I am really needing help.

Are you eating all of your "regular" calories? How is your sodium count? How much water are you drinking daily- I find I lose much more consistently if I drink 10-12 glasses of water a day - and I aim for more.

I would try eating all of your exercise calories... it's really important to refuel your body. Also - have you taken measurements? Since you're doing so much exercise it could be that you're building lean muscle. Give it a few weeks and see how it goes... we all reach those periods where out bodies hold on to the pounds with a steel grip!

It sounds to me like you are doing everything right. All I can suggest is to increase the length and intesity of your workout. Your body adjusts to exercise so you have to constantly push yourself a little harder every week. On the eliptical you can increase your intensity by increasing the incline, this also helps on the treadmill. I think that what you are doing is great...you may not see it on the scale but your over all health is better

open your food diary so we can see it!

I definitely agree with cassandra about the measurements. I thought I wasn't getting smaller even though I was losing 1 lb./week and then I saw the difference in my measurements for one month & I was completely reassured. Measure and keep track of that and then when the scale doesn't move, you can still keep score of your progress! Also, more cardio than strength training will help you burn more fat. On the elliptical, don't increase the incline or resistance, this will build muscle. Keep it on the lowest incline and keep the resistance at about 2 or 3. This is what I was told & I can tell the difference already in just doing this twice last week. When you burn more fat, you lose weight versus doing just strength training which is building muscle.

I took a quick peek at your diary and I honestly don't think that you're eating enough. I understand not being hungry first thing in the morning - but you need to find a piece of fruit or something to kick start your metabolism. It seems like there were several days that you didn't even get to 1200 calories, perhaps those are days when you didn't log everything? If not - you need to eat at least 1200 calories and much closer to your goal. The other thing that I noticed is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of fruits and veggies in your diet - lot's of breads.... but not so much fruit. You should try to get more fruit and veggies into your diet!

I'm a homeschooler too - though only of one child... I can't imagine how you manage 9 - but it must be fun! Maybe you and your kids could hve some fruit and veggie time mid-morning while you're working on school?

•beans and legumes
•nuts
•peanut butter
•cheese
•yogurt
•whole grain products
and soy products, you may need to also look at protein supplements
if you eat fish, tuna is awesome for protein, 1 can of tuna, 28g of protein

ya.. there are a few days I wasn't able to complete my diary.. and I just realized that I am supposed to click the button to complete a day...lol..

I talked with a friend today who is a fitness trainer.. she took a look at my diet and workout and feels that I am not eating enough as well.. my goal is set at 1340.. and I burn 500 extra.. I am going to do my best to meet my goal ..and eat back at least half of my burned. I need to focus on getting more protein since I don't eat much meat and putting more time into my food (I eat on the run a lot..count my calories but don't always stop to think if there is something healthier to eat). I am going to try to make a couple days worth of breakfast and lunch and snacks up tomorrow that way I can just grab it when I need it.

Do you like egg salad? I make an egg salad of hard boiled egg whites, lite mayonnaise, shredded spinach, diced celery and a pinch of shredded cheddar. I used to eat this on Wasa crackers - but since giving up wheat have started using Rice Cakes... it's a quick grab and go meal and it's a good kick start to the day.

You're obviously not used to eating a high volume of food (must be nice, lol) - so you might try nuts/trail mix to add protein. A serving size is generally 1/4 cup and is about 160 calories (depending on brand of course). I also buy the 100 calorie packs of natural almonds - but that's only because I'm pretty bad about portion control.

One of my favorite snacks is to take a teaspoon of natural jif peanut butter and microwave it for about 20-30 seconds. Use it as a dip for cut up apple slices.

As far as grab and go snacks - it doesn't get much easier than grabbing an apple, an orange, a banana... so you should have no problem getting your fruit in.

I spend about 30 minutes with MFP every morning while I drink my morning coffee. I plan my day backwards... starting with dinner (that's the meal that I'm most likely to go over because I'm preparing something for the whole family). I plan my lunch, and my breakfast then figure out what I can have for snacks. I always leave room for a "treat" after dinner because my husband is notorious for wanting ice cream after dinner - which is fine as long as I have my frozen yogurt in the house and have enough calories left to have some. The "treat" calories are usually part of my exercise calories.

Hope some of this helps!