But I swear, this weight loss journey is really getting to my head. I'm somewhere in a sea between 168-167 right now, and really hoping that I did not gain this week, because I bumped my calories up from an average of 1150-1250 to 1300-1400 this entire week, PLUS a cheat meal (a reasonable one, though) due to serious diet fatigue and waning self control. I just have this unshakable paranoia that I've slowly put on a pound, or a half a pound over the course of this week. Every time I look in the mirror, I feel like I look even pudgier, and things just -feel- tighter to me.

I know it's crazy, but I have never felt heavier than I do right now, after I've already lost a solid 20+ pounds, not counting the 10 lb water flush at the start. I mean, I know I'm not -huge- at 167, but it drives me crazy knowing I'm far from looking -good-, either. (being 5'1", it'll be about 20 more lbs before I start to look normal...sigh).

Anyway, sorry to drop another rant, but I had to get it out of my system. I'm thinking maybe I need to avoid mirrors for a month or so -_-

Could TOM be on it's way? That seems to always put a damper on how I feel about my progress! Not to mention kinda of lingering around the same stinkin' number. Do you exercise?

You're calories are never suppose to go below 1200 because it's dangerous 1300-1400 sounds reasonable even if you're really small that would still be around or under maintance. :/

I know what you mean about still feeling fat. I see myself as very large still even though I know I've lost some serious weight. You gotta be careful though because while I get concerned about it every once in awhile and see how much I still need to loose I've never felt way larger then I was before. You sound like you may be developing an eating disorder. I don't wanna sound harsh but I think you may need to seek counselling.

Well, at 5'1" her maintenance calories may very well be in the 1100-1300 range if she got to the lower end of normal BMI at that height (115-120 lbs). Height and age are big contributors to that. That said, at your weight 1400-1500 will be a much more comfortable range for you AND your body. Don't drop your calories unnecessarily low. It is a better lifetime strategy to lose on the highest amount possible. It makes it easier to maintain and cheats less of an issue

I've seen this idea floated around repeatedly on this forum. Can you explain exactly how it is dangerous?

Well I've heard it from practically every calorie count site and diet book I've ever read. I know it is also the guideline set by the ACSM and its the recommended amount set by most doctors except in the case of extreme obesity.

The basic concept behind it is if you set your calories too low over a significant period of time it will cause your body to become stressed and you will enter gluconeogenesis which basically means your body will start eating your muscle tissue to keep your blood sugar levels stable and eventually your metabolism slows down. 1200 is suppose to be minimum amount you need to keep your body from thinking its starving and adjusting to meet its new needs.

I suspect it's also because most people will climb a bell tower and start shootin' if they're restricted to below 1200 calories for too long.

There are exceptions--really small people, really sedentary people, really old people--whose caloric needs are more than a couple of standard deviations away from the mean. The OP wrote that she weighs around 167-168ish, so unless she's secretly 93 and spends all her time watching soaps, she probably needs more than what she was eating.

Weight loss that isn't sustainable is a fool's game. If the OP was feeling "diet fatigue and waning self control," she was probably cutting more than she needed to. It's also tough to fit in a full complement of necessary nutrients on a diet below 1200 calories a day unless it's a medically controlled diet, so that's probably the reason that that number gets bandied about everywhere.

Doopdoop (love the name, by the way, and I say it out loud every time I see your posts ) ---

I'm about your height and I outweigh you by over 30 pounds. I look in the mirror and see a woman who already looks good and will continue to look better--so I KNOW you're not seeing yourself clearly when you think you're many pounds from looking good. I have yet to have anyone stop, point, and stare at me like an escaped circus animal when I go out--even when I wear shorts. So I'm sure you're in even better shape than I.

I understand how you feel. Sometimes I feel guilt for eating on-plan stuff (I'm at 1500 calories a day) if it seems insufficiently "healthy," and I need to shake it off and remind myself that the occasional on-plan treat is a GOOD thing. I think you'll be in a considerably better place mentally once you have a few more calories coming in. It's impossible to think straight when you're undernourished.

*hug* Everyone has fat days and impatient days, and those of us with any shred of perfectionist in our nature get paranoid and worried about gaining weight even if staying on plan. You're doing what you can and even if you don't see it and feel itchy in your own skin, continuing to do what has been working for you will result in further progress. 1300-1400 is not a "gaining" amount for most people (unless, like Nola said, they are super old or super sedentary). Even if the scale bounces up a small amount, it is likely to be the physical weight of the food that weighs more, not true fat gain.

