Help! Don't know if I need to eat more or eat less.
Ok so I know that I don't need to lose weight, and I'm sure many people will point that out. However, I would just like to lose maybe around 7 lbs to be where I was a few years ago.
I am about to turn 24, 5'4" tall, and the scale says about 121.5 lbs right now. I feel like my normal weight is around 115 lbs, but I went through some tough times a few years ago and gained over 25 lbs. Shortly thereafter, I lost about 20 lbs of it but have been stuck here ever since (2 or 3 years).
I had been doing low carb, Atkins, Paleo, and other similar diets, but just kept losing and gaining the same few pounds of water weight. 17 days ago, I added carbs back in and have just been eating sensibly. Mostly whole grains, vegetables, lean meats, etc. Trying to limit the processed foods and sugar.
I lost about 1 lb pretty quickly, but have been stuck ever since. My average daily intake has been 1279.5 calories, ranging from 706 (don't worry, I was sick) to 1567. My average deficit during these 17 days has been 373.7 calories, so I am definitely trying to take it slow and go about it in a healthy way.
This is based on what CC gives as my sedentary daily burn rate (1550 calories) and then I add in my exercise. I have been jogging between 2 and 3 miles a couple of times a week and trying to lift heavy weights about 3 times per week.
My question is, why am I stuck? Am I not eating enough? Am I eating too much/not active enough? Or is 17 days not enough time and I just need to chill out and wait. I know that weight loss is not linear, so I shouldn't expect to lose weight everyday, especially when my average deficit is only 373 calories and I don't have a lot to lose. I guess I am just getting discouraged because I have been stuck for so long and tried so many different things. And admittedly, I probably don't ever give it enough of a chance before I give up and try something else. So what do you guys think?
You are in the lower end of the healthy BMI range, and you are trying to go all the way to the border of under-weight. What are you trying to achieve? Do you want to look better or be healthier? Losing weight is probably not going to help you achieve either of those goals. How about a change in focus to fitness and body composition? You can improve your body fat percentage, your looks, and your health, all while not losing weight.

