discouraged, scared, advice?

Do you have an OA (Overeaters Anonymous) in your area? I know this is EXTREMELY helpful for many people with true food addictions.

Don't set yourself up for failure. Take small steps for the better and make them things that you can actually live with. Don't set your expectations so high that it's unrealistic. If you don't exercise right now, try to take a 5 minute walk after dinner. Or even start smaller than that, if you work - park one row further from the door. Once you start seeing positive improvements, that will be motivation to do more. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. Good luck and we'll be here to help you through.

I can't give you advice on this specific issue. I do know that if you never try, you won't succed and every successful person has failed many times.

Ugghh, I hear you!!! I have been doing well (but with extreme effort) for the past month or so, and had a terrible weekend. It was like I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't stop! On Friday morning, I told myself I was going to have a cheat night, and it just didn't stop. I do not have drug or alcohol problems, but can almost understand what it is like, it is as if I thought I could have one meal and then stop. I have realized this weekend I am going to have to hang in there and act like an addict, because I think I am. I saw on someone else's page this quote "nothing tastes as good as looking sexy" and I really liked it. I will just have to remember it when tempted, instead of justifying my addict behavior. Please feel free to add me!

I have heard and now found that learning to eat those "bad foods" in moderation is the best. Everytime I have done a diet that cuts so much food out, I find myself craving them all the time and when I break down and eat those foods, I go overboard. Then I just give up the diet. By using myfitnesspal and allowing myself the occasional snickers bar or pizza buffett, I have been able to lose a good amount of weight over the last two weeks and I don't even feel like I am dieting. Allowing yourself to treats is better than trying to cut them out completely and then when you break you get hard on yourself and give up. I had just about given up completely on losing weight, but now I am glad that I didn't. You Can Do It!

I don't know if I should cut out "bad" foods, or learn to eat them in moderation. (like I said, I don't have much of a middle ground) I am not good at moderation.

If you know that you are not good at moderation, then I wouldn't suggest that you try to eat bad foods in moderation. However, it's also not easy to just quit junk food "cold turkey", either. As others have said, it's really best to start with small changes and work your way slowly into the big ones. You'll find that, at first, even the small changes will have a big impact on your weight loss. As time goes on, the impact is smaller but by then you've hopefully seen enough success to keep making changes to achieve the next stage of your journey.

So, start small. Start by making sure you drink 8 eight ounce glasses of water every day. Water, not pop, not tea, water. You should try to start limiting your sugared drink intake as fast as you can. Cut down by one or two a week if you can't cut them out entirely. Drinking calories will add up faster than anything else. (My husband lost 10 pounds in a month simply by switching from Coke to Diet Coke about a decade ago.)

At the same time, log your food intake every day. You don't need to change what you're eating yet, although you should definitely be trying to stay within your caloric goal as set by MFP. Remember, if you eat a whole package of Cheetos, you will log the WHOLE package of Cheetos. No cheating! Seeing the caloric impact of your food choices should help you to make better choices down the road.

The next week, try to incorporate a short walk into your daily routine. 30 minutes, if you can, less if you can't walk that far yet. No running, just walking. Since you probably have your activity level set to Sedentary, log your walk time in MFP, which will give you a few more calories to eat that day. Over time, the walking will get easier, so add more time as you can.

Each week afterward, try to make another small change. Trade the chips you eat at lunch for some baby carrots or celery. Have an apple as a treat instead of something that comes in a wrapper. Have a popsicle instead of a bowl of ice cream. These little changes will add up to a big impact on your overall caloric intake each day.