Hi guys. I've spent the last couple of days slowly reading through a few of the topics on here and some of the links and decided to give this a go but after only a couple of days I am finding I am really wobbling with the concept and just wanted a bit of reassurance that I *am* doing the right thing and a bit of guidance about exactly what approach I should take.

I started trying to lose weight about 4 1/2 years ago and have lost a little under 3 stone. 2 stone came off in the first 9 months and the rest much slower over the next 18 months. I haven't really been able to lose any real weight for the last 2 years despite not going "off plan". I have tried SW, WW, low carb and 5:2, stuck to them all and haven't really spent any time (minus a couple of days here and then for holidays and such) off plan in the last 2 years. When I started 4 years ago although I cooked from scratch 90% of the time I had no concept of portion control and always went for the most indulgent options available and drank a fair bit of alcohol and avoided exercise at all costs. When I started I was around 16 and a half stone.

I'm really proud of the changes I have made to my lifestyle and my health but I feel absolutely and completely and utterly lost. I want to lose more weight as as someone still in the obese category of BMI surely it shouldn't be this impossible. I joined the gym a year ago and its become a huge and enjoyable part of my life. My body has changed for the better in this time but the scales haven't changed and I haven't really lost any inches.

Although I wasn't officially calorie counting for alot of the last couple of years I have kept a very honest paper food diary for almost all the time and tracked a few weeks here and there. My calorie intake generally ranges between 1300 - 1700. Is this low enough to have suppressed my metabolism over the time span I have been doing it? Would this explain the lack of weight loss? Exercise wise in a week I always do a 1hr swim, a 45 minutes kettlebell class, an hour body combat class and then either a second body combat class or a 60 minute gym session (running, cross trainer, weights, core), sometimes both. In addition once or twice a month I go on hilly 10-12 mile walks in the peak district.

I would really appreciate any help on whether my calories have been low enough to inhibit my metabolism and whether I need to go to a metabolism re-set before upping my calories but still maintaining a decifit. And on what activity level i count as with the exercise detailed above. I have a job which involves home visits in the community so not exactly sedentary but not that active either.

I would also love some guidance on the best way to work what calories I should be aiming for at the moment. I have tried to aim for 2000 for the last couple of days but its been a feel struggle psychologically and physically and have found myself waking up in a cold sweat in the morning thinking "what on earth are you doing??". I am prepared for temporary weight gain for the long term goal but just terrified of how much that might be.

My current stats are;
Age: 31
Female
Weight: 192lbs
Height: 5'5"
Body fat: 39% (this was a few months back at the gym but will get another one done in a couple of weeks)

Any help and reassurance would be greatly appreciated! I feel like I might have stumbled across the answer but just struggling to keep the faith at the moment.