GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Sounds like you have a good plan and a good attitude. Honestly I'm not sure why you're not losing, although increasing your calories would be my advice, and eat between your BMR and TDEE. Remember that TDEE value is not truly your maintenance calories because it does not include exercise. You should lose weight at 2000/day if you are more active than a desk job and exercising.

As far as eating clean, if it stresses you out and you don't enjoy it, I wouldn't worry about eating clean 100% as I'm not sure it makes as much difference for weight loss. For overall health, I think it does, but that's different.

Other ideas would be getting your BMR professionally measured and/or seeing a nutritionist. I think you said your thyroid levels were normal, but that could be a factor too. Your metabolism may be atypical and these formulas are only estimates.

Sorry I don't have any better ideas -- best of luck!

Tdee = total daily energy expenditure so SHOULD include exercise and is your maintenance level.

OP - If bmr is 1700, your tdee will not be only 2000. If you are a nanny (active job) and you work out, you should choose at least lightly or maybe moderately active. Choosing a desk job when that is not your true activity level will give you the wrong cals.

Re getting your cals in, choose regular versions instead of diet / light / low fat. At the very least you should track carbs / fat / protein they are the basic 'macros' that you need to stick to for a healthy balanced diet. It's also good to track sugar and sodium. Try to get 5 a day fruit & veg. 50g nuts will get you an extra 400 cals.
For comparison - I am 201 lbs. bmr 1569, tdee 2632 based on moderately active. I lose 1.5 a week eating 2000 / netting 1550.

This may come across as a touch... indelicate... but :

Are you portioning correctly?

I was downright annoyed when I realized I was using often 3-4 times as much PB as I was logging. Suddenly a 300 calories sandwich was an 800 calorie sandwich. Same thing for coffee creamer, butter, etc.

Are you drinking enough water?

There are all sorts of theories on how much water a person needs. Personally, I feel best when I drink like a dehydrated camel in Egypt... often close to 100 oz in a day, and sometimes more if I've been outside working. Not enough water = zero weight loss for ME. Your mileage may vary.

Are you regular?

Again.. not a very delicate question. Constipation can REALLY hinder weight loss, as far as I'm concerned. Not enough poo = zero weight loss for me. Once I got that under control, the weight came off much easier.

Fat is not all bad. If it fits in your calories, it's okay (in fact, good) to have some fat. I try to eat about 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat ... so 30% of my daily calories comes from fat. I have done a mix of making better food choices and eating normally but in moderation. I still eat ice cream, chocolate, cookies, chips, etc. But I measure out a serving and try not to have extra. I want to be able to maintain this lifestyle.

I spent a couple of months feeling like the weight wasn't coming off at all. I was exercising and eating right (I thought) and nothing. Then I did two things - I measured and saw that I had lost inches, so I was shedding fat and building muscle. Then I started completing my diary EVERY day, even my "cheat" days. I think there were many days where I just didn't hold myself accountable enough and didn't complete the diary. I also started really trying to drink 8+ cups of water a day. Between all of that (and continuing to exercise - I eat back all my exercise calories by the way) I did something that broke the plateau, and I've lost about 8 pounds over the last 2 months.

Hopefully something in my ramblings could help you.

. But if I can't fix the problem of eating enough without it being junk

You seem to be running scared of fat, which will probably leave you eating a lot of carbs (but you don't track them or protein in your diary).

If you want to get your calories up then avoid 0 %fat, lean, diet, lite and similar things and have the real one - more and better calories straight away. Avocado and almonds are two foods that will give you healthy calories from fats/oils.

Remember you get nearly twice the calories per gram or oz from fats as from other stuff, so make fat your friend.

Your diary doesn't look bad. Try to get more protein (2.5-3g/kg lean body mass, or 1g/lb. body weight, whichever is easier for you). It will make a huge difference. If you aren't losing with 1600, then that may be too much. The MFP calculations are not really that accurate (manually did one for a friend who was >40% body fat, MFP said to eat ~2k calories, BMR came out to around 1300, TDEE around 1800, so eating 200 calories over daily expenditures+eating back exercise = no kidding you aren't losing weight).

The idea that eating more = losing more is ludicrous, and completely unsupported scientifically. That just helps get rid of water retention, which obscures weight loss for people who are very impatient.

Here are the main things that prevent weight loss:
1) Miscalculated TDEE
2) Including exercise in TDEE _and_ eating back exercise calories (this results in you eating 2x exercise calories)
3) Underestimating calorie intake
4) Overestimating calorie burn

Things that are not quite as critical, but extremely important:
1) Inadequate protein intake
2) Eating low-quality food (thermic effect of food from whole food can account for an additional 10% caloric deficit on daily intake)
3) Excessive cardio for women who are sensitive to thyroid issues (basically, when in doubt, get your thyroid function checked if you are female)
4) Not weight training (seriously... 3 hours a week will give better results than 10 hours a week of cardio)

It is not as complicated as everyone makes it. Calories in - calories out = 90% of weight loss. Starvation mode is a myth with no scientific backing. When in doubt, consult with a nutritionist as to what your caloric and nutritional intake should look like.

I believe you will get to where you want to be, it just takes time. Years ago I went through a military selection process to become a certain type of warrior. In the process, I hiked with a reasonably heavy backpack almost everyday and I shed weight like crazy. Naturally, I gained it all back because I was not watching my dieting; however, it can be done.

