2 pounds vs 1 pound per week need help :)

One more thing, Keep in mind the MFP has a very HIGH setting for the carb intake and a very LOW setting for protein... don't be afraid to go over in protein, that's what is going to keep you full longer, and don't be afraid to cut short on carbs. Carbs trigger hunger!

Because losing two pounds per week requires a larger caloric deficit.

The 2 lbs a week goal is really hard to maintain. Trust me, I know.
I have definitely noticed that eating high protein foods really seems to help. Basically, what you want to avoid is the drastic blood sugar spikes and dips that happen when you fill up on carbs. Let's say you have half a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast at 9. This is almost solid carb calories. Sure, you feel full for a bit, but by 10:30 your ravenous and craving (go figure) more carbs. This is because when you give your body simple carbs, it burns up the energy lightning fast then sets your internal clock for the day to require this kind of fuel all day long. It's possible to handle the consequent hunger and cravings for a few days, but sooner or later your body will get the best of you.
Protein, on the other hand, takes considerably longer for the body to digest. If you give your body protein fuel first thing in the morning, you will notice a reduction in the cravings and hunger. Granted, it takes a few days because our culture basically lives on carbs, so you have to retrain your mind and body to work with this new kind of fuel. I've been following this regime for nearly a week and just yesterday I started noticing that I wasn't as hungry.
Other things to bear in mind: how often are you eating? It seems counter-intuitive, but you have to EAT to lose weight. It's a fairly well-accepted rule that you should eat every 2-3 hours, never going more than 3 hours between mini-meals. Men usually aren't supposed to go below 1700 w/out doctor supervision. If we take that equation and spread it out over a 12 hr day, you should eat about 5 mini-meals of 250 cal. each, then one larger meal of 450 whenever you choose. The trick is to make sure that, at the end of the day, you've consumed equal or more grams of protein than carbs. I follow this routine with my own (female) calorie requirements, and I've lost 5 pounds in less than a week. Before my second pregnancy, I followed this plan for 6 months and lost 40 pounds. It really does work.
One final point, our culture tends to have its most protein-rich meal at dinner time. But there's no law that says you can't have dinner for breakfast. Yesterday, I had homemade beef stew for breakfast (200 cal a serving) and I finished the day well below my calorie goals and never felt deprived.
I'm sorry I'm so long-winded but I feel for you because I've struggled with the same problem. I hope something I've said will help. If you want to add me as a friend, feel free. Then you could access my diary for high-protein, low carb mini-meal ideas.
Good luck with your weight loss!
-Madeline

Thanks for being long winded, I needed to hear this. I am a carbaholic. And I feel hungry all day long. Not to mention the second I think diet I go into binge mode. Or I go into the I'll start my diet tomorrow. I need all the diet tips I can get. what are high carb food? Please feel free to add me.
Thanks!
Michelle

If it were simple, science, there would be a magic pill. While, it is true if you eat around 3500 cal less, you will lose a pound. The trick is, all else has to be equal. If your body slows down calorie burning, you can eat less and gain. Even though I am on meal replacements now, I have lost by counting not only calories, but protein, carbs, and fats, as well. I have to log everything to lose weight. If I don't watch my carbs and fat I eat junk and stay hungry. For me while losing, I eat about 50% protein, 40% carbs, and 10% fat. If I write it down, I can almost predict what I lose.

When I wasn't replacing meals, I ate closer to 55%, 35%, 10% and 1500 cal per day. That worked out to around 205g protein, 130g carb, and 20g or less of fat. For me the higher protein, less fat worked. You see 40/30/30 used a lot. I can't eat that much fat.

To help with the math, protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. This means you can eat twice the volume of protein (or carbs for that matter) to get as many calories as you would from fat so you feel full longer with less calories.

The carbs, for me at least, need to be whole grains. Anything with sugar or simple carbs (basically white bread, or starches such as pasta, potatoes, etc), give me a diabetic like reaction where I get sleepy and then hungry really quickly. The added fiber in the whole grains evens this out some.

I am a numbers person, so I can handle and need the structure. Weight Watchers just simplifies this to points, but it's the same concept.

So, it is simple science, but the practice is not so simple when you factor in varying BMR, exercise, etc. I even think your calorie burn changes in the winter and summer by your body trying to keep warm or cool. Throw in hormones and women's issues, and it gets pretty complicated.