[mrstanyagregory]

I'm struggling really badly, ive managed to lose a whole stone which is great but there's so much more to go.
I set myself a goal of 1200-1400 calories a day but I've been so strict and thinking I had to be to have any chance to lose weight that I've actually been averaging 500-600 a day. I'm exhausted I can't even drag myself onto the treadmill today coz I just want to sleep. I know its because I'm not eatin enough and if I ate more calories then I'd get more energy but I've been workin so hard to lose any weight at all that I'm scared if I let myself eat more I'll go back to the old choices or just not lose weight anyway, or even that the people who know I'm dieting will laugh and say ive failed coz vie got a nighly voice that says they are all waiting for it to happen.
Sorry about the rant, I'm just having a really bad day.

[K-boogie]

If you're feeling weak you have got to eat more. Eating as little as you are and trying to exercise on top of that = trouble!

I know it' easier said than done but you can't worry about what others are going to think and if it is a big deal which believe me I know all about being watched by others when you start losing weight then I would say don't eat around them that way they won't know what you're eating/not eating.

But please, please don't allow yourself to feel weak/sick from lack of food and overexercising. Take care of yourself sweetie pie.

[WillsAngel]

Yes you have to eat - your metabolism will actually increase if you have a steady inflow of calories. Just eat the good healthy stuff. I know it sounds counter productive but you body needs calories to function and if you aren't giving your body that energy you feel tired and run down. Take in 1500, then start exercising and you may actually need to increase your calorie intake. I eat ALL day!! 4 small meals and two snacks, it keeps from feeling like i am starving and gives my body stuff to burn!! Don't give up!!

[Rosinante]

Truly, you've got to get back up to the 1400. Save even the 1200 for when you only have a very few pounds left.

You will make yourself ill, eating so little, and you are setting yourself up for a major disorder if you make yourself frightened of food. Seriously.

If you eat as low as your are continuously, your body will panic, and rightly so, fearing starvation. This makes it hang onto every vestige of water, to try and maintain weight: eating too little does not make you lose faster, it does not!

On 1400 calories and roughly the same height as you, I'm averaging a 2.15lb weekly loss. It sure adds up. Last week, it seemed to be getting a bit slow, so I threw in a couple of 1500s - and the weight came off.

There is no value in being thin(ner) and ill, you need to take care of your health.

[beerab]

You are tired cuz your body is shutting down- you can't live on 500 calories a day- right now your body is feeding on your muscle and NOT your fat stores. Your body will feed on muscle to stop you from burning more calories but if you eat enough calories and exercise your body will use your fat stores because it's getting a steady amount of calories.

At 189 lbs you need more like 1400-1500 calories a day, that with exercise should give you a steady 1-2 lbs a week.

[dancerindenver]

A wise woman told me on this board when I started losing weight last year not to make the mistake of having the 'get this fat off me this instant' problem as that never ends well. We didn't gain the weight overnight and we won't lose it that way either. I imagine you were shooting for quick results with your super low calorie eating and I second what the other posters were saying - you definitely need to be eating at a higher calorie level. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If you get into a groove where you're losing 1-2lbs a week, you WILL get there. You can do this! We'll be here cheering you on

[Oboegal]

I'll echo what everyone else is saying. You really need to eat more, for several reasons.

(1) Food provides nutrients. You can tell by the way you feel that you're starving yourself.

(2) You don't want to make your body think that there's a famine--that could make you more likely to gain weight once you start eating more normally.

(3) It's tempting to want to lose the weight quickly, but part of what you need to be doing now is setting the stage for lifetime maintenance. Even if you could do 600 calories for weeks or months (which would be damaging), you'd be setting yourself up to gain the weight back after leaving the state of perpetual deprivation.

Be nice to yourself. It's not a race. The weight loss journey is a time to learn and reflect.

Hang in there.

[bunnythesAINT]

I was in the same situation a few months ago. I had just had surgery and couldn't exercise for a while. I didn't want to gain weight so I was averaging about 600 calories a day. I looked sick, my hair fell out (and I mean A LOT), it was really unhealthy. I hope that you figure things out, I'm glad I did.

[mrstanyagregory]

Today I managed 1000 calories, its really weird I've over eaten and binged my whole life but today i took 10min to convince myself to have some soup! I worry a little about the odd change in my eating habits but I'm far too fat to have a serious problem, as someone once said " you'd (meaning me) survive longest in a famine, you've got way more fat saved up than the rest of us"
Also last time I lost weight a few years ago, I lost nearly 4 stone in about 6months by eating carefully one day then missing two that was the single most stupid idea for a diet ever for main meal one day I ha a big plate of boiled cabbage, just cabbage. I'm not going back to that I'm determined to do this properly, besides as soon as I stopped eating like that I put all the weight back on and alot more and felt really ill for a lobg time.