Is it ever gonna get easier?

[nyychic]

I have started eating a more balanced diet now, I had originally replaced my lunch with a salad and my dinner with a salad with some chicken in it.  However, I finally started to count the calories in it all and determined that I was eating only about 700-800 calories a day.  Although I was eating a lot of food it wasn't enough calories I'm getting better about balancing my diet.  I work out.  But the scale won't show it.  I've done the south beach (I did it for 1 1/2 mos I think) I can't remember but over a month I don't think more than 2 and I gained weight. Not much but not the point.  I stopped it.  I'm a 29 year old woman, mother of 4 children 9 7 4 year old boys and a 2 year old girl.  Yes I gained the weight honestly.  But damn I can't seem to lose it as honestly.  It's driving me insane I've been fighting it (obviously not continuously as I kept having babies!!) since I had my first son (he's the one that put all the weight on me I gained 88 1/2 pounds with him) I didn't gain much with the others in fact the second one I gained 12 pounds and he weight 7obs 11oz add fluid etc. and there you have it I lost weight (not much and still didn't see it) with the second two.  Okay now you have my past.  It won't go away!!!!  I realize that I'm sort of wallowing tonight but when I see what I want to wear and what I actually wear it's so frustrating I mean I know that technically if I lost the weight that they say would bring me to healthy I'd still want to lose more.  I'm 5 ft 10in. I want to weigh 135-140 I weigh 220.  It makes me ill to even type the numbers in here.  It's like I work and work and work and it's not changing.  I'm at a loss.  I was actually doing 2000 crunches at one point every day for 5 weeks.  NOTHING.  this was along with only eating the 800 calories a day (I swear I didn't realize it and as soon as I did I started upping my calorie intake I was very naive to the fact that salad actually has much fewer calories than I ever would have guessed) I am better now at balancing my diet.  I ate 4 oz of chicken for dinner along with a  small salad, mostly greens carrots and cabbage, and about 6 oz of fruit.  It's just so frustrating and I'm wondering if it gets easier and if it does WHEN???

[nyychic]

thanks so much I've increased my calories and I am not going to hit the scale for 2 weeks it's a little time so maybe that will help me not to get discouraged.  

[BearHitch]

You are doing the right things, so don't stress.  However, I would like to note that 700-800 calories is not enough.  You need about 1400-1500 per day.  That might seem like it is going to hinder your goal but it will not.  As I told another poster, when you do not give your body the calories it needs, it starts to burn muscle and leaves the fat - something none of us here probably want.  And it is not going to be easy losing weight when you have 4 kids to chase after, and having children changes your body and metabolism, as does age.  So these are all things you need to take into consideration.  

In the event that you continue to do these things and see no results, I would go visit your family doctor and get your thyroid checked.  Good luck!