Need some help and support to stop eating so much

I would start by setting your calories to what MFP gives you for your height/weight and set to lose 1 to maybe 1.5lbs/week. I would make sure you are drinking enough because it will make you feel fuller. I would walk instead of jogging at this point. Put on a podcast and walk. I'm at a healthy BMI and I eat 1300cal/day or more and I'm still losing 1lb/week. You don't have to starve yourself to do this but setting your calories too low will just frustrate you.

The truth is that some of this is just sheer willpower. It is choosing an apple when you want a piece of cake. But it is also okay to have a small piece of cake if you make it fit in your calories for the day. If you look at my diary, you can see a person who is losing weight but isn't starving.

I would start with being honest with yourself and connecting with what's happening for you. Reading your original post, it sounds a lot like on some level, you don't really want to change. Think about what's holding you back and what it would take for you to be ready to make that change. I get the feeling reading your post that there's a lot of self loathing and shame happening inside of you and that will have an impact on your ability to make changes. I realize this is some pretty hippy dippy sounding crap I'm spouting off. It's not about weird pseudoscience and healing crystals and magic potions, but more dealing with your mental health and hangups in order to allow personal growth to happen.

That being said, some actual things you can do right meow:

• You mentioned considering cutting down slowly rather than all at once. Yes. Very yes.
• I also struggle with what I call "study munchies" when I'm at the computer or at work. I've found that chewing sugar free gum and/or snacking on raw vegetables, drinking water and tea have been really helpful.
• Distract yourself with other things. Go for walks. I know people who take up knitting or crochet, I enjoy painting or playing my guitar.
• Focus on small goals. When I find myself backsliding, I set a goal to be under my calories one day in the week, and slowly build that up until I'm back to logging and being under consistently.
• Know that it will take time to build these habits. You will backslide many times. Just keep going. You can do it.

And you don't have to cut carbs. Check out my food diary today. Does that look like a starving person?

I'm older than you, but I absolutely see my younger self in you. How many years I spent with that nagging, awful feeling that I simply had to stuff my face all day every day, and any idea of change was hopeless. And yet, when I finally changed, it wasn't hopeless at all. It was completely straightforward. I came here, got a calorie budget, started doing beginner-level treadmill work 45 minutes every day, and like magic, the number on the scale started falling. I do think it helped a lot that I started at about 1800 calories a day (5'5") (not eating back any exercise calories), and only gradually reduced as my stomach shrank and hunger stopped distracting me every day. Now I'm at 1200-1250. A big change was getting used to entertaining myself with something besides food. One great thing about exercise is that, while you're doing it, you ain't eating. But even when I'm watching TV, what keeps me from stuffing my face is a new approach to my food: I have a budget, and I can't exceed it. That means I plan my meals, they have to fit within my budget, I serve myself the right amount, and when I've eaten that much, that's it. The leftovers get put away and that's it for food until the next meal--or the next day. No impulse eating. At first I would have thought that would leave me feeling deprived, but to my surprise it hasn't. I still eat the food I love most, because why waste my budget on anything that isn't my favorite right at that moment? But if I feel I'm just dying for something that won't fit in the budget, I remind myself that it will still exist tomorrow, and if it's that important, I'll fit it into tomorrow's budget.--Yes, it's a little trickier if you eat out a lot, but even then, you can order small portions like appetizers, and put half of them into to-go containers before you start. Nothing goes on the plate in front of you if it isn't in your budget. Pre-logging meals is hugely helpful.

I think one thing that's hard about contemplating a large and long-term weight-loss program is that you have to give up on pleasurable food-stuffing right now, but the payoffs come later. One thing that helped me was to start to see consistent small losses every week, which I strongly associated with controlling my intake and doing my exercises consistently TODAY. If you can make that connection deep in your gut, you'll have a new source of deep satisfaction that takes the place of whatever it is deep in our primitive brains that wants to gorge in order to feel good.

I spent years thinking I'd be fat until I died. Now I've lost 57 pounds in five months. If I can do it, anyone can! You totally have got this.

I think that starting at a higher calorie count, even 1800, and slowly bringing that down is a very good plan. I calculated what my calorie count would be to maintain my goal weight (140), then subtracted 150 from that to arrive at my daily calorie goal of 1600. Theoretically I could go ahead and keep my 1750 calorie count to maintain a weight of 140, and I would slowly, very slowly, lose down to that weight. I might end up doing that. So far my main problem has been making myself log everything, and of course I don't know the number of calories I'm eating if I don't count them.

As for exercise, do what you can, even if it's just walking around your house a few times or getting up from the chair, then sitting back down, then getting back up ...

Take up a new hobby that occupies your mind and hands. When you're trapped at your desk, drink tea instead of eat. (These are things I do.)

Hi and well done you for taking these steps towards changing your health ) Every little success you have is a step in the right direction rather than further down a road to an early death. It is so, so easy to massively over consume calories in our modern world and it sounds like your lifestyle and location are going to make it doubly difficult. But ultimately this IS in your control - you just have to fight harder! You have to really want it. And like another poster wrote that starts with you valuing yourself and wanting to take care of yourself. We all have reasons for overeating and self sabotaging: self-esteem issues, abuse in younger (or older years), poverty, neglect etc. Some of us cannot pinpoint a reason for continued self abuse. But for me, once I started to realise that I am the one person who will always be there for me and be available to love and reassure me, I'd better work on how I view myself. Stop loathing and start loving. You'll find you want to take care of this person that you love rather than this person you loathe. )

So, for me starting at 185lbs (5'7) I began back in September by reducing my calories but eating frequently. Nothing low fat as I believe it messes with the natural balance in foods. I have space in my calories for treats every day. I pretty much gave up alcohol (hundreds and hundreds of calories in a few glasses of wine).

My advice is to LOG EVERYTHING on MFP. It's a ballache and takes a bit of getting used to but it can be done whilst flumped in front of the pooter and it is the only thing that has ever worked for me! It's taught me to understand the nutritional content of food. And how we massively overestimate how much we need and we massively underestimate how many calories are in things. I recommend a little digital kitchen scale to weigh things - even breakfast cereal etc. Eat out as rarely as you can manage. It's probably loaded with salt, fat and sugar.

Exercise: do things you enjoy. C25K is a bit dull in my opinion. Find a local yoga class or swimming group. I completely understand about not wanting to be the fattest one there but for a while you are just going to have to be. It won't be long before someone fatter joins as you are going to SHRINK! Walking is also excellent. Build in movement throughout your day rather than suddenly taking up extreme sports. Surely you want these changes to be sustainable.

The weight comes off quickly to begin with but now that I am 8 months in it's a waiting game!

Loads of people will probably pick apart my advice, disagree and even be a bit rude. That's the nature of forums. I rarely give advice now for that very reason - it can be pretty hurtful. These are just my little experience and advice. Discard whatever doesn't make sense for you or sit comfortably. Most of all I wish you and everyone on here all the very best as we all strive to be our best selves xx

Sounds like you dont want to eat less and you dont want to fix healthier foods for yourself. Why are you here again? And don't attack me for my point of view.....You're all thinking it, but too PC to say it.