No more half-assing IT--I need to take this seriously..I'm at my heaviest ever! Ugh!

Planning is helpful. I have salty, sugar and chocolate cravings. I make sure to have satisfying healthy snacks to help with cravings. For chocolate or sweet I do caramel corn rice cake spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with chocolate chips. For salty I do sea salt nuts. Other ideas are frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Apple slices with peanut butter. Wheat thins with laughing cow cheese. String cheese.

I'm so sorry for your loss! But I'm very proud of you for keeping on trying to meet your goals. You can do this!!

As far as logging: I've found that when I'm most successful just logging EVERY single thing I eat for a week, and not really trying to hit a goal. I rarely hit "complete entry" during this phase because I don't want to see the damage, but I can see the total cals for the day. That gets me into the habit of logging, and shows me where I need to improve. Then after that first week, I've already got a 7 day streak so I HAVE to keep logging in, and that's when I start trying to hit my goals. If the 2# per week is too strict for you, start with either maintaining or losing just 1/2# per week. Then you can lower your calories as your body adjusts. If you just dive in your body is going to freak out and go into OMG I AM STAAAAAARVING I NEED ALL THE FOOD! NOW!! And you will drive yourself bonkers

As far as sugar and specific cravings: I have found (for me personally, everyone is different) that if I am in a mood for something sweet, I need to satisfy that craving early with something small or I will eat an entire package of oreos. By myself. You don't want to see the calories on that.

So, when I start craving something, I have a large glass of water while I think about what I want. I figure if I'm going to waste a ton of calories, I want to make sure it's on something I REALLY want. If I need something sweet, I make a small glass of chocolate 2% milk, or I have these nature valley bars that are nuts dipped in dark chocolate. Both of those things have protein and so they hit my sweet craving and make me fill much more full, so I'm not beating myself up for having eaten something sweet and still being hungry.

Then I log it!! That's the most important part. Even if I go over on my cals for the day, I count it as a success that I actually logged everything I ate for the day. My goal is 1200 a day, so if I go up to 1500 I'm still technically eating less than I burned for the day. So it's a win!

As far as preventing cravings: I've found that if I eat lots of salt, I crave lots of sugar and vice versa. Also, if I let myself get too hungry then I go into a special kind of EAT ALL THE THINGS mode.

Hang in there! Everyone has their ups and downs.
I've been trying to loose weight since November. Though it has been slow progress, I have been successful. I still get cravings and have my days when, all I really want is Chinese food!
I'm 35 pounds lighter but still fight those cravings. Here are a few things that help me out when I'm about to make the wrong choice.
For sweets: dip dates in almond butter (about 5 with 1-1/2 tsp), cranberry energy ball (there is a recipie on pop sugar.com and many more for sweet tooth cravings), dark chocolate with chili or sea salt.
Before each meal I drink an entire glass of room temp water. This makes the difference! If I don't do it I am more likely to go back for seconds.
Planning my meals for the month. I schedule about two per week (but I am also only cooking for one so leftovers go a long way for me). Planning like this lets me try new recipes that fit into my schedule and save money because I only buy what I need. I try and stick to what is on the menu for the week and there is no guessing at the store.
I also try and give myself a cheat day. If I know I am going out with friends or just a day to give me something to keep me happy. You can still allow yourself those pleasure foods. It's better to feed them than suppress. Trust me been there done that!
So on a cheat day I just try and limit the amount of carbs or the types of snacks (like more veggies than fruit based snacks that day).
As for staying motivated, I found an inspiring quote/picture one day on line and made a playlist based on it. It reads "you'll never know".
And it was right.... I'll never know what it is like to be fit and healthy if I don't try, I'll never know what it's like to fit into that beautiful dress I bought that is 2 sizes two small, I'll never know if I could finish a half marathon..... I later discovered, I don't want to keep any of these things as a mystery.
So now anytime I feel like I just can't go to the gym, take 30 minutes to do a workout, or prep my meals for the week..... I tell my self I'll never know and it's no longer "I just can't "
Hope I helped Robin!