Advice from a newbie

genkimomof2

Sorry, it's not advice FROM and newbie, but FOR a newbie! Typo! LOL.

I'm certainly not new to dieting, but I'm new to the "MFP way", so I need some advice. I think I set my diary to be open, so please take a look (but I'm not terribly tech savvy so let me know if it can't be seen).

Here are a few details about me:
1. According to the internet calculators, my TDEE-20% is around 2000 cals. But if i eat that much, I gain weight. According to MFP, I should be more like 1500, but I worry that is too far from the 2000 one so I upped it to 1600.
2. I live in China where I don't know what I'm eating many times, or how much oil is used to prepare it. I compensate for this by logging the closest approximation (and researching on the internet) and logging a bit more than I actually eat. For example, if I have 1 bite of something, i log it as .5 cups (because who knows how much a bite is, really?) or if I have 1 cup, I log it as 1.5 cups. So I'm fairly confident my portions are under control. I also try most days to keep well under 1600 to compensate for the fact I'm probably eating more oils than I think.
3. I don't have a car or a TV, so I walk everywhere and actively play with my kids. I don't log this, but it is part of my TDEE.
4. I tried eating a bit more or less. Less does not equal more loss but eating more DOES equal gain, so I think 1600 is probably about right, but even eating that I am loosing less than .5 pounds a week.

I have ALOT to lose so I know I can take a calorie hit better than someone who has only 30 pounds to loose, and I'd rather loose slowly, but I really want to loose 2 pounds per week and I just haven't found the magic number to eat that will lead to that. Any ideas what I can try differently? Do i need a meatabolism reset? I worry that if I eat "maintenance" level, i will really gain weight, because TDEE-20% (2000 cals) already causes me to gain.