1) I want to lose the weight but don't want to give up all my favorite foods
2) I have a really hard time sticking to a food plan, diet, etc.
#1 - For me, giving up the foods that I overate the most was ESSENTIAL to me. If I overate them, had no control with them, then I finally realized I was better off with them. I hoped that one day - further down the road I could bring them back in to my life under certain controlled circumstances. I found NEW favorite foods. Ones that tasted absolutely DELICIOUS, but were also lower calories and healthy. I rethought was at a treat was. Instead of cookies, I could have strawberries. Instead of fried chicken I could have chicken marsala with wine, lemon and mushrooms. Instead of ice cream, I could have FF/SF yogurt, partially frozen. Instead of rice, I could have tons of delectable roasted vegetables. I took away some foods - but added in lots more, much tastier and finer foods. Ones that provided me with a slim, trim and healthy me. And once I got rid of those other foods, the desire for them GREATLY diminished. I no longer settled for foods that just tasted good. They now have to be good FOR ME as well.
#2 - Lots of us have/had this problem. For me, when the desire to be thin, fit, trim and healthy
outweighed the desire for "the food", I was suddenly able to stick with something. Like GLUE. That's just how strong my desire to be thin and healthy was. Wanting to be fit and healthy,
so badly - I was WILLING to stick to a plan. I wrapped the fact around my head, that I can't have it both ways. Can't have my cake and eat it too (pun intended). I stopped dieting, starting eating healthy. I no longer wanted to be fat, so I was done with the high calorie/high quantity foods. I created a new normal for myself. And like I said in #1, I found wonderful foods to eat so that my plan was/is easy to stick with. But you do have to be WILLING to make changes.
And I agree with the others. Counting calories keeps me in line. Even those healthy foods add up! I don't look at it as a "diet", but what is needed to maintain a healthy, slender, happy me. It's built in accountability and forced portion control.
Don't dread it, but get EXCITED about the changes that you are going to make. Get into it and transform your life. You don't have to be overweight if you don't want to. Losing weight is a doable thing. It's not some hare-brained crazy scheme. It's a proven fact and anyone and everyone CAN do it. Including you. Welcome to 3FC. Glad to have you aboard.