You wrote:

> I used a site that calculates BMI and caloric needs.  I supposedly need
>around 1900 calories to maintain my weight.  Since I am not working at the
>moment and thus have been more sedentary  given that I do not have to walk to
>and from the subway etc., I figured that this number could be dropped to
>around 1700.  The sustained daily hour of exercise on treadmill should burn
>around 200-300 calories (I walk at a pace of 3.6-4.0, with hills and
>sometimes interspersing sprints).  I have also added in some weight training.
> The idea of the sustained daily hour of exercise was to improve insulin
>sensitivity as well as burn some calories.  I thought that this was
>sufficient to create enough of a calorie deficit for some weight loss.  I
>just don't understand why my body isn't responding the way it used to (I know
>, I know -- I'm getting older.)   My carbs are around 12% of total calories
>with fat making up the bulk of my calories along with moderate protein.  I
>will try anything at this point. I understand that I need to create a calorie
>deficit, but am concerned about trying to drop calories too low because it
>could slow my metabolism.  Also, I just do not believe that very low calorie
>diets are sustainable in the long run.  That is why I made the effort to
>exercise more.

My understanding is that metabolism doesn't slow appreciably
until you lower your caloric intake to 1000 below your BMR.  I
certainly agree with you about the very low calorie diet not
being sustainable in the long run.

If your carbs are at 12%, that's about 200 calories a day.  What
kind of carbohydrates are they---all from green veggies, or are
there grains and fruits in there too?  I've found that I need to
keep my carbs to 65 calories per day (which works out to about
2.5% of total calories) in order to lose consistently and keep
insulin levels under control.  If I feel my serotonin is getting
depleted, I'll have a few more carbs in the form of an apple or
pear about two hours before bedtime, but otherwise I need to
carefully monitor the source of the carbs---very little fruit, no
sugar, no grains at all---or I go into a stall, even with a nice
caloric deficit.

.:. Craig