I just saw a nutritionist on Wed. Had my resting metabolism measured and resting is 1862. I am on week 4 phase 1 and I am also upping my calories. Was told 1500-1600. I was frustrated working so hard and seeing little change. I also was eating to little and body conserving to protect itself. I always thought to loose wright one just needed to burn more than you ate. It isn't so easy.

What do you mean you didn't lose "that much"? Any weight loss should be considered a success, so perhaps you had unrealistic expectations. You really should judge results based on measurements, photos and how your clothing fits and not scale weight. I'm surprised a nutritionist would tell you that you're starving yourself at 1200 calories a day. It is not possible to be starving on 1200 calories a day. If you would have stuck with the program and diet, I bet your scale weight would have caught up once your body adjusted. If you weren't following the diet, perhaps you weren't logging your calories accurately, or were eating too much sodium / bad fats.

I think you should listen to your nutritionist about your daily requirements-she/he knows you and your body, health, and medical past. 1200 calories may be enough for some people but not all-unfortunately weight loss is not some one-size-fits-all system. It is possible for 1200 calories to work awesome for one person but cause another to completely binge when hungry, go into starvation mode, ect-which is a lot unhealthier than eating a few hundred more calories a day, IMHO.

I eat between 1600-1800 calories a day. I am not losing any weight on JMBR, but I really only have about 10 vanity pounds to lose and now with JMBR it is in my stomach area (I am finding it is a slow process to lose it). I am very toned and stronger than I have ever been, both strength and cardio wise. I have noticed some stomach fat creeping back on in the last few weeks-even though I stay within my calorie range (most days) and I think it has to do more with drinking beer. I really do believe in prioritizing macros-get that protein in, it helps hunger and feeds muscles. I am refocusing on placing my macros first (and not drinking wine or beer) for my last half.

I believe you can lose on 1400-1600 calories a day. Good luck!

I am trying to keep a net of 1600 cals. I tried doing this with WW and I was just too hungry. I dont want to feel like I'm starving or "dieting"

What have people done in the past or currently?

I read her books and knew better about how much I should be eating dailey if I want to lose weight. MFP does tell you how much you burn from normal daily activity. Mine is about 1600, so I eat about 1600 and try to burn that 400 calories to net 1200 calories. It's been working for me.

I've been eating 1400 calories and have lost 8 lbs. I am on week 4 this week, so I am happy with an 8 lb loss. My pants and shorts started falling off me so I finally went and got some new jeans- down from an 18 to a 16. I needed a dress and the 16s were too big and bought two in size 14.

Personally, I don't think 1200 calories is enough for anybody. However, the more weight one has to lose, the larger the deficit can be. I really shot myself in the foot by eating 1200 calories, as I started the program at 5'6" 138 pounds. I ate at 1200-1400 precisely because those were the guidlelines recommended by Jillian. My body totally rebelled. I'm still trying to find a sweet spot where my body will trust that I'm not starving it. Jillian herself explains the difference between shedding "unhealthy fat" and "vanity weight" in her book "Slim for Life". When you're overweight, your body wants to let go of the fat. When you're biologically a healthy weight, as I am, your body will fight you to hold on to a "healthy cushion". I started seeing a lot more muscle growth once I increased my calories, which is important for me since I'm working on improving my skinny-fat physique. There should really be different guidelines for those with different starting weights. Also keep in mind that you can't drop any lower than 1200 calories, so if you plateau at 1200, there's nowhere to go. My personal recommendation would be a 1500 calorie minimum if you're overweight, and quite possibly more if you're starting at a healthy weight.