About to Throw In the Towel

Have you considered setting your daily caloric intake higher and just taking longer to lose the fat in a more sustainable comfortable way?

Its set at 1200 which i hate but dang it i want my fat to fall off not hurt so i don't want to eat back the ones i burn. but i am starting to think that is what is hendering my weight lose...................;

Ding ding ding! I bet you'd find a lot more success figuring out your BMR and TDEE and eating somewhere between there. I had been stuck losing and gaining the same 5 pounds for a few months eating between 1200- 1300 calories. I was working my butt off at the gym and I was so friggin hungry and I wasn't getting any thinner.
I used this website: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to calculate my BMR and TDEE and I'm now eating around 1700 calories on week days, and probably around 2000 on weekends. And I'm losing about 1 lb a week. I don't feel like I'm not eating enough. I'm getting more sleep. I have more energy and I'm noticing a huge difference in my body. Since upping my calories in mid February, I've lost about 5-6 lbs. I'm only about 10 lbs away from my goal weight and I'm positive I'll get there.

Good luck! Don't give up on yourself. You're worth it!

Also if you don't have a food scale then get one so you can accurately log all solids, it's really odd that if you are at a caloric deficit you haven't lost in so long, so make sure to get one so you can properly calculate your intake.

2 things to avoid every day, as much as possible, are sodium and sugar.

Sodium is like a holding tank for your body. It clings to water (in anything you eat or drink), among other things and encourages bloating! Tossing that out of the equation will make you FEEL like a million bucks.

Sugar literally turns to fat. And almost always that fat makes friends and then refuses to leave. Who invited that guy to the party?

My personal success (and I've totally been exactly where you are) has come from forcing myself to eat 5-6 small meals a day. I say forcing because I generally don't enjoy eating *ducks for cover from flying rotten food*. I know. It's weird. But I just do it to be healthy. I try to find the most filling low-calorie foods and just munch on something every two to three hours all day.

Try keeping your starches early in the day (like breakfast and lunch), and as the time passes grab the veggies, nuts, fruit and lean protein. Avoid eating within two hours of bed time if you can!

Your body is different from mine, so what works best for you might take some experimenting. This is just what has worked for me, and has broken me of plateaus more than once!

I hope it helps, and I wish you the best!!

Firstly don't beat yourself up I have great days and not so great days but 1200 is very low I am 5ft 5 and weigh 163lbs I eat around 1789 and lose 0.5lb a week which is fine as I don't gain I lose but very slow but id rather that than see up and down that's where my motivation lacked so you need to find a plan that is real to your life that you can live with and not feel strict etc , yes I have to sacrifice cake some days but others I think right im having cake for lunch I log that and fit other meals around it. It has to be a lifestyle change and you have to be realistic id never stick to 1200 calories and id be starving my body, also if you want a treat exercise off a wad of calories so it fits. hope this helps , the support here is amazing and I started on 1200 calories and soon found out that was my problem

It's trial and error. I've been at this for 3 years, you'd think I'd be at my goal weight by now. Here are some things I've learned

1) Consistency is key: exercise regularly, you can't just go to the gym when ever the mood strikes you. You have to stay consistent with your food too. My biggest problem is tanking on the weekend, either I don't eat enough, or I pig out on junk food. I'm slowly changing that.

2) Change your thought pattern: It's determination, not motivation. If you want to lose weight bad enough, you will

3) Do an exercise that you LIKE doing, not one you feel you HAVE to do. I have a love/hate relationship with the gym, but after trying different types of exercises, i've realized that it's the only thing I actually do. I actually injured myself at aquafit :blushing: , I felt like a fool doing zumba, walking around me neighbourhood got boring really fast. Not to say I don't do these things at all anymore (my dog does need to walk), but I go to the gym and lift weights and do cardio as my "go-to".

4) Figure out your macros. Some people say that it's calories in and calories out. You need to figure out what works best for you. Once I admitted that my body likes between 100g - 150g of carbs a day, that's when I started losing weight. I could plow back 400g of carbs easily, even though I was working out and under my calorie goal, but I wasn't losing anything. Once you figure out your body chemistry, stick to it. I really like "if it fits your macros" because I get to work in that chocolate and chips that I enjoy so much.

5) Keep logging on here: most of this weight loss crap is mental, you need to keep focused, and what better way than to immerse yourself in conversation about weight loss and proper nutrition?

Hope this helps...don't give up! And don't forget to measure yourself, not just weigh yourself

Okay, I changed it to only lose .5 a week and it is now saying that I can eat
1,630 Calories a day

Now, here's the thing. Here's the trick. Here's the MAGIC that everyone wants: just eat that. Every day. Eat that number. That's enough calories where you can eat pizza, or drink wine, or eat chocolate... everything in moderation. Just keep at that number. BUT IF YOU OVEREAT ONE DAY, try not to stress. Just pick up again tomorrow. 1630. Every day. You'll binge less. You'll be happier.

But be honest and accurate and weigh your food as best you can.

Here's my suggestions:

(1) up your calorie goal to 1500 or so
(2) log everything accurately
(3) be honest, but also forgiving if you slip up
(4) do this for a couple months, come back and tell us how you did

This. It shouldn't cause you so much grief. Losing and being consistent isn't easy in your head. But the above is all anyone needs to do. Honest. Only thing I would add is weigh everything. No cups, no guessing. Weigh.