Helppp females!!!

oatmeal, egg whites, chicken.
All fairly low in price and in calories

You can also buy the frozen veggies that you steam in the bag that are around a dollar a bag. Those will fill you up very fast and very, very low in calories. I like the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, I also like the corn and brown rice but they are higher in calories.

fruit, veggies, oatmeal, eggs...all fairly low in calories (easy to cook in the microwave), and inexpensive....also you can earn more calories from exercise....make sure you add everything (walking around campus will add up!)

Women usually have one week a month where they either don't lose weight or gain a couple of pounds. It's a hormone thing and usually balances back out. Drink plenty of water and get lots of protein. Eggs are cheap protein sources (just the whites if you are worried about fat and cholesterol). Try buying in bulk when you can; larger portions are cheaper per serving. Protein makes you feel fuller and you can eat more of it for fewer calories than carbs. Healthy fats will also help you feel full. Try peanut butter or nuts.

I am having a similar issue with TOM. Honestly with the amount you are trying to lose setting the goal for 2lbs a week might be a bit too high. consider changing to 1-1.5lbs per week.
secondly I would say that even though my weight in was today that I know the temporary weight gain was due to TOM and not due to eating habits.
Check again a few days after TOM and see what happens.
Remember lots of water goes a long way.
And if you are having trouble feeling full at the 1200 calories another suggestion you could do is go to the BMR tool and see what your daily calories would be at your goal weight and use that as what you should eat. That way you get used to eating at the maintence level for when you reach your goal weight and you will continue to be eating in a deficet.

are you eating 1200 and not working out?

I was having the same issues. My problems was that I was not getting enough caloires and my body went into "famine" mode. It was thinking there was a huge reduction in food so it held on to all of the weight I'd been trying to lose for the last two weeks. I changed my exercise habits and was able to consume more calories. I also was not getting enough proteins. I did that for the last 7 days along with walking on the treadmill. Even after work feeling like I just wanted to sit on the couch and watch my DVR'd shows. I did it for 30 minutes twice last week, increased my caloric intake and I was able to lose my 1.5lbs for the weeks. It felt wonderful to get on the scale and see that accomplishment. I did almost give up too. Glad I didn't.

Drink lots of water and avoid added salt.

I also agree about trying to eat the calories to maintain your goal weight. 1200 calories is hard to maintain for a lot of people I think (not everyone...)

For exercise, turn on some music in your room and dance around or try getting a few exercise dvds at the library or looking some up online.

For food on a budget, buy whole chickens! Roast them with lots of veggies. Then use the leftovers (or freeze them!) in salads, sandwiches and soups. Boil the bones to make stock for your cooking and soup. You'll get a lot out of just one chicken!
Check out marked down fruits and veggies that you can chop up and freeze for soups and stews and smoothies (the fruit of course )

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or just want to chat

I usually only get to work out 3 times a week for about 20 mins do to college and this snow isnt helping much...and the gym at my college cost about 75 dollars a month and I just cant swing the extra costs right now.

Holy cow! Our gym cost is included in our fees! I cant believe they are charging that much! Sorry girl!!! Have you though about getting a step for aerobics? They dont cost much and you can youtube the workouts.

Read the book "the anderson Method" by Bill Anderson. I have lost 28 pounds doing the anderson method. I am 52, not very active, but now I look like a 20 year old in my jeans. OMG I wear size 5. In my whole adult life I was never this small. I love it!!!! Hunger is in the mind. Tell yourself that when you are hungry you are actually burning fat. So this is a feeling to be MUCH DESIRED! Just like you feel sore after a good workout, or you are tired after sex. When you are hungry you are burning actual fatty tissue. It is such a good thing. You can do it, really. If I can, you can. I am sure of it!

While I congratulate you on your success, I wanted to add a note of caution for the original poster, because I believe that teaching young women (she's only 19) to desire the feeling of hunger can in some circumstances lead to dangerous results (e.g. eating disorders). This isn't to knock your success, but younger women, especially on a college campus, are much more susceptible to heading down that path.

You can and should be able to love food, and be satiated by it. Allowing yourself to go hungry will put your body into starvation mode.

