program not working for me :(

HaHA I am not giving up maybe Just with this program, I have already lost 120 lbs and have 80 more to go I worked very hard to lose it , so my name is very appropriate but thanks for your support you a real help

You keep saying "this program". Do you mean MFP? If so, change your goals to losing one pound a week. Eat the calories it gives you and eat some of your exercise calories (I say some because in my experience MFP over-estimates for me). Increase protein and don't worry about carbs and fat too much at this stage, you can always focus on them when the majority of weight has shifted.

I have about 60lbs to lose and am only 5ft 4 inch. I eat anywhere between 1400 - 2000 calories a day depending on what exercise I do and I lose weight. The program does work. If you have 80lbs of weight to lose then you don't need to eat only 1200 calories a day to do it. As someone suggested above, google search for scooby workshop TDEE calculator and accurately work out your calorie needs. That will help you see why people say 1200 is too low, it's most likely below your BMR.

I know. people on here that are eating that and less and the weight is flying off:mad: , I think you get to a point where you just seem like its all too confusing, one person says one thing, another says another, some scientist says another. Eat what you want and still lose weight blah blah blah..
Your weight lose is probably starting to slow down after you already lost so much. I cant seem to lose weight without stress and eating very low, i eat at my bmr i dont lose, i eat above i dont lose, i eat at my daily allowance i put on weight. Im not joking, nothing works for me lol, my body just doesnt want to let go of it lol.Ive now learned to live with it now,
Ive put on 3llb in just 3 weeks which im not happy about but ive been eating more and exercising less. Things have been getting in the way.
I look at tv programs like a year to save my life and there all put on extreme diets of 1200 to lose weight and they are being trained to within a inch of there lives, now that cant be doing them any good can it, yes and no, on the outside the fat is going quick, but on the inside you might be doing some damage to your organs through calorie restriction.
I can put it on so easy it seems and yet so hard to get it off without cutting back too much.
By the way eating 1200 a day and going to the gym everyday will not put on muscle at all, it will lose muscle, - you need to eat above your allowance for you t gain muscle. In a calorie restriction your body pulls at any source it can for power, ie fat and muscle.

OKAY issue the fact that your not reaching your needed calorie intake and your body is in starvation mode my personal trainer said its better to accidently go over than be under.... by going over you can exercise and work it off before you go to sleep after your done eating for the day then to not eat enough your body will store more fat and you need some protein not just veggies and also you could drink water and add some lemon to it and it should help you some also.

Hey - starvation diets are not safe or sustainable. You're doing fine on MFP, and as others have said you probably should be eating more especially if you're working out a lot.

MFP starts everyone off on 1200 cals, but our calorie requirements are all different. Find out what yours are (Scooby's TDEE calculator is great for this), work out the amount of calories you should be eating in a day, and then set MFP up accordingly. It will let you set custom protein, carb & fat targets as well the overall calorie target.

Don't worry about the scales so much. Get an Accumeasure 3000 bodyfat caliper and practice using it. They only cost a few quid on Amazon and are a far better judge of how much bodyfat you have. Scales are not going to give you a complete picture because as others said muscle weighs more than fat (when the volume is the same).

Above all, hang in there! Body change is measured in years, not months. Set goals, keep them in mind at all times, and stay focused. Think of this as a permanent lifestyle change, rather than a program with a fixed duration.

I ak 51 years old, just like you. I've been using MFP for almost 8 months. I eat 1200 calories, (I know, I know, I am ruining myself) I exercise three times a week. I look at calories in/out only, not carbs protein etc. I have lost almost eighty pounds. It does work, you just have to stick with it and be patient. You have already lost a great deal and thats wonderful, but the weight took a long time to put on and takes a long time to take off. You HAVE to stop looking at it as though you are in a hurry. Take the time to do it right, so you can stay healthy for the rest of your life. This is not a race. I still have a good forty pounds to go. It it takes six months great, if it takes a year thats fine too. The point is I am not in a rush, this is a life change.

