Lately I have NOT been able to control my eating. I eat all day long. I start out the day trying to track it all.. then I just give up and say Ill start tracking the next day. Luckily I've only gained back 2 lbs in the past few months of the 22 Ive lost. But its been almost 3 months of no loss-because I cannot stop eating. I snack all day due to boredom.. or if Im with people and were out.. or if Im sad. Eating. I know it sounds like a dumb reason that I just "cant stop".. but I seriously feel like I cant. I don't know how to change this pattern. I need to move on with my weight loss but I feel so stuck.

Hey Cincy Girl! You've done good. I came across some good stuff today. Great Muli-grain bread and those 69 cent meat packages with a ton of lettuce and tomato. Man! mega meal under 300 calories!!!!

I hear ya. I had a bad snacking day today. I guess the short answer is to find something to replace the eating with, something that will engage you so you won't feel bored. The long answer is... weight loss is hard and being overweight is hard; choose your hard. (I hope this doesn't sound preachy; I'm in maintenance now and it's still a struggle for me.)

F.

I wish I had something more to offer, but that's pretty much the gist of it. You CAN stop eating, you just need to find a way. For me, it's keeping busy; I don't have problems snacking or overeating/binging if I have things to do. If I'm feeling peckish I'll read something (My mind can't focus on food if it's focusing on a good story or an interesting article), get a pedicure, window shop, browse these forums, clean, do a light workout or some stretching, or if I'm at work... work! For me, boredom is the killer but it may be something completely different for you.

Whatever your strategy, you just have to make up your mind and stick through it. As someone who has been active duty military for 9 years, I have been in enough situations where I HAD to grit my teeth and bear whatever was being thrown at me... there just was no other choice. I think you need to apply that same approach to get yourself in check; just set boundaries and stick to them! You may want to scream and cry and be at your wit's end, but at the end of the day you'll feel better for not giving in. Over time it becomes easier.

I'm not saying you have to forgo any one thing, or stick to any one plan, but you DO need to define what works for YOU and your lifestyle, and how you can make that happen. I'm sorry for sounding harsh, but I'm not going to sugar coat it; all you are doing is quitting on yourself day after day. You just need to suck it up and stop quitting.

I read this strategy, and it usually works for me: When you have an intense urge for a food, tell yourself that you can have it, but you have to wait 15 minutes for it. Then, set a timer for 15 minutes (use your cell phone if you don't have a timer), and do something else during that 15 minutes---e.g., take a shower, read an article, do some stretches, sweep your floor, etc. If you still want the food after 15 minutes, have it, but in many cases, just putting that time buffer between the urge and the eating will prevent you from giving in.

I have a different strategy. I saw it in a magazine (health). You are having snacking issues, what if ALL you could snack on was veggies. If you get all of the problem foods somewhere you are not tempted by them (whatever works for you--give them away, lock them up and give someone the key, or throw them out) and chop up some cucumbers, tomatoes, slice some celery sticks, and carrot sticks, heat up some green beans and nibble on them when the need arises.

This was tremendously helpful for me, and it reset my hunger signals because a lot of my snacking was giving me insulin surges which produced insatiable hunger, I am also reseting my stomach by taking 2 days a week to eat low carb.

I agree that STOPPIng problematic eating for a good hobby would be beneficial, but in the meantime swap out your snacks for healthy low carb veggies, and you won't have the weight gain to worry about.

You said it yourself: you're eating for any other reason except hunger. Food does not solve problems; when you're bored, find something entertaining or interesting to do, if you're sad, call a friend, talk to someone, write it down in a diary. Food is not going to help, it will only make you feel worse because of the guilt. Yes, weight loss is not an easy journey, but it will make you feel stronger and more confident, so don't give up!