How do you stick with it?

This might sound like a silly question, but do you believe you can lose weight? You sound really defeated, and it's hard to stay motivated if you don't have confidence in the outcome. Read some of the success stories, and you will see people who tried everything under the sun to lose weight with no success, but then started on MFP and lost significant amounts of weight for the first time in their lives.

On a more practical note, eating the same foods fairly often can help streamline the logging process. I probably have a list of about 10 veggies, a dozen fruits and 3 or 4 proteins that make up 80% of my entries, and now that they are in my "frequent" tab, I can add them in no time.

I agree that you sound very defeated. Perhaps if you talked to a therapist it would help you gain some perspective and aid you in tackling the binging and emotional eating.

I'm 35 and didn't diet for 10 years between 23 and 33 because I was so sick of not losing weight, or losing it and regaining it. 2 1/2 years ago I joined TOPS, lost a few pounds, and then read Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, which a fellow member recommended. It really resonated with me, and since then I've been slowly losing weight eating low carb high fat. I think that my lack of success previously was because low fat dieting just doesn't work for me. Anyway, I do recommend reading the book but it may or may not mean as much to you.

Logging everything was difficult at first, but I actually enjoy it now! I like manually entering my recipes and tweaking the ingredients for a healthier balance. Maybe your husband could do that part for you! Being able to save whole meals is a real time saver, too, as there are really only three or four breakfasts and lunches that I typically eat. I can plan better as well, pairing a low-protein, high-carb breakfast with a high-protein, low-carb lunch or vice versa. Try using a voice-recording or note-taking app to keep track of your food during the day, and sit down in the evening with a cup of tea to log everything if doing it in the moment is too much of a hassle. Don't give up! You can make this process work for you - don't let it add to your stress.

I find calorie counting to be a major drag too. But whoever said to think of it as a tool to gain control of my life, has helped me too. I know this battle is in my head, and I have to stop thinking of it as a chore, but rather a tool to improve my health, my outlook, my life. It's easy , free, and effective if you're honest about everything.

I hope this helps, as your situation is not an easy one; a gentleman speaking on a podcasts said:

There are two guy, both of which are alcoholics. They both go to a recovery program, listen to the same lectures, and perform the same exercises. One of them is there because he has truly hit rock bottom and said "that's it! I'm making a change! The other is there because his spouse browbeat him into going. One of them will benefit from the program, the other will not.

Is point was, the latter may argue "I wasn't able to quit alcohol because I wasn't using the right program," but the former proved that the program does work. The difference was in the steps that they took to reach their goal, they both took the same steps. The difference was their reason for wanting to reach that goal. One guy wanted to give up alcohol because he had truly had his last drink. The other was only there because of an external stimulus. Maybe your plight isn't so much that you haven't found a method that will work, but something else. Only you can know for sure, but perhaps speaking with a professional, if that's an option for you, will help you realize what triggers your "lapses."

All I have to go on are your posts, but my gut tells me that you're clinging to your failures and perhaps allowing the times that you feel you have failed to distract you/demotivate you from trying again. Personal experience, I'm the type that would rather fail because I didn't try, than to have tried my best only to fail. That way I can tell myself "yeah, I failed. But had I tried, I totally would have succeeded." It allows me to "save face" in my own way. It took me years of soul searching to learn and accept that about myself.

You're tired of weighing food and counting calories. I completely understand that. I used to waste time doing that as well. I still do, but it's automatic now, and I'm A LOT faster at it because of practice. Perhaps weighing food and counting calories isn't for you longterm. But maybe do it for 12 weeks - it will fly by. Be consistent with what you eat. Take your measurements (with seamstress tape) every ~2 weeks. After 12 weeks, you should then have a decent foundation of habit, and more importantly have a very good idea of how your body will react to a certain lifestyle. Then you will know "I ate in this manner, and got these results." With that as your baseline you can then begin to figure out "I don't need to count calories, but maybe I should increase my activity level and/or change up my diet by eating less of this and/or more of that." It may seem daunting, but you're giving yourself data so you know what kind of adjustments to make. Right now you're just shooting from the hip, in the dark, and becoming more and more frustrated by not being able to hit your target. Let's turn on the lights, see where your target is, take a shot, and then adjust your aim accordingly.

First, ask yourself: "Why do I want to do this?" I do this because I'm sick and tired of being the guy that always finds an excuse to not better himself. And I was fortunate enough to have someone in my life that said "I'm sick of your big talk and no follow through. If you're going to do it, DO IT! But for god's sake, stop talking about it!" I do this because I don't want to be embarrassed to take my shirt off at the waterpark. I don't want to spend another summer making excuses of not taking her to the waterpark, and forcing her aunt to take her, because I'm too self conscious about my body, and the people that I just know are judging me. I do this because I remember being a kid, and teasing other kids because their dads were overweight. I don't want my daughter to get teased because her dad is overweight. Every time I feel myself sliding I ask "what means more to you? This thing you're going to eat? Or the body you want? Which means more to you, getting another 3 hours of sleep, or getting up and getting to the gym?" When people look at you and you feel embarrassed about your gut, are you going to look back on this box of donuts and feel that they were worth eating, or are you going to regret eating them?"

It doesn't always work. But I've learned to say "okay, you fell down. Don't stay down." Find your reason. Figure out what you want, and why.