I don't understand this..

Okay, so the past few days I thought I was doing REALLY well..

I eat at least 1,200 calories a day. (no more than 1,800). My nutritional grade has been an A the past 3 days. My starting weight was 186. (I now am 179.4)

But I don't understand why the numbers on the scale have been going UP. I even went for a long walk 2 days ago, and I played a few volleyball games with my church group today. So where am I going wrong..?

First, I need to know more about you. Age, height, and weight. You may be not tracking your calories correctly, and may need to exercise more. What do you typically eat and how much do you work out?

Could it be sodium/water retention?

Just keep focused on eating healthy, and the trendline, not your day to day weight.  Also, take body measurements every week or so, so you can see your progress there too.

Ooh, and I'm turn 15, 5'5.

Having nothing to do with your question, at 15 you should be eating a minimum of 1500 calories a day, not 1200.  As for the gain on the scale, if I worried every time I saw the number on the scale get higher, I'd drive myself nuts.  Weight fluctuates for a number of reasons, but primary is water retention.  If you know you're at a calorie deficit, don't sweat it.  It's not fat, it's water.  Your body will get rid of it when it feels like it.

I really wish schools had better nutrition programs and mandatory visits with a counselor every week. I realize this isn't a walgreen-world, and there simply isn't funding for that kind of thing. But it would do a world of good for so many teenagers. I just see a lot of posts on this site that go in this same direction.

I'm 20 years old and I STILL have trouble. Lord knows I was lost as a teenager.

Angie, seriously, listen to us, because I know you are going to have a hard time understanding that you need 1500 calories minimum a day. You are not going to lose weight if you only eat 1100 calories a day, your body is going to go into starvation mode and hold on to every little fat cell in your body, and it's going to hold on with a spiny death grip, and that's why you won't lose weight.

You're young. You have energy. Go to the park, walk a lot, ride a bike. Go to the mall and window shop, walk in every store, cover every inch of it twice, when school starts do your homework, sign up for extracurricular activities. Do anything you can think of to avoid unnecessary snacking.

But all of that's not going to work unnless you eat a healthy, balanced diet that is appropriate for your age. Thousands of people are going through the exact same thing that you are. There is no magic pill or wiggle of the nose, it's hard work, but if you want it, really want it, then you can make it work.

Cucumberlube, that is the best advice I've heard on here. Thank you for keeping it real and making it plain.