Need a swift kick in the behind

I just returned to mfp 5 days ago after a year and a half. just got up the motivation to try to get back into shape again. first time around I lost 25 lbs and only gained back 5. so now on to finish my goal and need to lose a other 20-25 lbs. let's keep each other motivated! I also have a love affair with food. especially chocolate and anything that I can dip... lol 5 days going strong so trying to make sure I can continue to keep myself motivated:) I wish you luck.

Food is wonderful!! Don't give up your love affair. We are humans, and like most creatures, we love food!

Don't give it up, just make little lifestyle changes and adaptations. For example, I too LOVE Mexican food. Tonight my dinner included eggs topped with beans, spicy chicken breast, and salsa. Last night I made guacamole with plain avocado and organic salsa. Wait, maybe that means that I'm addicted to salsa... either way I have adapted my taste for Mexican flavors to a healthier alternative to the cheesy, tortilla-wrapped goodness that i used to enjoy. No, it's not the same and sometimes I DO have a cheat meal and go all out, but it suffices most days.

What ever you do though, you have to find your motivation for YOU. If you depend on us, dear OP, you are bound to fail. Figure out why you are here and what you want. Set some goals and remember them day to day. Then:

1. Track everything that goes into your mouth. Inconvenient especially at first, yes, but it'll become habit after a while.
2. Start making little changes. You don't have to change everything all at once, and if you do, you are more likely to say "F' it" and give up.
3. Once you master one or two little changes, make a couple more. For example, I stopped eating wheat products for a while. I am not totally restricted from it, and I enjoy a wheat product now and then, but after I broke my addiction to bread and pasta (for the most part), I'm alright without it. After that, I decided to try "eating clean," which for me, meant phasing multi-ingredient foods out of my diet (especially foods with any ingredients that a third-grader would have trouble pronouncing) and replacing them with 1-ingredient foods as much as possible. Split hairs on this as much as you feel you need to... salsa is a food made from several 1-ingredient foods, but I consider it "clean eating" appropriate... decide what's good for yourself.
4. Take it slow. It takes time to gain weight, and it should take time to lose it too. Fast weight losses typically precede faster fat gains.
5. Love your food. Love your body! Love life in general. We should be having fun here.
6. Find a good work out program. Hopefully it'll include weight lifting as well as cardio. bodybuilding.com is a great place to find a program to fit any goal you may have.
7. GET OBSESSED. Look at motivational pics and quotes. Read books and articles. Get INTO fitness. make it your thing. You'll not only motivate yourself, but you will likely motivate others too.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Mexican and south Asian food is my favourite of all time! And I consider all my favoutite meals healthy in that they make it easy to meet my goals with them. Your dinner sounds wonderful!

This is similar to what others have said, but it's what finally "clicked" for me. It's all about making choices. We are so blessed that we can make choices. I can choose to eat my burger & fries (in your case, Mexican/chips & salsa) and then you can choose to eat less at the next meal, or a little less at the next few meals or choose to exercise a little more. Life is too short and food is meant to be enjoyed. I spent most of my life trying to be "perfect", and then when I screwed up, I said "what the hell" because I then thought I'd have to perfect again tomorrow. I was so MEAN to myself for so many years (I've struggled with my weight my entire life). I wanted to lose weight and just be DONE, but I've now switched my mentality to "who cares how long it takes me to lose it because I will never have to lose it again". I've had so much more success and have enjoyed the process and my life so much more. It's so much a mental game. So - change your attitude, and then all the other strategic changes (a little less cheese, a little more veggies) won't feel so difficult.