HELP!! What can I do?

your calorie intake IS too low - you may partly feel depressed because of low energy, and you could make yourself ill. but you may have unrealistic expectations which are very much fostered by the media - shows like biggest loser, a million diet products from slim fast to amphetamines all promising massive weight loss.

the thing about weight loss is it doesn't happen quickly if you do it healthily, but with consistency is does happen. since may 1 i've lost 22 pounds. it's not the super fast weight loss promised by a million fad diets, but my weight loss - which has averaged a pound a week lately - has been consistent, and my new eating habits are sustainable and satisfying to me. that means i am much less likely to gain the weight back, which most people do with fad diets, ultra low calorie diets or pills.

the thing is that losing weight without lifestyle changes makes a certain weight a goal, and once the goal is met, most people go back to their regular eating habits. something MFP has made a bit easier for me is changing my eating habits because it's easy to recognize how many calories is in each food, but also how many carbs, how much protein and fat. being able to see it so easily makes it easier to change.

something that's helped me has been regular walking, and i recommend it to anyone who is able to walk. i don't mean fast walking or power walking, just sustained normal walking without taking stops. i started at only 15 minutes per day and worked up. the thing is my legs are firmer, my calves look darn good now. and my fitness is obviously improving. i feel physically better.

best of luck to you, and don't give up!

I've found that if I eat more than 1000 calories I gain the weight I've lost back. WTH is going on? I am so confused? You people say eat more calories so I do and now I've gained the 5lbs I've lost back in only 3 days......=(

If you're gaining weight, then you're eating more than 1000 calories. Weigh ALL solids and measure ALL liquids. If you're not doing that, then I can nearly guarantee that you're eating far more than you think you are.

hey girl,

I have a similar story as you. When I was 19 I weighed 280 and I lost over 50 pounds and then I gained it all back within 3 years. I was back to 280 and I was so discouraged when I stepped on the scale because I was upset that I let myself get there again after all the hard work I put in before. And then I realized something- being sad about it isn't going to make the number go back down- I have to get up and actually do something about it. I started my final weight loss journey 15 days ago!

Okay so here is some of my advice just from the information I gathered from reading your posts (I'm going to college for applied exercise science and nutrition so these are educated pieces of advice.)
When you go a couple of days only eating 1,000 calories a day, you are literally putting your body in starvation mode and your body is going to take all the nutrients and healthy proteins from your muscles and organs which is why it would say on the scale that you lose "weight", when you did indeed lose 5 pounds, but it wasn't 5 pounds of fat that you lost- it was 5 pounds of nutrients and muscle.
Also your body needs a certain amount of calories to even function correctly, your energy depends on the calorie intake to digest food, for proper brain functions and daily tasks like walking or even breathing. By only eating 1,000 calories your body lost a lot of good stuff it needs to function.
Now that you started to eat more calories you said you gained the weight back. I believe you didn't gain FAT, your body was just putting all those important nutrients back where they were! So don't be discouraged that you "gained weight", because your body was just adjusting for all of the nutrients that it lost when you were only eating 1,000 calories.

How to move Forward:
I don't know how tall you are (which makes a difference, believe me!), but I'm 5ft 11 and am intaking 2,000 calories a day and working out 6 days a week. The workouts aren't vigorous, I just ride my bike for a while, go for a swim or dance or go for long walk... it doesn't matter what you do or how low-impact it is, as long as you do something every day and stay CONSISTENT you WILL lose weight! (as long as it's HONEST effort and not like walking 500 feet really slowly and saying that's a workout... because it's not) Consistency is soooo crucial because motivation can't carry someone through an entire weightloss journey, motivation isn't reliable enough because it's based on emotions. I don't want to go for a swim everyday but I do it because I know it will give me results.

I suggest looking at your BMR- there are BMR calculators or generators online everywhere- you're BMR will tell you how many calories your body needs AT A MINIMUM in order to do just everyday tasks (like breathing or digestion) and it's probably a lot higher than you think it would be. Also you need to make sure you're drinking enough water because when you are losing weight you lose more water than if you were staying the same or gaining. If you don't drink enough water, your body will take the water from your organs and muscles as well.
My BMR was 2,200 calories and I lowered it by 200 cals (which is fine, BMR is an estimate) and exercise everyday.

Please be safe with your weight loss journey, I hope I helped you. If you ever need anything you can totally talk to me and add me if you'd like! YOU CAN DO THIS!! Don't be discouraged!

Everything brower47 said.
(darn those sensible suggestions anyway. They require me to actually work at it.)

And ...

Acquire friends, like 8 or more, and trade those "Likes", For most people, social support is very important to remain motivated and on track. The little encouragements add up to a lot of motivation.

Be accurate, truthful, and consistent in your tracking.