I'm a law student, so I've been both on a budget and in school for a LONG time.
-Another poster mentioned flax or chia seed -- add them to your oatmeal in the morning! A package of ground flax is only a few dollars
-Scope out the grocery store sales papers BEFORE you go to the store. Most larger chains will let you view their ads online if you don't get the paper in the mail. When you see healthy staples on sale, stock up! (assuming you live at home and not in a dorm, so you have freezer space) I fill my freezer with frozen veggies and fruit, chicken (buy fresh in the family pack when they're on sale for under $2/lb and freeze into individual ziplock baggies--cheaper and better tasting than buying the pre-frozen ones). If you have competing grocery stores in your area, check both ads -- I often make 2 separate lists and stop at both places!
-Invest in a crock pot. I make a huge pot of chili or soup for just a few dollars (and mostly easy-to-find, cheap canned or frozen ingredients). The best part is that you can toss everything in in the morning before you go to school and it'll be ready when you get home!
-Keep healthy snacks on hand: baby carrots, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, nuts. Preportion snacks like nuts into sandwich bags so you aren't tempted to eat more than one serving
-Drink lots of water! Make sure you're drinking 8 glasses a day! I've found that I'm hungrier on the days that I don't have my water bottle parked at my side. If you don't have a high quality water bottle, try the Contigo brand -- they usually run about $10 and will last! Fill it up for free at the drinking fountain before class, sip through class and before you know it, you'll easily be drinking your daily water requirement.

Do you drive to school? Can you park further away from the building your class is in? It's cold out now, but on sunny days, bundle up and go for a walk during a break between classes. Making time to work out is my biggest struggle during the schoolweek, but I've started to evaluate where I'm spending my time. If you spend 1/2 hour on facebook or watching a TV show, you have time to work out. Do you have cable? If you have on-demand programming, check to see if they have an exercise video section! There's lots of great free stuff there.

I started out at 175lbs. My ultimate goal weight is 125lbs. The first couple of times I tried to use MFP, I didn't stick to it. This time I decided to MAKE it work. Like some others have said...oatmeal is a good start...cheap, filling, low-fat & low calories. I also use apples slices with a little peanut butter spread on them as a snack (cheap & filling & curbs the sweet craving). Fresh veggies are the best, but like you, I have limited budget so I use the store brand frozen veggies. If you buy fish & unbreaded chicken in the frozen meat section in the bags it is cheaper & you can get out only what you need when you need it. Also, I made myself start exercizing on January 2nd.....started out very slow. Started with riding a stationary bike for 20 minute per day....every day. I have gradually built it up & now do a variety of exercises for 60 minutes per day. I was told if you make yourself do something daily for 3 weeks it becomes habit. Worked for me! :-) I'm down to 164 now...got a long way to go, but off to a good start. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

As others have said, it's totally normal for your weight to fluctuate due to hormones, etc. Do not be discouraged! Just staying on track and keep pressing forward.

On a budget, I would recommend buying things in bulk when they are on sale (Be aware of the shelf life, though) and stick to whole, fresh or frozen foods. You can make great meals on the cheap, much cheaper than buying packaged foods. Also, try incorporating some vegetarian meals into your diet. Legumes and lentils are much cheaper than buying meat and they are still very nutritious and filling.

For working out, head over to the library and check out workout DVDs. They may be older, but who cares? They are free! And you can swap them out for a new one as often as you like, so you'll never get bored. There are many that you can do without equipment of any kind - yoga, pilates - or head over to a park for some basic weight training sans weights - push ups, pull ups, lunges, step ups, etc.

MPF usually sets your calories low, IMO, so 1400 calories may not be a problem. It's important that you feel full and satisfied, and you may need to make some healthy food swaps to ensure you are maximizing the nutrients in your calories. Eating a healthy balance of good carbs, protein and healthy fats for each meal will ensure you are satisfied and won't be starving again in two hours. Feeling hungry is not a good thing and it's your body's way of telling you it's not getting the nutrients it needs. If you are at your calorie goal and still hungry, look at what you have been eating and see if there is a way to improve it.

Good luck and feel free to add me or message me. I'd be happy to help support your journey.

Ps Add me if you want ill always be happy to help....took me ages to get it right xx