Reaching my calories, but no deficit.

Hi everyone: Just thought I would get some input from people my age. I am 51 years old. I have lost a total of 38 lbs. in the year. However, recently I am not. My question is I should eat 1450 calories in a day and my burn meter is at 1630. That only gives me a 180 deficit daily. I do a desk job, sedentary all day, come home and exercise every night in order to even reach a 500 deficit. How do you loose weight? If I don't exercise I am maintaining daily and I still have 20 lbs. to loose. I know my job is hindering me with having a decent deficit, but wow, I feel like an exercise machine from the time I get home to bedtime. In the past I have taken my calories down to 1000-1200 but I am very hungry, although this is only way to have a deficit daily. You know what they say 3500 deficit = 1 lb. a week. Just not sure how else to handle this and still loose. If I eat my 1450 calories daily, like I'm suppose to, I definately will not loose weight. Any suggestions welcomed? 

Hi sunshine.  I don't know if I have any good advice, but I did want to give you a great big hug for a job well done! I've been up and down for the past 2 (almost 3) years.  I get to about 17 pounds and begin to eat badly again.  So I am (once again) starting over.  This time I'm eating only healthy foods.  I have been doing this since Tuesday and I can already tell I feel better.  I did go out last night and I ate TWO yeast rolls, but thankfully I did a lot of walking yesterday so I had a lot of exercise to balance that out. 

Don't ever let your calories you take in go below 1200.  You will have your body thinking you are starving.  You don't have to lose a pound a week, a quarter pound is a loss.   Keep up the exercising, but don't wear yourself out either.  As you exercise you will build muscle and muscle uses more calories than fat.  It also takes up less space. Are you measuring yourself?  Sometimes the scales won't show a difference, but the measuring tape will.

Take care and don't ever quit!

I too have a desk job.  I walk on my 15-minute breaks morning and afternoon.  If I can't go outside to walk, I do stairs.  I also exercise on my lunch hour at least 3 days per week.  If the weather is bad, maybe you could find an indoor place to walk such as a mall.  Little things like parking at the far end of the lot and standing up while talking on the phone do add up.   Try to get up from your desk as often as possible.  You can add a few hundred calories to your burn by doing little things and always reminding yourself to sit less throughout the day.

Hi Sunshine, I don't know if this will help you, but I found if I simply "go on vacation" for a week it seems to reset my system and the weight begins coming off again. I think maybe after a long period of reduced calories your body begins to think it is going to starve and it begins to hang onto every calorie "just in case" no more food shows up. By feeding the body well for one week it kinda relaxes and decides maybe it isn't going to starve ... and the pounds start to come off again when you go back to the reduced intake. Hope this helps.

By the way, big kudos for 38 pounds you have taken off!

Thanks all for your input. I am gonna try and increase my calories and exercise more. Thanks for all your comments.