Hi, I just registered right now feeling down and a little bit hopeless about weight loss. I am 194 tonight after eating way too much over the past two weeks and binging all night tonight on top of it. I feel depressed about it, and annoyed because I have tried so many times and have succeeded but can't make a permanent change. I've lost 30-40 pounds on Weight Watchers (informal, no meetings just old flex plan point counting since I dislike the new counts), and more "intuitive" eating; these are the only two methods I could stick with long term enough to lose more than 5 pounds. The intuitive eating only worked in retrospect since I was dealing with heartbreak and depression and really didn't care to eat.
I would like to be 127, my adult low weight but at this point being in the 160's (heck even 170's) would suffice. I hate how all my super cute clothes are do not fit and even my ugly frumpster clothing is tight and ill-fitted. I feel awful, look awful. Earlier this month I tried adding light exercise and focused on the journey versus outcome (just focused on new habits, not weight on scale, etc.) but even then I felt anxious and eventually couldn't keep it up. I want to just eat a freaking normal meal and not think about it anymore!! How to exorcise this obsession??
I really hate restriction. I hate the idea of it. It makes me feel deprived and more obsessive than usual. However I wonder if abstinence isn't such a bad plan after all. Maybe I just can't deal with certain foods -sugary and/or processed in particular - and should avoid them. They do me no favors. I used to think, that is no way to live and get indignant in my mind, that it was unfair and ridiculous to have to be extreme. BUt tonight I thought, I bet an alcoholic or drug user or gambler probably thinks the exact same way. I can't survive without food, but I don't require Little Debbie snack cakes to remain upright. Or Cheetos or cookies or gummies (fave candy). In fact all this food does is drive me binge-wild and cause headaches. I think by drawing a line between food that is necessary to live and food desires driven by cravings is almost parallel to drinking/drugging... really opened my eyes!!
Has anyone else successfully abstained from certain foods and shown good results (ie weight loss)??? Is it not advisable for someone with binge tendencies?