This is why I'm fat

I buy 100 calorie packs of sweets and 100 calorie fudge bars to take care of my sweets cravings try it it helps also trying on clothes renews your strength and will power, I have done this at 11 pm before hang in there you are worth it !!!!!

I love the low calorie fudge bars.

Drink plenty of water through out the day this will help detox your body. Be sure to eat enough Berries for breakfast and or lunch.
Extreme cases I would recommend buying a small tub of casein protein powder and have 1 scoop with water or milk with your last meal or in any case 2 scoops with milk as your last meal. The slow digestive process of casein should keep your metabolism busy. Just do this occasionally though. Try the water and berries first it helps detox you and it helps with the cravings. Trust I used to get the cravings bad especially for sweets. For the past 6 months I've drank nothing but water some juice or crystal light here and there but no more cravings... Ever. I walk by the candy or sweets aisle and it's like it never happened. Hang in there tight and remember what you have accomplished so far. Build this battle day by day and you will get a grasp on it. Good luck...

Based on your diary most of the things you eat are pre-packaged, processed food.

Unfortunately, at this time, that's all I have. It's a struggle because my husband and son are fine with what they eat (I'm not fine with it, but they are) and it's hard to justify spending a limited grocery budget on fresh produce, etc. when I'm the only one that eats it. I wouldn't mind making things from scratch if I could figure out how to afford it.

Why would you have to cook yourself a separate meal? Don't you want your family to eat healthier? Your husband may not want to, but you still have say over what your child should or shouldn't eat.

I don't have this problem anymore - I used to, but since I started to focus on fresh fruits and veggies, I crave them FAR more. During that time of the month, bets are off, hormones spike cravings and it's harder. I struggle then, but not the rest of the month thank goodness:)

Just so happens I'm there now... LOL. Here's what I would do in your boat. Save about 200 calories for a snack. I take Sandwich thins 100% whole wheat, toast them, and put a generous portion of chocolate PB2 on them open faced. (think Nutella on Toast). If I go with a 1/4 cup serving of chocolate PB2, thats 2 tablespoons for EACH slice of the sandwich thin - absolutely kills the grumbellies and the sweet tooth the fiber in the whole wheat is very filling, and - well - it's just a great snack.

The nice thing about the PB2 is that it's powdered. It falls into a 'processed' category, but, not like the prepackaged meals (yuck)- it's just basically Peanut flour (with a lot of the fat removed) and cocoa with a little sugar in it. so it's powder that you add water to to make a 'butter ' consistency. it's chocolate peanut butter - great on apples, toast, etc..

90 calories per 2 tblspns vs 200 in peanut butter...

anyhow - just a suggestion. I'd say have a piece of fruit, but sometimes you need a little more than that - fruit and cottage cheese is an AWESOME combination (protein in the cottage cheese). I'd say you need at least, protein, fiber, or fat for satiety, and of those I'd lean more to protein and or fiber or both

Good luck!

We have a thing where I live called bountiful baskets. It is a co-op operation that allows you to order produce for cheap. The thing is you do not get to pick the veggies and fruit but you do get a good variety and quantity. It costs about $15 a week and you do not have to order every week. Last time I read they were all over the U.S. good luck with everything:)

Based on your diary most of the things you eat are pre-packaged, processed food.

Unfortunately, at this time, that's all I have. It's a struggle because my husband and son are fine with what they eat (I'm not fine with it, but they are) and it's hard to justify spending a limited grocery budget on fresh produce, etc. when I'm the only one that eats it. I wouldn't mind making things from scratch if I could figure out how to afford it.

