Just not feeling it. It seems not matter what I eat, or how much I exercise or how many calories I burn, either i put on weight or the scale doesn't move

The most calories Ive EVER eaten in the past 7 months as been 1400. THE MOST. The most i've ever burned is 2900. The past few days, i've been eating anywhere from 1100-1300 calories and burning between 1800-2300 calories. I've been walking and lifting weights for my arms....and when it's eating im not eating anything TERRIBLE like trash food....no sweets drinking nothing but water...and tons of it....but...The scale refuses to move and i've actually put weight back on . It's frustrating, because more than anything I want to get back in shape. It actually discourages me. makes me not want to go for a walk, because, why bother when my fitbit still says "OVER BUDGET" even though i've worked my butt off. In 2 months, I'm traveling where I will be meeting some friends, plus a guy that *I* have had a thing for for well over a year. I'm so worried. I had set my goal that my lower belly would be smaller, and that I would weigh less and be in a smaller size so I could wear cute clothes....but im so discouraged that that will not happen, and that when he sees me, he won't be attracted to me...because of my weight. I'm not super fat. I was 267 im now 218...but it just makes me so sad that I can't seem to get anywhere...and i've been trying so hard...so hard to the point that I obsess everyday, and it's all i think about from the time i get up to the time i go to bed whether or not im going to meet my goal and how to make sure I do. everything I eat, every step I take....and it's not working...and im sad... and very very discouraged.

Hey, sorry to hear about this. But what it sounds like is that your body is actually in starvation mode. Your body isn't getting all the proper nutrients and calories that it NEEDS to maintain. So it may be burning your muscles for protein. I suggest you have a CHEAT DAY once per week. This will tell your body that it will still get heaps of calories and will also keep you motivated because you can still have the foods you want. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry you're going through that. It sounds really tough.

It seems to me like there are a couple of possibilities worth investigating.
First of all, how are you calculating calories eaten and calories burned? I know that a lot of estimates of calories burned you can get online are unreliable, and you definitely can't count on machines at the gym- they overestimate how many calories you're burning by a lot. It's unfortunate, but the safest thing to do is not to eat back calories you burn, because there's just not a good way of figuring out how many calories that is.

Second, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? Short people have lower calorie needs than tall people, and your calorie needs to maintain might be lower than you realize. For instance, if I reach my goal weight, my maintenance calorie allowance in the very best case scenario will be about 1600 a day. If I wanted to lose weight I'd have to cut that down significantly.

The upside of that is that you can increase the calories you burn just by sitting around by building muscle. Weight training might help your weight start going down if you're struggling with a slow metabolism (which can happen when you eat very little over a long period of time).

Finally, I really think you need to go to a doctor if you've investigated all these possibilities and it still seems like you're losing a lot less weight than you should be. From what I hear, it's always a good idea to check if something is up if you have unexplained weight changes (or, in this case, if your weight is doing something that doesn't make sense). It's always a good first step to check that you're healthy.

I hope you start to see some improvement soon! I know it sucks when things don't seem to be moving , but it sounds like you're doing the most important thing for your health, which is staying active. And honestly, in my opinion, if you can be in good shape and you don't lose weight, maybe it's not so bad. Fat and healthy is better than thin and unhealthy!

When I lost 65lb back a few years ago, it was crucial for my ongoing weight loss to "reset" every few weeks. Take a couple of rest days from exercise and eat more "normal". Don't go all wild and eat everything in sight, but eat a solid 2000+ calories of good food (not sweets). Honestly, I don't know your size, but your daily intake doesn't seem anywhere near enough anyway. I never ate below 1500 when I was losing weight, and I only exercise 500-1000 extra calories per day. I totally get caught up in the math too sometimes thinking I can just speed things along if I eat less and exercise more, but weight loss isn't a sprint. It takes time.

I also second the idea of weight training. Sure, it always makes me stall in weight loss when I first start, but even if you don't see weight loss you will be able to see a change in your physique, plus it always makes me feel like I'm so awesome I could anything.

I'm 5'6 and 218 lbs...and my caloric intake/burn is managed by my fitbit and fitbit app that comes with it. I've eaten the same way for the past 6 months and haven't had a problem up until the past few weeks. I don't know if it's because I just expect more to happen because I WANT it to happen in 2 months, or if it's just that I'm frustrated because my fitbit program is constantly saying I'm overbudget and im in the red, even when I only eat 900 calories. either way it's annoying. I've eaten around 1300-1400 and honest to god , im full, and can't eat anymore and walked a mile , for the past two evenings and my weight, is slowly, creeping up....started at 217.2 and now it's 218.2, 218.6 etc....

A week ago you posted saying that you were losing weight easily and had lost 50 pounds since January. It is not unusual to have a plateau for a week! If you keep to the program, the weight will start dropping off again.

I have a polar not a fitbit, so I'm not sure how it works, but surely there are settings in the fitbit for how much weight you are trying to lose in order for it to make the calculations? For example if you have it set to lose 2lbs a week, maybe you should take it down to just 1lb a week for a month or so and see what happens then?

Well, I don't crave or eat anything starchy, salty or sweet, Im gonna say it, even though it's not approved, and I'll probably get in trouble...but I'm on Topamax and it makes that stuff taste bad, so I don't eat it. I'm sure it's the stress thing, because Im always stressed out, however, I have relaxation music, i'm even on anti-anxiety medicine, and the stress is still there...I worry about everything, Money, My daughter, my weight....obviously...and a trip im going on this summer. I wish there was some magic way to reduce cortisol..because honestly I was droppin weight like CRAZY before I planned this trip .....

You're down 50 lbs. Sometimes your body just needs a rest from the loss.

Are you doing exactly the same thing exactly the same way you had been? Same calories? Same exercise? Have you adjusted to make sure your activity is based upon current weight instead of prior, despite those counts being inaccurate?

Have you tried increasing your calories to 1800-2000 for a couple of days and then going back to your usual routine?

Maybe your weights are to heavy. Maybe going to toning only for awhile to tone the muscles. Sounds like your doing everything well. Your persistent.