I ak 51 years old, just like you. I've been using MFP for almost 8 months. I eat 1200 calories, (I know, I know, I am ruining myself) I exercise three times a week. I look at calories in/out only, not carbs protein etc. I have lost almost eighty pounds. It does work, you just have to stick with it and be patient. You have already lost a great deal and thats wonderful, but the weight took a long time to put on and takes a long time to take off. You HAVE to stop looking at it as though you are in a hurry. Take the time to do it right, so you can stay healthy for the rest of your life. This is not a race. I still have a good forty pounds to go. It it takes six months great, if it takes a year thats fine too. The point is I am not in a rush, this is a life change.

Spot on.

don't forget that going to gym 5 plus times a week actually puts on muscle size which weighs more!! I would be tempted to go by the tape measure and not the scales for a while you will be surprised of the transformation of body shape etc.. don't give up it WILL happen ... good luck and keep yer chin up xx...............carbs and protein should be eaten together as one works with the other to make it more beneficial hope this helps .......

a pound equals a pound:) muscle is more dense than fat.

Here's what I see by looking at a few days of your diary. Your vegetables are great! First, you are not drinking, or logging, enough water. When you don't drink enough your muscles hold onto water. I drink at least 11 cups a day and try for a gallon and I see a huge difference when I get closer to the gallon. Second, your carbs far out number your protein so you need to cut carbs and increase protein. Plus you want the majority of your carbs to come from natural sources such as fruit and vegetables, not processed foods. You need carbs for energy so you don't want to completely cut them out.

I would recommend you figure out your BMR and eat at least those calories so over the long run you don't slow your metabolism, unless you want to eat 1200 calories for the rest of your life. Also, you need to try and get more exercise, walking is one of the best things you can do. If you can, join a gym and see about working with a trainer to start lifting. Every 10 lbs of muscle you add burns 3500 calories a week, that right there is 1 lb a week.

Look into TDEE and see if maybe TDEE-% might be more appropriate for you. You can learn about it on Scooby's workshop or IIFYM (if it fits your macros). I would try setting your macros to 40% protein, 35% carbs and 35% fats and see what happens.

Give this some time, depending on how long you have been eating at 1200 calories will somewhat affect your weight loss. You are not in starvation mode, that takes months to occur on very, very low calories, or weeks on zero calories. But because your body needs a certain amount to maintain your vital organs it may be holding onto everything you put into it.

Finally, be sure you measure and weigh absolutely everything that you put into your mouth. The little things add up very quickly.

Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. As you get closer to your goal your weight loss should slow down or you have a higher likelihood of gaining it back. Look at how far you've come already, 120 lbs, that's awesome and you should be happy about that. The rest will come off but you need to give it time and tweek some things.

Your friend that is crash dieting will probably gain all of the weight back she's lost, that's not healthy.

Good luck

I agree with Mamadon, focus on calories for now, let the protein, carbs, etc. sort themselves out in time. By they way, Mamadon you are my inspiration today! I was struggling with whether to keep on with MFP too, or going back to Weight Watchers. The beauty of WW is the points system is to simple. But in deciding to focus on doing things that are healthier overall, and being able (and ready, mentally) to look at the big picture and not just the scale, I gave MFP a try. Now I'm thinking some days, if the exercise calculator doesn't figure my activity accurately, and I have to go off site to verify them someplace else, and alot of the calories in
the database aren't accurate either, then what am I here for? Yes it's a good tool to figure it up for me, do the math that I'm not willing to do, but I find myself chasing around other sites for more accurate information just to come here and log them into my diary.

Sorry, OP, not much help here, lol. Except to say you've done AMAZING so far and not that you asked but in my opinion I would rather keep trying on my own than to go the lap band surgery route. That's just me. You know you can do it, you've been doing it. Accept that the last weight to lose will be the hardest (at WW we call it the Hard Lard) and enjoy the journey.