A few weeks ago I posted in the general support board about how, in my struggle to get past my endless stall (been stuck five pounds from goal for over a year) I've eliminated snacks and reduced my daily calories to between 1200 and 1500 a day. Previously I lost just fine, albeit very very slowly on a 1400 to 1800 a day range. I was hungry, tired and somewhat moody for a while. Now my body has adjusted and I can make it from meal to meal (I eat breakfast early and dinner late so I go seven or eight hours between meals) without getting the urge to eat the furniture That's a good thing. But I'm still not losing weight and that's a definite bad thing.

So I'm going to cut calories a bit more and give myself a range of 1000 to 1300. I'm also going to stop eating carbs after 1.00 p.m. I know it's going to be rough and this is not something I really want to do. But nothing else has worked and I'm getting desperate.

This is an absolute question, I don't know then answer but: Would there be any value in making sure you eat a small and appropriate snack between meals? 7-8 hours is a very long time to go. I just wondered if the body processes food more efficiently if it gets more of a constant supply.

On the carbs: based on a low GI plan I was following, I don't eat starches with my evening meal - fruit and veg, yes but not grains or potatoes or pulses - and based on my doctor's advice, I don't eat at all after 8. It's working well for me at the moment - on the other hand, at my current weight I'd turn cartwheels of joy to get to your startweight, so I appreciate that having so much to lose might make a difference.

By the way - congratulations on losing the 30! And on not giving up after a whole year's plateau!

To answer your question essentially my morning snack was eliminated for me . A coworker had the habit of taking an extra long break (we're supposed to have fifteen minutes, she took forty-five) and because management refused to single her out we all have to sign in and out for breaks. Since it takes two to five minutes to walk down to the office where the sign in sheet is , my actual break is now ten minutes. So I have no time to eat anything healthy except maybe a piece of fruit and fruit on its own makes me hungrier.

By the way, what are pulses?

Fruit alone definitely makes me hungrier. It helps to eat it with a protein or fat. The presence of the other food slows the fruit's absorption and its impact on your blood sugar (which is why you're hungry again). Try fruit with a handful of nuts or a piece of cheese. I love an apple with peanut butter (though I'm not eating so much peanut butter these days. ). Or how about a baggie of baby carrots?

This is very "diluted" advice... but my good friend works with a nutritionist who came back from her maternity leave at pre-preg weight. She swears by eating a cup of food every two to three hours. Says it keeps your metabolism up. If you go 7-8 hours, and slow your metabolism, you may be dooming yourself to that low calorie level!

I'd be interested in what kinds of foods you eat and your exercise program. Are there any "tweaks" you can make -- more veggies, more fish, different workout? 1000-1300 just seems so low! But then again you are a tiny and maybe your tiny bod just needs less?

What are you doing for exercise?

To be completely honest, I am a bit worried that going so long between meals will have a negative effect on my metabolism. I like all your snack suggestions but unfortunately none of them would work for me. Fruit and cheese or fruit and peanut butter have too many calories. Nuts have way too many calories and would take too long to eat . Baby carrots are healthy and low calorie but again would take too long to eat.

Some things that do fit all my requirements would be a single slice of good cheese, like maybe Sargento swiss which is 80 calories, or a two ounce piece of chicken breast which is 96. Or 4 ounces of low-fat sugar free yogurt which range from 50 to 70 calories depending on the brand.

I am not happy at all about having to take my calories so low. 1000 calories is the level I used to diet on years ago and I always ended up feeling deprived and giving up. I lost the bulk of my weight eating between 1500 and 1800 calories a day and on that level I didn't even feel like I was dieting. But since I am short, relatively light and over forty I probably don't need as many calories as I used to even though I am more active now than I was in my twenties.

For exercise I powerwalk (five mile an hour pace with occasional seven mile an hour bursts) hike trails with my greyhound, Sweetie, work out with a fifteen pound kettlebell, do old school calisthenics like push-ups and squats, and I also do yoga.

I can't post a menu until I've finished tweaking my plan but I will soon.

They are what, I think, you call 'legumes' in the US. Lentils, dried beans, dried peas, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_%28legume%29