BEST ADVICE FOR STICKING WITH YOUR PLAN

I can only speak for myself but I have found that just logging everything through the app or here on my comp keeps me in check. I can see the numbers go up and I can bring them back down by halving food. I check the food through the barcode or search before I prepare/cook and then add all the calories up into a meal, adding and taking away until it's nicely balanced, then I eat after cooking.

Not sure how much help that is to you though.

EDIT: I've made that sound like some long drawn out affair, but seriously, it really does not take long to do.

best advice I could give you is to drop the diet. I always looked at it as a diet but you really have to look at it as a life style.

track everything good and bad. and be around positive people who are doing what you want to do. I have learned so much from others. and take it one day at a time. small steps add up

For me, the most important thing is planning ahead for meals and snacks but also exercise too. And second would be experimenting to see what is the right calorie goal for you and how to plan your day to best achieve that. You have to ask yourself, could I do this everyday for ever? It may take a bit to get to that point, I know it has for me. But once you find that place, it finally becomes easy to stick with it.

Everything is finally working for me so the only thing I can advise is drink your water, get a good night's sleep and move regularly. You'll get there. Find something fun you actually like doing. It makes exercising easier.

Lots of water! Don't get down on yourself if you have a "bad day". I've noticed that I'll have 3 good and one bad. Used to be that one bad would destroy my confidence and it would take a week to get back on track. And don't let your insecurities get to you. There are a lot of nice guys on here that are full of compliments. Some may turn into great friends and truly help you. Some will lead you astray unbeknownst to them and your priorities will be skewed. Keep doing this for you and you alone and don't worry what other's think and/or say/comment/like.

The logging of meals really helps me. Exercise too.
It also helps to have killer evil monkeys watch your every meal, and chase you while running. :noway:

Let me help you out with a visual...LOL!

I have read many great posts here. I have been starting my diet tomorrow all of my life. Many times , I did that. So, I decided to start using this site. My first job was to log everything in the food diary- good or bad. I set the calories to only lose a pound a week. I was over, consistently, week one. But I was getting better. I had days that were "on" the next week, one that was under. Most were over, but it was less than the previous week.

I have tracked for 14 days now. It is Sunday. I begin day 15 tomorrow. Guess what. I effortlessly dropped my calories off a cliff today. No strain- no hardship. Just weigh everything, measure everything. No freebies. In my food diary, I could change the names of the meals and customize. I added "before bed" and "overnight eating". If I ate over night, I logged it into day two. Over or not. No punishment, no not facing it. I knew I had to accept the psychological fact of eating- I need to measure and weigh and enter. I feel so much better today. Yes, I have had some very "over" days. I roll back now and then and now, it inspires me! I used to just give up and forget it when I failed. Now, there is no failure. If you log incessantly, you may have the same experience. I just started cutting back, and now, my food addition is under MUCH better control! This is really working for me- at last. And I am NOT miserable!

Don't demonize any food group. If your favorite food in life is pizza then learn to work it in. I have worked in pizza, Red Robin burgers, buffets...all with a calorie deficit.

Start with an exercise that you will stick with. If you like to walk, then use that and then eventually add onto it. Then maybe eventually shift into running. Or if you like to take classes join a YMCA or Lifetime Fitness (or something similar) and plan to work some classes into your schedule. The more you go the more confident you will be...then eventually you are holding your own against the 19 year old on the bike next to you.

Do not forget about life. It happens. Don't be afraid to enjoy that party or that dinner on the town. Don't freak out when the dinner served is deep dish Chicago style pizza and blackberry cobbler....just remember that one meal isn't what happened. It was the mountains of calorie surplus every day for however many years that led you here...one meal won't derail you....you pick back up where you left off the next day.