Dieting and Normal Eating habits...and liking healthy foods!

You should look into the "Eating for a Future You" group (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3088-eating-for-future-you). The theory is that if you eat the amount of calories a person of your height and activity level at your ideal weight needs, eventually you will be that weight.

Last time I calculated, I needed 1440 at 5'4" and sedentary. I'm much more active now, and plan to stay that way, so I should recalculate.

Yeah I find it hard to believe you were gaining at 1750 a day? Are you very petite? 1200 and 1300 are for losing weight are roughly a pound a week (for women, most men will lose more on such low calorie intake). 1750 is like a maintenance diet. That's about what I should be eating if I'm relatively inactive once I make my goal weight. (I'm a middle-aged woman of average height).

Looking at your diary for the week, you had 2 eggs & sausage for breakfast most days. When you didn't, it looks like you had another breakfast listed as Snack plus another meal. Have you tried using 1 egg with 2 egg whites? Maybe have the sausage, whith a high fiber cereal, on the days you don't have eggs. I suggest you try adding more fiber, such as vegetables (in addition to salad) throughout the day. That is to say, use your calories on things that fill you up. If you still feel hungry, eating a salad is better than a fourth meal.

Spaghetti squash is my favorite low-cal filler. 40 calories for a cup of it? Gimme two with a tiny sprinkle of olive oil, a pinch of parmesan, and some freshly chopped garlic for 100 calories. Yum!

EDIT: Also, I notice your 1700-calorie days are rather high in carbs. The thing about eating a lot of carbs is that your body can't use them to build or repair blood cells, muscle, etc. like it can with proteins or healthy fats; they're only useful as energy, and your body stores this unused energy as fat immediately. Because of this, I'd recommend changing your daily goals to include more proteins and less carbs (I use 40-30-30 and it kept me satisfied on 1400). You'll also feel fuller if you eat more protein!

Some days I can barely eat 1200 cals, somedays it is really easy to go over..... I am eating low carb, and that is a major source of calories, so that makes it easier.

I must admit there is a bunch of stuff in your dairy I don't know

Whatever you try, stick with it for a few weeks to see really what's happening. Did you try that link I posted earlier? The Scooby Workshop calorie calculator?

thecappacino i TOTALLY get what you are saying from your first post!! Im exactly the same as you, i do eat healthily and love fruit etc but the 1200 calorie allowance does not seem possible. It appears to me that on this diet/calorie counting regime loosing weight means skipping meals and frankly that isn't an option for me because it means i binge and put way more weight on in the long run. A diet that does really work for me (and may work for you too) is the weight watchers diet. With weight watchers all foods have a points value and you must remain within your points value to loose the weight. Its great because loads of vegetables have 0 points which means you can have unlimited amounts and it doesn't effect your points value. Also foods like fruit are really low points. Because of this it makes dieting easy. I saw great results with WW too (i would loose 3 pounds per week on average) so i really would recommend it!!

when you say you gain on 1750 cals, have you checked to see if it's really fat you're gaining? If you've been eating very little for a long time, then you suddenly eat more, you will gain weight and it'll be water and glycogen, not fat. It takes 3500 calories over your TDEE to gain a pound of fat. However you can put on a lot more water/glycogen weight in a short time (even overnight) just by upping your calories intake, even if you're still in defict.

A lot of people think that they have screwed up their metabolism because of this and that they cannot possibly eat more than their current too low number of calories. this usually comes from them eating that number of calories for a day and seeing a 2-3 lb gain on the scales.... which is water weight. They then think that eating that number each day will equal that many lbs of weight being gained each day, and so they freak out and continue with the very low number of calories they were eating before. The reality is that the sudden weight gains from upping calories comes from water weight and if you carry on eating those calories then your body will adjust to it and you won't gain any more, in fact if the calculators say that you should be in deficit at 1770 cals/day, then you will start losing again at that number of calories after your body's had a chance to adjust. It takes a couple of weeks of monitoring to be sure that you're really gaining *fat* and not just water weight when you up your calories, so unless you've done that, you can't really say that you're gaining at 1750 cals/day.

Even if you have screwed up your metabolism, going to the gym and lifting weights while eating more should fix it. You will gain weight but it'll be water weight, bone and muscle mass, as your body rebuilds itself up again after having wasted away before from too few calories.

My advice is to eat 1770 cals/day, and hit the gym. Ignore any initial weight gains, wait for your body to adjust and you should start seeing not only some more losses but also body composition improvements.

Also, when you factor water weight fluctuations out of the equation, you'd be surprised how much you can eat on one off occasions (e.g. cheat meals) without it damaging your progress, so long as it's not a regular thing.

Another issue will always be your activity level. If you are not eating enough to cover what you burn your body may start storing... I am currently doing a 1200 diet... I work out everyday burn about 250 I try to replace most of those calories so I can continue to loose... As to sustainability I can see a point will as my activity level increases my calorie intake will also have to but for now until I get to my goal I will stay on the 1200...

If you love to eat fruits, beans, nuts, and veggies, you might try looking into the EAT to LIVE book by Joel Fuhrman. I love that program. If you follow it you "do not need" to count calories. It isn't vegan or vegetarian but it can be. It is about eating whole nutritious foods. Feed your body the nutrients through whole plants and you won't be hungry. You can get plenty of protein, fats, and so much more nutrition by eating this way. You can look into his website at www.drfuhrman.com I still count my calories as I am about 80 - 90% compliant. I am rarely hungry. I make a giant green smoothie in the morning with spinach, berries, banana, cocoa powder, stevia, and ground flax seeds. Lunch can be a very large salad, and dinner can be a wonderful stirfry. I get 50-80 gms of fiber. You can learn to make salad dressings that use whole nuts in a blender instead of oil for better nutrition. I eat limited grains and animal products and oil.

I look at other people's food diaries and many rely on cheese, or fake cheese, grain products like bread or pasta, and use oil. Those are very calorie dense for the nutritional value in them. The nutrition going into your cells from eating healthy food is what stops your hunger. Also your stomach has receptors that measure weight and volume. 600 calories of oil takes up a very small space. 600 calories of veggies would have you stuffed to the gills!

I am 55, 5' 51/2" tall and weigh 137 and am lightly active, sit at home in front of the computer, and just walk the dog twice a day or swap a walk for a bike ride. I eat about 1600 calories a day (including exercise calories) and my weight loss is set for 1/2 pound a week. I keep playing with the last 3 pounds. I lost my last 35 pounds last year and went from a size 10 to a size 4!

What I have noticed...is that I dont feel FATTER....BUT the reason I decided to get on MFP is because all of a sudden it is like my stomach became BLOATED:::...I mean one day my stomach when up like 6 in!!!

I went to the doctor...but again in Vienna and my german is not strong enough to challenge these doctors....and he gave me something for GAS!!

He says if its not better to come back.

I will go back.

GAS...good grief...

I took some pics of me...and from the front...normal enough...the side view...I look pregnant if I dont hold my tummy in...or like those bloated African babies with huge guts!

pfff!!!

That's strange if you've been thin & then all of sudden wake up one day with a 6 inch gain. I don't think its gastritis. I hate to say this but if you got a thin body with a huge gut, that could be a sign of malnutrition which explains why the images of the kids in Africa have emaciated bodies but with a huge belly. I'm by no means an expert but perhaps it would be better to seek a second opinion & if possible ask your doctor to have it in English so you two will have a better understanding.

No, there's no need for you to eat gluten free if you don't have gluten issues. I was just "intro-ing" why my diet the way it is.