Welcome back! I hear ya on getting discouraged. Same thing happened to me, but eating too low did nothing for me, so I decided to give this another kick at the can. I've seen an increase on the scale yes but my clothes still feel the same, and I still feel lean. Your body will thank you for it.

Might I suggest a metabolism reset? Especially if you have been eating so few calories.

eatmore2weighless.com/the-metabolism-reset-guide/

Slowly increasing my calories right now so my body doesn't get too shocked by it. If you need anything help, feel free to ask anyone!

Some people jump right up to their approximate TDEE from day one. Some, like me, add in 100-200 calories per day, eat at that for a week, increase again, eat at that a week etc. It's up to you. I preferred the slowly adding calories in so I could see what happened to my weight, get a better handle on it so to speak. It's all up to you which one you do.

I'd suggest once you find your TDEE that you eat at that longer than 8-12 weeks. If you have been dieting a long time, the longer you eat at TDEE the better. I'd plan on at least 4-5 months there.

Go read, and read, and read. This WILL work for you, you just have to trust the process.

Welcome back! Sometimes we have to walk away in order to realize this is the right path. Many of us have done that before:)

As the others have said the EM2WL.com site has a lot of information that can be helpful for you. The FAQ and reset guide already posted are great sources to start you off. Consider hitting the forums at http://forums.eatmore2weighless.com/ to write your own journey post? Its a great place to write down your thoughts and processes as you go through this as a way to record your story.

Begin your journey slow. Consistency is key, so pick one thing right now to change and change only that. So in your case, raising to your TDEE would be a great place to start:)
You are so ready for this now:)

Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

@DSfit , that's exactly how it goes. After a few tries, no matter how hard we push ourselves, what used to work does not work anymore. We end up eating less, exercising more and we end up gaining weigh. It can be undone, but takes time and patience.
In your case, a metabolism reset would be a great idea. You don't have to do it all at once, a slow increase, 100 cals extra per day. The though of this process being long may be unappealing, but it a sure deal, it's a process that will lead you to lifelong results. Despite the summer being here, take a deep breath, check our free starter guide (http://training.eatmore2weighless.com/get-your-quick-start-guide/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=DM&utm_campaign=quick start ).
We are here to help!

Tereza
Team EM2WL

Yes, increase it, even is slowly,your body and mind will thank you! Brittle nails and hair are a big telltale of under eating. Like Kelly said, consistency is the key. Start raising you calories, than look at your protein intake and just keep going. You will see results, in no time you will feel less aches, your skin will look better, nails will improve, the whole thing.

Don't worry about how long you will stay on your TDEE, get there first, you may end up staying there even longer that you expect once you start feeling the positive side effects.

Make it simple, don't worry about crazy calculations.

Tereza
TeamEM2WL

It's such a good thing that you recognise under eating is not sustainable.
Many of the benefits of eating more will solve things like brittle nails. You will have more energy, better skin, growing hair and nails, better sleep, better moods.......... So much!
Trust me, you will not regret raising your calories. I would suggest trying to eat something light before going to bed. Waking up hungry during the night is definitely a loud message that your body wants more food!
Let us know a progress update.
~Ichel
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

DSFfit, I was obsessed with numbers and calories and all that once. The mental part is one of the toughest ones in this journey, no doubt. To let go of the old mentality that we need to eat like birds to look like stick figures is not an easy task, but that mindset has got to go. For me I decided that if was was going to obsess about food so much, it would be in a way that would let me enjoy it and be happy. With the EM2WL lifestyle I get to eat what I want and like, enjoy life, feel good and look the way I want. To just have a baked potato while everyone is eating yummier stuff is sad, you deserve better than that!

This is a nice journey story talking about increasing those calories: http://eatmore2weighless.com/not-eating-enough-calories-for-weight-loss/

Tereza
Team EM2WL

DSFfit wrote: »

one problem I have that Ive noticed while logging for the past 700plus days is
although I am usually under the calorie goal of 1200 I am nearly always a bit over the fat
grams
maybe if I eat more calories I will crave less fat? Its generally due to eating peanut butter and microwave popcorn. I eat a lot of popcorn to try to stop the hunger pangs.

By increasing your protein levels, you will find you are way less hungry, and it will automatically balance out the fat and carbs. Craving or Binging is a huge sign your body is not getting the fuel it needs.

The mental game is a huge hurdle to overcome. But it can be done as long as you are willing to do it. Take it day by day. Put your daily cal amount up. If its still set to 1200, then increase it up by 100-200. Focus on hitting that number. Promise yourself to give this a fair shot. Work hard to build the calories up. Breathe and let go of your past. Remember how horrible it is to sit in a restaurant and eat nothing but that plain baked potato, while everyone else ate "Real" meals? By getting your cals up and hitting your correct levels, you will find you no longer have to eat that side of whatever as a meal. You can actually have a real plate of food and ENJOY it with everyone else. Think about how happy you were when you never had to concern yourself over what you ate.. Don't you want that feeling back? You CAN get it again. Rip the bandaid, and give yourself permission to fuel your body. Allow yourself to feel happy about food again.

If you need a challenge to focus on while you are building up your cals, try our 7 day protein challenge. This will help you to focus on increasing your protein amount and get those cals in
http://eatmore2weighless.com/eat-enough-protein/


We are here to help.
Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

@DSFfit this is a quick post from EM2WL nailing proteins easily: https://www.facebook.com/EM2WL/videos/1141387395913666/

Tereza
Team EM2WL

scaryann1 wrote: »

@DSFit I've been working my way up to my TDEE for almost a year now. I still have a little ways to go. I have had to fight with myself almost every day to up my calories. The mental aspect is crazy difficult to deal with some days. After getting my daily average up to 1900 consistently, I'm working on getting them consistently up to 2100. I've hit it two weeks out of four, and not two weeks in a row yet either. I'm not going to give up! I can't believe how much energy I have now compared to a year ago when I was eating under 1000 calories a day. I ate so little then that I considered 2000 calories a major binge and would become physically ill the once a week that I hit that many calories. Once I hit that 1900 a couple of weeks in a row I no longer had the desire to binge, and I haven't since! I have learned so much this year, it's been a crazy roller coaster ride mentally though.

May I quote for the group?:)

I wouldn't worry about the fat grams. As you increase calories the fat grams will increase as well. If you are hungry all the time, you need more food.

I'm not to my goal yet but I have come to love myself and to feed my body. It's much better on this side I promise you. Give into the process.

@DSFfit , considering your workout description you are definitely at least moderate, forget light activity. But you probably are scared of the numbers the calculator are giving you. Don't be afraid, you are burning all that. 1600 is too little, no wonder you are hungry all the time. Increase your calories slowly, go for 1700 for a week, than 1800 for another and so on until you reach your TDEE. Stay there for some weeks so your body can remember what maintenance is and introduce a slow cut. In a nutshell that's a reset.
Being hungry is the way that your body finds to try to make you keep the calories coming. It's a good sign, it shows that the body is changing and the metabolism is increasing.

This post talks about not eating enough calories http://eatmore2weighless.com/not-eating-enough-calories-for-weight-loss/

Tereza
Team EM2WL

The mental part of this is the hardest. Just know that you are loving and healing your body and you deserve that.
Just increasing your calories is a great step.
I'd like to leave you with the quote I have on my profile;
"... the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!” ~ Steve Maraboli

This process does get easier. Hang on in there, we are here to support you.
Ichel
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator