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