Should I stop trying to lose?

I am wondering if I'm just stuck, and whether I should stop trying to lose weight altogether. I've been going through this 5 pound weight loss/gain for nearly a year, at the same time I've been trying to shed 10 pounds. I wasn't really worried about it, but now, I'm just getting frustrated and angry and saying, "Forget it," which means I'm not paying as much attention to *what* I'm eating, but still watching calories.

I just have no idea what to do now. Any suggestions? There is no way, with my workouts, that I can eat less than 1600 calories a day without absolutely starving.

Yes you should stop trying to lose and you should push your calorie intake way up to proper maintenance before you destroy your body.

I don't know your stats at all (age/height/weight) but I'm going to guess that you are at a healthy BMI (given that you're trying for 10 lbs).

Your maintenance will likely need to be 2200 to 2500 (assuming a women) 2800 or more (assuming a man) -- as you are active.

Go back to paying attention to *what* you are eating but once you know what 2200 (or more) looks like in your day (should take about 4-6 weeks to get it ingrained), then stop counting calories and go with intuitive eating.

What's your weight & height? What was your start weight? How long have you been losing weight? How many calories did you eat while actively losing weight, and how many calories do you eat now?

If you're at a healthy weight now, it's probably best to just maintain. If you're at the very high end of a heathy weight - say, BMI 24 - 24.9, I'd bump your calories up to 2000ish at least. You'll continue to lose, since you're active, just more slowly than you would at 1600 - but given that you actually weren't consistently losing at 1600, 2000 makes more sense anyway.

However, if your BMI is under 24, you're at a normal, healthy weight & there's no reason whatsoever to lose more - the fact that your body is resisting further weight loss is a sign that you are currently at your natural set point weight.

Thank you for the responses. They are very helpful and make a lot of good sense. I appreciate you reading my post.