"If every day were like today, you'd weigh..."

It's just an estimate, not to be taken so literal. Plus for most of us 'everyday is NOT like today'...there's a lot of variables day to day that are not taken into account. Overall you're having success in your weight loss...Congrats on the 12 pounds. In looking at your diary...there are some days that you're over the 1600 by a few hundred. Not judging...it happens to all of us. Maybe stay more consistent with your calories. I'm not sure what type of exercise you're doing, it's not logged and I know you mentioned you're following the TDEE method. Hang in there, it's working!

I find that if you eat back the calories you burn, you won't lose much, you just kinda maintain. So if you are looking to lose weight, don't eat back the calories from working out.

Also - alot of people "plateau". You lose some weight and then get to a point where you can't really seem to lose anymore. When that you happens you need to change up your exercise regimine. You need to increase the amount or the intensity of your workout, and even try different exercises as well.

This actually makes sense! I feel like I've plateaued w/ the gaining weight, maybe even gaining the last week. I was doing so much better earlier. But, I have been eating back my calories, not all of them. I eat probably about 1600 cal/day total, sometimes 200 more. I just joined a gym earlier this week to get some weights in & a different routine from my normal walks everyday. I'll see how this works out for me. I know I've lost inches already.

I think it's consistancy and writing down each day what it says you will weigh in 5 weeks. After 5 weeks if it's not working, you need to switch it up. Try something new. A new exersize regimen, or a new diet. Or anything. But stay consistant for five weeks with one thing and see how it works. People either Change it up too much or not enough.

Does the "if everyday were like today you'd weigh..." calculate what you'd weigh from the weight that you entered at setup or does it calculate it from the weight you are currently (taking into account you actually use the progress weight feature)? If it did work off the weight you entered at startup would i be correct in assuming that eventually you would end up bypassing that weight and be lighter than its calculation over time??

It's cool to check it out for fun, but I don't put a whole lot of stock in it. It might as well just tell you your horoscope and lucky number for the all the likelihood it'll be accurate.

I am 5'4-1/2".

My ultimate goal is not really a scale number, but a size. i would love to be a size 7 again. Currently I am 181 and a size 12. I just don't see how I'm going to get there without some of the weight coming off. I figure size 7 on me is going to be somewhere in the 150 - 160# range.

The last time I was a size 8 (I'm 5' 4) I weighed 135. So, a size 7 is probably 130 or 125. 150 to 160 is probably a size 10.

Keep up the good work and the commitment! You're doing a great job. It will come off. Maybe follow the calorie suggestion that MFP gives you vs. the TDEE-20%. Wouldn't you have to figure that out every day, anyway? I've got mine set at sedentary (with MFP) and then I add in exercise if I do it that day. If I do not, then I have to eat much less in order to lose or maintain. Most of the time, if I go over anywhere from 2 to 3 days a week, I'm not losing weight. I usually gain back or maintain.

The "if every day were like today" means if you ate the EXACT amount of calories (or net calories) every single day (for five weeks straight) then you would lose X amount in five weeks. It's meant to motivate someone on days they are staying within the goal and on days when someone goes way over the amount, it's meant to show you how you can gain weight. Trust me, I've had days that have been way over and when I see what I'd weigh in five weeks if I kept up the calorie amount, it causes me to reduce the next day.

OP,

You haven't filled out your food diary since May 14th (nearly two weeks ago). From the amounts that you logged prior, it looked like a reasonable amount (1100 to 1400).

Hi,
Maybe if you kickrestart by reducing calories to about 700 for a few days it will work and make you optimistic. New thought is that the emotions through the adrenal glands and cortisol regulation play a big role in weight management. Nourish emotional hunger. Identify and deal with it and the weight will start dropping off.