I've started a diet probably fifty times now, each time I start is basically the next day after I started the one beforehand. I wake up in the morning thinking 'Alright, I'm going to do fantastic today!' and I do... for a little while. Then around 2 or 3pm, I eat something probably really bad for me because the 'healthy meals' I ate for breakfast and lunch weren't filling at all, and then I think, 'It's okay because it'll keep me the rest of the night - I won't need dinner.' Then around 9 or 10pm, my stomach is growling again. And when I go to eat something I think, 'I screwed up today. I'll start tomorrow'.

So... any suggestions on how to make my mind stick to 'NO, you're starting TODAY. You've already STARTED. Now DON'T SCREW IT UP, DAMMIT."? Advice would be much appreciated.
I really think it comes down to lack of self discipline on my part - my schoolwork suffers the same sort of attitude most of the time. :P

What kind of meals are you eating that are leaving you hungry at 2-3PM? Most people find that a good combination of protein/fat/fiber is good for keeping them satisfied for a few hours. I like to bulk up my meals with TONS of fruit and vegetables - I like the feeling of eating a nice big pile of food, and fruit and veggies help me do that without breaking the calorie bank. What are you eating?

Then, at 2-3PM, when you are ready for a snack, why are you reaching for something "really bad"? Can you plan ahead to have an on-plan, healthy snack available to you so you have a better choice when you do need a snack than whatever really-bad thing you find yourself going for? Again, a mixture of protein/fat/fiber is a good bet here. Greek yogurt, a measured portion of nuts, boiled eggs, a little sliced apple and cheese - these are some of the snacks that work for me.

Finally, you are doing great to keep trying. Keep trying to do better with your very next food choice, irrespective of how well your last food choice went. That's great. But you can also plan ahead so that you understand why you are getting hungry and have good options available to you when that happens. The process requires a certain amount of discipline, for sure - but a little discipline applied to planning and preparation saves you a LOT of discipline applied to white-knuckling your way through a hungry afternoon.

I have this problem, I start of really well, but then end up going to Mcdonalds or something because it's the cheapest place to eat. I tend to buy a lot of crap too, but I've gone of crisps (yay) and I'm getting bored of pop. Apart from that I find it hard to limit my portions, when I was little I always felt the need to compete with my brothers as well as being told to clear my plate so bad habits stuck.

I guess the best thing to do when you're feeling hungry is drink water first them grab something healthy, like fruit.

Breakfast is usually cereal or something under 300 calories I find in the freezer. Lunch is whatever I can throw together to keep in my backpack until around lunchtime (by then, my stomach is growling, so I don't just eat BECAUSE it's lunchtime). It usually consists of a poptart or a sandwich or something that will be okay at room temperature for three hours. I know poptarts aren't the healthiest food, but my roommate takes honey buns and pop... so it could be worse, I guess. I'm making excuses, though.

By 2-3pm, I'm home again and so is my roommate, and all she keeps in the house IS bad stuff. I try to keep relatively decent stuff, but I'll be thinking, "I should have a fruit", then see her walking around with doritoes or a hot pocket or something and... I don't know. :\ I get lured in. Again though, that's my own fault, not my roommate's. I know I keep mentioning her, but I honestly think the amount of food kept in the house probably has something to do with it.

I think I will start planning my meals. That does sound like a really good idea. I know I have food that's better for me than what I've been eating - I just need to find the willpower to stick to those and not change at the last moment to a frozen meal or something. :\ Blah. Thank you for your advice though. Much appreciated!

Bigkitty: That's a good idea, too. The water, I mean. I'll try that too. Thanks.

Okay, it sounds like you're not eating the right thing in the morning! That can start you off on the wrong foot !

For breakfast, try something with a bit more protein; it might fill you up. I usually have an egg + something else. My breakfasts are usually 200 calories but they are very filling and keep me that way until lunch! I wouldn't recommend this for everyone though, some people need more than that in the morning.

For lunch: sandwiches are good, but what do you put on them? Forget the poptart and don't compare your diet to your roommates. Buy a small cooler (I have one that looks like a purse and it works fabulously) that you can use to store things at a cooler temperature and keep with you.

Planning ahead is important! If you need to separate your food and your roommate's, then do it! You can't force your roommate to throw out food, but you can say "this is mine, and this is yours" to avoid grabbing stuff you don't want.

Drink lots of water too! You'd be surprised how much that stuff can fill you up

Eggs, I can try, yes. Thanks! I think tomorrow morning, I'll do an egg and a piece of wheat toast, which should come in somewhere around 200 calories, I would guess.

I know. xD I know I shouldn't be doing that... but part of my little tirade is me being jealous that she can eat whatever she wants, hahaha. :P So that's me being passive aggressive about it (another character flaw, but that's a different story! ). Sandwiches are either pb&j or some kind of turkey/chicken lunch meat with lettuce and miracle whip. Both are on wheat bread.

I definitely try to keep my stuff separated from hers, and it has helped since I've been doing that in a stricter fashion. I've been eating better dinners because of it, at least.

You're probably the tenth person I've seen to recommend oodles of water. xD Sooo, I shall go get some right now, actually.

Personally I would need more fat and protein in my diet to keep me from wanting to gnaw my own arm off mid-afternoon.

