Live Alone (easy to cheat)

If your cheating, your cheating your self! your worth more than that .. also DON'T buy junk food then you can't it it!!

I live alone, too and there's no one to hold me accountable but me.

I got fat on pasta, butter and cheese. So, I stopped buying them and stopped eating them when I went out.

I knew it was all or nothing for me. So, a few months went by and I re-instituted cheese. I started with parmesan. Now I also buy a 2% reduced fat cheddar. I don't drink milk. Only soymilk. My greek yogurt is now non-fat and it's replaced all creams and creamy cheeses. I still VERY rarely eat pasta. I have had it MAYBE three days in the last 6 months. And one of those times I overate. So if that approach worked for me, it might help you, as well.

NEVER shop hungry. Go with a list and ONLY buy what is ON the list. Only shop once/week and just buy what you need for 7 days. Obviously some staples like spices and dried beans and whatnot are different.

Ultimately, just don't eat things that you shouldn't eat. That's all it comes down to. Track your nutrition well and, if you stick to netting what MFP tells you to, you WILL lose weight. I promise. I've lost at exactly the rate MFP says. It's not always linear! There are losses, gains and plateaus. But it always evens out on a downward trend.

Search the forums and you will find lots of great tips but I hope these get you started. Welcome!

I empathise completely. I lived alone and snacked on junk food for years. I was fortunate enough 3 years ago to afford a personal trainer and he put me on a very strict diet. It sounded so simple... no carbs, lots of healthy stuff and of course, exercise! Because I was paying him, I became invested in the plan and it worked. It was tough, very tough! I used to dream about doughnuts, honestly!! I lost the weight I wanted to and now I find that I go up and down within a range... I actually only want to loose a couple of pounds to be happy!! The lasting effect of the plan... it completely changed my eating habits and taste buds! Now when I go to the supermarket, I crave and buy and snack on fruit (blueberries and strawberries!!) crudites and humous, I love steamed veggies, brown rice etc. Don't get me wrong, I still adore doughnuts, but I find it much MUCH easier to resist.
The other comments are so right... don't buy the junk in the first place (although I still very much believe in a treat once a week... but make it a small one!) Set out an eating plan of quick and simple meals... your thinking is right - salad is the easiest, but make sure you buy the cheats version to start with - bags of mixed salad or cartons of prepared salad... you only need open and tuck in with a fork! Pannets of fruit as a desert and you don't even need the fork :-)
May I make one more suggestion... as a way of starting your new plan, hold a party! Get the girls round and have a blow out on all the junk food. Tell them what you are doing and why. Tell them you need their help to do this and at the end of the evening, throw away anything not eaten. Knowing you have your friends to turn to when it gets tough really does help.
And stay in touch on these boards... online friends who know what you are going through and have been there themselves can offer loads of tips, support and advice when you need it the most.
Good luck :-)

I live alone.
And I think it's easier.
I control what goes in my cupboards, and how it gets there.
For cooking, yeah, it sucks.
I make big meals on my day off, then put them into individual size serving bags to freeze, and heat all week.
Plus, I can save it as a meal in here, then I only have to calculate the calories once!
When living alone, you never have to worry about cooking for anyone else, either.
Get what you like! But keep it healthy. [:

I found it loads easier when I lived alone. I planned my food for the week, didn't keep anything bad in the house, and I had no one to tempt me. Make yourself a meal plan before you shop, and stick to that.

If you consider junk food to be ruining your diet chances then THROW IT AWAY. If it's not in the house you wont eat it.

Cooking for yourself is a pain. Aside from cooking in advance it's not a sin to eat a light ready meal sometimes, or a shop-bought soup, or to just make a 5 minute meal like a wrap with salad and tuna/chicken (3 mins), couscous with grilled veg (10 mins) or scrambled eggs with spinach and ham (5 mins). I cook almost every meal but rarely does it take more than 15 minutes or just be smart and allocate a certain hour or two per week as cooking time. If you want to lose weight enough you will make it a priority.