The Struggle is Real

Is it actually necessary to be on 1200 calories? Some people, usually those who are very short or sedentary, have to be at 1200 but it doesn't necessarily work that way for everyone. Depending on your stats and what your weekly weight loss goal is, you could potentially raise the calories a bit (for example I'm 5'6, currently 236lbs, lightly active and MFP gives me 2070cal a day). There's nothing wrong with sweets or any similar foods except that often they're very high in calories and multiple serving sizes in small packages. So it makes it VERY easy to overeat. One thing you could try if you're not doing it already aside from seeing if you can up your daily calories, is to focus on good balanced meals that help you feel full longer, up the water take if you're not drinking as much and work on finding or making some low cal sweet snacks. If you feel the emotional eating is out of control and wrecking your efforts, don't be afraid to seek out a mental health professional who can help you work through it. There's no shame in asking for that help.

1200 calories is the absolute minimum, and if you're going to do it you REALLY need to make sure that every calorie counts. A lot of people however seem to put themselves that low without actually needing to.

It's easy to stick to 1200 NET calories for the day, but that means you have to be exercising and eating back some or all of those calories burned.

It's all a process and it cycles, too.

My first month, I stuck to the 1200 (two pounds a week) and dropped 20 with that and walking one mile a day. That was mostly all I did. After the 20, I started getting hungry and found out I needed to recalculate every so often. I was afraid it would take me lower, but it actually put me up a couple hundred. Then I discovered BMR. I decided that for me, eating at BMR was the way to go. I lost another 45 with that. Then I plateaued.

A trainer (not mine) suggested a maintenance break. That was a great idea. I got about 1750 a day and struggled to eat even that much about half the time. After a couple of weeks, I started losing again and lost a pound a week for the next 7 weeks doing what should have been maintenance. Then I stabilized again for the last two weeks.

A week and a half ago, I decided to go back into cut and get off this last 20. This time, my BMR has dropped because I'm so much smaller, but I'm also more active. And patient. So I set the goal at one pound a week, knowing some weeks will be more and others less. I get more calories and I eat back as many or few as I want. Lost 2 pounds the first 4 days, and nothing since. And that's fine.

It'll all come off, as long as I make the decision every day to do what I know I need to do.

I feel your pain with sugar...I have struggled all my life with it...My Trainer and I sat down in May after I had plateaued after only 10 pd loss.(my way) He gave me macros to hit...a new strength training program and I have taken all added sugars and simple carbs out of my diet 6 days a week...I eat what I am craving one day a week...I try to stick close to my calories. I have found that keeps me sane and I eat only things that are truly satisfying. I have now lost 37 total...27 since May...I want to lose another 37 or so and this time...I know that I can! You can too....

Sticking to 1200 might seem difficult because it's such a large change from that slow drift of gaining weight. As 88olds suggested above, your declaration to myfitnesspal that you wanted to lose 2 lb per week has myfitnesspal trying to cut 1000 calories out of your daily budget. For a size 10 lady, that's too much. You should never try to lose more than 1% of your body weight each week, and if your starting weight is about 150 lb, that would be 1.5 lb per week, and a calorie deficit of -750 per day. A light sandwich and a small apple can fit inside that 250 calories if you had your weight loss goal set to something reasonable.