Flavored or herbal teas are very helpful!

I have been stuck at 184.5 for WEEKS! It is driving me craaaazy. This week, I am working really, really hard to pick snacks that are not empty calories, and making sure to exercise every day. I'm dyin' to get back into the 170's!

I find that snacking isn't always because I'm hungry, but because I'm bored, so I try to make sure I have lots to do and don't go wandering into the kitchen looking for entertainment.

Hey there. I'm 6'0" and currently at 186. My weight is fluctuating horribly and when I see a bigger number on the scale than the day before (like today) I eat because I'm emotional. I already eat pretty well, so I'm raiding the cabinets for things like graham crackers and peanut butter, string cheese, and popcorn. I think I need some advice, inspiration, commiseration, etc. to get me to 179. Tell me what you do on your worst days? When it's raining, you're tired, you're lazy, hungry, and sad? How do you keep going?

shannon and jenn are experts, definitely follow their advice and see if it works for you.

my two cents: drink something. bubbly water, iced tea, etc. not something calorie-heavy, but anything, even (and especially) water. i try to drink something before i give in to a snack attack. a lot of the time, it will calm things down. i may still want snacks but if i just guzzled water, there's less room for my tummy to growl (whether it be a real growl, or a phantom emotional growl). while you drink, ask yourself, "am i hungry? or am i trying to eat my feelings?" for me, it's usually the latter. if i can confront it, it usually lessens the urge quite a bit. i'm always thinking about "sneaking" food, but have to remind myself, if i know i'm sneaking it, and i'm the only one that is hurt/affected by it, then... why do it? gotta outsmart your triggers, whatever they are, and try your best to slap a little logic into them

also -- try to ONLY weigh in in the mornings, post-pee (or other things), before you eat or drink anything. that's your real weight. and don't do it every day. i was the biggest offender with this, and would be totally crestfallen to see a 4+ gain between days, but i wasn't taking into account the fact that i was weighing in at 6am and 6pm, in between which i'd drink upwards of a gallon of water, and also, um EAT food, food that has mass! don't torture yourself. just stay on track, eat good food, be active, be aware, and the scale will eventually respond. but just like a watched pot never boils, a watched scale never drops

oh, and also, eat more, honey. we amazons get to enjoy the perks of a naturally higher BMR. and if you're mucking stables, you are DEFINITELY not sedentary. read up on BMR/RMR/TDEE and see if anything appeals to you there... try http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee.

good luck! friend me if you need more support. we're all in the same boat, trying to paddle along together

yes, 2000-2100 is a great place to start. with your schedule, your body is going to LOVE this new routine! and please please please give it about 2 weeks at LEAST to get used to it, so dont expect a loss the first week. you may get one, but you also may see a slight gain or a very small loss. but stick with it, because in the long run, this WILL work for you. it worked for me. i have done nothing but UP my calories over time on MFP... and so has shannon. with great success! you can do this and your body will love you for it~

please do NOT weigh yourself for a while... thats my only advice now :O)

PS- I was also very emotional when I wasn't eating enough.

Listen to your body- not the scale! (And listen to Jenn- she's a wise woman!)

OK. Sorry to keep harping on this, but I'm vulnerable right now I've set my calorie levels to 1900. I've set my carbs, proteins, and fats to 40%, 40%, and 20%, respectively. Anyone else try this? MFP is not happy with me resetting their calculations, but I'm gonna give it a shot. Expect to hear more from me as I'm freaking out about having to eat so much. This is going to require a MAJOR overhaul of my thinking... I already can't believe how much I've eaten today.

I think this plan is GREAT! However, with this new goal, I wouldn't eat exercise calories since it appears you've already taken them into account. For example, my daily goal is 2100 but I do NOT eat exercise calories on top of that. If I did, I wouldn't lose weight since 2100 is more than my sedentary TDEE (daily burn without exercise). I love having an unchanging daily goal. I still lose about 1.5 pounds a week on average (some weeks nothing, some weeks 3 pounds).

I second what Jenn said: stay OFF the scale for a few weeks. For your own mental health!

Your macos sound fine. I do 30/30/40 because I love fat and eat a lot of nuts and nut butters

Hi. Just saw this thread. I have a couple other ideas that may help. One: if you only have 6 pounds to go, you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you are aiming for losing 2 pounds per week. That's ALOT compared to where you are now, so close to your goal weight. I started at 220 lbs and a 2-pound-a-week loss, but that totally stopped as lost about 40 pounds. I then went to 1 pound a week, and later on, for my last 10 pounds, I set my calorie goals for 1/2-lb a week. It's slow, but it's better to see some results than nothing at all.

Second: there's a podcast out there called "Cut the Fat Weightloss." It is truly amazing. What made me think of you is that their latest podcast is "how to lose those last 10 pounds." It's VERY interesting and they give you I think 5 major tips, based upon research and professionals. The entire series, all their shows, are really terrific, but that latest on on the "last 10 pounds" is REALLY fascinating. You can find it on Itunes and also on their website: www.cutthefatpodcast.com; all the shows are on there, as is more information.

Good luck! For me, what worked to get to my goal is a combination of 1) making my diet consist MOSTLY of lean protein and vegetables. Everything else, besides water/tea, is in moderation; that means salads with some protein, eggs/meat/veggies for breakfast, grilled meat with veggies as sides, etc. 2) walking (I don't do strenuous exercise, but I probably should!. That's about it! I don't restrict anything per se, but I hardly ever touch pasta or rice; I go very light on breads and sugars; my go-to carbs are quinoa and stuff like Wasa Rye crisps, low-carb/high fiber tortillas, and some crackers if I must. I absolutely love veggies of all kinds--roasted, salads, sauteed with garlic/olive oil, whatever. Oh, and I almost always have a glass of wine and some dark chocolate every night .

Good luck!!! By the way, I'm 5' 10", started at 220 and am now down to 144. And I just turned 50 a few months ago. You can do it!!! I was hoping against hope to lose maybe 30 pounds over the course of a year, just get me so I'm not obese and huge...but I lost 30 in the first 3 months, and just kept going. Never plateaued until I reached 148; stayed there all winter, and have dropped the last 4 pounds over the summer.

I've been hovering between 180- 181 since April!!! It's my fault for sure! Too much wine and going out to eat!!! But I am trying to be more conscious!!!

Consistency is key. Weigh ONCE a week on the same day, first thing in the morning after you use the restroom and sans clothes. Your calorie goals seem to be pretty aligned at 1600, but you are eating way too little protein. Ideally, you should be hitting 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass, so if you're 26% body fat you should be eating around 140g of protein MINIMUM and higher on days you workout.

You will see fluctuations constantly, which is why weighing in only once a week is important. You won't see a quick drop in weight, unless you were carrying extra water weight, so don't expect big decreases every time you weigh. .5 lb to 1lb per week is ideal. Stop looking for instant gratification and really, stop worrying so much about that number on the scale. Take your measurements - neck, arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs and calves - and base your progress primarily off that.

I agree that I could eat more protein. Problem is, though I'm not actually a vegetarian, I don't eat a lot of meat when my husband is deployed. Partly because I don't want to and partly because I'm too lazy to cook when it's just me. So, I've been using protein powder and eggs. Any other suggestions for good sources of protein?

I am also a military wife and my husband is in Korea right now. I am a vegan so I eat all plant sourced protein. I use protein powder, too but for convenience. I have a 2 year old and I do not have a lot of time to cook for myself. I stick to salads mostly since they are quick to prepare.
For protein I eat quinoa, chickpeas, kidney beans (any beans, really), tofu, almond butter, and soy milk.