I wasn't even hungry and I broke and ate 3 bowls of cereal.

3?! Seriously? It's like I wasn't even myself, I was just a cereal eating robot on autopilot.

Anyways, I'm trying again tomorrow. I have the Beck Diet Solution and I'm wondering if really following that book can help me now. I read some of it already and it was going alright, I guess I just got distracted.

Everyday is a new day, but I have to get this figured out because every month I fail is another 5 lbs bigger.

There is a Beck forum on 3FC--it's got a great group of supportive and needing support people (even if I do count myself as one of them)

You can do this--breaking habits is hard--but you can do it. Can you identify your trigger? Can you place space between you and extra cereal (put the milk and cereal box away before starting to eat the first bowl?) Have you made an Advantages Response Card to read several times a day?

Good luck!

I'm not familiar with Beck, but what helped me when I started was focusing on one meal at a time. Seriously. The only meal that counted (to me) is the one I was about to eat. It seemed less daunting that way.

I have to take this approach as well. I find that if I am constantly worried about the entire "diet" process and what I'm going to be eating all day, I become overwhelmed and it generally ends with a binge or mindless eating. I just take it one meal at a time.

Strangely, I do better when I plan 'further out'. I've shared this before:

Sunday, I plan meals for the next week
Monday night, grocery shopping
Thursday night, grocery shopping (normally just for produce)

Every night, I plan exactly what I'm going to eat the next day--quantities and all, and enter it into MFP.

I have trouble planning for weekends, and the shopping schedule is helter-skelter until I can drive again (2 weeks!), but I do best when I don't have any choices in the day. I know what I'm having for dinner so I don't have to think about if I'm going to follow my diet--I've already entered it in the app, and so it's already decided.

You wrote that you will try again tomorrow, but it looks like you wrote that this morning. If that's the case, why not try again, starting right now? Don't wait until tomorrow; make the rest of your choices good ones, today.

Best of luck; you can do this!

Newleaf is so right!! My nutritionist taught me that too. Stay on plan at all times as best I can. If I can't/don't, get right back on for the next meal/snack. Fix it as soon as it happens. It's too easy to throw away a day, a week, a month, a season. I never thought of it like that until I had it pointed out to me. One bad choice doesn't have to mean a whole bad day. You can do this! And we are here for you!!

This EXACTLY! When I started really counting years ago, I had to plan my meals and snacks ahead of time, although I just planned the night before what I would eat the following day. Now I don't write them down, but I do stick with a similar formula for the day.

Also, since I batch cook and freeze, I have so many enjoyable meals that I can grab at any time - some are "breakfast or lunch" sized and some are "dinner" sized.

I agree with those who have said don't try again tomorrow, try again today! I spent too much time saying "I'll start on x-day" and next thing I know it's weeks or months later because I kept saying "oh well, I already messed up. Might as well eat this pizza." Until last time I told myself I wasn't going to do that and I stayed on plan the rest of the day. Since my weigh-in day was the day after my decision to go back immediately paid off and my weigh-in wasn't as bad as it would have been.

This! Waiting until tomorrow just allows you to do more damage for the rest of the day. If you fall down...get right back up.

NewLeaf is so right. Starting right after you put that cereal bowl in the sink is when you get a fresh, new opportunity to make a better choice.

Also, feel free to swing by the Chicks in Control board. It is full of incredible people who struggle with this every day (ahem...like me...). Everyone there is kind, gentle, and supportive.

Hugs, you can do this!

Just take one meal at a time

Absolutely! You still have plenty of time to make good choices for the day! And if you are really feeling "guilty" about those 3 bowls of cereal....go walk for an hour!

You can make it through it a whole day. You really can. If you eat cereal, measure out your serving and then put the box on the highest shelf you can next time. If you have to take the time to get it from a higher location, you may be more inclined to only have one serving, or none at all!

Also, try drinking 16 ounces of water when you first wake up, about 15 before eating. It will help fill some space and perhaps one bowl will make you feel full!

Cereal was a huge downfall for me. I could easily eat 3 bowls on a daily basis...and I did! I no longer eat cereal often. I may have one serving every couple of months or so.

Good luck!

You can. That first day is really hard, but it's like the gateway--once you've got that, the next one is easy (er)!

I'm going to give you a challenge (which you totally don't have to accept--but like a game! ;-) One of two things: Tomorrow, either don't eat any bread things (rice, pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), OR make at least 50% of every meal fruit and veggies--i.e. eat whatever you want, and however much you want, but you have to match it in produce. Those are sort of introductory maneuvers, that get you where you are going! :-)

The Beck book does work. You just have to work through it first! Good luck. All these other replies are fantastic!