Maybe you just need a day to eat whatever you want. I know that's a diet no-no for some, but for me, it's essentially. I personally have recognized the fact that I can calorie count for a couple weeks and do it with a smile on my face (even if it's sometimes it's a forced grimace) IF I know that there will be a free for all day coming up. I have recognized this fact and compromised with myself. I calorie count without cheating for several weeks, and about once a month, I can have one planned day to go nuts. I take control of it and plan it. That way, one free for all day doesn't turn into two or three.

I also like to eat mass quantities of garbage food. I don't want to eat just a tiny bit of garbage food and I don't want to eat mass quantities of healthy food (at least on my cheat day). I want to eat mass quantities of garbage food...simple as that. I want to feel so stuffed I'm almost sick. And so I do...I'll eat several plates of general tsaos, honey chicken, sesame chicken, egg rolls etc at the Chinese buffet and get ice cream for dessert after snacking on cookies and stuff all day. Or absolutely whatever and however much I want.

And it hasn't hindered my weight loss or maintenance. Within a few days, after it all *ahem* "passes," my weight is back to where it was before I binged. From my experience, as long as it's just one rare day, that massive amount of excess calories won't be metabolized into fat gain. Water weight and digesta weight as it passes through you for a few days, yes. But unless you're consistantly eating like that, it's not going to destroy weight loss progress.

So maybe you just need a day every once in awhile to gorge. I feel like I'm violating some 3FC/dieter's code by saying that, but if you can control it (plan and limit to one day), then maybe a free for all day is important to you once in awhile. I know it is for me.

I hear you, Shifterred. There are some days that I care a LOT less than I do, other days, about staying precisely on track. There are some days where eating as much of the candy in my kitchen as I feel like it feels *great*--like I'm free, and autonomous, and so on. I had an inching-up-toward-3000-calories day last weekend, too, and I woke up the next day feeling fine about it, but also slightly freaking out that I wasn't freaked out by it: What does it mean if I can cheat and not care? Am I doomed?

But see, I felt fine partly because I knew that not every day would be like that. And I also felt fine because I saw that, over the next couple of days, the scale barely moved--I think I was up about .2 pounds, and they're well gone now, a week later.

I think it's OK to overeat and not care. In some ways, I feel like it's healthier than putting yourself in a cycle of blame-and-shame, one that reinforces a relationship with food that connects eating, however subconsciously, to sinning or transgressing. But you have to know the reason you don't care, you know? If you don't care because the day is "just one day," fine--it's just one day, move on.

But if it's because you feel like you were trapped and then suddenly free, well, start thinking about ways to create more freedom for yourself in the way you eat--a little piece of chocolate here and there helps me, as do about a hundred other it-feels-like-cheating-but-it's-not-quite things. Give yourself more space in your eating box, and you won't feel so much like you have to bust out of it, or like you dread going back into it. You know? That includes psychological space. Remind yourself that you have plenty of time, that eating foods that you *like* as well as ones that are nutritious is your job, and also take a minute to be happy with where you are now, instead of always feeling like you're saving up all your happiness for when you get to goal.

I hope you come back! And figure you'll be OK if you don't, for a while.

THE END OF OVEREATING isn't psychology--it's biochemistry. It's about how some nutrients interact with the brain and hormones. The details can get dense, but one doesn't need to read all of the studies to get the idea.

The book's premise is that certain food combinations trigger the same brain chemicals as drugs do--and these combinations can be literally addictive. The worst ones are combinations of carbs, fat, and salt.

Jay

have you thought about just maintaining for awhile? You lost 25lbs already, almost half way to your goal. I also started not to care, I was just enjoying eating. As someone said, it was a high, eating chips or pizza (must of been the fat, carbs and salt JayEll mentioned) and watching a movie or playing video games and I was in bliss. a few days led to almost a year and gaining back 30 pounds.

As someone who has lost and regained, trust me you don't want to go backwards. You may think you don't care now, but I think you'd feel differently if you were to put on the size 16s again, then one day even find them too tight. You will miss the days of just throwing on your 12s. Your profile says you are only 20 years old, you should be enjoying your 20s living life, NOT stuffing your face and gaining weight. Hope you are doing better today and getting back on track.