If you are just starting out, worry about the food, not the calories. A lot of people find they can eat more on paleo because their bodies are not as stressed. Track out of curiosity, not out of trying to stay below X number. Learn how good nutrition treats your body. Starting at 1200 cal is going to make you faileo.

Great food choices except the apple for breakfast. More protein for breakfast would be of benefit as well. Try not to get too tied up in the calorie counting area and focus more on becoming healthy.

Day 18 of Paleo and you do seem to be doing really well. How have you managed to quit alcohol, sugar, cheese and bread so easily? The health benefits will be amazing and I admire your determination.

Obsessing with the scale and panicking because you gained a pound after starting Paleo is not helpful. The body fluctuates every single day by as much as 5 pounds, even more. You did not lose a pound because you gave up whole eggs. Sorry you didn't. And you will find that 1200 might make you lose a bit quicker now.... because you will be losing lbm too. Yup, looks great on the scale but is a fail for your body composition, metabolism and overall health for the long term. Been there, did it. Everything you think you know about "dieting" failed before right (as in you gained the weight back)? When you come to Paleo it's time to check those myths at the door.

With 30 pounds to lose you should NOT be eating 1200 calories... or do you mean you want to lose15 pounds of fat and 15 pounds of muscle? Let me guess you have entered the goal to lose 2 pounds per week?

If you insist on starving you won't like much of the advice you get here, or at least from me. But don't worry, I'll give up and shut up soon.

There are other ways to "cut corners" or "be the healthiest you can be". Cut the sugar. Eat enough. Have a healthy, active lifestyle. Get rid of the scale. Measure your body. Listen to your body. Be committed to health (not a number on a device). Have patience.

You are all giving great advice and is sounds so do-able. And yes, I am trying for a quick fix at losing the weight....but I do want to keep it off and I do want to be healthly. I will forget about the quick fixes and really try to focus on health and hopefully this will work out. I'm trying not to give excuses, but between full time work, three kids, preparing dinner the second I get home, checking homework reading with my son and preparing night routines, once I am done with the daily schedule, it is about 8-8:30pm and from being up at 6am, I am pooped and all I want to do it sit onthe couch and unwind. The last thing on my mind is exercise. I try to get up from my desk every hour or so at work to walk a minute or two, I try to take the stairs rather than the elevator. I'll even jog in place in my house for a few minutes just to get some calories burning, but I don't have time to schedule exercise (and I will admit, a HUGE part of me doesn't want to...)

Thank you everyone, please don't stop giving advice, I am truly listening to every word. :-)

Akimajuktuq, I for one love your replies. Straight to the point and you are helping put me back on track and I am so pleased OP is listening as we can all learn a lot from you.

I was on a healthy lifestyle forum once and those beautiful people listed all the diets they had been on. It was heartbreaking as between them they had done every diet imaginable and each person put the weight straight back on and some extra as well. The basic fact is "diets don't work." The only reason I left that site, along with many others, was that it became a paid site.

Famur5ive, say nothing to your family about what you are doing but simply and quietly introduce fresh, healthy foods into their diets. Very hard to convert people who are not interested but children (and your husband) will gain so much from your style of eating without even noticing the difference. My family eat what I eat but have not given up bread. Over the years, I have had them drinking all kinds of juices and loving them and they don't even notice some of the more healthy choices that I make whilst cooking.

As I said before, you are doing really well and it will get easier but please move away from the diet mentality completely and concentrate on healthy eating.

Thank you for the kind words, LeenaGee. I'm blunt and honest about what I think, which sometimes comes across harsh; and my feathers do get ruffled on some topics certainly. I am by no means "Perfect Paleo" (someone called me "Perfect Paleo Princess" in this forum once! lol) but I will always give the most accurate information and honest opinion based on my own experience that I can. It's all about health and sustainability (aka permanent lifestyle) or Paleo is a fail.

Thanks for the support all of you. I am slowly working on your sugestions. Getting out of the 'dieting' mindset is extremely difficult but I am trying. Two of my three kids are VERY picky. Only my oldest will try everything and eats most vegetables. My younger two eat no vegetables and no fruit, even though I make vegetables with every meal and ALWAYS have fruit in the house in plain sight. It's a tough slow process, but I am not giving up.

Thank you all again! :-)