I started dieting 2 months ago, and I've lost 15 pounds by now. I till have 10-15 more to go. I can definitely notice some improvements in my body, but I'm getting very tired of dieting and dedicating my whole mind to it. It feels like it's eating me from the inside, everything is about diet, and when I get mad about it like I just did now, I just go to the fridge and get back at myself by eating all the worst things for me. Help! need some support to keep it going.

You have to want it, and by it, I mean your goal- whole heartedly. I've "dieted" before, but this time, something just clicked in my brain and I said I'm not stopping until I get there and it's been a journey ever since. There are times when it's tough, times when I'm off plan, discouraged and disgruntled, but I always remember why I'm doing it, and just how great it feels to be smaller and have people notice.

Take stock of why you want to lose weight. What's making you eat. Once you can pinpoint the negative habits, you can begin to reduce the triggers and be on your way to goal! I know this sounds generic, but this is the way it worked for me. It's like someone turned a switch on in my brain that just said "it's time to lose. For good."

How do you eat normally? Because really, if the way you eat when dieting is substantially different, you won't maintain it when you "go back" to your old way. What about the way you eat now is taking up all your time? Is it because you never cooked before or used whole foods, and now you are? Is it because you're eating mostly the same foods as before, but you're tracking every calorie and macronutrient in great detail? Is it because you're on a complicated diet plan that doesn't allow flexibility and simplicity?

Julie asked good questions. Maintenance doesn't look much different than losing did. You need to be doing things that you can continue to do once the weight is gone. Otherwise, it will return. BTDT too many times to count. Look at what is troubling you, and replace it with techniques, changes that you CAN do long term. It is perfectly OK to change your plan as you go - virtually everyone tweaks things as the learn - it is a journey, and you CAN do this!

I, like you, feel like I dedicate too much time to "dieting." Between exercise, shopping like three times a week for fresh fruit and vegis, preparing food, and staying in check on this website, I feel like I barely make time for my baby. I know in the long run I will be happier and will be a much better mama for him. I already feel like there have been huge improvements in my mood and self-esteem. I have the energy to go do stuff with him all day and then go play a softball game or two and maybe squeeze in a run. Four and a half months ago, I would be so exhausted during the day, that I would just do everything in my power to try to get him to take a nap or had my mom help watch him more than I really needed. Now I actually have the energy level to match his until he finally zonks out at night. My baby fights sleep so bad! Aleks1913, stay strong! You will be so glad you did in the long run.

If you want to lose weight and maintain your loss.You must think about it. It must become a way of life, and it is worth it.

Like Mango, for me, something just clicked. I used to diet for maybe a month or two and lose weight, and then tire of it, and gain everything back. This time, what people have been saying (experts and people who've succeeded at weight loss) suddenly made sense...it had to be a lifestlyle change. No more dieting, I count calories and eat more fruits and veggies. I eat takeout a lot less, and keep my "trigger foods" out of the house. I exercise daily. I read somewhere that it takes a month or so for a new behavior to become a habit, and I guess that's what happened for me with exercise--if I don't exercise, my day doesn't feel complete - it is like brushing my teeth, I have to do it unless I'm in a lot of pain or sick, or work a 15-hour day and get home at 1:30 in the morning and really have to get to bed b/c I have to work again the next morning. Like Bargoo said, it has to be a way of life.

Now, I am not perfect. I give into cravings every now and then. I just have it in my mind that I won't give up, and that determination doesn't let me. Good luck, it is so worth it!

I can understand being tired of dieting, but did you give any thought to how you are going to maintain your weight once you reach your goal weight? You did not mention on which diet you are now (or if it is a specific diet) but I am afraid that you will gain everything back if you return to your old eating habits. You really have to make a lifestyle change, and IMHO, a lifestyle change is easier to stick to than a diet. That is the reason why I would never go on a diet (for example on Atkins - no offense to the Atkins club - I just mentioned the first diet that I could remember). I want to live as normally as possible, and I still want to have a pizza here and there, or even a small serving of ice cream (if I decide that I absolutely MUST have the ice cream), or even a burger. I have not excluded anything from my diet but that means that I may have 2 rashers of bacon once a month instead of half a plate of bacon each Sunday morning.

Also, do you exercise? Weight loss will be easier to maintain if you are active and exercise on a regular basis. It does not have to be much, even little activity is better than no activity at all.

To reiterate what bargoo said, it has to become a way of life, not just a diet. I've never had much luck on "diets" per say, because they were restrictive and I ended up relapsing every time. My new plan includes just eating healthier, plain and simple. And exercise, of course. I'm a cheater when it comes to restricting myself, so I also take hoodia as a supplement to my plan, to help suppress my appetite and keep me on track. So far so good. But it's not a diet. It's my new way of life. Maybe that's the difference you need to find.

What the veterans have said already is absolutely true... weight management and healthy living is a lifelong effort. Fortunately, we don't have to fight that entire lifetime's battle all at once.

Try narrowing your focus to right now, today. Can you just get through today on your plan? If not, then tomorrow focus on just tomorrow, can you spend one day back on your plan?

If your plan is frustrating you consistently, definitely consider what it is about it that's making it hard on you. Maybe you need more flexibility (or less - more flexibility means having to think more carefully about your choices). Just remember that whatever makes weight loss easier on you will make weight maintenance easier in the future.

I don't know whether you've set a deadline on your goal, but if you have done everything you can and still find yourself frustrated, think about extending that deadline (not giving up, just going a little easier on yourself).

Good luck, alecks, and congratulations on getting half-way there!!

Just wanted to say way to go on the 15 pounds gone! Good job!