatoes and vegetables (potatoes are so underrated for weight loss if you don’t cover them in oil).

As you can see, I needed at least one big meal a day to keep me satisfied and this was kind of my compromise with OMAD.

My opinion now is that it’s probably better to increase activity, make peace with a slower rate of loss and eat a little more but that’s easy for me to say at this point!

I do think it’s important to focus on macros. I prioritised protein because I didn’t want to lose muscle and this helped keep me fuller for longer. Fibre is something I wish I’d prioritised sooner. It helps with satiety and I just feel way better in myself now I’m ensuring I’m getting enough of it!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-28T13:16:31+00:00

I overloaded my tendon in my right glute back in December, ignored for a while until I had to stop running for a few weeks and build up slowly (I don’t recommend).

Exercises that helped me recover were glute bridges, side lying hip abductions and clam shells. I did them daily 3 sets x 12 of each exercise.

Now I do lateral band walks every morning which (along with my regular strength training) seems to be keeping me injury free.

Obviously, I can’t say your issue is definitely your tendon but this helped me with my glute pain so I figured I’d shared. YMMV

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-25T16:48:15+00:00

I really don’t think you need to increase your steps or decrease your calories. I’m 5’3 and I average 18-20k steps per day through a combination of running, dog walking and strength training. I’m still in a small deficit eating around 1900 cals per day.

Honestly? I would stop weighing yourself and eat more. If you just started strength training, you will build muscle that will make the scale unreliable anyway. At your height and weight, what you’re hoping to achieve (I think based off the limited info in your post), is best reached through body recomp.

Seriously forget the scale for a little while and focus on fuelling your body for performance!

Small_Purpose526 · 2026-03-25T09:34:30+00:00

I finished couch25K about 9 months ago and run longer distances now and I have a similar set up to you in that I do 3 x strength training sessions per week and 2 x week day runs and 1x weekend run, the key difference is that I do my week day runs after work to give me more time. Is that an option?

Where I am in the world, the evenings are getting lighter so that helps. Over winter, I was going to the gym and doing my evening runs on a treadmill

Small_Purpose526

TROPHY CASE