The most important thing, I think, is to figure out a way of eating and living that you can sustain. Feeling deprived leads to binging and rapid drops in motivation/caring, which leads to regain and feeling disappointed in yourself. That's where I am now and I am really struggling to get back into the swing of things.

I guess we will have to disagree. I would say it depends on the situation and in the case of a 5'1" female carrying 60+ lbs of fat a caloirc intake of under 1,200 calories could easily be sustained for some time. Not a lot under but definately under. Obviously one would have to have good food choices but the same could be said of any caloirc intake to ensure adequate supply of micronutrients. Just to make a blanket statement seems silly regardless of how many websites say it or what your perception of what a doctor would reccomend. I've also seen I don't know how many websites preach 5-6 meals a day to keep your metabolism running along with a large variety of myths that simple are not true.

ALso FYI gluconeogenesis is not catabolization of muscle mass it is simply conversion of non glucose metabolites to glucose. Anyone who is on Atikins has plenty of gluconeogenesis happening because there are parts of the body that need glucose to function. What you're referring to is catabolism and it is much more complicated than suggesting that going to a certain calorie level causes it. Studies on super low calorie diets, usually giving 300-600 calories day did show LBM loss but they were also protein inadequate. (I am NOT suggesting people go on a 300-600 calorie diet although if you look at the IP diet section there are people on absurdly low calorie diets that a Dr reccomended they follow for much longer than I would ever suggest.)

Anyways I don't think the OP has an eating disorder I just think she is frustrated with the fact that she has a lot of weight to lose and it's going to take a long time. It's a fact that we can look physically worse at a lighter weight than a heavier weight depending on how our bodies lose fat. I'm sensing frustration, not a problem that needs professional help.

Thanks, guys! I did just get off my period, so I'm sure there are some residual hormones floating around up there earlier today. *bonks side of head to get them out*

Well, I've managed to sustain a 1 lb a week weight loss up until now, so I guess I'm just having a mini freakout as to why things are slowing down. And yes, the impatience is strong with this one. I'm gonna see tomorrow on my weigh in day how this week has fared...really nervous about the number, but if it's a no loss or a gain, I'm gonna keep it around a tidy 1250-1300 a day instead of closer to 1400 most days. Need to get back on the weight training, too...sigh.

Nola: Honestly, you probably DO look damn good. My weight is distributed in the goofiest ways. Also, I have an -idea- of how I want to look that's very deeply ingrained in my head. I should really shake it one of these days, as I used to have the sort of self confidence that you have about your looks, back when I -was- 30 lbs heavier. Off to go read The Beauty Myth, or somesuch...:P

The fact that she is saying she is paranoid and constantly checking the mirror and feels guilty eating less than her maintaince is concerning. I'm not saying she has problems now but she is definitely showing early signs of an eating disorder. it sounds like to her its about more than the weight and that there is probably some emotional issues behind it but hey im no psychologist i've just known a few people with eating disorders in my life. she still has a way to go before it could become a serious issue but i'm not sure if she is going to be able to handle maintance without getting her emotions under control when the time comes. but hey not my life. you guys are closer to or at all goal if you say she's fine then i guess she can just handle it on her own.

Woah woah woah buddy, WHO is carrying 60+ pounds of fat? The **** I'm getting to 107, lol. I'm going for healthy, not Kate Moss :P

On another note, I do not feel that I have an eating disorder, either. You're right in saying that I am just pretty frustrated that I'm losing the standard 4-5 lbs a week, and knowingexactly how long it'll take me to hit 135. I am very good with nutrition, so I doubt the 1200 calorie a day plan was hurting me.

I do appreciate your concern! There's really no need to worry, though. I have no binge/purge habits...heck, not even the binge half of the equation. I treat myself now and then, and have a healthy relationship with food. Well...I'm learning to have one, as my unhealthy food relationship got me here in the first place. I really do appreciate you looking out for my mental health, though, and having a few friends who have dealt with eating disorders in the past, I'll be the first to talk to someone if the dieting gets to a debilitating point.

doop, he didn't mean to offend. You may very well be carrying 60 pounds of body fat, but that doesn't mean you're 60 pounds overweight. We all need some fatty tissue to survive. You can find a healthy body fat chart if you google a bit, but they are all a little different so YMMV. At my goal weight (120), with a healthyish body fat percentage (25%), I'd still have 30 pounds of body fat.

I do worry that you think losing 4-5 pounds a week is normal and sustainable, if that's true. Did you mean in a month?

Oops, yeah, I meant in a month . I think I'd be afraid my organs were falling out if i lost 4-5 a day, lol.

And no worries to him, I wasn't offended, just trying to make a joke out of it. (cue wahhhhp wahhhhp noise)