1200 cal intake is not working for me.

I have read from many other posters that you may have to *increase* you calorie intake instead of decrease. Not sure if you have tried this yet?

1200 calories helped me lose weight for about 2 months, then I plateaued for 2 months. I had to *increase* my calories, then I started losing again. I am now eating 1700/day (I have MFP set for a 0.5 pound/week loss) and losing weight again, albeit slower than before.

hmm, i'm with the above poster. i'd increase eating by about 200 calories, instead of decreasing and increase my water. i didnt lose when i got a bit overzealous with cutting calories. those were definitely my plateau weeks (and my weeks i was miserable cause i was food deprived!)

What are you going to lower your calorie intake to?

Do you eat your exercise calories?

I wouldnt lower your calorie intake.. your body needs 1200 calories a day, if you go any lower than that, your body goes into starvation mode and you wont lose anything because your bodys holding onto it for energy... If your only eating 1200 calories a day and are working out, make sure you're at least eating back those calories... if thats not working, up your intake a little, maybe 1350 or so...

I took a peek at your diary and while Im no expert by any means...I think you may want to start eating more whole foods. While I still eat pretty much whatever I want, I always “try” to throw in some fresh veggies and fruits. For whatever reason it seems to help!

Are you eating back your workout calories or at least some of them? If you are not then you are taking in too few calories. If you are then it is possible you may need to lower your calorie intake. Even though MFP says you should never take in less then 1200 calories that does not mean it is true for everyone. There is metabolic testing that can be done to determine how many calories a person needs to take in to accomplish their goals. The company I train with offers this testing and so do some gyms.

took a look at your diary. i would suggest a few things first before you lower your cals.

1-try tracking sodium, you are eating a lot of processed stuff, and too much sodium really can make a difference.
2-you need more real food, specially fruits and vegetables.
3-if you are filling out your diary fully, you don't eat enough most days. there are an awful lot of days you didn't break the 1000 cal mark, and even when you did, alot of those cals were empty cals from things like chocolate bars or coconut tarts :P

what you eat can make a huge difference, it's not just about the cals. your body needs the nutrition that comes from real food, even more so because you are eating a deficit to lose weight.
you for sure don't want to lower cals and up exercise, specially as most of the time you are already eating lower cals. i would try making sure you eat your full 1200, plus whatever exercise cals you get everyday, and doing it by eating real food and more fruits and veggies.

You are trying to kill yourself and your body won't let you....so your answer is to go even lower????? What ever float your boat.

if your goal is 1200 and u burn 700 then you need to eb EATING 1900

IF YOU ARE EATING 1200 AND BURNING 700 THEN YOUR BODY IS HOLDING ONTO EVERY OUNCE OF FOOD/FAT SO YOU WONT LOSE WEIGHT

i'm sorry for the caps lock, but ive had to type this like a thousand times on this forum - think im gonna end up getting to the point where i just dont keep reitterating the guidance.

the answer here is simple.... eat more natural food and up ur intake. if you do that you WILL start to loose again. also drink plenty of water.. (this helps me big time)

what they said.

Good luck, you want this really badly, so I know that you'll figure it out and get where you want to get.

I understand your frustration and I have been there; however, lowering your calorie intake will only lower your metabolic rate. This is bad; very,very bad. You want your metabolic rate to be high. Cardio and strength training helps in charging the metabolic rate as does eating necessary calories to help your body function.
I know your goal is to lose the weight; however if you continue to eat small amounts and then burn all those calories away you will damage your metabolic rates and thus after awhile you will have to even eat less. It is a vicious cycle you do not want enter into. I recommend upping your calorie intake. Perhaps try zig zagging or upping protein and decreasing carbs.

I am going to echo just about everyone else...you need to eat more and it needs to be healthier, less-processed foods. If your diary is up to date, then you aren't likely getting enough water, you aren't eating hardly any fruits and vegetables, and the sodium/preservatives in the processed foods could be holding you back.

Keep in mind that calorie counts at their most accurate are still usually averages and derivations--you could still be off by your total calories in the multiple percentage points!

Consider also that the closer you get to a healthy proportion of lean muscle and body fat that your losses will clow down. Your body is going to naturally hold on to some fat to protect essential processes.

You are very close to your goal. Eat AT LEAST your BMR+portion of exercise calories with a lot of lean protein, vegetables, and fruits. Add some healthy fats like olive oil, almonds, fish, and coconut oil. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day (I drink a gallon, but am much heavier than you and I notice it when I am short a day).

In general, I believe that weight loss IS about calories in/out...but our bodies just function better when we eat better quality calories. I am in maintenance mode for the moment, but I eat very clean when losing and notice a huge difference in how I feel. We evolved eating whole, natural, un-processed foods...the preserved stuff we eat out of cans and boxes hasn't been around long enough for us to make an evolutionary change.

If you've been exercising for a while, consider also that you are adding compact muscle mass. You could still be losing inches...best not to focus on the scale too much as you get closer to ideal BMI.

Lower sodium, increase your fruit and vegetable intake, and specifically increase your fiber intake. If you really want to do something, consider a cleanse, but I don't think you need that. I looked at your diary and you have a LOT of fast carbs. Try to replace some of those with veggies. It'll help.