in desperate need of advice, i need to get back on track.

ok, here's the deal...

5'3" Female

Starting weight: 144

Current weight: 125

Goal Weight: 118-115

so i came to college and lost a good bit of weight, 20-22 lbs in the past 8 months or so. i had made it my goal to finally get in shape. I had a little less than 10 lbs to go. I was eating anywhere from 1200-1500 calories and exercising a bunch, various cardio machines for 2+ hours and burning about 1,000 calories each time i went.

people were telling me I looked great, and I really felt like I was on my way to the body I always wanted. People were encouraging me, except the people closest to me like my family and boyfriend. they were saying things like, "don't lose anymore weight, you look fine"

Then, things started to slow down about a month ago. I lost MAYBE a pound at most. And then the binging started. Primarily the past 2 weeks I have been eating way more than the 1,300 calories I've set on my eat meter here on calorie count. Between social functions and late night cravings Ive been eating at least 2,000 if not 2,500 and most of the food has been rich junk foods or carbs.

I've still been hitting the gym, burning 1,000 cals and adding strength training when I can. I've been trying to drink 2 liters of water a day (it's usually less than that though.)

In the course of 2 weeks I've gained 2-3 lbs. Basically, I need advice on how to get back on track. So much for my Goal Date of June 1st... I'm feeling really discouraged and I know I've posted other topics on here about platue frustrations and people have been chastising me for not eating enough,but eating 1,300 calories and burning 1,000 at the gym was working for me until my will power/motivation plummited. I feel awful about myself, and that probably won't help my weight loss journey either, huh? :(

what should i do?

If the body feels it's not eating enough, of course the hunger pangs and urges to eat increase. That's why it's so difficult to sustain low-calorie diets. However, if 1,200 works for you, then try and make it full of low-calorie  filling foods.

Salads are a good choice. For example, I've started replacing rice with celery - still keeping the curries and toppings, but having celery so I have more calories to eat at other times of the day.

Perhaps try the small meals throughout the day. Keep yourself around 70% full - so you can still enjoy your meals, but not get bloated and upset or hungry and in binge mode.

Anyway, good luck!

Thanks for the tips, yeah I have been trying to eat every 3-4 hours, small meals of around 300 cals each. And the worst about about these binges is a lot of time, i'm not even hungry! I'll just feel the need to have that chocolate cheesecake muffin after my night class or crackers and peanut butter as I write a paper and it seems like the cravings won't leave me alone until I satisfy them! I feel so powerless, my appetite should not control me! I should be stronger than that.

Well at least you seem really close to your goal! =)

With almost 4 weeks to go I believe your ideal of losing another 7-10 pounds is completely reachable. Try taking it a week at a time. Forget about the last two weeks, forget about next week, just focus on this week and tell yourself what you're going to need to do to reach your goal.

If you continue to plateau, don't get discouraged. Instead, try bringing your deficit down to 400 or 500 calories instead 700 and see where that takes you. It might extend your goal date by a few weeks, but I imagine that it would be a little easier on your body.

Still, though, almost 4 weeks, 2 lbs per week? Eat mechanically, stick to a schedule, and you'll cruise to your goal.

I'd suggest keeping all junk food and unhealthy snacks OUT of your home. If it's within easy reach for those late night cravings...you will find yourself turning to them. Don't even tempt yourself by having this stuff in your kitchen.

In the past couple weeks, I've been going out to dinner with friends too. This usually means we eat greasy pub food or calorie-rich meals with drinks! I try to scan the menu for something not obviously super unhealthy. Once in a while, I do allow myself to get those buffalo wings or cheese enchiladas. BUT I try not to eat the entire thing. The key is moderation...you will turn to binging if you're eating lots of the same boring, tasteless food. Also, if I know I ate too much on one day, I'll try to be really strict the next day to make up for it. Of course, the goal is to naturally make healthy choices every day...and once in a while, go all out and allow yourself to have that fettucini alfredo.