My personal opinion is that you are starting too low and losing 5-1/2 pounds in 4 days seems like too much. Plugging in a guess that you are 31 and exercise lightly, I looked up on a calorie calculator (www.acaloriecalculator.com - really like it) what you should be eating and it says 2463 to lose 1 pound a week and 1963 to lose 2 pounds a week. These high numbers give you space to move down and you lose weight. While you may not be starving now, when you decrease your calories, which either doing that or upping your exercise is what combats plateaus, you are going to be considerably low.

For reference, when I started losing at 272, my daily calorie allotment was 2398 (though looking back at my tracking, I was typically anywhere from 1200 to 1700 with several trips into 1800 to 2200 world - also really quite shocked at my actual nutrition intake in the first month...or lack there of ) and I lost 8-1/2 pounds my first month. Recently, my calorie allotment was WAY too low and I had trouble feeling satisfied, I spent three months bouncing within a 10 pound range and was binging at least once a week. Now that I've upped it, I feel full regularly, my weight has started moving downward again and I haven't had a binge in over a week. While I started with my calorie allotment high, I hadn't made adjustments in my allotment for my increase in working out.

If it was me, while I would be happy seeing pounds shed, I know going from a diet of 3000 calories or more a day (yes, I truly believe it was very possible that is what I was eating prior to my change in lifestyle) to 1400 would not be something I could maintain into an actual lifestyle change and binging or giving up would be in my near future, especially when I tried to decrease my allotment. I can't tell you what you should do because I know yourself better than anyone on here ever could but if it was me, I would up my daily allotment.

Good luck with your decision!

my guess is your 5.5 loss in 4 days was a lot of water...not saying all of it was...i did respond to your blog

Thank you! I really had no idea jumping into this what I was doing but I think I am getting it a bit more. I think I will up my calories to at least 1600-1800 but make it healthy calories.. I just hate to see the 5 lbs I lost come back LOL

I'd do a bit more research on what your personal calorie needs are and where you should start from. For each person it is different, depending on their BMR, starting weight, and other health factors.

Regarding plateaus, they do happen, and they are not necessarily a bad thing. The body is not a clock that runs continuously at the same pace and weight loss thus happens in fits and starts. What is most important is the long-term benefit your plan renders- as in, how much do you lose every week? every month? every six months?- rather than day to day.

I've learned a TON from this site and reading other peoples' experiences. I was so surprised to realize how little I didn't know about dieting and how much I NEEDED to know before starting my weight loss process. I can't suggest the caloric intake at which you should be starting, only to read more about the subject and experiment a little bit with what works best for you. Best of luck with the journey!!

You're on the right track. Take some time and get familiar with nutrition and calories and how many your body needs to function and let you lose weight at the same time.

You WILL plateau. Sometimes it will be from something within your control and sometimes it just happens. If you stick with your plan (whatever your plan may be, but you MUST make one) you will succeed. Just know that plateaus do not = failure. The only failure is giving up when they happen!

Best of luck to you in your journey! You CAN do this!

Thank you so much! I woke up this morning very discouraged and it took all of me to try and stick to it today. I really don't know what to do. I wish I could PM people who I see have had success so I could ask what worked for them. I upped my calories today.. ended up with 1860 and I feel awful about it. I still feel the same tonight. Everynight around 9:00 I feel hungry. I don't want to eat after 7, I ended up eating my last at almost 7:30 tonight and here I am 9:30 and I am hungry.. even with all those extra calories today.

I am just really confused and nothing is helping. I picked up a biggest loser book today and they have 6 weeks to a healthier you and every day the calories are 1400-1600.... so is that right?? I'm sorry to be complaining.. I was having such a high week and I feel like I am coming down and I am so worried if I don't figure it out soon I will fall off the wagon already

if your body really is physically hungry at night, just plan for it. plan out your meals so you have some left over after dinner. like a cheese stick, small bowl of cereal, berries, whatever gets you through and is filling, satisfying. each person is different. try to think of which foods keep you feeling physically full the longest? like for me this is lentil soup or other types of beans. i can feel full on that stuff all afternoon on a good day. lots of veggies and lentils(a type of bean). but other people need some fat or protein in each meal. once you figure that out, you can plan your meals to have a combo of fiber/protein, protein/fat, or whatever works for you. not at every single snack, but you want to be satisfied, so try to do it the best you can.

it's not really about a single perfect strategy. it's about finding a way to personalize it, make it work for you. if that's in baby steps, or jumping right in, try to make your 'plan' enjoyable and you look forward to delicious meals. you could even make meals for you and your daughter. you both need healthy foods so it's win-win. and less stress your you, less prep in kitchen, possibly less clean up.

and remember that the dreaded plaetu isn't really. it's just you practicing maintenance. you want to know when you get to goal, you can stay there. what a stressful life if you couldn't keep it fairly steady? at least i would be, i'd be worried i'd gain it back. nope, pleatues are just practicing for maintenance. keep working hard and it HAS TO COME OFF! also, 5 lbs in just a few days is very likely water.

The "right" level of calories for you is something you're probably going to have to experiment with a little. Every chart, book, web site, etc. that you read can give you guidance--but ultimately, you get to choose your best fit. You want to walk the line between not losing weight and getting crazy hungry because you aren't taking in enough food. That gives you a pretty big window in which you'll still be happy.

I looked at the calories that a woman my age (41) and height and starting weight (which you can see in the ticker) would need to take in to maintain her weight at 150, given a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I came out with a figure close to 1500 calories a day, so I figured I would just start there--that way I won't have to worry about changing to a "maintenance" plan because my whole weight loss process was done at maintenance level.

About the only guideline is that you shouldn't drop below 1200 because past that line, it becomes difficult to fit in all the nutrition you need. There are exceptions, but they're generally people who are really tiny, sedentary, and/or older than you or me.

I notice your mentioning when you eat--is there a reason you don't want to eat past 7:00? There's zero evidence that eating late causes weight gain, as long as your calories are at an appropriate level for weight loss or maintenance. You might want to steer clear of night eating if you're prone to heartburn, but otherwise, if you're a night eater (I'm one too), save a little space in your daily menu for a snack.

Hi Tamlynn,

I just wanted to stop by, say hello, and wish you the best of luck as you continue on this journey.

It isn't always easy, but it is always worthwhile.

Beth

I think you are starting too low and it is a concern about the plateau but also, why start at such a low number if you can eat more. I started eating 2,000 at 223lb and then 1,800 at 185. Weight was flying off. Right now I eat 1,500 on workout days and 1,300 of off days and still loosing.

I think if I started off too low, I would binge. I know I would as being on a diet in the beginning is harder and while times passes, you learn to make it a lifestyle, your taste buds adjust, your body and mind too.

Also, I always eat my biggest largest meal at 9 pm and snack at 10pm because I cannot go to sleep hungry and in my mind only calories in vs calories out matter for me in terms of what time I eat. I cannot not eat after 6-7pm. I also lost most of my weight through diet alone and just added exercise 1 month ago.

Why don't you want to eat after 7. Heck I have a big bowl of oatmeal around 9:30pm before bed. I sleep better and don't raid in the middle of the night anymore. I know there are several of us that eat 6 or more meals a day. And losing. I am averaging a little over a pound a week.

Read Joyfulloser's thread.

Don't trust the scale. Use it as a tool but a salty meal one day can possible give you some water weight the next day. Just stay the course.

You can do this and don't stress