I lost between 12 and 13 pounds since last year, and I have from five to ten left to lose...I go up a pound, down a pound, and then back up a pound again. It's so frustrating! Any suggestions? I try to stay around 1500 calories a day. I can't do 1200 because it's a starvation diet. I have a sedentary job at a desk all day and a 40-minute commute, so it's hard to get enough movement in as well.

I know how you feel, I've been at a weight loss crawl for all of 2009. Luckily for you, you're already under 150! Look on the bright side.

The first thing that rings out to me is that you try to stay around 1500 calories a day. At your weight, unfortunately, trying is not enough. You're going to actually have to be like Nike, and just do it!

At your weight, it's going to be harder to create that all important calorie deficit. Therefore you will have to be very, very consistient with your calories. Even one "off" day can cause a stall. I would track my calories very carefully. A site like fitday.com or thedailyplate.com can help you with that.

You would also benefit from adding in exercise to help you with that deficit.

1500 minus 1200 leaves 300--so it's possible you could lower your average calories. Try going to 1400? That's the only thing I can suggest if you're sedentary.

It would help you to try to become more physically active, not to burn calories because activity doesn't burn that much--but to improve your metabolism. Right now from what you've said, if your calorie estimate is correct, you're maintaining on 1500 cals.

Jay

If you post a day's food intake, we might be able to see something obvious you could change out that might help. In general, you can reduce sodium intake, ditch saturated fats, cut out or down on starchy carbs/veggies, replace salad dressings/sauces with spices or parmesan for a lower cal/lower sodium option, replace caloric drinks with water, reduce your cals by a little, or increase your cals a little, increase your exercise, or change your exercise. If you do no exercise, because of time constraints, then you might have to get creative. Do a few crunches before you get out of bed in the morning. During lunch break, take a walk, or buy one of those under-the-desk bicycle exercisers and use it when you're sitting at the desk for long periods. Putting in 1-5 mins of exercise here and there can add up over the course of a day or week. Or maybe there's a gym near your work, that you could use during lunch break, or right after work.

Hope that helps give you some ideas!

Another piece of advice that I have seen is that maybe one day a week, eat your maximum. It tends to trick the body not to store certain things anymore and it can help you go down.

Or try zigzaging. one day 1600, 1400, 1700, 1400, 1500
or something like that

Have you been eating the same things every day? Our stats are very similar, and once when I tried Weight Watchers I lost 4 pounds the first week, then nothing for 3 weeks. The WW leader (or whatever it is you call them) told me to eat different things because I'd been eating the exact same things every day. I changed my breakfast and dinner and bingo! 3 days later I was down another 2.2 pounds.

I eat 1200 calories a day for 4 out of 7 days a week. (1500 on Friday, Sat, & Sun.) I am not starving and have been losing at a nice steady rate for over a year. Lab tests late this fall determined that my blood work was in excellent condition and that my iron and vitamin levels were optimal. 1200 calories/day is only a starvation diet when all you eat is empty calories, like sugar and pop and 100 calorie packs of cookies. I know without a doubt I eat more vitamins, minerals, lean protein and definitely fiber than I EVER did eating 3000+ calories a day.

With that said, you might just have to reduce your calories to lose more weight, (or exercise...or both). But if you feel as though you are starving when eating less than 1500/calories a day. You might just have to readjust your goal weight. Maintaince will be very hard if you are suffering to get to where you want to be.

I wouldn't recommend eating 1200 calories a day every day but it can help to drop your calories a few days a week to push your body to let go of those extra pounds. It's only going to push your body into starvation mode if you eat at too low of an amount for too many days in a row.

If you are stuck at a plateau, it is most likely because your body has become accustomed to what to expect every day as far as calories in and out. I would suggest sticking with an average of 1500-1600 calories 4-5 days a week but then drop it down to 1200 calories 2-3 days a week.

I usually eat more on the weekend so then I take Monday and Tuesday and eat very low, Wednesday is back to moderate, and then Thursday is back to very low. The Friday is moderate and the weekend is a bit higher. I have found that by really eating light those few days a week, the weight loss is coming faster than when I was trying to eat the same number of calories every day.

Starvation mode? 1200 calories? Whyyyyyy??? I mean how can you say that for sure? Aren't we all individuals? I've done 1200 calories for MONTHS in a row. Lost steadily. No starvation mode going on for me. Was never hungry. Always satisfied. Totally energetic. Like Lori, SENSATIONAL blood work.

Repeat after me - 1200 calories is NOT too low if they're good, healthy nutritional ones. 1200 calories is NOT too low if they're good, healthy, nutritional ones. 1200 calories is NOT too low if they're good, healthy, nutritional ones.

I don't eat 100 calorie packs or white bread...I make my own bread from whole grains, eat salads and fruit, chicken and fish, etc. I just get very, very hungry, especially by dinner time, when I am ready to start gnawing on my hands! I am thinking of, in addition to counting calories, going back to the old Weight Watchers exchange approach, where I knew I was to have three fruits, three starch, and six proteins a day, etc.

I lost on 1200 calories a day. I am short I do not require the same amount of calories as a person of six feet as an example. 1200 is not too little for me, however I do not reccomend that anyone go lower than that or you will be robbing your body of needed nutrients. It seems to me that you need more exercise, for a busy person you need to find ways to do that, walk to work, take the stairs, not the elevator.As already stated a few minutes here and there will add up. Diet and exercise together is most effective for losing weight.

Sorry but I find it very hard to believe that you ate 1200 calories a day, every day for months in a row and were never hungry, always satisfied, totally energetic. That sounds very exaggerated to me. I can believe that someone who is shorter and less than 160 pounds could eat 1200 calories a day and not be in starvation mode, but I doubt highly you would never be hungry and always feeling satisfied.

For the vast majority of people, 1200 calories a day for an extended period of time WILL put their bodies in starvation mode. Yes there may be a select few people who are shorter or lighter in weight already who can do OK with 1200 calories a day. But for the typical person with a moderately active lifestyle and who is exercising daily as well, 1200 calories is just too low to be healthy.

I've decided to reduce my daily calories to 1400 and see what that does. I've planned my meals out for today and have 465 available for dinner. My hubby wants to go to the movies tonight, so I've suggested we pop into Panera Bread first to get something to eat. I've chosen three soups and three sandwiches that if I get both the top calorically dense ones, will only bring me to 470. I have to be flexible because they don't have all of their soups every day (the black bean is my fave, and they only have that certain days of the week).

So, you're saying that I'm lying???? This IS the case, I'm sorry to burst your bubble.

Where are you getting your information from? Do you have anything to back it up? Are you a doctor? How can you say for SURE what any one individual requires - or doesn't require? 1200 calories of highly nutritional food is more then adequate for many people that I personally have come across. Many of them right here at 3FC. And according to many professionals that I've come across, they seem to agree with me. Or should I say, I agree with THEM?

But I can't speak for "vast majority of people", because, well, I haven't come in contact with "vast majority of people".