I need to lose over 50 pounds

I found its MUCH easier to practice self-control at the grocery store for an hour than it is at home all the time.

Second what a lot of folks are saying.

1. Set a reasonable goal. Don't try to lose 50lbs at once, and don't set deadlines. Aim for 5lbs down. However many weeks it takes you, you'll accomplish it.

2. Dont' keep your trigger foods in the house. For me, it's chips and chocolate. If they're in the house, i'll hoover them, and then eat all the cookies, ice cream, cheese, chocolate chips from the baking cupboard.. If you live with other people, sit them down and explain why you have to have a more spartan pantry. I have spoken with my wife who isn't looking to lose weight. I said that if she wanted chips, that's fine, but please eat them at work, or bring home a single serving bag and eat them all. She grew up in a large family without a lot of money, so she's a sucker for a deal, but we had words the last time she brought home a double pack of party sized bags of chips from Costco.

3. Have inspiration, even if it's unrealistic. Realize you may not ever achieve it, but you can come close. For me, it's Chris Evans as Captain America. He's a little shorter than I am, but to have a similarly sized upper body and trim waist is a goal of mine. I don't expect I'll ever be Captain America, but maybe I could be, like, a moderately good cosplay version of him?

4. Log all your food that you eat normally for a week. Look back over it. What are some high calorie items you could do without? For me it's McDonald's. I love McDonald's, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Its fatty, salty, sweet food that anyone can do without. I still have it, maybe once every couple of weeks, but I get Coke Zero instead of an extra 200 calories of Coke, and I really like their signature grilled chicken wraps, but you can't have my fries. Once you see where you can cut some calories, do that. Don't try to take on a whole new eating plan from day one. Just modify what you already do. Eat the stuff you like, but less of it. Steer clear of stuff that seems to make you binge (see point 2).

5. Find foods you enjoy that you find filling and are low calorie. For me, it's carrot sticks. I have about 4 carrots worth throughout the morning. I don't eat breakfast, but that's a personal choice and not a recommendation. I take thyroid meds that are taken on an empty stomach when I wake up, and I'm not supposed to eat for an hour afterwards. This puts me well into my commute to work, where I'll sip a black tea or coffee. I have those carrot sticks in my bag, and I'll start munching them at my desk while I get caught up on email and whatnot. They fill me up, along with the coffee or tea and probably a bottle of water.

6. Find some supportive friends on MFP. Feel free to add me. However, in my opinion, it's best to steer clear of people you actually know as MFP friends. I know that I was less apt to log accurately on bad days when I had real friends as my MFP friends, out of some misplaced sense of shame. I like the weird collection of names who pop up on my feed, but I don't feel like I need to hide anything from, lets be honest, internet randos that I'll never actually meet.

7. Save a 10% or so of your calories for after supper. Even if you intend supper to be the last thing you eat, knowing that you're not allowed to eat anything else after supper just about guarantees you will be obsessing over it and slip and then just think "hell with it, I'm already over..". Just before bed maybe have a little piece of cheese or something you enjoy to sop up those last few calories as a ritual to say "I completed the day successfully."

Some people will have other suggestions and some people may argue some of the ones I've provided. Pick and choose and find what combination works for you.

its do-able i have lost 59lbs more before my bloody all inclusive holiday he he. i also am the type of gal to snack alot before bed time.. i try save the calories up for that time of day - it is do-able

I budget calories for a bed time snack. I like something higher carb than how I eat earlier in the day - makes me sleepy. This is filling and low cal:

I like to have a snack before going to bed as well.. for me something light works best .. If I eat too much then I have problems sleeping. My favourite snacks are a banana with peanut butter or cottage cheese with a bit of orange marmalade .. last night I had a handful of grapes.
Do keep track of your foods you are eating throughout the day and try to stay under your calories.
Exercising is very important as well.. make sure you are doing some sort of exercise during the day.. a minimum of 25 minutes is all you need.

Coach Richie

If you are having trouble sleeping and food before sleeping helps you go to sleep then eat before you go to bed. I don't see the problem. Despite the myths out there you're body doesn't care when you eat. If you stay within your set calories for the day you will lose weight. It doesn't matter when you eat them. Think of your body as a Hybrid car. It runs on gas (calories) and also has a battery (fat). Does your car care when the gas goes in? NOPE. If it runs out of gas(calories) it will then run on the battery (FAT). So during the day burn more than your gas in your tank and use that battery. That will create a deficit and you will lose weight.