I've been eating like a pig for the last 3 weeks—not going too far over my calories, but enough to stall my weight loss. And the "food" I've been eating has been really questionable—I've basically been living on cheese sandwiches, diet soda, ice cream...crap.

I haven't gained any back, but I sure haven't lost any, and I REALLY need to get back on track before I fall back into my old habits. The first step, I think, is getting back on 3FC every day.

I also want to do some kind of "cleanse" or something so I stop feeling so gross. I'm thinking maybe cutting out all sweets, dairy and non-water liquids for a week and see where that goes. Does that sound like it might make me feel better?

Does anyone have suggestions for getting back on track?

I think cutting out all sweets and non-water liquids is a great idea, not for a detox but as a dietplan/way of eating until you get to target.

Congratulations on recognizing a slide and stopping it! Wish I'd been that smart.

This is just my suggstion:

1. Get the crap out of the house. If you must have it for other people in your house (and do they really need it?), go now, take a look at it, and say out loud, "This is not for me. This is for someone else." Put it somewhere where you can't just grab it without thinking. Now it's off limits.

2. Each night, write down what you are going to eat the following day. Healthy meals and snacks. Protein at every meal. Now look at what you've written. That's it. That's what you're eating the next day. Nothing not on the list. Make sure there are lots of foods you genuinely like. Don't just settle for something lame. Make yourself some tasty, healthy food.

3. Don't be afraid to put signs up in your pantry, on your fridge, etc. Some of my favorites, "If hunger isn't the problem, food is not the solution." "What do I really want right now?" "Eat clean today." "Willpower is remembering what you really want."

(I like that last one because we always equate willpower with denying ourselves something. In reality, it is just the process of reminding ourselves of our priorities -- and that longterm goals may not be compatible with immediate gratification.)

Something that has helped me lately -- to think about and remind myself, that in this effort, I hold the power. It is all in my hands. No one makes me eat. No one pushes me off plan. I hold the power to change my life (and now, maintain that change).

You can do it!

The best way to detox is to pick a calorie allotment, (1500ish is a good round number), and stick to it. No potions, no pills, no crap. Eat your 1500 calories, (Or whatever sensible number you decide on) in healthy foods. Protein, veggies, fruits and good carbs and fat. Eat no sugar or no white flour. In about 3 to 5 days you will be running smooth again. There is no magic involved. I would venture to say that if you have been eating like a "pig", (your word) for the last 3 weeks and not sticking to any program, that sticking to a cleanse would be next to impossible at this point. Just start by getting the crap out of your face and you'll be fine.

i agree with getting the crap out of the house. But i really do believe some people need an internal reset. I am a carb addict. If i eat junk, i crave junk. But this mostly happens when I have been on a carb binging spree. I am talking something like this:

breakfast: processed cereal
lunch: chips, sandwhiches, fast food, potatoes
snacks: little debbie cakes
dinner: fast food, fried foods, french fries or pizza
dessert: icecream, pie, cake or cookies.
snack: chips
binging: on any or all of the above in large quantities.

if i eat like this, i have a hard time stopping because the CRAVINGS are so bad. So i do a healthy fast. I may do the fast, then eat regularly the next day, do the fast, eat regularly the next day. Or just do a weekend fast. It has always helped reset whatever it was that went haywire with the carb binging.

in order to reset my cravings. I go for a liquid fast. Something nutritious. It can be a protein shake, and v8 drinks throughout the day. Or a juice fast made with real fruit or actual whole juice drinks from the store. Not regular oj or apple juice.

it usually takes about 3 days for my body to respond. I also make sure I am getting fiber. This also cleans out the processed gunk from your insides, and the effects the food had--constipation--on you while you were "eating like a pig".

this is not to lose weight though. That may happen, but as you eat healthier the bulk will come back. It is to mostly keep you from wanting ONLY junkfood.

good for you for wanting to change.

I agree with rosinante, thesame & Lori!

Detoxing sounds too much like a punishment for being "off plan"

That sounds perfect! Get rid of those sweets! Cut out the soda/juice/etc.

You can do it!!

Good for you for recognizing what's going on and getting back on track. It can be really hard to do after eating sugar and bad carbs because those things cause cravings for more of the same. Your idea about cutting those things and drinking lots of water sounds good. Protien, veggies, healthy fats, low glycemic fruits and whole/complex carbs will help as well. You can do this!

I'm at this exact place. I am re-committing to tracking on the daily plate every day. The food reset that it recommended by the "medical weight loss" program is 7 oz of lean meats, 7 oz of other protien , 20 net carbs of veggies and 4 servings of fat (1tbps butter or oil or 1/2 serving of nuts).

This is a low carb, ketosis type reset which they recommend for 4-5 days before adding back in fruits and whole grains.

But for me I'm really in need of an emotional check on my habits rather than in need of an eating plan.

I am going to track my food, visit 3FC, and journal to review my feelings and choices for the day.

I have been hitting the bad choices hard, similar to what Jen described - I am definitely being led by my cravings and the healthy food I've been eating (and enjoying) for months doesnt sound good. I want the salty, fatty, fried foods!!

All right, thanks for the advice and let the healthy eating begin!

When I start feeling "carb creep", and my carb numbers are rising, I go back to strictly low-carb for a few days. I'm very sensitive to carbs, but don't like ultra low-carb (20-30 or fewer grams carb/day), so my usual aim is fewer than 100. When I pop up into the 150-200 range (or higher!), my cravings begin to return, and I feel tired and sluggish.

Focusing back on low-carb (veggies and protein) helps kick it completely.

And it takes me 2-3 days to get back into the swing, too. I think that's normal for any drastic change in diet to affect you.