You know, i didnt lose anything with my strict diet and then i loosened up a bit and ate pretty much anything i wanted but just NOT AS MUCH and kind of estimated the calories to the mid 1000s.. and its been working

The program that I'm on really drills it into our heads about eating enough rather than starving ourselves because of how your body reacts to starvation mode-it holds onto the fat because it's afraid of starving. I have heard of other diets that advocate this and also have heard that bodybuilders do it to get in shape before a competition. It think it's called calorie zig zagging (or something like that). You do 1200-1300 for a day or so, then up it to maybe 1800-2000, then back down. It seems crazy but it works! Congratulations!

Didn't someone write about "calorie cycling" on this forum once? I can't really remember who/when/where - but I do remember reading about it. Interesting concept, if I recall, but I've never really tried it.

I have found that, for me, eating more OFTEN thru-out the day, works better for me.

Hey Night,
Congrats on the loss, yeah you!!!!
Sounds exactly like what happened to me. I too started losing at 1200 calories per day, but with my intense workout routines I bumped up my calories somedays to 1400-1500 and this is where I continued to lose more weight. Now that I have been maintaining for over 6 months I still do the zig zagging thing and so far so good for holding my own too.
I truly think it is good to mix up your calories from day to day. It is a pain waiting for the weight to drop (.... WAIT some more, more like it....)
7 day calorie cycle (zig-zagging) this is what helped me lose.. If I did kickboxing and weight lifting on the same day, I bumped up my calories even more, someday I ate 1500-1700, it was nice to enjoy the extra calories daily and my body obviously was happier with more fuel, since I continued to lose more weight by eating more..

Monday
1354
Tuesday
1160
Wednesday
1625
Thursday
1354
Friday
1219
Saturday
1489
Sunday
1354
*Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but 'tricks' your body by constantly changing daily calories. This helps to prevent or break plateaus.. Maybe you can try this for a week and see how the zigzagging works for you.. But then again, it looks as if your doing just fine without my 2 cents.. so keep doing what your doing, that obviously is working for you!

But, evilwoman, I LIKE your 2 cents! :) I love imput and feedback, and the weekly average is a good point. This week's was a little high (1,518), but next week I'm turning it down again.

I think my metabolism NEEDS to be tricked at this point. These last 10-17 pounds are stubborn. Yeah, 10-17... my goal is to be between 125 and 135, ideally under 130, but I'll settle for 135ish IF my abs are visible and my backfat is 100% gone.