food logging

Personally when I first started logging I could not do the calories MFP told me to eat. I'm 5'3 and was sedentary at the time. I was also 175-ish pounds (mostly fat, little muscle, BMI over 30) and I got that way eating around 2200-2500 calories a day. Axing it straight away to 1300 calories per day was NOT in the cards for me.

What was way easier was setting a goal of 1700 calories per day. It was a lot less aggressive, I still lost a little bit of weight, and I was able to get used to feeling hungry (the key is, I had NO tolerance for hunger and had to get used to it lol). This was also a time where I was swapping quite a few food choices for healthier and more filling options (think fiber and protein), so having more wiggle room to experiment helped in the long run. Over time I also got used to being hungry in the evenings, which helped a lot of my snacking habits.

Over time 1700 calories got close to being maintenance calories, and I stopped losing the little that I was. I started lifting weights at the gym and, after some initial water weight bloating from my muscles being in absolute shock, I started losing again. That method lost me 15lbs over a few months, which was worth it because now I'm more comfortable with 1500 calories per day while I try to lose about 15lbs more. This is the slow way, but it was the only sustainable way for me.

I suppose this is all to say that I am working towards my 1200-1300 maintenance calories very slowly. If you're like me, halving your intake is torture. Maybe you could try seeing where you land for a week or so with food logging, then set yourself a mini goal to cut out 300-500 calories per day. After that it will just be watching for trends and making adjustments that align with your goals (and sanity lol). Good luck!

I love that you logged honestly. Being honest with ourselves is HARD! I would suggest logging for a week, even if you are well over—it will give you an idea of where to start. And you can look at things you could eat less of or none of (e.g. sweets or chips) and things you could try lower-cal versions of, or more protein, etc. There is a group of old-timers here who will make suggestions and look at your diary—IF you want them to.