So I started at 223 and with only diet I got down to 194. I had an issue the second I hit 194. I started eating more. I started eating over my limit (1,540) into 3,000's one day and that's when I decided it's time for me to either deal with the weight gain from overage or workout.

I've been doing zumba exhilarate the step by step mostly but also the rush.
This calculator http://caloriesburnedhq.com/zumba-calories-burned/
is a widely accepted answer on forums that I've looked through as well as a few blogs.

I purchased a HRM and it's on it's way but in the mean time I'm just perplexed.
Yesterday for instance, I ate 2,100 calories but burned 800. The scale is just not moving. I broke through 194 but instead of moving onto 192 in my weigh in it's back to 194?...
I work hard on zumba, I'm 6 pounds shy from 200 pounds and I'm moving and sweating and jumping and shimmying all over the place.
I even subtract 100 calories from the calculator and only give myself 400 burned instead of 500 something for 55 minutes and I set it to low impact even though it could easily be medium...
what's happening? I'm only working out so I can eat more.. Am I giving myself too much calories burned credit?
I'm tracking everything I eat and even though I'm eating 2000+ cals I'm still burning ALOT to make up for it aren't I? Or am I not doing as much as I think? is zumba an effective exercise?

Congrats on your loss so far!

As far as why the scale's not dropping...It could be a few things. Like you said, you may not be burning as much as the calculator says. So good call skimming off 100 cals.

What's also probably causing this is water weight. This comes up a lot on the boards and certainly happens to me. When you start doing a new exercise, your body holds on to water as it repairs muscles. For me personally, after about 6 weeks, I start to lose. Until then, I'm usually up a pound or two.

How long have you been doing zumba?

Even though I believe that's what's going on here, if I were in your shoes, I'd also only eat back half the calories burned. But that's just b/c I find the "calories in" portion of weight loss a more reliable predictor of weight gain/loss than exercise. Although given enough time, a person will likely drop as much weight as exercise indicates they should, it happens ime much more sporadically.

Have you taken measurements? You're probably losing some inches too. You at this same weight post-zumba probably looks smaller than you at the same weight pre-zumba.

Thank you very much c:

6 weeks is a long time sigh.. ah at least there is a reason for it. Not like it's a bad thing.

I've been doing zumba for about two weeks.
I checked my measurements before so now i'm excited to see how they change eventually!

I'm trying to regain control of myself again, I was losing it so I decided to just make up for it with exercise and now.. that is being weird on me. :/

Thank you for responding, I was feeling down about it all day every time I ate.