How often in the past have you or your husband cooked a family dinner from scratch? Do you eat at the dinner table most nights or separately due to schedule / on the couch watching tv? If you take a person who is used to eating fast food or processed, pre-made meals from the grocery freezer and throw a big plate of salad at them, I would expect them to not like it. If they were given a tasty, creative dinner they probably wouldn't even notice or care that it was healthy. My suggestion is to go to a site like CookingLight.com, skinnytaste.com, skinnykitchen.com (do a search in the Recipes or Nutrition sections of the forum and you'll find tons of healthy recipe sites) and find a recipe you really like. Scale the recipe down to 2-3 servings to save money on buying the ingredients and have that for dinner at the dinner table while your husband and son are eating what they are accustomed to. You'll have some leftovers and they will be left drooling over your looks good, smells good, tastes delicious dinner. I would be willing to bet it won't take very long for them to start asking you to cook dinner for them too.

it's hard to justify spending a limited grocery budget on fresh produce, etc. when I'm the only one that eats it. I wouldn't mind making things from scratch if I could figure out how to afford it.

Check out this website:
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.ca/2010/08/deconstructed-guacamole-wraps-or-lime.html

The page is just what I happened to make last from her site, but there's a whole slew of things to browse & make .... & it tells you the price per meal, on average.

Plan ahead: Fresh produce/perishables won't go to waste (even if you're the only one eating them) if you use the same ingredient for a few meals.

THEN, if you have left overs .... make a casserole on day 4 before they turn! We rarely throw anything out here.

We are two adults and a baby. We spend, at the VERY most, $175/month on groceries and we always have fresh fruit, veggies and meats on the go. (And we're in Canada where our dairy & meats are waaaay more expensive than the U.S.) I also make all of our daughter's food from whole, unprocessed foods. I'd say, on average, we spend $125/month on groceries, buying one more carton of milk if needed.

When I get home from grocery shopping, I take 1.5 - 2 hrs and portion out EVERYTHING. Meats, veggies, fruits, snacks: Everything is pre-portioned to appropriate snack sizes that way it's just as easy to grab a veggie container as it is to grab a bag of chips from the pantry. It also makes cooking easier as most of the prep work is done. Even dips are cheap to make! Hummus, low-cal cheese & spinach .. and they go a LONG way! I NEVER buy 100-calorie packs of anything -- look at the ingredient list and the macros: horrible! You can make your OWN 100-calorie snacks with more food, better quality and for less money.

Best of luck. If you want it, it can happen. My intent wasn't to take your post and make it about myself, but I thought perhaps some examples might get you motivated and it's something I'm really passionate about because it CAN be done! I haven't looked at your diary, but if you're eating all pre-packaged stuff it's likely you're actually spending MORE money for the quantity you're actually getting -- and the sodium in that stuff is outrageous. I'm no pro, but I'd be happy to help you come up with a plan if you're interested.

I'm certainly no expert but you might want to try asking yourself if you want food because you need nourishment or do you want food to satisfy some other need like comfort, emotional support, calming anxiety etc. If you want food because you are hungry, then you need to eat something. If it's for other reasons, food won't fill the hole. Sometimes I tell myself that I know what feelings wait for me on the other side of the decision to eat but I'm less familiar with the feelings that wait for me on the other side of the decision not to eat for emotional reasons. Good luck to you!

eat less calorie dense foods during the day, more rice, vegetables, lean meat etc. This way you can eat more in terms of volume of food but less calories.

Then if you have consumed the vast majority of your cals from these sources you can have the last 10-15% of your daily allowance as a treat and still be within you calorie goal.

Based on your diary most of the things you eat are pre-packaged, processed food.

****THIS!!!!****

Based on your diary most of the things you eat are pre-packaged, processed food.

Unfortunately, at this time, that's all I have. It's a struggle because my husband and son are fine with what they eat (I'm not fine with it, but they are) and it's hard to justify spending a limited grocery budget on fresh produce, etc. when I'm the only one that eats it. I wouldn't mind making things from scratch if I could figure out how to afford it.

Is it possible for you to grow some of your own produce? Tomatoes can be grown in pots inside, and make great salsa.

I have this issue with my family too, they don;'t care if they eat healthy and when you only have so much money to spend on groceries....However we do have a garden so I am able to eat fresh produce we have grown. Start small, buy yourself a bag of grapes or a bunch of bananas. Oh and I find late night tv watching when I crave food too....just take it one craving at a time. Yesterday when I was craving food I drank water and did some exercise...It got me thru...one day or one craving at a time....