Yo yo dieting

Choose to stop. It just comes down to that. It is easier said than done of course. There is no motivation pill.

Maybe try some exercises in self-control? I struggle a lot with this too But recently I've been trying to get myself to be more in control.

One thing I've been focusing on is drinking more water. I try to drink 12 cups while I'm at work. I've found that the water keeps me feeling full, so I'm a little less likely to grab snacks.

It might also be helpful to work on substitutions. Trade ice cream for frozen yogurt with berries. Trade a cookie for a fruit of some kind. Small things that add up.

I'm still working on getting out of the yo-yo phase, too

I've struggled with this for years! Only in the last five months or so have I started to get it figured out. That's not to say I don't have slip-ups here and there... random packages of Girl Scout cookies... darn those cute kids (I've actually drawn the blinds and hidden from them before when they ring the bell, LOL), but I've started to make progress by getting a group of friends together for a support group of sorts and trying to get "diet" out of my vocabulary and trying to put my health first and forget about the size of my pants. I know when I binge eat that it isn't good for my health because I'll eat things that are waaaaay not good for me. Then I'm super strict for a while... also not so great... then I binge. Not healthy at all. But I've found when I try to just focus on what is healthy, it's a lot easier. It sort of takes the pressure off.

I find the biggest strategy that has helped me with yo-yoing is really approaching my diet with an attitude that it fits into my life, lifestyle and choices and doesn't dictate it. I eat for nourishment and for fuel, and am very moderate (welcome to have a look at my diary to see what I mean).

I also find when I bolster the things outside of diet that make me happy- social life, sleep, hobbies etc, I am less prone to detrimental eating behaviours. Sure, sometimes stuff happens- but more often than not it's just life, not cheating, not being bad, not bingeing.

But that's just me.

mrsBrown1989 wrote: »

My main problem is if I eat one bad thing ill throw it all away and give up and I'll binge eat for a week.

So if your car got a flat tire, would you get out and slash the remaining three good tires and just walk away? Or would you fix the flat and get back on the road? Same principle.

Yo-yo dieting usually happens from restricting calories too much in hopes of seeing quick results. The goal is hard to stick to, the results don't show up as expected, and you get frustrated and just chuck it all - been there, done that.

Finally I said enough is enough, no more starting over because it really sucks, and I set my calorie goal to a reasonable deficit, and made exercise goals that fit into my lifestyle without taking much time away from my family, home or other activities. And you know what? I've reached goal weight, bought smaller clothes, and I've gotten fitter & stronger, I sailed through the holidays without gaining, and I have stuck with it for over three years now.

Be in it for life, which means slow and steady and SUSTAINABLE, not for a short sprint to get to a certain number on the scale or to be a certain weight by such and such a date. Then what? Staying active it what I do now, it's part of my life. Eating well is, too. Do I eat perfectly and within goal every day of the year? Absolutely not! But at least 80% of the time I am within goal and eating the good stuff. My calorie goal leaves room for pizza, burgers, ice cream, margaritas and whatever else I want. My exercise goals leave room for life, rest days, even rest weeks! I have no worries about getting out of the habit or falling of some imaginary wagon - this is my life now, and it's awesome.

It takes time to learn new habits. Use your diary as a tool - log everything, and then look back over the days and weeks and see where you did well, and where you didn't. What can you change? Could you have had a half serving of chips at lunch and stayed in goal? Would choosing apple slices and peanut butter for a snack instead of candy leave room for a glass of wine with dinner and still be in goal? You learn to make better choices. It's a process. But it's totally worth it.

Good luck!

There's lots of great advice here. But I definitely agree that you have to change that attitude you have where you just say "screw it." There will always be holidays, busy days, parties, sick days, etc. That will never change. So if you want to change, you'll have to learn to accept imperfection.

(And I don't say this to be mean. This is hard stuff, and we all have stuff. I'm just saying it because it does seem like a major block for you in getting what you want, and you need to tackle that block directly.)

Some tips in addition to the other ones here:
1. Identify the underlying beliefs that lead to this behaviour, and challenge the logic. Over and over until it sticks.
2. Come up with a new way to frame imperfection. Ex. "falling off the wagon/horse", "failure", "screwing up", "bingeing", "giving up", "cheating" etc. There's no wagon, there's no failure. I've recently started following Blogilates and Cassey calls her meals that deviate from her usual "YOLO meals" -- this is an example of a positive frame that wouldn't lead to "oh well I suck, guess I'll give up."

mrsBrown1989 wrote: »

My main problem is if I eat one bad thing ill throw it all away and give up and I'll binge eat for a week.

this is my biggest struggle!! I'm a hardcore binge eater.. still working on it!!