what is the best program for me?
 

I don't know what program will work best for me and I am hoping someone here will have been in the same boat as me and have had success. Some info about me:

I am a binge eater
I am vegetarian
I have an "all or nothing" mentality
I cannot afford a program where you buy their food
I need a very structured approach- i.e. eat this for breakfast, this for lunch, etc. I can't trust myself to choose my meals. sad, eh?

I guess that is the jist of it...

I am in a similar boat and I use fitday.com to track what I eat. It is time consuming and I gave up on it, but gained 10 lbs. back. There is also a vegetarian thread that is helpful for recipes and ideas.

Whole foods might be a good fit for you. It has a lot of variety, can be tailored for a vegetarian lifestyle, makes the REALLY bad stuff off limits entirely and is relatively inexpensive and can be found at your local grocer. :)

I'm a librarian so I recommend books! My binge eating of junk food stopped cold turkey after I read the book The End of Overeating by David Kessler. Other issues, including an all or nothing mentality, have been greatly helped by the books by Judith Beck. If you like the Beck books, join us on the discussion forum called Beck Diet Solution.

I think you're a perfect canidate for calorie counting. Use fitday, loseit or daily plate (or whatever online tool or app works for you) and start journaling/tracking. I also am/was a binge eater, am on a budget and need stucture (to the point of OCD). Use this websites and other to find recipies that fit in your calorie budget and plan your meals a day/week ahead so their is no "deciding". If you don't like to cook, lean cuisine, healthy choice or kashi have good options. Whatever you decide, be sure it's something you can do for life, not a diet or make sure you have a maitenance plan. Many people make the mistake of going back to their old habits and all this was for nothing. Good luck!

As another veggie, I'm really enjoying Eat To Live. Tons of greens, fruits and all natural stuff!

I am able to do the South Beach Diet. The May 2008 updated plan allows for legumes, soy, veggie burgers, etc. No calorie counting and plenty of eating; three meals, 2 snacks and dessert.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Sharon