NO self control...HELP

Nobody can give you self control, you have to find it yourself but I will say many people on here enjoy ice cream and thing like that within their goals and still lose weight. Just factor your ice cream into your daily allowance and it won't hinder you.

For me it came down to this:

1. Do I want to eat whatever I want, whenever I want and enjoy it while it lasts but then HATE the me I see in the mirror, cringe at photos and feel guilt after I eat?

OR

2. Do I want to enjoy my food, everything in moderation, like what I see in the mirror and have photos I can be proud of?

Until you want number 2 more than you want to fill your face you won't do it. May sound harsh but it's true, only YOU can do this, there are no magic answers.

Drink water. When someone breaks out the chocolate or the cupcakes, go drink 2 big glasses of water! You will feel full and you'll only want a few bites!
I always eat junk food that others bring around but staying full all day helps my cravings.

Take a naked/underwear photo and look at it when you want ice cream and remind yourself of what you're trying to get away from.

In agreement with jesz124!!!! :frown:

You want it because you think you can't have it and you shouldn't then it feels soooo good to eat it until the guilt hit.

Soooo....

Take the forbidden out of those foods. Stick a snacks/treats section into your diary. Next, divide your calories into roughly quarters. Allow yourself to eat NO MORE than one of those quarters in your snacks section every day. Pre-plan your treats. Place them onto a treat plate. If it is icecream then MEASURE IT OUT in the morning before you feel like it. Cover it then put back in the freezer for later. Then you know by night time if you keep your breakfast/lunch/dinner to 3/4 of your calories then you can have your treat plate. If you get to dinner time and you are really hungry then look at whether you want all of your treat plate and the regular dinner or half your treat plate and a bigger dinner.

If you control your sweets portions they won't control you.

Good post

You want it because you think you can't have it and you shouldn't then it feels soooo good to eat it until the guilt hit.

Soooo....

Take the forbidden out of those foods. Stick a snacks/treats section into your diary. Next, divide your calories into roughly quarters. Allow yourself to eat NO MORE than one of those quarters in your snacks section every day. Pre-plan your treats. Place them onto a treat plate. If it is icecream then MEASURE IT OUT in the morning before you feel like it. Cover it then put back in the freezer for later. Then you know by night time if you keep your breakfast/lunch/dinner to 3/4 of your calories then you can have your treat plate. If you get to dinner time and you are really hungry then look at whether you want all of your treat plate and the regular dinner or half your treat plate and a bigger dinner.

If you control your sweets portions they won't control you.

That's an absolutely fantastic method. It's similar to mine but way more organized. I log my food at the start of my day. I eat five or six times a day and divide my calories almost equally between them. Two times are considered snacks--the rest meals. I also allow myself to splurge once in a while, but as soon as the splurge is done, I get it out of the house (or I go out for it so it's never in the house). That's harder with others in the house, but it can be done. By buying smaller quantities, it makes it so there's not as much temptation around. Another consideration is that if it's not good for you, it's probably also not good for anyone else in the house. It could be a family health focus to only have treats in the house once a week (or something like that). Then, you can plan your day on treat day knowing that your treat will be part of your calorie alotment.

I've often felt food issues were among the hardest to deal with. No other addiction is also a required activity. An alcoholic doesn't have to drink some alcohol but avoid others; they can eventually not drink. I'm not saying that's easy, but there is an alcohol-free solution. A food addict MUST continue to eat some food and therefore combat temptations regularly. Those temptations don't have to control you, though. I have NO foods that are off limits. I just try to make smart choices about where I splurge. And, if I'm going to each chocolate, it's going to be the best chocolate I can get my hands on. I'm not settling for the last piece of candy left in someone's candy bowl; I'll eat the good stuff. It's way more satisfying that way.

God bless.

I dont call my 'happy foods' treats or cheats, they are all part of a normal diet. I KNOW Im going to want something sweet at some point in the day so Ill fit it in with all my meals. It stops me from going Rambo on the kids snacks, keeps me satisfied and I never feel deprived. :flowerforyou:

I have a big problem with self control also. I have found that I need to avoid chocolate and sugary things because eating one thing is almost always the beginning of a food binge. Sugar and chocolate are very addictive, so I do better by not having them at all, keeping them out of the house. After 4-5 days of not indulging, the cravings quiet down greatly. That's not to say I don't have "treats", but I find healthier choices. Fiber One has 90 calories brownies that work for a chocolate fix, as do sugar free fudgecicles, or real fruit sugar free Popsicle. For a real "splurge" I will have a sugar free dillybar from DQ.

I also have a free app on my phone that is called "my diet coach" which can send me notifications at certain times reminding me to stay the course. My snacking times are about 3 pm and 9 pm, so that's when I get a message that reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing. Anytime you are feeling week, you can open that app and read some motivational sayings.

Don't ever deprive yourself of what you love to eat! If I'm craving pasta and all it's yummy cheesey goodness, then I fit it in for that day. I usually plan for a cheat meal one or two times a week, to keep me somewhat sane. If there's cookies and donuts in the lunchroom at work, I take a walk and usually forget about it when I get back to my desk. Make sure when you eat at meals that you are satisfied and not still hungry. Fill up on protein. I cook chicken in tomato sauce sometimes, and just eat that, and I feel like I'm eating a pasta dish because of the tomato sauce, lol. I find I usually have no self-control when I'm hungry or have been depriving myself of something I love, so don't do that! I tend to eat whatever's in sight when I'm hungry, so I like to plan my meals so that I always have something healthy on hand and won't turn to just whatever in that FEED ME NOW moment.

Do you drink a lot of diet soda? I found that I was always hungry when I drank that stuff. For me, the rumour was true that it increased my appetite.

Sweety, don't feel guilty about eating these things. It's all about moderation. You ARE human and you are going to have food cravings. The most important thing to remember is to think 'are you really hungry?' when you're eating these items and that you can buy lower calorie/healthier versions of the chocolate treats you love. For example, dry dark chocolate opposed to milk- it's got more antioxidants and because of the richness you only need a little to feel satisfied. When you have a cookie craving bake your own- this way you know exactly what's going into them, make a whole batch and pop them in the freezer so they last longer. The most important thing is not to tell yourself you can't have them, I find from personal experience this makes me just want it more. Instead tell yourself that if you still want this cookie tomorrow or the next day you can have it then. You'll either find you want the cookie or you don't but in the mean time you've stopped yourself bingeing.. Hope this helps and good luck

Every time I've failed it's because I attach a negative emotion to food.
The worse I believe it is the more I want it.

Now that nothing is off the menu, I just have to work it in, I want those foods so much less.
Chips are my downfall. I can eat chips all day. In 3 1/2 months I've had 2 servings and I was really disappointed. I knew they weren't naughty and I had plenty of allowance for them. They just lost their appeal.
I'm also currently selling chocolates for my roller derby team's fundraiser. Out of the 5 boxes (that's 250 chocolates) that have passed through my hands I've had 3. There's a whole box sitting on my dining table that I simply have no interest in. I could even eat one now and still not even come close to meeting goal. I could have 2 if I wanted. Eh.

Food is highly emotional for us. It's attached to so many events and memories that our relationships with food are hard to understand and change. From what you've written you said you dig in with your family. Is it just triggered by eating with them? Maybe you need to consider why it's so hard for you, is it bonding, not wanting to be left out, good times happening around food? You can still have these moments, you can work the food in by measuring your portion or eat something else. Have some yogurt instead of ice cream. I know in Aus we have some frozen yogurts that are nicer than ice cream.