I've lost weight on Weight Watchers, Atkins and even just a hodge podge Lean Cusine diet. But I've always gained back and then more. I'm now at my biggest. Scary big. Big enough to start feeling it in terms of my health big.

So now that I've realized I'm a binge eater (Defined with the notion that eating more than an average person would eat in 2 hours time is a binge eater.) What diet do I do?

I'm tempted to go back to Atkins since that was the easiest to follow and most dramatic weight loss. I def. reach for carbs when I want to stuff down my anxiety!

I'm taking Wellbutrin and an occasionaly Xanax and I swear to God I've gained so much weight since I started! Since most people lose with Wellbutrin I figure it's the anxiety that Wellbutrin can produce that has me reaching for the cookies more than ever.

So please help me get started! What diet do I chose? What's the best one for bingers?

Wellbutrin made me anxious too. I went back to my doctor and told him. We tried something else. There are lots!

As for binging ... I'm gonna suggest that you have a look at some of the programmes that promote eating mini-meals every two or three hours. Some of that energy can be channelled into planning the next meal ... instead of just eating it all now. It can be like a treat for being good for a couple of hours.

I am/was/am a huge binger. And I am counting calories. I'm eating every 2-3 hours and I haven't had a MAJOR binge since September 4, did have a run-in with a box of Special K one afternoon and a little bit of all day grazing Thanksgiving weekend, but nothing, absolutely nothing like the old days. I find this is what works for me. If I want a slice of pizza I just eat around it for the day and figure it in to my calories. I eat mostly protiens and veggies, but I can eat anything I want this way, in moderation of course. Moderation being the key. For me it was just about FINALLY deciding I didn't want to be fat anymore, I know that sounds simple. But when I finally got disgusted enough and made the DECISION to lose the weight and change my lifestyle, I gotta tell you it wasn't so difficult, except for the first 2 -3 weeks, they were very, very hard. But I got past it in some crazy ways, but after 2 -3 weeks, I started seeing results, feeling better, the cravings stopped and the rest is history so they say. Although I have a looonnnng way to go I feel calorie counting is something I can do for life. For the very first time I truly feel that I am in control of food, not that food is in control of me. Food no longer controls me, I control it. And it's a great feeling. You've got to find something that works for YOU, for LIFE. Good luck. You can do this, you absolutely can!!!!

Thanks - what you are both saying makes quite a bit of sense. Protein/veggie rich mini meals. And let yourself have a treat but count calories so you are allowing for it instead of binging on it.

So it sounds like you guys are doing this yourselves. Sort of weight watchers/atkins hybrid. Is that right?

I'm a die-hard calorie counter! I love love love calorie counting! That's how I lost all my weight so far. Now I'm fiddling with Body for Life to get that slim fit body I'm after.

Back to the calorie counting. I can be obsessive compulsive. Fitday.com helped me sooo much. I could check out foods and meals before I even ate them. Plan ahead ... look backward at my mistakes ... It was a healthy way to use my (potentially) unhealthy obsessive thoughts.

I also start off the day with a fiber rich cereal, fiber is great for filling you up. And protein also super filling. Now sometimes especially in the past I would eat just to eat, well duh, but yeah, an emotional eater you might say, so now if I want to do that I make myself a HUGE bowl of steamed vegetables, cauliflower, sugar snap peas and brussel sprouts. I can "pig-out" on that and I'm satisfied.

Yes, I'm doing it by myself although after a couple of weeks I went to a nutritionist, but have not been there for over a month now and don't plan on going back. I know this sounds so cliche', but I promise you if I can do this so can you. You really can do this!!!! Good luck and keep on asking questions.

Thank you so much! I just don't feel ready to start an official program yet. I think mentally I will get too nervous that I'll FAIL and so I will sabotage myself. But the idea of teaching myself to eat well and losing weight seems to sit with me a bit better. I think I am going to journal what I eat and I love the idea of having healthy pig out foods ready. Cause the binge urge isn't going away anytime soon!

Sticking with someone else's idea of a plan is highly over-rated.
You will come up with Lottajunkinmytrunk's Plan ... and it'll work for you. I steal ideas from other people all the time!

Have you had a look at the daily planning threads in the Support Forum? A veritable plethora of good ideas to steal.

There's no need to start an "official" program. We want this weight off FOREVER and we can't stick to some "official" program forever. Which is why I like doing it myself and counting calories. But a little support is certainly very nice. Come to 3FC often, it is a HUGE help to me, just to find people who are in the same exact boat as you are. Everyone here is extremely helpful, supportive and really smart and full of great ideas.

Journaling is great. I have in my journal reasons why I don't want to remain fat. Dreams and goals for when I'm not fat. When I feel a binge coming on - I just turn to my journal and read these things, and sometimes add to it. We gotta do everything and anything we can to get past the stupid cravings, And I'm telling you they will become less and less.

Also check out the 100lb club over at the Support Groups forum, we have a lot of great motivational stuff threads there like, My Daily Commitments and I Wanna Stay Fat Because....., it's a funny, no actually a lot of it is a HYSTERICAL, way to look at ourselves and really, really motivational.

Great resources - I'm checking them out now...

for me, watching my carbs was very important while losing weight. i'm a huge carb addict, to the extent that i won't even buy cereals or breads. they are my drug and i refuse to spend my hard earned money on drugs.
exercise is also a huge appetite suppressant for me.

I dont think there's any ONE diet for us binge eaters, my personal opinion AND speaking from years of experience with weight watchers/jenny craig/atkins/south beach/hypnosis/hoodia/dexatrim/slim fast/lean cuisine...OMG, Ive tried it all, and failed miserably LOL.....

anyhoo....for me I don't "diet" per se, but I write down EVERYTHING I eat, calorie count, and do the eat something every 2-3 hours - otherwise I lose control. I can definitely relate to SusanB in being somewhat obsessive compulsive with calorie counting and writing things down. Sometimes if I cant get to my notebook soon after I eat, I obsess about it - like I might gain weight if I can't get it down on paper....weird huh. I suppose I've channeled my obsession into something not so harmful to my body ?

The best "diet" for you is one you can live with the rest of your life - i.e. this has to be something you keep up. A diet is something that we start, after a while it's over, we return to our old eating habits and gain it all back plus a few more for good measure.

i think writing down what you eat is very good advice. i lose weight or maintain my weight loss when i journal but if i stop i have the tendency to gain. i try not to feel guilty if i over eat because every day is a new day. the ladies who have posted before me have given you great advice.
please don't think of yourself as a failure. think of those diets as just not the one for you. i do believe you ned to find a way of life that works for you. if it didn't work today just modify so it works tomorrow good luck