I could use a little help

I've been "dieting" for about 6-7 weeks now.  The first two weeks I lost a LOT of water weight and weight from just plain less food sitting in my stomache.  Then for a few weeks I was losing just above what I should have been losing (about 2.8 lbs/week).  I figured out I was not getting enough good fat, so I started eating more of that the past two weeks.  I eat 1250-1450 calories a day, exercise about 30 min- 1 1/2 hrs a day plus being a stay at home mom (lots of cleaning).  Except the past two weeks, I've taken a "cheat" day every Saturday and ate my maintance lvl of calories.  This past two weeks, my daily fluctuations swing more, and I don't think I'm really losing as much as I should (less than 2 lbs/week).  I'm trying to get all this under control to be losing 2 lbs a week.  Its been suggested to me that I should be eating more and only aiming for about 1 pound a week.  I have to admit, that scares me.  I feel like I have too far to go for that still.  I am 5'4 and 152-153 lbs.  With my activity lvl set to light, plus my exercise, my burn meter stays around 2300-2400.  Sorry for all the background, but I figured it was nessacary.

My question then is: Why is my wieght loss slowing so quickly?  Has my body just gotten used to the amount I'm eating vs burning?  Should I maybe take a maintance week or two to kick my metabolism back up?  I do think I am gaining a bit of muscel, but I don't think its enough to make that much differance on the scale yet.  What's going on and how can I fix it?  Should I raise my calories to 1700-1800 and lose only a pound a week?

Thank you for reading all this!  And in advance for your advice and personal stories.

yes! i think i am going through the same thing. i was losing about a pound a week and for the past month or so it seems to have completely STOPPED... i still work out and eat right, but nothing! are our bodies just getting used to what we do for exercise and what we eat each day? i typically eat teh same thing for breakfast, snacks, and lunch because i like routine andi kno w how many calories i'm getting.

can someone shed some light on this for myself and for imolde_nuf?

You may not be eating enough.  Doing up to 1.5 hours of excersize a day plus being moderately active while eating 1450 calories probably isn't enough, 1000 calorie deficit is really the absolute most you should be doing.  Your body might be starting to conserve as it seems you are giving it the absolute minimum.

Losing 1lb a week may not seem like enough, but if you're not eating enough now, that will set you up for weight gain later.  I vote for a slower, healthier loss any day of the week.

As for the muscle, you can't put on muscle mass while maintaining a calorie deficit, it is physically impossible, so the muscle "gain" you see is probably muscle tone from what you already have.  But, strong muscles burn fat more efficiently, so keep up with whatever strength you may be doing.

Good luck!

I agree with thermal. Your deficit should not be over 1000. you should be taking in more calories with the exercising that you are doing. My deficit is anywhere from 800 to 1000 (never over a 1000) and i ate what my bmr says to and i lost 4 lbs last week. you could also try calorie cycling so you keep your body confused so it doesnt get use to it and you trick it. example 1800 calorie for 2 days then 1600(days you dont exercise) then 1800 then your cheat day on saturday. It all can be confusing till you get the hang of it. And yes it is always better to lose 1-2 depending on your size its healthier and less likely to gain it back.

well losing a pound per week is right about where it should be. 2.8 is just way too fast, so it's good that it's slowing down!

But yea, if you are working out that much, you def should up your calories. That also could be why you lost so fast and now are stalling a bit as well.

Also, your body is as efficient as it can be....so your body will 'get used' to your workouts and eating patterns and figure out the best way to do it while burning the least amount of calories. That's why some people zigzag calories and do different 'levels' of workouts, so that the body never gets used to what you are doing, and always burns the most w/o it adapting to burn less.

And if you've been working out consistently (3 months or so), it's good to take a few days or a week off in a row and sort of 'reset' your body to your workouts.

That same thing happened to me, it was about 7 weeks after I just kinda stopped losing weight, but then actually I didn't change anything, and then like after about 4 or 5 days, the weight just dropped a lot and then it was back like it was.

I've heard from people to lose more weight you have to eat more sometimes, and you can try that, but just don't get carried away.

Two weeks in a row now, I've gone up at the begining of the week and then dropped sharply at the end of the week.  I eat the same all week long.  It just seems Thursday, I lose a pound and keep droping from there till Sunday, but then jump right back up by tuesday.  I'm still losing, I think, but it just seems so strange, I don't trust it.  I did take measurements last week and this week, and I've lost an inch off my waist/hips.  I don't know what is causing this.  I thought, maybe salt intake, but although higher than it should be, its still pretty even.  I can't really tell if I'm losing or just flucuating.  Fustrated...I hate the wait and see aproach!

I think that one issue is your cheat day--its good for your body to have about one meal a week where you just eat what you want, as long as it stays at ONLY one meal, or whatever you think is best.  Part of this is that the cravings your body has are sometimes for things that you really do need in order to function properly.  Not to say that you necessarily need a pint of ice cream or several brownies every day (my favorite weakness), but sometimes it's good to just give yourself some of that.

Now, let me explain the scientific process of a cheat day during a diet.  When you go on a diet and start eating less than usual, your body will at first burn the extra fat in order to supply you with sufficient calories.  However, after a couple weeks, your body will return to homeostatic equilibrium, meaning that it will adjust and only start burning the amount of calories you take in.  When you give yourself some leeway with a cheat meal or day, your body will automatically readjust to the higher intake level and your metabolism will speed up somewhat from the previously damped level, making it easier to lose weight during the following week.

This may not seem to make sense, but it does work.  Also, in terms of unhealthy loss of weight, there is a limit to how much you should lose in a week.  I'm not an expert on loss of weight, only on how it's lost (I'm doing Bachelor's work right now), but I can tell you that you probably should keep your weight loss at about two pounds a week at a maximum.  If you feel like you need to steady your weight loss and lose a little less every week to make sure you're healthy, I would advise increasing your milk intake somewhat.  It is a high calorie food, yes, but if you stick with 1% and drink just a little more every day, you will not only keep your weight loss at a healthier level, but you will also provide those muscles you're working so hard on with the extra calcium that they need to keep functioning tip-top.

I hope that helped at least a little!