Any sugestions for helping my petite clients lose weight?
I have several clients that are 5 feet tall or shorter and they are not losing weight even though I have them on a similar nutrition and exercise plan as my other clients. Plan include 90 minutes of strength training, 90 minutes of cardio, eating 1300 calories, eating every 3-4 hours, 100g of protein and lots of water. It works for most clients but not the shorter clients. Any ideas why? These clients are really pushing themselves during the workout and are following the program. It’s frustrating for them and me. Please let me know if you have experienced this too?
Hi Kristine. When I think of ‘petite’ clients I think in terms of BOTH height and weight. Are your petite clients small in both stature and weight? If so, my first question would be why are they trying to lose weight? Everybody (that’s every body) is different and reacts differently to the same stimulus. So, I’d be hard pressed to give a real answer as to ‘why’ they are not seeing the same results as your other clients on the same regimen. A caveat that I ALWAYS give my clients is ‘compare yourself, to yourself, NOT to someone else.” I tell them this exactly for the reasons that you are pointing out in your question – we’re all different, and our bodies react differently.
I hope that this helps.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
LARUE AND HARRIS BOTH HAVE GOOD POINTS. BUT, I DO WANT TO ADD THAT SHORT INDIVIDUALS CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT DAILY METABOLIC RATE AS OPPOSED TO TALLER INDIVIDUALS. FOR REASONS OF MUSCLE LEVERAGE THIS OCCURS. THAT IS A FACT. BUT MORE INFORMATION WOULD BE NEEDED TO FURTHER ANSWER YOU CORRECTLY BRIAN ROZZI.
Kristine,
I would agree with all the above, but I would ask why all your clients are on the same program? We are all very different. While most nutritionists suggest several small meals every 3-4 hours, that does not work for everyone. Some people do better with just 3 meals a day. We are all individuals.
It also sounds as if your clients are doing a great deal of exercise; is this every day? If they are fit and medically approved I would suggest adding some shorter duration but high intensity interval type workouts 2-3 times a week. Are you qualified to prescribe a diet for them? If they are really trying to lose weight (and I would ask them why) I would consider referring them to a RD. It is true petite people may have a harder time losing weight because their actual caloric need will be smaller than someone tall, but 100 grams of protein seems pretty high for someone under 5 feet tall.
What are their waist measurements?
How much weight do they want to lose?
I see you have a certification with a Nutritional course but I question your one size fits all approach.
It’s important to take a look at each client individually and assess their habits independently of others.
I track with my clients for 2 weeks, if nothing is happening, we make changes until something does happen.
As for working out, every person has a different tolerance and threshold, some need more, some less, some need a huge shake up!