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