Middle of last year, I started "Fat Smashing".
I lost 15 pounds and it was nice! But once it got colder and I couldn't walk outside anymore, then the holidays - I gained 7 or 8 back.
I feel so gross, I can't fit into ANY clothes, and I have been going to the gym sometimes, but it doesn't help.

I can't stop eating bad food! I want to stop so bad, but it just happens. I feel like an addict.
Any advice on how to get a no-fat mentality, or one way to just STOP eating!?
Anything I can tell myself before I decide to go out and eat something bad?

Plan, plan, plan. Once you are in the habit of eating bad foods and making poor choices, like any habit, it takes consistency and effort to break. Decide tonight what you will eat tomorrow, exactly what each meal will be including the amounts, how you will prepare it, etc. Then tomorrow eat what you planned. It is simple yet incredibly difficult, but with time eating what you have planned out becomes the habit, just as eating junk is now. You CAN do it. It's hard but certainly not impossible.

Hey! You're learning as you go! One thing you've learned is that "sometimes" going to the gym isn't enough. And, being on a plan for a short term also isn't enough. Sad, but true!

No one is holding you down and forcing that food into your mouth. No one can stop you from eating those foods, either! Unless you want someone to follow you around and wrestle them out of your hands...

No one picks up the car keys and drives you to the nearest fast food, corner store, etc. "Just happens" doesn't cut it! Nothing "just happens."

So, given that, as the previous poster said, you need to plan plan plan, and you need to make some rules for yourself that can get you past your addictive behavior. Rules like:
- Eating only the foods on plan.
- Not keeping any "trigger foods" in the house (potato chips, candy, whatever they are).
- Not driving in search of "bad" foods to eat.
- Not eating alone in the car.

The time may come when you don't have to be so strict with yourself, but from what you've said, that time is not now.

As Meg once said, "If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." Which will it be? Do you want to lose more weight, or not? Do you want to maintain your weight, or not?

Don't give up trying!

Jay

To follow up on what Jay said, do you feel you have a plan that CAN work for you? You seemed to be wondering about that.

However, it also sounds like you're saying you want to eat NO fat? From everything I've read that really isn't healthy. Some fats are necessary for our bodies to function well -- like oil in a car! Fats help us absorb nutrients, keep hair healthy... etc. Sure, some fats are not good and we need to be careful not to overindulge, but I'd urge you not to try to cut fat completely! In fact, it could be you're having desires to binge because your body NEEDS fat.

Hey there!

I tried the Fat Smash Diet and it just didn't work for me. Infact, I remember you from the Fat Smash forum - you were there back when I first joined, at the end of May!

Anyway, I was unable to follow the Fat Smash Diet. I felt it had too many rules and even though it says that you can mess up as long as you go back, I discovered that wasn't enough; I was feeling like I was "failing at my diet". After "detoxing" and only losing a couple pounds, I said to h-e-double-toothpicks with it and ate everything I "couldn't" eat on that diet the subsequent weekend.

After that, I reverted to calorie counting. It's just easier With calorie counting, you can eat anything you want, as long as you don't go over your limit (whatever that is). With calorie counting, you can eat "bad food" as long as it's not in monumental portions (well, it would suck to have eaten all your calories by, say, 2 PM because you ate a really fattening meal ).

As Jay and Heather said, find something you can stick to. For me, the solution was calorie counting.

I have a need to "detox" from food, lol. Processed foods are triggers for me, the partially whatevered oils and high fructose syrups...I've found that after fighting through a week or two without processed foods, I end up less focused on food itself. Eating becomes something to do when I'm hungry, not something I obsess about whenever I walk past the candy bars at the store.

I think that we all have our weak moments, even when we're doing so well with our diet and exercise. There are definitely times where I just want some pizza, or want a box of cookies, or something, but I just have to remind myself how far I've come. I ask myself if eating that stuff will really make me feel better anymore(as cheesy as that may sound). Sometimes I even go for a walk or workout to get my mind off of it, get away from everything. Good luck!!!

Well, I have this saying always creeping up in the back of my mind..."It doesn't taste as good as you're gonna look and feel when the weight is off" It doesn't always work, but it's like my conscience telling me, you know? Just like your conscience tells you when you do anything you're not supposed to be doing, and I guess that has been kinda helping me a little. I also try to picture myself a year from now shopping for smaller clothes and imagine myself thinking "whew I'm glad those days are behind me!!" and being so happy and proud of myself because of what I've accomplished, GREAT NOW I'VE MADE MYSELF CRY..excuse me....sorry.. I've not lost but a couple of pounds but i'll be d***** if I let myself go looking like this another year. good luck. I need a kleenex....

Thank you for all of the replies, I've never had such attention! I did OK today minus the peanut butter cups. :P
Jay, I just want to clarify what "it just happens" meant when I wrote it. It totally sounds like I'm placing blame on others, but I'm really not. No one holds me down like you said, and I know it's all my fault. I guess that I mean, 'I just do it' not 'it just happens'. I seem to always make those rules of not even driving by places that may give me a temptation, or figuring I can eat my "naughties" in the car.....but I still do it! I need like a shrink or something. Thank God we don't have junk food in the house!

I have friends that eat AWFUL foods and then wonder why they are gaining and DEMAND that they don't eat any differently than anyone else. I don't want to be like that. This is all my fault, I wish I lived on a farm!!

Hey bsbfan95!

Sorry if I was a little harsh... But I do like your rewording to "I just do it." That's more like it.

Some folks--not you necessarily--unconsciously see weight loss as a "game" in which they try to see what they can get away with... Like bad kids or something... And you can see where that leads.

Jay

I totally agree and this post spoke to me in VOLUME!! That's why I love this site just when you think you're alone with certain feelings there are others who feel the same way. Aww shucks now I'm about to get emotional!

I just want to add I think its okay to eat that slice of pizza or that burger, but thats not an everyday thing and portion control is really important. Also finding things that are similar to what your trigger food were might be helpful. Like if you crave bacon or something like a BLT, turkey bacon is great. If you want something sweet stir some fruit into some lowfat yogurt. Its all about choices in the end.Instead of filling egg omelets with meat and cheese, cut the amount of cheese to 1/2 or a quater of what you usually use and add fresh vegetables. I also tried the fat smash diet but it didn't work for me. You in the end have to find what works for you.