You may need to increase your walking range and carry a decent size backpack (one that is not too heavy at first, and feels comfortable). Also, as far as snacks, I have started eating more fresh fruit such as, bananas, oranges, and apples. They are good calories.

I am certainly no expert, but I believe you can do whatever you want.

Cheers

I would seriously question why you are on 1600 calories or 2k and expecting to lose weight. Did I read that right?

Your diary doesn't look bad. Try to get more protein (2.5-3g/kg lean body mass, or 1g/lb. body weight, whichever is easier for you). It will make a huge difference. If you aren't losing with 1600, then that may be too much. The MFP calculations are not really that accurate (manually did one for a friend who was >40% body fat, MFP said to eat ~2k calories, BMR came out to around 1300, TDEE around 1800, so eating 200 calories over daily expenditures+eating back exercise = no kidding you aren't losing weight).

The idea that eating more = losing more is ludicrous, and completely unsupported scientifically. That just helps get rid of water retention, which obscures weight loss for people who are very impatient.

Here are the main things that prevent weight loss:
1) Miscalculated TDEE
2) Including exercise in TDEE _and_ eating back exercise calories (this results in you eating 2x exercise calories)
3) Underestimating calorie intake
4) Overestimating calorie burn

Things that are not quite as critical, but extremely important:
1) Inadequate protein intake
2) Eating low-quality food (thermic effect of food from whole food can account for an additional 10% caloric deficit on daily intake)
3) Excessive cardio for women who are sensitive to thyroid issues (basically, when in doubt, get your thyroid function checked if you are female)
4) Not weight training (seriously... 3 hours a week will give better results than 10 hours a week of cardio)

It is not as complicated as everyone makes it. Calories in - calories out = 90% of weight loss. Starvation mode is a myth with no scientific backing. When in doubt, consult with a nutritionist as to what your caloric and nutritional intake should look like.

This

How come you're eating 1600 calories? That seems pretty high. My calorie consumption is 1300 or so.

Also, you don't need to be eating back your exercise calories. I actually recommend not to. Although, I know many people disagree with that. Yet many also agree with me. I personally don't lose weight when I eat back those burned calories. I believe eating back exercise calories is for those looking to maintain their weight. Not lose it.

That is not necessarily high at all. I am a lot older and I eat 1900 cals with no cardio, only strength training and am losing. It totally depends on activity, height, weight and age. Just because you are are eating 1300 (or I am eating 1900 for that matter) does niot mean she should. People that eat back their exercise calories are not necessarily looking to maintain (well they are looking to maintain muscle mass) but are doing it to fuel their exercise and not to end up with an unhealthy deficit.

Strength burns a LOT more than cardio. Most calculations only account for immediate energy expenditure. Recovery and muscle synthesis add several times that over the next several days.

This is true.
I have a Body Media Fit that shows my calorie burn. It doesn't show much burn for strength training the day of, but boy does it show up later.
I started strength training about 2 months ago and it doesn't show up right away, but about a month after I started doing it my calorie burn increased by about 300 -500 calories A DAY just from normal activities.

Your diary doesn't look bad. Try to get more protein (2.5-3g/kg lean body mass, or 1g/lb. body weight, whichever is easier for you). It will make a huge difference. If you aren't losing with 1600, then that may be too much. The MFP calculations are not really that accurate (manually did one for a friend who was >40% body fat, MFP said to eat ~2k calories, BMR came out to around 1300, TDEE around 1800, so eating 200 calories over daily expenditures+eating back exercise = no kidding you aren't losing weight).

The idea that eating more = losing more is ludicrous, and completely unsupported scientifically. That just helps get rid of water retention, which obscures weight loss for people who are very impatient.

Here are the main things that prevent weight loss:
1) Miscalculated TDEE
2) Including exercise in TDEE _and_ eating back exercise calories (this results in you eating 2x exercise calories)
3) Underestimating calorie intake
4) Overestimating calorie burn

Things that are not quite as critical, but extremely important:
1) Inadequate protein intake
2) Eating low-quality food (thermic effect of food from whole food can account for an additional 10% caloric deficit on daily intake)
3) Excessive cardio for women who are sensitive to thyroid issues (basically, when in doubt, get your thyroid function checked if you are female)
4) Not weight training (seriously... 3 hours a week will give better results than 10 hours a week of cardio)

It is not as complicated as everyone makes it. Calories in - calories out = 90% of weight loss. Starvation mode is a myth with no scientific backing. When in doubt, consult with a nutritionist as to what your caloric and nutritional intake should look like.

^^this

(except the comment about starvation mode, but that's mostly about semantics in this case)

I have no idea what to tell you here. I have been following the program here, eating the calories I am supposed to eat according to MFP, getting some exercise, and it has been working for me.

Under eating can prevent weight loss.

How about your measurements? It's possible you are replacing fat with muscle so you aren't seeing a change on the scale.

Everyone says that if you eat too little you won't lose any weight. Years ago I had a nervous breakdown and was not able to eat much for a whole week. I lost over 14lbs. Now, I'm NOT recommending it at all, but if you don't eat, your body uses the stored fat. Fact.

Correction. It burns stored fat, and MUSCLE.