I have a twofold question

I think they may be related, but I'm just not sure.

I started counting calories in early May.  I am 41, 5ft. 7in., currently 232lbs.  I have been trying to stay as close to 1300 calories per day as possible and have done this fairly well for the last 4 weeks.  When I started on this site, I was hanging closer to 1450-1500 cals per day, but felt like it was too much and not enough of a deficit.  I have a very sedentary job, but I have started working out 3-4 days a week and I have a son who will be 3 in October, so I am not totally sedentary.

I try to keep my foods distributed to 45% carbs, 35% protein and 20% fat, but that obviously varies from day to day.  I also get plenty to drink in the water category (no problem getting 64 oz. per day in) and limit my caffeine intake to 1 cup of coffee each morning on most days (some days I just gotta have 2).

My questions are these: 

1)  I have not lost any weight in almost 3 weeks... in fact I have put back on 3 pounds.  Do I need to start eating more calories again?

2)  I have been retaining water like CRAZY in my legs... could this have something to do with not getting enough of something or my body reacting to my change in lifestyle?

Thanks in advance everybody.  There seem to be a lot of very helpful folks around here.

To answer your first question: yes, I think you should start eating more calories.  You are probably burning at least 2400 kcal/day, so I don't think 1300 is going to cut it for you.

As for the second question, I am less certain.  How is your sodium intake?  Other than gravity, I also don't know why water might be accumulating in your legs. There are a variety of potential causes, though, so if it persists you might want to talk to your doctor or RN.  MedlinePlus has a list of causes of edema that you might also like to look at to see if anything matches with your medical history.  One that is listed is "Standing or walking a lot when the weather is warm".  Does that, perhaps, fit the bill for you?

I ran an analysis on the amount of sodium per day in my diet for the last 7 days and it averages just over 2800mg.  That's a bit more than the RDA recommended 2400, but not ridiculous, right?

I am going to go see my doctor soon for some other stuff, so I'll ask him about the edema.

Thanks for your reply coreyander!