I have not lost a pound in six weeks

I've been on the diet here for six weeks, limiting myself to 1800 calories a day.  I am tired all the time and always hungry, but I suffer though.  I should have lost at least 4-6 pounds by now, but I remain the same weight as before I started.  I dont have time to work out, so its not muscle.

Help!

Well, post for us C.C.ers your stats and maybe we can help clarify if 1800  calories is right for you. If you're really hungry with 1800 calories, you may need to be eating bulkier, leafier foods that fill the tummy and don't "bankrupt your calorie budget".

I'm 35, 5'10, 170, slightly active.  170 is near normal, but most if it is belly fat.  My overall body is skinny, and I look pregnant :(

I eat mostly veggies, some meat.  I drink alcohol no more than once a week, on Fridays I have one or two drinks, thats it.

If you say you eat mostly veggies and some meat it might be you need to balance your diet more, like make the ratio fat/carb/protein more balanced.
There is no reason at all to be feeling like you are starving yourself on this way of eating.
Do you exercise? And if so what, how often? Do you eat 3 meals a day? Do you snack in between?  Do you measure and weigh everything you eat or are you guessing/estimating your intake? (cause who knows you think you get 1800 cals but you aren't in fact)
I hope we can find what is troubling you. :-)

Because you don't have much to lose to be a perfectly healthy weight, it's going to be difficult for you- isn't life fun (I'm assuming you're female?)! What is "slightly" active? Do you walk 30 minutes a day? Do a lot of housework? Physical job?

1800 actually sounds like it might be too many- if you're prone to underestimating how much you are eating. If you don't weight your foods, it could be entirely possible that you are consuming 2000+ calories/ day, which isn't conducive to weight loss if you aren't active. If you're really not active, I would reduce the calorie intake to 1600, with a careful diet of bulky foods since you already say you're hungry eating 1800. You may have to omit the high calorie/ low quantity foods we all love so much here on CC like peanut butter and avacodo, or at least eat them as a once in a while treat.

Without exercise, it can be extremely difficult to lose weight. Even walking during your lunch break with easily to handle lunch foods will help you if you find you truly don't have 30 minutes to exercise each day.

Sorry, I should be more specific.  I am a male high school English teacher.  I am either sitting at my desk or standing most of the day.  In a typical day, I eat

Breakfast:  Egg whites on toast, protien drink

Snack: few cups of popcorn

Lunch:  two cups of veggies, 1/2 cup of rice, soy, pepper sauce, sometimes a few noodles or tofu

Snack: few cups of popcorn

Dinner: salad, 4oz meat, 1/2 cup rice, veggies, few crackers

Snack: protien drink

I want to exercise more.  My problem is I am exahusted ALL the time.  It is very hard for me to get up early because Im so exhausted.  When I get home from work, I am starving and make dinner for myself and family.  After dinner, I'm tired, I'm good to stay up an hour or two before I'm sleeping.  I don't sleep well, I'm hungry all the time.  I could easily eat 10,000 calories a day and not be full.  The website told me to eat 1900 calories a day, I did that for three weeks, then changed it to 1800, but nothing happened.

I actually think you are not eating enough, probably you burn more than you think, since you are on your feet all day and your metabolism is maybe faster than you think. (I found this out by wearing a 'gowear fit' and actually had to eat more, I was also very tired most of the time and not losing weight, I upped my calories now and am actually starting to lose weight again and am NOT tired anymore)

Also like vron said you are already within a healthy weight, it is proven that people that are not overweight have a harder time to lose any.

Maybe what I would change looking at what you eat is get rid of the protein drink and eat real food, this will in the end give your stomach something to hold on to instead of a liquid that goes right through you. Add something like carrots, celery or cucumber to your snacks, don't eat rice all the time, but change your starch up more often (rice is very dense in calories but not very filling) Like for lunch maybe eat high fiber bread and for dinner change it to potatoes sometimes or whole wheat pasta. I even sometimes don't eat starch at all, but add more veggies and make a stir fry of only veggies and some meat.

Hope all the tips you get put together will help to get you on track and don't feel so miserable all the time.

[edit] if CC told you to eat 1900, I would at least eat that and definitely not go lower

I wonder if you should be eating a little bit of healthy fat during the day to help with satiety?  A little olive oil, sesame oil or the like might be a good idea at lunch and breakfast.

It doesn't look to me as if you are getting to 1800 calories, either, have you logged these calories?  I am eating about 1800 calories per day, and it looks as if I am eating more, although I don't have any idea how many calories are in protein shakes.  BTW, personally, I don't find "drinking" my calories to be as satisfying as "eating" my calories -- for example, 100 calories of orange juice is far less satisfying for me than a 100 calorie orange.   You might want to consider substituting a healthy food for the protein drink if you are like me?

I also second the idea of a walk at lunchtime, or when you return from work at the end of the day.  I always find a walk to be both relaxing and energizing at the same time, if that makes sense.  If you could take a moderate pace walk for 30 minutes before starting dinner preparation it might help you sleep, as well.

Finally, are you drinking a lot of water?  I would find it very dehydrating to stand and teach all day long.  Good luck!

Thank you for the input.  I will restructure the coming week's plan and see if it works out for me.  I'll post again next Friday!

Fjall

Hope you have better success. Also as a snack try a chicken breast, great source of protein and much more filling than popcorn :-)

I do have chicken breast or rabbit when I eat meat.  I prefer the rabbit because it has more protien and less calories and choloresterol than chicken.  I sometimes have protien drinks; they are 120 calories for 25 grams of noncholesterol protien.  I almost never eat pork or beef.  I should not drink any alcohol, but I do have 2.5 glasses of wine with my wife on Fridays :)

I know this sounds counter productive, but I think you should increase your calorie intake. Time and again on this site people have posted the same/similar things as you. And basically they put their bodies into 'starvation mode' by eating far less calories than they need. I will allow someone else to explain the science behind my suggestion, since I have a broken hand and its a real pain to type with one hand ;)

Vron082-didn't you see his profile picture?  He's definately all male, no female from what I see. lol

When vron and me first replied his picture was not up yet..... :-)

Teaching often requires you to be on your feet, moving around a class room, and keeping up after students.   I would say that your not sedentary.  try looking at your calorie needs at lightly active.  Or keep it at sedentary and log your activity... driving or walking to and form work, navigating the building, being on your feet all day, cooking dinner every evening.

I agree with those above who said your probably underestimating your activity and not eating enough. 

I wish you the best of luck.