Hey guys,

Been following this sub for awhile, and have seen so so many responses to people saying they need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight. But I know I absolutely should not be doing that, as I’ve more or less been starving myself for the last 2-3 years. Happy to say it’s not in an eating disorder/trying to lose weight way, but my depression and neurodivergence tag teamed a lot these past few years resulting in me frequently just forgetting to eat. Like. Really frequently. Didn’t lose more than 10-15 lbs despite the undereating, as I spent most of that time on meds that make it very difficult to lose weight as a side effect. I’ve started getting better about that now, but suffice to say a calorie deficit from the point I’m at would likely be terrible for me.

Is there any way for me to lose around 15-20 pounds in the next year or so without cutting calories, or am I just screwed until I somehow reset my metabolism to the point where I can?

Edit to add height/weight and goals: 5’5”, 160-ish

Trying to slim down to around 140-150, just lose a little of the general extra weight I have and eventually gain muscle on arms/back, too.