Need to lose weight but am not overweight

Do you need to maintain that weight over a period of time or just hit it occasionally for competition? If it's the latter, you could look into all the tricks that powerlifters, wrestlers, and others who need to make a weight class use.

Perhaps you can try filling up on water before every meal? There was a lady who wrote a book about food volume which I think was targeted to overweight people, but I think some of the concepts might help you. The idea is to lower your caloric intake without too much pain, fill up on high volume foods with lower calories. I think you're facing a big challenge being at a healthy weight and being physically active as you are, because, well, you're hungry for what your body needs, and there's no physical need to lose weight.

You mentioned the college buffet, so if one issue is eating more than you want to at the buffet (which technically speaking, you're probably NOT overeating), then maybe try a new routine of filling up on low calorie foods? Eat soup and salad with lots of lettuce before getting whatever else you want, but get a smaller portion of the higher calorie foods.

Also, I'm sure you drink a lot of water, but if you go for a cup of water before you're thirsty and certainly before you eat, you may eat less. When you have those binge days, do the same with some low calorie foods (green veggies, cut peppers, low calorie fruit) or water.

Outside of that, maybe squeeze in an extra 15 minutes of aerobics at the end or beginning of the day, every day, on top of what you normally do.

If you're logging your calories here, you'll need a deficit, which I'm assuming you know, so it sounds like you're just trying to figure out how to chuck those 10 lbs for your team without agony.

Hmmm, once a week is fairly frequent to be cycling weight, so I'm not sure if that will be appropriate in the long term. You could at least try it once or twice and decide if it's sustainable or at least a good interim solution. I don't know that much about it, but I know it often involves water loading and then temporary dehydration. Because you aren't actually rowing it might be fine, since it shouldn't affect your performance.

Normally I would tell you to lift heavy weights, because it will make you physically smaller, but the number on the scale usually goes up, so probably not appropriate in this case.

I think I might know what the problem is. Your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the number of calories your body would use if you were in a coma, is 1450 calories, and you say that's what you've been eating only 1500. You pretty much always want to eat more than your BMR or you just won't be able to stick to your diet. I'd be willing to bet that because you binge sometimes, on other days you go under your calorie goal, and thus under your BMR?

Give yourself a goal of 1800 calories a day, but make sure you eat at least 1500, and don't eat back your exercise calories. Depending on how active you are, this will give you a deficit between 200-500 calories a day, still more than enough to lose weight. This should be an easier target to hit. The goal is to lose between one pound and half of one pound a week.

I eat 1800 cal/day and I usually still have room in my calorie budget for a little sweet or something every day. Because I allow myself to eat anything if I want it, I don't get cravings the same way I would if I were depriving myself. Focus on putting more protein in your diet, it will help stave off muscle loss and will keep you feeling full for longer. Eat more green veggies; not only are they good for you, but you can pretty much eat as many as you want because they are low cal and filling. And when you eat grains, try to pick whole grains; they have more fibre which will also help you feel fuller. Drink more water and less juice - why waste the calories? haha

If you give yourself a bit more food, and focus a bit more on the types of foods you're eating, you should be able to eat at a caloric deficit without feeling hungry all the time. I actually feel like a pig when I eat at maintenance levels and have a hard time hitting my targets while eating clean, because I've learned how to fill myself on less. But don't eliminate things completely. You want a cookie? Have a cookie. Plan to have a cookie, leave enough room in your caloric budget for the cookie. You can lose weight eating only twinkies if you want, but you will be hungry all the time, haha.

Good luck!!

Laci labeu's super dieters tea... thats bot real though. Crew doesnt have weigh ins or weight limts... does it?

No Fat, No Sugar.

I've been though really similar stuff with my weight (I'm 5'6 and started at about 135), and what really worked for me was taking a step back from obsessing about calories. Instead of thinking about calories, I started thinking about the nutritional content of food. I am not an "eat whatever you like as long as you make deficit" type, because I'm pretty all or nothing when it comes to junk food. I can say "no" to chips no problem, but if I have "just one" I won't be able to stop myself from eating the whole bag. By finding ways to really enjoy healthy foods, I don't eat the unhealthy ones. I also don't feel compelled to binge on healthy food because it doesn't have the addicting (salty, sugary, etc.) things about it.