I was reading in the weight loss program section about zig zag dieting and I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything else about this? I am scared that my body is in starvation mode (even though I am eating 1200-1500 calories) cause it seems like I should be losing more since I have so much to lose. Could someone explain how this works and how someone should go about doing it?

oh and I have another question. I started working out/walking 3-4 miles a day around the same time my weight loss per week started going down. Does walking/running build muscle and if so could that be why my loss isnt as great per week? because i am building muscle which weighs more than fat? I really dont understand why I'm not losing more per week since I do weigh as much as I do and I'm only 19.

everyone loses weight at a different rate.. honestly, stop stressing somuch over the number on the scale and concentrate on your good habits your building and how you are feeling.

you've lost 27 lbs so far -that's great... stay with the big picture...

1200-1500 means you shouldnt be in starvation mode. However if you want to up it a little it wouldnt hurt that much. Alternativly check WHEN you are eating that. Make sure breakfast and lots of water. maybe a multivitamin thrown in as well. Also what kinds of foods. Making majority of them vegetables/catabolics makes a fair difference also.
If you dont have much weight to loose then the weight loss will go slower in total.

Newp, you can only put on about half a lb or so a week in muscle. However, are you walking hard? fast? getting the heart rate up? This is the key to sucess. Push yourself.

Above all, be patient. Better to be loosing 1lb a week than 0lb a week.

Thanks to both of you. I know im probably annoying with all my posts about how to lose it faster. Im just not a very patient person lol. I have never come this far in weight loss and now that I am actually starting to see a difference, I want it to come faster! Also while I am doing this for many reasons, including my health, one thing that is really pushing me is my trip to Scotland which is in 171 days lol (I am literally counting down the days because I am so excited). I just have this idea in my head of how it will be in Scotland, any my still being fat doesnt fit into the equation. I am slowly learning to accept that I wont lose 100lbs before I go.

To answer your question about my walking, I am walking relatively hard, but I am also running one of the straights on each lap, so that keeps my heart rate up for the rest of the lap.

I am going to TRY to get off soda, I only drink diet coke, but i think i have a serious addiction to it and I am not getting enough water in. I read somewhere that if you dont get enough water your body gets dehydrated and starts to hold onto water giving you water weight. So, it will be hard, but I will give it my best shot. Im not sure what I am more worried about, my addiction to the taste/fizziness or my addiction to caffeine and how bad my headaches are going to be as my body gets off it.

*raises hand* I can testify to the problems diet soda can wreak on your diet. While the calories in soda can add up it's the sodium that causes the problem. When I started my diet in July of 2006 I cut out soda and lost pounds like crazy. I slowly reintroduced 'diet' soda around the end of October and my weight loss came to a screeching halt. Nothing, zip, nada. Since I cut out soda again in late January I've lost 10 pounds.

Try to cut down on the soda, I know you can do it. Just think about all the hard work you're doing and then think about the 'what if' factor of the diet soda. What if...I stopped soda for a week just to see how the scale moves...

You can do it!

Thanks so much. Today is my second day off diet coke and so far it hasnt been that bad. I got a pretty bad headache yesterday, and today I was really tired, but nothing un-manageable. Its good to know that it can make a big difference though.

I make a big deal of drinking my two jugs a day. I refrigerate cold herbal tea or a combination of black/green tea diluted so its a nice refreshing temperature.
I drink out of wine glass, as well, since I am celebrating my healthy lifestyle. Well, I guess you could say I guzzle really because I down four glasses at one sitting. Its worth giving up that diet stuff. It just makes my stomach feel empty. Also I always take a bottle of water with me in the car. Since I've become "a heavy drinker" I do not suffer from cravings for chocolate bars and chips, my old downfall.