trying to eat over 1200 calories and gaining

What are your stats? Height, weight? How long have you been eating only 1200? And how long did you give eating more a try?

Your body will need an adjustment period if you've been yo-yo dieting for a long time or been eating at 1200 calories for a long period of time.

That is the bad side of extreme low calorie as soon as you add more calories in to get at a decent level you gain weight.

Got it! Well, your age actually does make a pretty big difference - it means you have a lower BMR than younger people, so you're actually part of the *small* group of people who can do well eating 1200 calories.

From my calculations, your BMR is about 1135 calories a day. Factoring in for daily activities, this means that if you don't exercise at all, you burn about 1362 calories a day.

So if you eat more than 1362, it is likely that you'll gain weight (again, this is assuming you don't exercise. If you're active, you can eat more without gaining). If you eat below 1362, you should continue to lose weight, though it will be a slow process since you don't have much left to lose!

In 99% of cases, people eating 1200 a day need to eat more, but you're actually a rare exception. If you feel good eating 1200 and it's working for you, I see nothing wrong with it!

Well, I would love to be able to eat more and not have to watch every bite. Oh well
Thanks for all the input.

Is exercise an option? If you could burn off a couple hundred extra calories a day, that's an extra couple hundred that you can eat!

I am out regulary every day and walk a fair bit in what I do, but I also have a goal to walk briskly about 5 times a week for 30 minutes minimum each time.

Oh, awesome! Well, you should be able to eat more than 1200 and still lose, then. Maybe try increasing gradually, and give it time! For the next month or so, eat 1300 or even 1350 and see what happens. You might gain weight at first as your body adjusts, but in the long run I bet you'll start losing again!

Can you change your diary setting to public for this discussion (and change it back to private later)? Then we can see what you are eating and possibly make suggestions.

Hi, Trish. I took a quick look at your diary. Your protein is extremely low. I would double that and try to make the chart's minimum every day. You could eat a boiled egg for a snack, or a meal with 1 cup of lentils (has the protein of 3 eggs), or eat another protein source. Protein keeps you full longer and gives your body good fuel.

I eat a lot of fresh vegetables like broccoli, which is very filling and only about 30 calories a cup.