I generally have a couple of eggs for breakfast and that tides me nicely until lunch. For lunch you could try using a small cooler to keep healthier and more filling lunch options - again, be sure to balance your carbs with some lean protein and you should stay fuller longer. If you're an afternoon snacker then try to be sure you have on plan snacks available so you don't stray and then have a healthy dinner.

Take a few extra steps and plan your snacks and meals - you'll set yourself up for success!

Here is my daily diet (hope this helps):
Breakfast: Lean Shake (high protein shake I get from GNC)
Mid morning snack: apple slices and peanut butter power bar
Lunch: salad/veggies/fruit cup/nuts/small portion of meat/fish (this is any combination of any and all of these items)
Another snack, similar to the first, if I need one
Dinner: lean shake, low fat soup, salad, small portion of meat/fish (any combination of the above items)
I usually eat around 1300 or less cals (1400 on my "fat" days) and I find that apple slices and powerbars are easy to carry and satisfying. I also eat a lot of greek yogurt and grapefruit and oatmeal. My diet does not change very much and consists of about 30 items and thats it.
If I have my Lean Shake after my workout (around 6-7am) and my apples and powerbar when I get to work (9-10am) and lunch around 1pm, then im not really hungry for the rest of the day. I eat dinner because I know that I am active and I need the cals.
I always carry powerbars or granola bars and the Lean Shakes I drink dont have to be refrigerated. The apple slices stay fresh as long as i dont open the bag so they are good all day.
Powerbars are 220 cals, apple slices (14-16) 70 cals and lean shakes are 170 cals.

I recommend keeping your favorite fruit on your person at ALL times! If you eat it an hour or a half hour before you have your meal, you won't feel the need to eat junky food.

I have a cookbook full of recipes, and not everything in it is good for me. But, you know what? That's okay. In fact, it's great because I don't feel deprived. Some meals are healthier than others, but I enjoy all of them. I practice portion control and when you make the food yourself, it's much easier to obey.

And then there are extremely low calorie back up snacks in case my meal left me hungry. Pickles, banana peppers, spinach, iceberg salad with low cal dressing, 35 cal fudge pops, blueberries, grapes. If I'm between meals and I'm very hungry, then I'll have some protein powder.

Attack your hunger quickly before it gets out of hand. Don't feel like every meal has to be the epinamy of perfection (though use portion control--small plates are fantastic for this). Have a back up plan. Decide today what you'll be eating tomorrow.

I also skip breakfast, because, for some reason, it just makes me ravenous throughout the entire day. No matter what or how much I eat for breakfast, it just triggers something in me that chants "EAT EAT EAT!!"

I agree about keeping fruit in your purse, and if you aren't a big fruit eater you can easily become one, fruit is great tasting, convenient and healthy I would also just remember that just because you mess up once doesn't mean you should give up all together. That's like saying if you drop your phone on the ground you should just smash it up because you already dropped it. :P

Work on eating protein and veggies that keep you full along with whole grains, nuts, etc instead of simply saying "only 300 calories for this meal" or something like that. I find when I encourage myself to eat at meals until I feel about 70% full I am satisfied.
I believe in you! Good luck

I have found that I have to plan my entire day's food to avoid eating off plan. If i have everything ready, I avoid swinging by mcdonalds because I'm starving and it's convenient :-) a lot of times I will pack an extra apple and some celery sticks for the drive home from work just so I avoid any temptation. And the more protein and veggies you have the better. Carbs fill you up for the second you are eating them, but leave you hungry soon after.

Good luck

Something that's not widely shared in the public realm is that MOST of the packaged and fast foods on the market have addictive additives, primarily because of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) content. These chemicals affect your brain and cause powerful cravings. This is why water is a good approach to start because at least tons of water will begin to wash away the effects of the chemicals. I just like to mention that we underestimate the pull of MSG/food additives ; it is much stronger than we realize. It took me years to stop craving chemically processed junk food. Now I just don't ever eat it. You'll know how bad the food makes you feel when you're able to eat only fresh fruits, vegetables, and an appropriate protein for a month then you eat some cake with fake white icing on it from the local grocery store. I know some people advocate calorie restriction, which is obviously hugely important to lose weight, but TRULY FEELING GOOD is also about getting away from all the icky weird additives and chemicals.

I know how you feel, OP, but I agree with many posters' advice to plan in advance. Putting raw nuts in a snack baggie, cutting up an apple, preparing parts of a healthy meal in advance so it's easy to throw together when you're hungry are all great ways to help yourself stay on track.

I'm totally guilty of giving in to a mild feeling of hunger by indulging with with something calorific or nutrient-imbalanced simply because I need something right that moment. When I'm better about planning healthy snacks and meals, I'm about 95% more likely to actually eat the healthy food without adding any last-minute extras.

Stay strong. Practice makes perfect(ish)!

I believe that once you're truly ready to do it, the willpower will follow naturally.

Are you familiar with the "stages of readiness" model? Here's a good description of it: http://takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/acti...adiness-change

See where you fall on the spectrum, and think about what might help move you along to the next stage. To me it sounds like you're not quite ready yet. When you're ready, you WILL stick to it.

Freelance

THis is exactly how I feel or how my days go. I start of eating sort of healthy then just give up. But I live at home and I have a controlling mother who doesn't let me cook (yes we have other issues) so that restricts how much control i have over my diet in general. But I'm ready to change, I have to be. I'm tired of always giving up.