Have you ever tried weight watchers? I've been through many a diet, all ending in failure for the exact reasons you seem to be describing.. the moment I tell myself I can't have something, I start obsessing over how much I want to eat it, until I eventually do. I've tried Atkins, HCG, south beach, and even tried gluten/carb free (which was actually the shortest for me).

WW has been working for me though, and I think it's because I don't have to cut anything out technically. If I want a slice of cake, I can calculate how many points are in it. I can still eat fast food if I want to, there are a ton of weight watchers friendly deserts out there, and nothing is really off limits. There's also something about counting points instead of counting calories that puts me at ease, and makes it easier for me to go day by day. The diet does gently steer you towards better foods, fruits and veggies net zero points in the PointsPlus program, so for more filling meals you'll want to use more of them. There are a lot of free online resources if you can't/don't want to pay for the program too.

Mainly though, you'll want to figure out what your trigger is. For me it was the thought of not getting to eat some of my go-to favorites for the foreseeable future. Each person is different though. Explore and find what is a fit for you.

Seriously this is the story of my life. I will eat good all day but ya know that cheeseburger is calling my name and its only a dollar. plus I wont have to cook then. its a never ending cycle

I have to agree with Samklig but in a little different way. If I were to crave something, let's say a chocolate brownie for example. If I try to meet that craving with something low fat, low calorie, gluten free it won't make my craving for a real brownie go away. Instead I might eat 20 of the low fat thingies, then try to eat something completely different to steer me away from my real craving, like a sandwich or something. And then eventually my real craving will come back full force and I'll dive into a bin of brownies and inhale them. If I had just had the freakin brownie that I wanted to begin with I would have avoided all that.

Substitutions never work for me, never have. I've tried that.

:rofl: i have sooooo done that inhaling cookies thing!

I also have a hard time making substitutions. Sometimes they work, but its rare. Maybe i could substitute a regular brownie for a brownie that has less sugar, but only if it is delicious; if it lacks in flavour compared to the first one, it won't work. I find eating a small amount of what i'm craving usually works.

Something i find very important is to develop the hability to differ wanting to eat from actually being hungry. Many people have a hard time telling if they just want to binge eat/overeat or if what they are feeling is the actual need to eat a certain type of food. In my life i've confused hunger with desire to eat many many times. Food became some sort of entertainment that i would use when bored or after a long day.

I have never been able to figure out my food issues. People will say they eat their emotions, or stress, or when they're bored and so they find ways around those issues that don't involve food and voila! Problem solved!

This is just not the case for me. Sometimes when I'm sad I eat things that are bad for me.....but sometimes I don't eat anything at all. Sometimes I find chips to eat when I'm bored, other times I grab a book. It's not consistent, i can't find a 'reason'. It drives me crazy because if I can't nail down that "thing" how the heck do I even begin to solve this problem I very clearly have with FOOD (because I'm incredibly over weight.... so what is going on with me?)

Maybe food obsession is the thing. I don't really know. But a lot of what you describe are things that I think/feel/do as well. I find myself talk is so very determined, and the reality is completely different.

I guess it really is about the one day at a time thing. And don't beat yourself up over it either! I think that makes it worse.

All of that to say - you're not alone! Good luck to you.

I think I overeat for pleasure and entertainment. It's not politically correct to admit this: the party line is that negative emotions draw people to food and that they don't actually enjoy overeating -- it's just a form of medication to deal with life's hard knocks. I'd rather look my own truth in the eye. I enjoy every single bite when I binge, even if it's 4,000 calories in half an hour.

There's no real solution to this problem, and it isn't even a problem, IMO. Humans are pleasure-seeking animals and food is a primal source of pleasure. I suppose the best way to tame the beast is to find other sources of pleasure, which I do. Beyond that it's simply a choice between food and health/vanity, which I make every day.

F.

Freelancemomma, Do you still binge or overeat once in a while? Or not at all any more? If you do, do you get back on track fairly easily or do you have a hard few days?

I have been experimenting a bit w eating gluten free treats that informally would think of as triggering (trying to figure out if it's "cookie" or "wheat/gluten" that sets me off. So far it is really seeming that wheat is my problem.

1. h-e-l-l yeah
2. I get back on track fairly easily because the alternative (never indulging or letting go) is unthinkable to me, so I need to make this work

This is me, too.

i allow myself a huge indulgence day on Fridays and immediately reign it in next day--no excuses. It's not too hard to do because i love the healthy, lower calorie foods just as much as the junk i eat on Fridays and like freelancemomma says, it's unthinkable to fall off the wagon and gain it all back.

Thanks for the answer! I have such a hard time getting back on track, usually it takes me three or four days or longer, though every once in a while I'll manage getting back on the next day. Hopefully I'll continue to learn and get better at this...

For me, Weight Watchers was AWFUL, for exactly the reasons it works for you. I would have, say, 10 points left for the day (which is exciting) and I'd think "what can I do with that ten points?" - well, I could have some fruit and a second helping of salmon... but wow, ten points is a lot. If I wanted to, I could even have COOKIES... or CAKE. How deliciously scandalous!

Can you imagine gaining a sugar addiction BECAUSE of a diet, then trying to maintain? I can't. That'd be terrible. It's the reason I walked right out of a Jenny Craig consultation; because I found out the "snacks" are basically chocolate bars. No thank you, not for me.

Mind you, I did lose 40 pounds on Weight Watchers (before I regained it all and then some). So there's that.

I think if you are someone who has a sweet tooth already, or needs a lot of freedom in your diet for other reasons, Weight Watchers is probably a good option. But if you're like me, and your problem is just eating wayyyy too much (not necessarily eating the wrong things)... well, it might still be a good option. Just, don't let it make your eating habits worse!

I could definitely see where that would be a problem for some folks. I think over the years I've learned that finding something that works for you is what ends up being the most important, we're all different after all. I use my extra points for extra servings of my "big" meal.. so I'll usually do two servings for it instead of choosing to have a snack.. but I can easily see how someone would want to use the 10 points for say.. cake. I do believe you're right in that if that's what you're doing, the diet likely isn't going to work long term.