My Food Diary - Looking for help

FirecrackerJess

Hello. Now I usually have my diary to friends only but have opened it up for a bit for this thread. Please be gentle if wanting to crucify me lol.

I have been eating at a deficiency however seem to be going UP. I started back in the middle of August at about 273-275. I went down to 236. However this last week it seems I have gone up about 2 lbs give or take. I had not been working out for a few weeks but started back up again and had been working hard this week. Now even with the small break from the gym during the holidays and what not, I was still losing and still eating at a deficit.

I have been doing all this without cutting out certain foods, as long as I was in a deficiency. From what I read, and looked up, researched online that you can pretty much lose weight as long as you eat at a deficit, and you do not have to cut out certain foods. I know that cutting off certain things may make the process go a bit faster, but I know if I restrict myself it will be that much harder. It's damn hard enough as it is, so, deficit it is!

I have also figured my TDEE from a average of a few different calculators to be around 2000-2200. My deficit right now is set at 1540.

Things I have done different lately is adding using strength machines at the gym. Not free weight, but the machines they have. However I've only hit those hard about 3 times and all within this last week so I do not think it can be muscle as I know some argue it can be muscle.

I did have a lot of cereal these last couple of weeks, addicted to a new cereal. BUT again, within calories. About two weeks ago I did have a bad week in which I kept going over everyday, but fore the most part I've been ok I think.

I do measure with my scale, and log EVERYTHING I eat.So if anyone can take a look, and not just this last few weeks because they aren't as accurate as these past months have been, but if you can see something I may be doing wrong...

Just in this week I've gone up like 2 lbs and this week I've been good on calories and have hit the gym 4 times within the last week. I have a class at my University that we pass or fail based on the number of sessions we do at the gym, I use it as motivation. and it started back up last week.

I know people say you should not eat potatoes when losing, but honestly when I was eating potatoes mostly every night with dinner, I was losing. I've not had much or as constant as before but again, feels silly to think that could be a reason. Even with the cereal I wasn't gaining.

I do not have health insurance so I cannot get anything medical checked, and I am doing this all on my own with no help or guidance except what I learn and see on here. So I'm looking I guess for help in figuring out what I am doing wrong.

I'm just tired of being the way I am, and working hard at something and seeing reverse results, for someone like me, with my mind set and history, it makes you just want to lose hope, or run and grab comfort food and say **** it all. I do not want that, I want to be able to talk to someone and not think, "I wonder if they care how big I am," in my head. Or hell, be more outgoing and open and try to talk to people, instead of not and holding back because I am how I am.

If you made it through all the above, thanks for reading.