I cant seem to stick to any sort of weight loss program. Does anyone else cave in when they begin one?

I seem to start out ok, but wham...I quit. Lord knows that Im heavy and need to lose some fat here.

I dont know where I belong.

You might want to think about plans that you can stick to. Things that will be more of a life change than a quick fix.

I'm not sure what you have tried- but first I did calorie counting and found this hard- with my PCOS calorie counting didn't seem to be so great. So I switched over to the South Beach Diet and it's been working quite well for me

Ive tried WW, low carb (really mess up there), low fat, no fat, vegan, vegetarian.

I feel like I am in panic mode when I start any of them. Like I have to be good with food. Blah!!!!!

As least for me, structured programs didn't work. The physics of weight loss is pretty simple and you don't really need a program. If you use more calories than you take in, you will lose weight in the long term (there will be daily shifts that are normal and natural).

Within the general framework of eating under your maintainence calories per day you have a great leeway in terms of the foods you choose and how much you exercise.

It take a lot of research to find healthy alternatives and to experiment with different foods, but it is so worth it!

Do you mean "good with food" like how to prepare it properly (like I'm not good with eggplants no matter how simple the recipe...) or "good with food" like not being bad about what you're eating.

Because if it's the second - well, we've all been there. That's how we got overweight to begin with.

I'd recommend calorie counting to start with - there are lots of sites online (myplate, sparkpeople, etc) that make it easy. And, at least to start with, you can still eat what you want - not *everything* you want but if you can't live without oreos or pizza or 2 Mt. Dews a day - with calorie counting you can still have those. I don't know what your starting weight or goals are but you don't have to start with a low calorie count either. Just start recording what you are eating and paying attention to the food choices you are making. You won't become "good" with food, at least not right away, but you'll be more aware of it and your relationship to it. As you get more comfortable with making good choices you can ramp things up with a lower calorie limit or more specialized diets.

Even if you just want to lose five pounds you're going to have to start training yourself to pay attention to what you eat and why, other wise that five pounds and a bunch of its closest friends will be back real soon.

Every diet group on here is chock full of helpful friendly supportive people so no matter what you choose you can't go wrong. You just need to figure out what works for you and commit to it.

I started with one little change - switched from white bread to wheat.

Then when that was no big deal anymore, I switched out one of my snacks for a piece of fruit. Then when that was easy, I gave whole wheat pasta a chance.

As each thing became easy for me, I tried a new thing.

I also realized, you don't have to go all balls to the wall to notice a difference. Let's say you eat 3,000 calories a day right now (just throwing out a number), you could try cutting back to 2,800 for a few weeks. Then 2,600. And on until you get to the calorie range you need to maintain your ideal weight.

Same goes for exercise - you don't have to jump off the couch and start running down the street... you can get up and walk in place. Or walk once around the block.

Maybe you could see a nutritionist for help? Someone who can show you how to make gradual changes and show you slow progress is okay? How much do you have to lose?

I think all of us have a few stumbles here and there while trying to find the plan that works for us. From what you've listed, the diets you've tried seem to be fairly restrictive? (other that WW) Not that any of those diets are inherently bad, but they seem to be bad for you. Maybe try counting calories for a little while- you won't have to give up anything you love, just enjoyed in moderation. Don't set a specific calorie goal for a week or two, just write down everything you eat to get used to it. You'll start to notice yourself leaning towards lower calorie options because the accountability of writing it down makes you more aware of what you're eating. Once you reach that stage, set a (realistic!!!!) calorie goal for yourself. I'm not sure what your weight is... but please don't try to start off at 1200 calories or anything like that, you'll most likely just discourage yourself.

Then- try setting a time limit. Whenever I find myself struggling to stay afloat, I tell myself that I'm only going to do this for 3 weeks (or some other number) Even though I know full well that I'm lying to myself and this is a permanant lifestyle change, thinking of it in terms of a week or two at a time makes it easier to handle. I also schedule certain splurges for myself- things that I really like- like dinner at a seafood restaurant I love. I try to space them out every few weeks. So when I start getting tempted by something not as good, I think about how much better my next planned splurge is. Or, it gives me something to look forward to so that I don't feel like I'm never going to get dietary probation.

Just keep at it- you'll find what works for you, things will click, and you will be unstoppable.