Jelbb - I 'approx' calories just like you and if I eat something 'bad' I also think, well that was at least 500 calories, so there goes dinner. It's actually worked well for me. I also know my body well and I can tell if I've gained after a bad week or two, and also if I've lost. I have had to really increase my workouts as I get closer to my goal, but I have stayed within the 1200-1400 calories a day like you. Zig-zagging has really helped me in the past, but extra exercise is now what's shifting the weight. Also, I was terribly pleased when I recently found out I was several pounds lighter than my mother - so don't feel guilty!!

Jelbb:

I noticed we are around the same age, height and weight. To answer your question:

I follow this: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/cal...alculator.htm#

I eat about 1100-1200 calories Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. 1400 calories on Wednesday. 1200-1300 calories on Sunday.

Before calorie cycling I would only eat 1100 calories every day.

I also don't workout consistently and when I do, it's really light. Once I'm at my goal, I will start working out atleast 3 days a week.

Hah, my calorie counting is way too approximate for "zig zagging" within a couple hundred calories to have any meaning...I would have to zig zag like 1100 to 1800 to make sure I was having a real gap. But I work out a lot too.

I just got back from my bike trip; it was loads of fun and hopefully biking all day burned some fat. Rather badly, though, both days I stuffed myself at dinner beyond the point where I was full, which probably means over did it and my body didn't need all that food. It's so easy to negate any good I do working out in one sitting. Still though, it was good food and on top of 4+ hours of biking each day, I probably had room for an extra 1000 calories in my diet. I didn't bother counting bc it was restaurant food and who knows how much was in it, and with all that exercise I figured my margin of error would be pretty big.

I'll check in tomorrow after spin. I just started TOM, too, so things are bound to be a little weird.

Welcome, Romana!

I've been much too busy to post here lately. But I'm pretty sure I'm solidly 146 now; it's my TOM and I was 146.4 this morning. Upping my calories and exercising more really seems to have worked. I have gone over a few times -- once I start forcing myself to eat more, it really seems hard to stop! -- but it hasn't seemed to affect me too badly.

Also, today I bought a bunch of new work clothes at J. Jill (I'm a teacher), and I wear an extra-small there! Vanity sizing is so good for the self-esteem.

After six days I'm fiiiinally below 147.8, as I clocked in at 147.4 this morning. Hopefully this is a trend and not an aberration. I am halfway through TOM, but my body never seems to respond the same way to TOM two months in a row, so we'll see what happens.

Yesssss...147 today. The extra exercise is really paying off! :)

Congrats on your losses ladies! :)

I'm 146.2 this morning. But I can't get my ring off easily. Hopefully it's just bloating. My hip and waist measurements are the same as ever. These numbers are so depressing! Moooooove, scale, moooove!!

Everyone welcome me! I'm officially 149.8 lbs as of yesterday!

Hahahahahaha, yes ma'am!

:welcome:!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Congrats, Ruby and StringBean!

This morning's weight: 146.0. I'm hoping I lose some more when my TOM goes away. (I'm on day 2 of usually 5.)

LOL yay, SweetScrumptious! Welcome to the 140's!

Jelbb and Canadia: Thank you for the encouragement! And Jelbb...I promise, the scale WILL move (downward!!) :)
SweetScrumptious: WELCOME!

146.5 at the gym today...day 2 of TOM so hopefully some of it will go away with that, but I dunno, I haven't been as stringent recently.

SweetScrumptious - I was born in Kelowna! ooh small world , and welcome!

146.8 this morning...woohoo...I haven't been on a roll like this in MONTHS :)