Two pounds a week is a good speed of weight loss. Remember you didn’t gain all the weight over night it’s going to take time to loss it too. From the little info you gave I would say that you need to eat more than 1225 calories a day. Use an on-line calculator to find out how many calories a day your body is using just to do nothing, BMR and how many calories you are burning in a day, TDEE. Make your calorie goal a few hundred under your TDEE.

I agree with the others. More calories and exchange some protein calories for fat calories.

You should not be eating under you BMR. Your TDEE - 20% and BMR are about equivalant. I would shoot for 2000 calories and if you want a bigger loss, move more! Especially, incorporate weight lifting (it will build more muscle which in turns burns more calories.)

Fat does not make you fat. Fat keeps you full. Carbs (ie sugars) raise insulin response and cause fat storage. It is hard to mentally digest at first but I promise you will likely feel better in the end.

I eat 2000 calories or more most days, so to me 1200 calories sounds crazy low. Remember, they don't recommend you go below 1200, because that is starvation mode. To me, being 1 calorie or so above starvation mode is not a place I'd want to take my body, and I'm sure it's nothing I could sustain long-term. If you go that low, are you prepared to eat that way forever? Because you will surely gain weight when you go back to "normal" eating. Two pounds a week is a great loss. For me, I only started losing weight when I cut out the grains, bumped the fat up to 50% (carbs 25%, and protein 25%). It's been about a two pound a week loss for me too. But I'm happy because it's sustainable.

I know its a huge paradigm shift to think about getting energy from fat; but many of us find it very satiating and easier to cut weight setting our macros that way. Personally I dig high fat low carb paleo as a way to meet my goal of loosing fat while not loosing muscle. That said paleo is not a low carb diet. My whole family eats this way and my husband and kiddos eat the heck out of carbs and they all feel great.
If you are wanting to try out a higher fat macro setting some things to add to your diet are; fatty meats like bacon and ribs, organ meats, animal fats, coconut products, ghee, avacado, fatty fish. Always eat fruits and lean meats with fat and you'll be amazed at how it balances out the blood sugar. Its also easy to ovetdoit on protein. Keep it below 30%. On days when I'm working out and doing physical work 30% still puts me at way too much protein. I try to never go over 100 grams and never under 80.

I'm 5'5", in the throws of menopause, and will 49 on May 3rd.

I use the TDEE -20%. My macros: 60%F 25%P 15%C

My BMR: 1619
TDEE: 2226
-20%: 1781 (I round up to 1800)

You can do this!!!!!! It took me some time to get over that eat very low calorie to lose weight mindset!!!!

Good luck,
Red

How did you calculate or decide on your macros? Are you seeing a natural-path or nutritionist?

This isn't addressed to me... but I'd just like to say that the best way to determine macro settings imo is based on personal experience and one's own particular health and activity needs. Unfortunately much of the advice from nutritionists etc come from a "fat is bad" and "eat all the food groups" standpoint which most of us here have followed for years and have only gotten sick/fat because of it.

In other words: try different strategies. Stick with what works best for you.

I know its a huge paradigm shift to think about getting energy from fat; but many of us find it very satiating and easier to cut weight setting our macros that way. Personally I dig high fat low carb paleo as a way to meet my goal of loosing fat while not loosing muscle. That said paleo is not a low carb diet. My whole family eats this way and my husband and kiddos eat the heck out of carbs and they all feel great.
If you are wanting to try out a higher fat macro setting some things to add to your diet are; fatty meats like bacon and ribs, organ meats, animal fats, coconut products, ghee, avacado, fatty fish. Always eat fruits and lean meats with fat and you'll be amazed at how it balances out the blood sugar. Its also easy to ovetdoit on protein. Keep it below 30%. On days when I'm working out and doing physical work 30% still puts me at way too much protein. I try to never go over 100 grams and never under 80.

this is helpful- thanks!