I don't usually eat after my workout because that's when things go overboard and I end up eating back my calories plus some and it's usually bad stuff not the good stuff. I'm the kind of person that just needs to keep away from foods because I fail at portion control lol.

I usually eat dinner 2-3 hours before and come home and have some water and if needed snack on some baby carrots, so I never eat back all the calories I lost.

I'm usually around the 700s net/day, which I know is low but every time I start eating more I gain weight on the scale next day. I'm trying this thing now where if I'm not hungry I won't eat, even if I'm below my calories. I think unnecessary snacking is how I got here in the first place, so if I can keep myself occupied and not think of food, I'm ok.

Of course if I'm starving I will eat something, I never go to sleep hungry. My sample food menu also varies a lot, sometimes I will have 3 snacks a day other days 2. I've usually eaten up my calories by the time I go to the gym. I also go to the gym really late like 10pm-midnight so I don't want to be eating that late and then sleeping on a full stomach.

I could try eating more calories in vegetables? My weight was 192.5 today too. I did eat chips yesterday though. Do you guys think I should still increase my calories?? Last time, I did it I was up at 193.5 and I was super annoyed and felt like I threw a way a week's effort.

Were you up because of water retention though? Things don't work overnight! A 100 to 200 calorie difference certainly will never result in a 1 lb of fat gain over night!

I've, in the past, fallen into a thought process of "if 1200 calories is good 1000 is better, or 800 is better" and it's just not true. While it's not true for everyone (as nothing is), I personally have to eat between 1200 and 1500, and I try to vary it a little from day to day, so 1200 Monday, 1350 Tuesday, 1500 Wednesday, 1250 Thursday, etc.

You are working out a lot, if your body is anything at ALL like mine, it will FIGHT you tooth and nail on weight loss if you are eating too little. Any change you make you need to give some time!!!

I have no idea why I am up! :( I was actually 193.5 around 6am and then dropped to 192.5 at 8am, so I'm guessing it's water?

I guess I'll try increasing my calories. Don't I have to make a deficit of at least 500 cals to lose 1 lb/week?? I looked up my weight loss calories and it was around 1500 cals so i figured if I ate 1200, make a 300 deficit/day and then work out everyday for 500 cals, make that an 800 cal/day, so then for a week it would be a 5600cal deficit, so around 1-1.5 lb loss per week, or am I doing this thing all wrong??

The main reason I don't want to increase my calories is because I'm not hungry after eating like this.

The math will drive you crazy because it RARELY works out that way.

1500 is probably your basal metabolic rate, meaning if you laid in bed all day. You also have to take into account your daily activity. Are you on your feet? Physical job? Things like that, on top of BMR and your workouts. Chances are you are probably burning close to 2000 a day just without doing any exercise (just an estimate based on my own personal calculations for myself).

You could just keep doing what you're doing and see how things go after a couple more weeks, taking comfort in the fact that there's no way that you could possibly be actually gaining, and the fact that you have a calorie deficit, so the weight will have to come off eventually.

Ugh it really is!

So is eating 1700 healthy calories, exercising off 500, having a net of 1200 a better plan??

I started googling stuff about eating below your BMR and that it slows down your metabolism and what not, seems like I'm doing it wrong. I just don't know how people on here eat 1200 and lose weight so well!

I used to be on this really really unhealthy diet years ago where I only ate protein for all three meals and snacks and I lost a good 15 lbs but I was disgusted with meat after that and gained the weight back. I guess I'm being antsy in wanting to see fast results like that.

Oh and I just ate cereal for breakfast and right now weighed in at 194 lol. It's maddening!!

I'd give yourself a range. Say 1200 to 1700, that way the days that you really aren't hungry and don't really work out you can be on the low end, and the days you are hungry and work out you can eat more.

Just keep in mind everyone is different. It becomes extremely frustrating if you begin comparing yourself to other people. The goal is to find out what works for you, sometimes that takes some time. Every time you change something, try and give it a couple weeks.

And STOP weighing yourself so much! I'm a scale addict too, but just do it once in the morning (once at night if you absolutely must). Weighing yourself after you've eaten and drank is just going to drive you batty!

I've totally been where you are, obsessing over the numbers (maybe obsessing is a strong word for you, but for me I was totally obsessed), and it always discouraged me in the end. I'd sit down and do the math and be like "WTF I should be like 6 lbs down by now" but I'd be up 2. I was too impatient to ride it out, and I'd end up just saying screw it and gain it all back plus some.

