I really think that I need serious help

Hi there,

It was hard to read your quote, because I deal with some similar issues, as it relates to why you eat. I've found the only way to move forward is to take it one day at a time. If you have trigger foods, get them out of the house. If you have the ability, find an eating disorder specialist. I can't tell you how much they can help if you find a good one. The day mine told me I have a binge eating/flour and sugar addiction issue, a lightbulb went on. I thought I was crazy before that. Don't give up on yourself - you CAN do this. There will always be slip-ups, we're only human. But with the amazing support here and your desire to make this change, it is achievable. One day at a time... Set reasonable goals for yourself. It doesn't have to be all or nothing from day one. Trying to do a 180 in your lifestyle is setting yourself up for failure. Pick one small change to make every week and very soon you'll be seeing the changes you so desperately want and deserve. (((HUGS)))

Congratulations for taking the first step and writing down what you eat. Big, big move, huge in fact. Persistence can accomplish a lot of things that you can't otherwise do, so whatever happens and whatever setbacks happen, keep it up. @mearlie has a good approach, it's all just about today. But don't let a slip become a justification for simply etting it all go! Say "oh well" and get back on it. And exercise is never a bad way to keep you from food while burning some fat. Do it because you want to be a role model for your son! Kids never listen to what you say, but they watch everything you do. Let him learn good behavior from your example. Good luck.

1. Get over it.

2. Admit to yourself that you're in it for the long haul and that that means you'll have good days and bad days.

3. Get over it.

4. Just keep doing it. Eventually it becomes a habit and you'll feel weird *not* doing healthy things all day long.

5. Get over it.

5a. Read http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

and get over it!

Here's an ego boost for you:

You could look like me.

1. One day at a time. Log your food today. Just focus on today. If you can, take a walk today. Just focus on today.

2. Tomorrow re-do line one!

3. If you have a bad day, it's JUST a bad day. Go back and re-read line 1.

I am doing the same thing. For me, I'm not good at routines, so taking it one day at a time and being committed one day at a time is the key, I hope, to my success.

QFT

I’m going to teach you a little trick today to instantly stop this behavior and allow you to continue down your path towards a leveled up life.

It’s called the “Get the over it” rule, and it’s sweeping the nation.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

Listen to this guy....he is AWESOME and amazing friend to have on here

Whatever you need - pushing, pulling, carrying - I'm here for you.

My "ah-ha!" moment came nearly three weeks ago. I was stuffed to the point of being miserable and realized all of a sudden that I had been in control all along. I had stuffed myself on purpose, not because I was out of control, but because there were (and are) a lot of problems in my life that I couldn't deal with directly, which made me feel bad. I was feeding the bad, really pumping up the misery of it all.

In the past, I wanted to lose weight without really changing anything.
Now I'm willing to change everything.

I advise that you pay attention to your eating habits for a day or two, maybe a week. Figure out when you're hungry and really need to eat. Schedule meals for those times, and eat/drink nothing but water between those times. This is working for me big time. (I'm a new member; that's why my counter doesn't show a weight loss yet. But I've been at this for nearly 3 weeks and can see it in how my clothes fit.)

I'm a DONA-trained birth doula, and I would like to offer you a comment from a doula's perspective:

Becoming a parent is a life-changing event. Your relationship with your environment, your family, your friends, and your body (just to name a few things) is deeply affected by motherhood. Have you considered being checked out for postpartum depression?

Here's an article by an excellent childbirth educator, Robin Weiss, which may help you decide whether or not PPD is relevant to your situation:

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/postpartumdepress/a/ppdsigns.htm

I'm 5'4'' 199lbs after losing 10 lbs over the summer with the help of MFP. I have my on and off days too, but what keeps me going is focusing on the long term goal. If I have a bad day (or two or three) I know that when I get back on track, I'm getting closer to my goal.

One big thing that I believe has helped is changing the way I grocery shop. I started with just getting low or non fat milk instead of whole. When I realized that taste didn't suffer, I kept going. 45 calorie bread, bagel thins instead of whole bagels, and I'm in love with Lite laughing cow when I have that cream cheese craving. Doing this meant that I could be full and still lower my calories, fat, and sodium.

I also highly recommend The Hungry Girl at www.hungry-girl.com So many easy recipes for one or the whole family that are yummy and low in calories, fat and sodium. And don't forget that water!! Sometimes thirst can seem like hunger to us. Drink that glass of water and see if you still feel hungry 10 or 15 minutes later.

Don't give up! :happy:

This site has been the most useful tool! I found it extremely depressing after having my children looking at what happened to my body. It took me a couple years to lose the baby weight and even though I didnt get as slim as I was before babies, I felt I was in way better shape with the proper diet and some weight training to boot. Small price to pay for having been blessed with a child!
Find foods that are very low in calories, sometimes lettuce just wasnt what I wanted to eat AGAIN, but knowing you can eat a ton of it suited me just fine. Also, water, water, water! I now buy those packets of flavored drink mixes, like Peach Mango, or grape, or lemon, you name it, some are specific for energy, metabolism, 100% vit. C, etc, etc. They taste awesome at only 5 calories each in a full bottle of water. I also prepare foods in advance to make making salads very quick. I usually have all types of peppers, celery, tomatoes, and usually baked chicken breast on hand cut up in containers in the frig ready to throw together. I've also learned to scale back on the dressing over time, maybe even add a tad of water to make it go further because I do not care for "diet dressings". Losing weight is by far the most difficult thing--as you can tell by the stats on the American public. It takes hard work and patience. No sense in stressing about it--stress won't help the weight loss process. Take your time--it will happen, especially with the help of this website.

First of all~ you've taken step number 1 and you joined MFP and are trying to change. Secondly, you are recording everything your eating which is another step in the right direction. If you haven't already go and read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Read and understand it, it'll help make you feel much better. See in MFP your calorie goal-- already has you at a caloric deficit each day ( based on if you choose you wanted to lose a pound, two lbs per week etc) so if you go 10 calories over "your goal", you still ate less calories then what you burned. So you will still be working in the right direction. So don't try to fret I used to be the same way as far as why I was eating. Since joining here, something I've done at meal time is eat my protein/veggies/fruit first usually in that order and then if I am still hungry go for a "higher carb" food (rice, noodles, potatoe, slice of bread etc. I normally don't have very much room for that " high carb" food. If your snacking- same thing grab a fruit or veggie first. Hard to say "OMG--- i went over my calories today cause i ate way too many fruits & veggies" It's all about practice and trying to be concious of your food choices. They say it takes weeks to form a habbit, but much longer to break bad ones Its a process and it takes hard work-- Afterall, if being skinny was easy--- no one would need to lose weight