Just want to rant.

Keep your calories as high as possible and use flexible dieting so you can work in the foods you crave without going over your calories. Also, allow one cheat meal per week where you have one meal which you don't track, so you can fit in some cravings but within the strict confines of one meal.

"Do not give up what you want the most for what you want in the moment"

Losing weight and getting healthier requires making some sacrifices now for a healthier tomorrow. Maybe some visual reminders of why you want to get healthier would help keep you on track with your goals?

From my personal experience, any time I've tried to rush my weight loss, and restrict my calories too much, and not allow myself to have the things I like, that's when I fall off the wagon. I recently did this, and also gained about 10lb's. This time, I'm allowing myself to have more of the things I consider "junk food," and I find that I can control myself a lot better around these foods. For instance, last week, I bought a couple pints of ice cream for me n hubby, and I actually stuck to the 1/2 cup portion, which I don't think I've ever done before, lol, because I knew I could have some more the next day, if I wanted it. However, I measured it, and put it in a bowl, instead of sitting down with the container, like I would normally do. MFP tends to give everyone a pretty low number for their calorie goal. Many people put their fitness level at sedentary, or lightly active, when they're actually more active than that. Yesterday, I burned 700 calories alone, but for some reason, I can't change my weekly exercise calorie goal greater than 1,000, when I burn way more than that in a week. This is a great website for figuring out your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure. If you use this, you don't eat back exercise calories, though, because it's already figured out for you. It will subtract appx 20% from your TDEE, and give you the recommended calorie goal. If you don't lose, you can always decrease it a little, or adjust as needed. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ When you get to about 10lb's from your goal weight, you should probably increase your calorie goal a little more also, maybe around 200-250, to lose 1/2lb/week, that is if you find yourself feeling hungry more often. Good luck. ))

Measure the amounts that you eat, and log everything that you eat or drink. Awareness is your best tool.

Don't get on the wagons that don't allow chocolate bars.

I eat a TON more when I haven't been exercising. Whether this is due to appetite suppression from my workout, or just an unwillingness to ruin everything I just worked for I don't know--all I know is I have little to no self-control when I'm sedentary. Also, when I'm feeling cheated out of food by my calorie restriction, exercise allows me to eat something extra that day. Totally worth it! After I've worked out I'm more inclined to reach for a protein shake than candy anyway, just because my frame of mind is on health. If you're not a consistent exerciser, maybe make a scheduled walk part of your day, or a solid weight lifting session. Health is holistic, so what you do for one part of your health affects the others. Translation> working out positively affects your mindset.

What got me focused was to stop thinking about losing weight, and start thinking about what kind of life I wanted. I wanted to get serious about exercising because I feel better when I exercise (at any weight). I know this from past experience, and that is what got me started.

I added structure to exercising (for me, that meant working with a personal trainer). That morphed into weight loss as I started eating more healthy to support my exercise goals. After losing about 40 pounds, I held my weight pretty steady for a year (most of 2012), and in early 2013 decided to lose some more weight because I like how it feels, I like how it looks, and I like my improved performance. My motivators are to run longer and faster, and to lift more strongly. My motivator is to feel wonderful. Those goals are supported by being at proper weight, not by being overweight.

Losing weight is not a life style; decide on the life style you want and then start implementing it rather than focusing only on weight loss. You can do it! You just have to discover the right motivator within yourself.