Annoyed with progress :((

Chellie...after looking carefully at your diary, I think I need to tell you....
You need to eat MORE.
EVERY day you end the day under 1200 net calories! Slipping under every once in a while is ok, but NOT every day. You really should be eating OVER 1200 every day, plus eating back exercise calories. Sometimes when you exercise and only eat less than 1200 you are actually at about 800 net. Try to stay above 1200 net.

Change your goal to 1 lb or 1/2 lb a week, and see how many calories it tells you to eat. You can always change it back and it won't make a difference. Do it just to see what is recommended. If you are set to 2 lbs a week and it has you at 1200, 1/2 lb a week would probably be better for you.

People need to start thinking of their calorie goal as a goal to REACH, not a goal to stay UNDER. Too many people don't eat enough and then wonder why they plateau. I did the same thing, then changed it to 1500 and broke the plateau big time. Lost 4 more pounds in a few weeks after raising my calories.

I actually thought I was eating enough ie getting fairly close to the 1200 goal hmmm just goes to show how much I didn't see looking at it :grumble:

I've now changed the goal from 1.5 lbs loss to just a loss of 1 lb per week (as recommeded) that brings my cals from 1200 to 1360 :blushing:

My next problem will be how to eat so many cals I struggle with 1200 as it is :blushing: I've never had a big appetite maybe I can increase the size of my brekkie and see if that helps

I recently changed my goal from 1lb a week to 1/2lb a week and I have actually lost more weight since doing that. I have to admit to not always managing to eat my calories too, but now I have a higher target if I am 200 or so calories under my goal, as I often am, this still takes me over 1200.
One of the changes I made was changing my cereal bar from a really low calorie one to one that has nuts and seeds in to boost calories. I know cereal bars are often not ideal but I am not a morning person and for me it is better than not eating breakfast at all. Other changes I have made include using a reduced fat rather than really low fat coleslaw, same for mayo. I'm considering changing from very low fat soft cheese to a reduced fat option too. Although you might not eat these sorts of foods, there may be something similar you can change to help you eat your calories. Perhaps by changing some of the foods you eat to a higher calorie option if it's available you get round the problem of not physically being able to eat more.

Good luck with your weight loss, you will get there :happy:

yes! What Yvonne said. Anyone who is struggling to reach 1200 should stop eating "diet" food, Go for real butter instead of low fat spread, use real mayo in moderation, whole eggs instead of just whites, real yogurt instead of "light fat free".
Nuts, seeds, peanut butter, whole milk instead of skim....there are plenty of ways to get your calories in. I keep both the lower cal and higher cal options in the house and if I am having a high cal day I will eat the low cal snacks, and if I am struggling to meet my cals I will eat the higher cal options to get them all in.


And Chellie - maybe you'd have more appetite if you drank a LITTLE less coffee! Your tummy is full of liquid ALL the time, no wonder you don't feel hungry! lol:flowerforyou:

Dunno if this has already been said becuase I didn't read the whole thread, but one diet book I have (the fat-fighter diet.. its fantastic!) says that every 5th day you should eat the amount of calories you would need to *maintain* your weight.So for me thats about 2100, but my daily goal is 1200. So every 5th day jack up your calorie intake, to trick your body out of "starvation mode" - storing calories as fat. It keeps your metabolism going!