Calorie limit is too low!

Since I joined this site I've cut down on my food and upped my exercise, but I'm still struggling to stay within my calorie limit. I did 80 minutes of yoga this morning and have eaten healthy food all day, but I'm about to eat my dinner and after that I will only have 40 calories left. That means I can't have my usual snack before bedtime and will probably be hungry later on.

What I don't understand is that I normally eat more than this and I've managed to lose weight successfully (I've lose 14 pounds), though it's taken a long time. I don't think I will be successful if I keep restricting my calories like this, because I'm hungry! I don't mind a slower weight loss (I only have 7 pounds to go) but I can't stand deprivation diets. I'm not used to calorie counting, I've always done diets that allow you a certain amount of 'free food', and I'm not too happy with how I feel today.

I'd be very interested to hear what other people think. Does anyone else have trouble leeping to their calories limit, and if so, what do you do? Do you go hungry, up your exercise, or do you just go over? And have you still managed to lose weight, however slowly?

Thanks!

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yes, I am eating my exercise calories, in fact I'm purposely doing much more exercise than I used to (this week I've done 2 sessions of yoga plus one aerobics class, when normally all I would do is my 30 minutes walk to and from work each day), if I wasn't I would never stick to the 1200 calorie limit.

AJCM, it's interesting what you say about the first few pounds coming off quickly, that actually wasn't the case for me at all, in fact it's taken me nearly a year to lose 14 pounds (like I said, I did it slowly!) Although admittedly that involved a lot of yo-yoing, I lost the same 10 pounds or so over and over again. I think the reason for this is that I've never deprived myself and almost ate what I wanted (luckily I love healthy food), it was mainly alcohol and the odd binge that was my undoing. This is why I'm finding calorie counting so hard, but I think you're right, losing the last 7 pounds is likely to take a bit more work. I will try to do more exercise, though it's hard to find the time every day.

BrenNew, I do fill up on lots of fibre rich foods - I have oatmeal for breakfast, and my other meals are based around vegetables and pulses with some lean protein. But I also think I may be overdoing it on the fat - I've been following South Beach, and we're encouraged to have about 2 tbsp of olive oil each day, as well as eggs for breakfast and quite a bit of dairy. I think I need to look at my menu and maybe try to cut down on the fat a bit.

As for today, it's too late now and I point blank refuse to go hungry, so will do my best and try to stay as close to my calorie limit as possible. Tomorrow is another day!

I think I'm spending them quite sensibly. I have oatmeal with skimmed milk and berries, and an egg for breakfast. My main meals are based around lean protein with salad, veg and sometimes whole grains like brown pasta or rice. I make myself healthy lower calorie snacks like brownies made from beans (got this recipe from a South Beach site) and make lower calorie versions of desserts (for example, I have a cheesecake recipe which is less than 100 calories a slice). Sometimes I have low fat plain yogurt with 1/2 oz nuts and a tbsp protein supplement (only about 20 cals) as a snack, which fills me up for a while. And I use sugar substitutes instead of the real thing. I do cook with olive oil but only about 1 tsp per meal, and I sometimes use the low cal spray oils too.

I think there are a couple of areas I can cut back - for example, I've been eating Caesar dressing with my salad which is almost 100 cals a tablespoon, and I've been eating regular jam (I think you call it jelly in the US) with my oatmeal. These are things I could cut down on, or cut out completely.

Anyway, I did go over my calories today by nearly 200 cals, but I'm full now and will be going to bed soon, so I think that was the right decision. I've planned tomorrow's menu a bit more carefully, so will try to stay within my limits. I also have my local weight loss class tomorrow night, so will see if I've lost weight - if I have, I will be able to relax a little and stop worrying so much.

AJCM, thanks for the motivational talk! I'm not that patient really, it's just that I'm used to losing weight slowly and I like my food too much to deprive myself! And good luck with YOUR last 7 pounds, here's to us and getting it to come off in the end!