I am an absolute failure. I have not lost 1 inch.

Accusing people of fat shaming is a cheap shot. People have bent over backwards to advise and help you. The frustration is with your attitude, not your body size, and implying otherwise is rude.

Apologies if that's not what you meant. Your comment about feeling fat shame came across like you felt like you were being shamed.

You can adjust calories in free MFP. In free MFP you can adjust macronutrient goals in percents, and only in 5% increments last I knew. Only in premium MFP can you adjust macro goals in grams or 1% increments.

Personally, I wouldn't buy premium if that's the only reason. IMO, it would be fine to estimate macro needs in grams, then set your goal to the 5% value that's closest to that gram value at base calories. Close to good macros in average over a few days is fine: It's not necessary to be exactly exact every single day.

Calories are the direct determinant of fat gain or loss. Nutrition - macros and more - is about health, energy level, appetite, etc., so it's important for those reasons.

Have you tried changing just one meal a day? Hyperpalatable foods (fast food, donuts, chips, candy etc) are purposefully hard to stop eating, but you will feel more satisfied with nutritious food. Why not try just one solid meal a day? Keep the rest of your diet the same until you get used to it, then add another good meal, and so on and so forth. Crowd the junk food out and replace it with more nutritious and satiating food, rather than trying to white knuckle your way through just cutting out the junk. When I did this, I found I wasn't nearly as interested in junk food once I was getting enough protein and vegetables.

For me, this amounts to the age old situation of Pleasure versus Happiness.

Cravings are pleasure driven, it is an immediate and instant gratification.

Happiness is a more thoughtful, content, patient and long lasting state. It is not driven by immediacy .

All humans experience both.

Happiness is certainly the preferred option for me , particularly when wanting to alter long standing habits.

When I consistently make healthy choices for my health it's a win for me physical, mentally and emotionally . I'm mindful, in charge and grateful.

The immediacy of satisfying pleasure seeking cravings just can't stack up against happiness . Happiness is a comfortable and relaxed " feel good" moment that is continually rewarding when practised .

I fully support that "pleasure vs. happiness" insight above. Really good.

But the answer to your question is that you're human, and sometimes we choose the momentary pleasure. There's no point in beating yourself up about it in the moment, but it does make sense to figure out how to better pursue the long-term happiness, if the latter is what you really want.

For me - very much a hedonist, BTW - a key thing is to own my decisions and their consequences. If I over-eat, or eat treat foods that don't serve my nutritional needs and wellness, and I do that too often, that's not something that "just happens". I decided to do it. I could 100% have made a different choice. When a decision has consequences I don't like, it's me who needs to figure out where my personal best life-balance sits.

Feeling powerless over it is objectively false, so figuring out how to nudge myself toward better decisions is on the agenda. That could involve finding a more satisfying way to eat that's also healthy, or having the treats on rare occasions and dealing with the consequences . . . and in some cases, even therapy might be in the mix, just to be real about it.

What you are saying makes no sense to me. You didn't fall into a vat of ice cream and have to eat your way out.

So you must have presumably (since you didn't have the ice cream in the house - why would you if you committed to snacking on vegetables) gotten into the car and driven to get the ice cream.

Here is what I don't understand. The choice is not between a tray of veggies and over indulging in ice cream. It is keeping such treats within your diet.

If you are tracking your calories, weighing/measuring your food, (which has been previously discussed and you said you were committed to that) then you know how many calories you've eaten and what you have left. If you are desperate for a sweet, soft treat, why not eat a cup of diet gelatin? Five calories for a serving. Walmart sells the Winky brand, 24 cups to a tray, for something like six dollars. Eat one or two and see if that satisfies you.

Or surely you've heard of the Halo Top frozen diet "ice cream". Instead of buying real ice cream, why not try a half cup of the Halo top? A whole carton is like 300 calories, so even a third of a carton is like 110. By the time you've eaten that portion, presumably you have gotten control of yourself, reminded yourself of your goals, and stopped there. Or there are those sugar free fudgesicles that are, if I remember right, 40 calories. Or sugar free popsicles (the great value ones at the Walmart taste better than the popsicle brand. ) There are TONS of options for low calorie ice cream like treats. Even if you HAVE to have ice cream, you can calculate your calories eaten for the day and eat a small amount that is, if not within your diet, then within your maintenance calories for the day.

The choice is not either veggies or ice cream. You can choose a treat that could give you some satisfaction without ruining your diet and your progress. Deciding that if you don't want veggies, you're going to go all out on ice cream, or chocolate or other high calorie treats, is not the answer.

if you really don't know why you are bingeing on ice cream, and can't stop yourself, in spite of your goals and you keep doing this "over and over" then I have to agree with those who say some counseling might be in order.

But it could be as simple as you think if you can't stick 100% to a diet that offers no leeway, and no negotiation, that you decide to chuck the whole thing and pig out on high calorie treats. That is a recipe for failure.

Try to set up a realistic diet, LOG EVERYTHING YOU EAT, and budget some leeway for treats. If you decide you don't need them that day, then it just advances you further on your weight loss goals. And stick to your calorie goals. Which could include 100-200 calories for treats on those nights where you have to have something.

Logging, weighing and measuring is the only way to know how much you can have for such treats.