Hi everyone, compulsive overeater/food addict here.

I'm just doing the 3 meals a day, no snacks, no sweets, but I allow a bit of both on weekends and special occasions. If I'm so hungry to the point I can't sleep, I have a glass of milk. It's kind of Intuitive Eating with training wheels. If I overload my plate at dinner, I feel stuffed and sick, so I avoid that behaviour. Or if I have a meal with too little protein I feel hungry and struggle to make it to the next meal. So I make sure I have protein with each meal. You get the picture.

It's challenging, but I feel so much more sane when I stick to it. I have lost a bit of weight already, because even though I'm not counting calories, I am eating so much less food within a day.

So that's myplan.

.. and geez, it goes smoothly and works brilliantly, until... I get overtired (I suffer insomnia) or depressed ( I have bipolar disorder) and I start to feel the lure of calorie counting. Or something like Weight Watchers or Slimming World.

While those plans are great for a lot of people. I go into them with some serious magical thinking. On the surface I think "this will be great! I'll lose 2 lbs a week, I'll belong to this community, I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want, just count the calories, points, syns, whatever" But what's really happening for me, is I'm want a plan that is not sustainable, that does not work for my husband, -who is slim and has a much greater caloric need than me and is not a food addict. This way, my binge is justified, "those diets don't work!
Who can stay with something so restrictive" and " I shouldn't be forcing my husband to eat diet food" ( I do all the cooking, meal planning and shopping). But really what I'm looking for is the perfect excuse to binge and return to constant grazing.

I fell into this trap again this week. *sigh* Back on plan today.

Hi Tortie! I think probably every one of us can understand this thread. It's hard to stay on plan all the time!

Thanks, Dee

Back in the 90s I remember a lot of successful old-timers in OA having a list of foods they never ate. One man who had maintained his weight for years had a list of over one hundred things. My twenty-something self thought this was overly-restrictive, and he did say that he didn't think everyone needed to do that, it was just the only way he was able to remain abstinent. I'm starting to wonder if sweets and snacks are something I should be avoiding 7 days a week, not just 5. I'm struggling, but I wasn't struggling when I extended the 3 meals only to include weekends. I'm going to give it a go for the next few weeks.

I have two that I can think of right now- alcohol and wheat products (bread, pasta). I can't eat either of those without gaining weight.

Hi Dee, do you mean that if you drink alcohol or eat bread and pasta you're triggered to overeat? Or just that small amounts of either cause you to gain?

I know for me, I can eat small amounts of sweets and still lose weight. But these past few years I have trouble stopping at small amounts, and wonder if it's best I don't eat them at all for that reason.

Honestly, I'm not sure if they cause me to eat more or if I'm just super sensitive to carbs, or both. I just know if I avoid them, I can lose weight, and if I don't avoid them I gain weight.

I'm doing low carb, high fat (keto).

My do not eat list would be wheat, potatoes and sugar. I still have sweets, but stuff I make myself with Stevia

Thanks, Dee.

Hi, Angie, nice to meet you

Well, as for myself, I'm going to stop faffing about and stick with iron resolve to my original plan because it was working for me. I'm easily distracted by shiny things; aka the diet everyone else it doing But trying the what-everyone-else-is-doing diet, is the road to craziness and failure for me.

So, what works for me is, 3 meals a day, no snacks, no sweets, except on weekends and special occasions.

I think it's good to try something new if what you've got isn't working or satisfying you...but if it is working and you don't feel desperate or deprived (maybe a little bored though?), I'd stick with it.

Hi Tortie, RiverEagleDee and Angie.
I've been concentrating on my goals. Reminding myself how my efforts can be ruined so easily. Behaving has not been easy. Also, as I replied on another thread, the amount of $ is astounding to have a binge. This is one heck of a burden, food addiction.

I have fought off carbs and salty snacks. Also I'm limiting my nut allowance to 1x a wk. I can go too far with walnuts and almonds they can pack on cushion.

Hi, Desire. Yes, binges can get expensive. I wish you luck with nuts, I have little self control with them as well.

I agree. I'm beginning to question whether it's working for me though. I've only been doing it a month, but I am bumping up against some issues. I need to talk to my doctor about this.

I understand. I went crazy yesterday with potatoes and went WAY over my carb limit. I don't count calories, but more than likely ate a lot (I slather my potatoes in butter).

*quote*
"Hi, Desire. Yes, binges can get expensive. I wish you luck with nuts, I have little self control with them as well."

Tortie: I find it so annoying to since nuts are healthy. Until I can reel in my inner child, it's a less nutty world for me. hehe


EagleRiverDee: Sometimes it's worth it though.

Hi there, hope it's okay if a newbie joins in? I'm with you Tortie, trying to just eat three meals a day and no sweets. If I snack between meals I'm eating fruit, baby carrots, or low fat popcorn. I'm also trying to eat lots of high fiber food which seems to keep me filled up longer. There was a diet out when I was a teenager called The F-Plan and my Mom tried it and she lost a lot of weight. She remembers it involved eating a lot of oatmeal, shredded wheat, etc. I've been doing that and it seems to be working.
I'll weigh myself again when I go to work this weekend since I don't own a scale.