I need serious help!!!!!

Can I ask why you tell yourself NO sugar? I find if I cut anything out completely. FAIL. Try cutting down and giving yourself a treat everyday?

Strikes me that you are trying to treat the symptoms, but possibly not the cause.
I hope your therapist can lead you in the right direction to look at what this food issue is *really* about and what it defends you from, that you *really* need to work on. x

Try this for just one day and see how your sugar cravings are: have 2 sausage patties and 1 red grapefruit first thing when you get up. (I eat morningstar patties because I'm vegetarian.)

The difference in my cravings when I forget to do this is HUGE. Maybe it's worth a try?

I know not everything works for everyone, but this has worked for me. Good luck!

My thoughts are...you have these amazing sugar cravings because you are not eating a nutritionally balanced diet otherwise.

What if you did this - allowed yourself a treat at the end of the day if you met your other macros. Give yourself something to look forward to - if you eat nutritionally sound food the first part of the day. The suggestion to eat sausage patties is a good one. Have 3 protein rich meals ...have a good breakfast with protein and maybe some yogurt. Have fruit or a veggie such as baby carrots for a snack. Have a lunch with more protein and veggies...like a huge salad with hard boiled egg and grilled chicken or some tuna or ham chunks....then for a snack maybe have some strawberries or berries or melon (honeydew melon is only about 100 calories for a whopping 300 gram serving!).

Eat a good dinner again - more protein (I try to get a minimum of 40-60 grams of protein a day) and veggies. Then for dessert...later on...have a handful of your favorite cookies. By the end of the day you should feel more full/satisfied because you've eaten good foods that fill you up (protein and fats).

It may help to divide them out into single servings and put in a zip lock bag. Don't tell yourself NO you can't have it, tell yourself you CAN have it after you've met your goals for the day....and my guess is that if you've eaten well all day long, you will be less likely to binge and overeat because you won't be AS hungry.

My personal experience has been when I ate more carbs all day without balancing it out with proteins and fats, I ended up always hungry, always looking for more food to eat and I would of course reach for what I craved (carbs and sugar) rather than what I needed (proteins and fats.)

This is why Weight Watchers didn't work as well for me long term - I was always reaching for the lowest points foods (veggies and fruits and 100 calorie snack pack things but nothing with protein or fat!) so that I could have enough points at the end of the day for more snacks!!! I was never really satisfied and always ready to devour the entire box of Fruit Loops or Lucky Charms or eat 8 or 9 oreos at one time. Now I am more likely to be restrained in it - the other day I had JUST ONE Krispy Kreme donut at work. In the past I would have eaten 4 or 5 before anyone else even knew the box was in the break room.

Wizzybeth, i wish I could copy and save this post to refer to. You spelled it out in baby steps and it makes sense that way. I have a problem with trying to conquer the entire mountain instead of 1 step at a time. Thank you for your help.

That all or nothing attitude isn't the best way to look at things sometimes. You need to learn moderation and portion control. It's easier said then done for sure. But it is possible. I lost all my weight eating ice cream and cookies daily. Before I would eat the whole gallon of ice cream or a dozen cookies, but after I learned portion control and moderation, I learned how to eat a serving per day and fit it in my day so I didn't feel deprived.
I also suffer from depression and anxiety , its tough but this can be done. Motivation needs to come from within yourself . when you are truly ready to make the lifestyle change, you'll make it work. I used to over eat then become depressed about over eating, then I would eat more because I was depressed. It was a vicious cycle. Finally one day I started to take the steps needed to make the change. It takes time but after you get into a daily routine, it becomes much easier.
After a healthy lifestyle is just part of your daily life , you do it without thinking too much about it. It's just routine at that point. So you can so this , and it isn't easy but can be done. I'm proof that it works. Take baby steps and you'll get there. Remember that there has been plenty of people in your situation, and they all made it through so you can do it too

Hi OP, I can tell you what helps me, although different things work for each of us.

Since you love to bake, maybe try switching white flour and sugar to whole grain flour and stevia. I do that with muffins, and I find I don't eat more than one, because I don't get the cravings that white flour and sugar bring (since the whole grain flour and stevia doesn't give me highs and lows in my blood sugar; the highs and lows from white flour and sugar cause me to have reactive hypoglycemia and cravings).

Also, it's easier for me to stick to one if it's something I don't need to cut into (such as cookies or muffins, where you can take one and walk away, instead of cake or pie, where you have to cut into the food to get one slice). But, even at that, save those products for a treat at the end of the day, after you have met your macros, like Wizzybeth said.

And, if you have enough calories left, I find that having some protein after/with the treat helps me to not eat more. A cheddar cheese stick or an ounce of nuts or a serving of turkey pepperoni or Light n Fit Greek yogurt (it has no added sugar) all help with this. I usually have the treat as dessert, and then have the protein snack around 8 PM.

This doesn't mean you can never have sugar. But, if it's a big trigger for you, it might help to save it for special occasions or as a dessert when you eat out and have had a healthy meal. I find it is easier to not keep sugary foods in the house.

As I said, this is what helps me. I know everyone is different, though.

I am in the same position as you are. But, I've been able to tone down my sugar intake. I try eating sugar in smaller portions. Give yourself a container with a lid, or a smaller container. The container with a lid provides a bit of self control, a little bit of work each time you want a snack. I distract myself with other things too, like exercising, reading, doing a hobby, spending time with family, etc. This tip is more for hunger, but there have been studies shown that dehydration is often confused with huger, so people eat instead of drinking water. Drinking more water might help with the sugar cravings. I know that we are all different but these are a few tips that helped me. Don't subtract sugar from your diet, we all need a little treat every once in a while .

I hope these tips help you.