Well athenac you need to write down and see what you were doing differently this summer. I know gaining it back can be very discouraging. Whenever i get discouraged, I just kick my butt and get back up and renew the effort even harder!

That sounds good giovani.

When I started calorie counting I weighed just over 280 pounds and averaged about 2000 calories/day. I've lost regularly over the past year, have lost over 100 pounds total and now I try to keep the calories at or under 1800. I exercise more than I used to (at least 30 min/day, combo of cardio and strength) and still lose an average of about 1 pound/week.

Oh I know exactly what I did differently over the summer. I ate too much.

no entiendo lo que ustedes dicen! soy la unica que habla espaņol?

I see athenac. lol That is great wyllenn. You have come along way! I think I will try to keep it 1600-1800 most days with a few bad days of 2000 or so. WHat kind of exercises are you doing exactly? I walk 50-100 minutes a day. Last month for example was 1695 minutes total. I would like to do something new though too. What would you suggest? Do you go to a gym?

I didn't join a gym right away. I started just walking outside and on a treadmill in our basement. When we joined a gym in December we started strength training and it is making a BIG change in my body -- I have muscles (nice ones, not huge ones) and I think it really does help rev the metabolism.

But, the routine I was doing got old and the old gym didn't have a lot of trainers, so recently we joined a new gym and are going to be working with a trainer.

I also started biking more this summer, and the new gym has a nice pool we're making use of... I still walk a lot too. In fact, because I am able to, I walk a lot more than I ever did before!

That sounds great. I was also thinking of starting to incorporate bike riding. What does this help differently that you have noticed than just plain walking? I think I rode for 20 minutes yesterday and my butt hurts today from the seat! plus my left leg up above the knee. haha What strength training exercises did or do you do?

http://www.push.tv/step1.php I was thinking of trying that. Have you tried it yet?

Bike riding does seem to work different muscles. I also find it practical -- I can bike some places it would take me too long to walk to. It also helps "shake things up" so that I'm not always doing the same thing.

So far, I've kept most of my strength training to the machines at the gym, with a few free weights mixed in. I think things will evolve more quickly working with a trainer. I've never heard of pushtv.

Sounds good. I think that will help me to shake it up a bit too. My body has gotten used to me walking. lol Pushtv I found the link on this website, I guess they are offering a 30 day free trial. I think I will try it. Once my youngest starts pre school in Dec I might be able to join a regular gym!

I do between 1100 - 1400.

I'm just starting out, so I'm not sure how this will go in the long run. I'm doing 1200 a day and extremely low-impact exercise. I have an old back injury, so the exercise has been the toughest part. So I'm basically just walking a couple miles every other day.

I almost feel like I should be eating fewer calories. It's been a week, and I don't think I've actually been hungry at any point since I started dieting. How long should I give it before making adjustments?

Well, for starters, it is generally recommended that you not go below 1200 calories a day consistently without medical supervision. At that level, it is difficult to give your body the nutrients it needs, not to mention the fact that most people's bodies (particularly those that weigh more than they should) burn more than 1200 calories a day even when sedentary.

I'm just getting back to calorie counting, and I'm just trying to stay below 2000 a day. I'll do this for at least 3 weeks before I decide whether or not to adjust my intake.

Kella, I started out at averaging 1200 calories the first week, sometimes I went as low as 850. I was never hungry in that first week. I think I was running on pure adrenaline. Once I found this site I was given advice to stay above 1200 cals/day which I have (I eat an average of 1450 perday) I have lost 1-2 pounds per week. Which is what experts say is ideal to help keep off the weight in the long run.

So, how is 2000 "bad"? At 227, you're almost certainly burning more than that, unless you are elderly or extremely sedentary, and it doesn't sound like you're either.

What's "bad" about it if you need a day or two a week to eat like a normal person (general recommendations for a healthy young female are 2000 anyway)? You're bigger than normal--2000 should still be a "good" day.

I am slow, I admit, but I've lost about sixty pounds over the last 12 months, mostly a pound a week or lose-two-gain-one-lose-two, and I'm just now making myself strict on 2000 b/c I've plateaued in recent weeks (I weigh about 235ish--haven't stepped on the "official" scale in a few weeks). Even if you generally go much faster than pokey ol' me, 2000 every now and then is still GOOD.

I'm puzzled by your labeling it "bad" rather than "still pretty good"...