=(

Watching what you eat doesn't mean ALL your food has to be low calorie.
You CAN have a burger (extra lean ground beef, whole wheat bun, etc)...
You CAN have fries...

It's about portion control.

I've found that since I've gotten healthier I go to bed earlier. That helps take care of the late night cravings and I feel great in the morning. I also found that eating a large, healthy breakfast (egg beaters and oatmeal with fruit) ensures that I'm not as hungry during the rest of the day. Having something that is not as good for you is alright as long as you do some potion control and don't get back in the habit of eating it too often.

Watching what you eat doesn't mean ALL your food has to be low calorie.
You CAN have a burger (extra lean ground beef, whole wheat bun, etc)...
You CAN have fries...

It's about portion control.

Baked sweet potato fries! They are so yummy! There was a recipe posted for them a few weeks ago.

But I agree on portion control and maybe getting more of your calories in during the day. For a smoothie would never be enough for breakfast. The calorie count might be there but I'd be hungry again soon. For me whole grain bread toasted with just a slight swipe of butter and a fried egg holds me over longer.

Here's my thoughts on this...I am going to tell you what I told myself. Why do I you want to lose weight? Is it to feel better? is it because you don't like what you see when you look in the mirror? Then you need to seriously stop and think before you snack. This is the reason I say diet suppresants are a load of crap, because it doesn't get to the heart of the issue. Think about it. If you are doing this because you don't like how you feel then do it, go ahead and eat a bag of chips, and then snack upon snack BUT, basically this means you are giving up the right to complain about how you look or feel because you are CHOOSING to look or feel this way by the way you are choosing to eat that stuff. You KNOW eating a bag of chips is the road to feeling bad, so by choosing to eat them, you are choosing to feel bad. Actions have consequences. So next time you feel like snacking on something bad, ask yourself, are you REALLY hungry? or are you doing it because you just want to and have no willpower. If you are hungry, then eat, eat something that will make you feel better. If you are doing it just because you want to, then ditch the childish attitude of...but I want it, put on your runners and go for a walk to take your mind of the situation. I had to do this over and over and over again until I could FINALLY make the right choices without basically having an internal argument with myself every second of the day. Now it's more like....Yes, I could have that chocolate bar, but then I wont be happy, so Im not going to have it......

THAT being said. I STILL mimick what everyone else is saying. Everything in moderation. I still eat all the things I love, the chocolate and in fact am having a burger for lunch. But until you can have that control and REALLY understand WHY you are eating...it's pointless. Now when I have a chocolate bar, I dont mind because a) I know I am going for a run later, and b) I am having it not because Im bored, or because I feel I am entitled to it or any other reason than....I want one, I havent had one in ages, and it wont be a slippery slope back down to eating a chocolate bar every day.... Does that make sense? I hope so....I am just telling you what I went through...good luck!

I went to the library just this week and brought home 3 low-cal cookbooks because I was growing sick of my limited menu. I was suprised by how many beef recipes there were. I'm so excited to add in potato, pasta, and beef into my diet!

The more you workout the more calories you're allowed. Only have half the bun, try to order the healthiest one on the menu. The only problem I can see is if you can't have just one.

Mix it up and workoff any extra calories! You can do this!

Have you read the book by Bethanny Frankel? It's called "Naturally Thin". I just finished it and I think she has a lot of great info and tips in it. One of the "10 rules" is that you CAN have it all, just not all at once. For example, if you want a cheeseburger, have a cheeseburger; just forgo the fries! Or if you want to go out for dinner, have the waiter box up half of your meal and have the second half for lunch the next day! I have been craving a Snickers bar for days now (my favorite candy bar), so guess what? When I go to the store today, I'm buying one! Of course, considering how much sugar it contains, I will have to watch my overall sugar intake the rest of today, but to me...it's worth it! When I dieted before, I would give up my favorite foods (often keeping them out of the house to avoid temptation). Now I keep them in the house and I am practicing self-control, because there is NO way I can go the rest of my life not eating grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and Snickers bars! Moderation really is the key, I think.

Here is the book I'm talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Thin-SkinnyGirl-Yourself-Lifetime/dp/1416597980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241626126&sr=8-1

Good luck to you -- you CAN do this!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the link to that book.
I need to read it. And re-read it.
I've followed your advice (which is my own advice, haha) and then I forget it and have to restart.