[sugarsugarhownow]

Hello everyone,

I used to weigh 223 pounds, but last summer I lost 25 pounds by eating healthily. I used to yo yo diet before, but I stuck to my healthy eating for that summer. I had a hard time trying to lose again when I went back to college, because my school had an all you can eat buffet and I just couldn't control myself.


Around the end of that year of college, I was feeling SUPER depressed and I needed to go on an anti-depressant. I was afraid of gaining weight so I was prescribed Wellbutrin, which was supposed to be weight-neutral. I had been on Lexapro a couple of days before this, and I don't remember if weight-gain was one of the side effects of it, but I did some research and I found out that many people gained weight on Lexapro. It worked VERY well for me, but I feared gaining weight! It was also pretty expensive....

Anyway, within the first 3 months of taking Wellbutrin, I lost an additional 10 pounds. It completely knocked out my appetite for about a week or two, but after my appetite came back, I was able to stay focused and continue to lose an additional 15 pounds or so. While losing the 15 pounds I was eating 1,350 calories a day, which I now think was way too low for me. I am 5'7.

This is where things got complicated for me. I noticed that my yo yo dieting tendencies came back around the end of December. I was eating poorly and eating too much. Ugh, I've been stuck between 173 pounds and 180 pounds for the past 2.5 months, and I'm binging like CRAZY because my appetite came back with a vengeance, and I'm was always hungry. Now, my hunger is normal, but my cravings are horrible.

So here is my question: My body has been used to consuming about 1,200-1,350 calories a day for a couple of months, minus the binges. I can't eat that little anymore, because I need more food.

-What will happen if I upped my calories to 1,500 a day?MFP said that would be a good amount for me to lose about a pound a week, but I'm scared that my body will get confused and I will gain weight. I'm afraid to eat this much!

-Do you think this will make me gain weight? If I exercise, should I eat more?

-Any tips about how I can get more water in my diet? I really don't drink enough water, and it's terrible...

- I'm a pescatarian that does not eat dairy or butter. I can eat a lot of fruit, but any tips about how to get more vegetables in my diet?

-How can I eat/ lose weight without feeling restricted? I feel like that is what causes my binging, the feeling that I CAN'T eat something really causes me anxiety, and I end up eating it anyway.

Please let me know what you all think, even if you only answer one question, I will be thankful for it.

[kkazz123]

You might have a initial gain of fluid due to eating more carbs, but long term if you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

I wouldnt necessarily exercise more...give it 2-4 weeks and see what your results are...thats the only way to tell if it works or not.

To get more vegetables into your diet hide your vegetables in your meals...(im not sure what a pescatarian is so not sure what foods you do or dont eat) for me i dont like most vegies...so i grate carrot and zucchini in a lots my dishes, for me i would add things like baby spinach to smoothies etc

[Koshka]

Whether you will ultimately lose weight eating 1500 calories a day depends on how many calories you burn which depends on your height, weight, age, and activity level.

Well, if you want to lose weight most people do have to somewhat limit what they eat. You CAN eat some of just about anything you could want (some things may not be healthy) but you can't all of it all the time.

For vegetables, I've really worked on developing a taste for salads.

[IanG]

I am pescatarian too. I eat a lot of fish (1.5-2lbs a day).

Exercise and eat more fish, broiled or canned, to up your calories if you feel you need to. The fish is high in protein so will make you feel fuller longer. It is also very good for you.

It is really hard to gain weight eating fish.

[Sage2]

1,500 calories really isn't a lot of food and if you are currently eating at a level that you state you feel is too low for you, you likely aren't in danger of gaining much weight. There's no harm in experimenting; don't be scared of getting out of control, it takes a lot of fine tuning to get the eating right.

Congratulations on how well you have done. There will always be problems and setbacks but you're doing great. Don't be afraid to eat.