It sucks to hear, believe me I know, but the more slow and steady it comes off, the more likely it is to stay off.

You may want to have a set weigh in date every week or every two weeks. Mine is every Friday before my morning shower. Our bodies have so many fluctuations on an hourly basis that I had to keep myself from the scale so I don't go nuts over them.

I also hold onto weight when I'm exercising a lot. It takes maybe 3-4 weeks for me to see a downward change in weight, though I start to feel a change quicker and often my weight goes up during those weeks.

I'm totally obsessed with the scale, but the only reason I am is because it keeps me in check. I always check before I leave the house, so in case I'm passing a fast food place I'll think to myself "well hhm6 you were 194 do you really want to add to that type of deal", it's lame but it's the only thing that works for me.

One thing I can't stand is logging in my weight on myfitnesspal when it's higher, that graph going upwards really gets to me lol.

Ok I'll try fluctuating my calories for 3 more weeks and see how it goes!

Thanks everyone for your advice! Appreciate it! :)

What are you doing wrong? IMHO you're expecting your commitment and your results to be parallel and our bodies rarely work that way. You'll lose a bunch, stall, lose slowly, lose a bunch and it will rarely be in direct corrolation to your efforts. As you get a little deeper into this journey you'll start to see patterns emerge. In the meantime keep on keepin' on and you'll get there.

YES, don't net anything below 1200...you may be robbing yourself of nutrients and fiber! Your body needs food to lose weight. I have lost over 10 lbs in 2 months sticking to 1200 net calories a day (on average..sometimes more sometimes less..) I rarely burn more than 450 a day, usuall between 250-350. I know you are ansty to lose weight, but do it the right way so you don't hurt your body.

I'm just seconding what everyone else has said--eat more calories, less sodium and stop weighing so much! I'm speaking from personal experience here--I'm the same height as you and about 30 lbs bigger and I can average 1800 calories a day with little to no exercise and still lose. As other people have mentioned you do need to have 1200 calories net, otherwise you are killing your metabolism. I personally have to have at least 1300 net, or I will have headaches and feel light headed (not super hungry, I just know when my head is hurting I need to eat more).

You are doing great and are really dedicated--just turn that dedication into doing this in a way that is good for your body by making sure it gets proper nutrition. Calorie dense foods are an easy way to get your calories in, I've always heard nuts are good for that (plus they have the good fat).

I also try to stick within a range--for me it's 1300-1700 calories and I can lose about a pound or two each week if I stick with that. I do walk for 30 mins each day, but that's it! For you, I'd try closer to 1800 or even more--but give your body time to adjust, you may not see results the first week or so. On that note, I'd highly recommend weighing yourself 1x per week max, at least for now. Sounds like you are getting a bit obsessed! I've been there done that too, so I make myself do only 2-3x per week (in the morning, just when I get out of bed). Anything else and I'm too fixated on the scale. Also water retention will vary from day to day, meal to meal as will your digestion rate, so take the number with a grain of salt. I only weigh in the mornings in my PJs, after going to the bathroom and before eating

So all this to say . . . relax and breathe a little. If I can eat this many calories with not doing half the exercising you do and average 1-2 lbs. loss per week, you can too. You probably have slowed down your metabolism, so I'd give it a while to catch back up. I might even consider reducing your workout a bit, at least until you can build up to eating enough.

Just wanted to add that you should take pictures. I wish I had pictures of me at my heaviest but I don't. I didn't take any pictures until I was 285.

Pictures are a great way to measure progress because you look at yourself every day in the mirror and day by day the changes are so sublte you don't notice them.

Pictures every two weeks. Dr's orders! :D

Just a suggestion: perhaps you could weigh yourself every morning to track your overall progress, but only count one day per week as your official weight and the one that you write down. I've weighed every day in the past and have found that it takes several days for a loss to show up--and sometimes even more than a week! I can gain one day and lose the next, but it's the overall weekly trend that I focus on.

Shepherdgirl- So today I had a net of 1347 calories and I actually had a bit more energy! Hopefully this works! I'll try the once a week weigh in. I think checking the scale every few hours is getting to my head and then I start googling like a mad person lol.

JohnP- Will def start doing that! Hopefully I'll notice something there if not on the scale!