I know what you mean....I joined overeaters annonymous many years ago and they are not about weight loss its more about working the 12 steps of alcoholics annonymous. When you think about it, we know it's an addiction and isn't that what alcoholics do.....is join AA and work the steps. In my view of how I am.....I say it is a very mental/emotional thing more than eating right and exercising. I KNOW how to be healthy, what we have to do is find out WHY we are NOT doing so. Man as I type this I'm thinking I should get back to an OA meeting.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!! I'm the same. overall I eat healthy, I work out most days - I do a cardio exercsie everyday unless 'circumstances' work against me!! Yet at some stage I toss it all out the window by consuming to many calories. Sometimes I wonder if I have a little demon in me that doesn't want me lose weight?? I'm currently 174lbs and aiming to get to 150 which I know shouldn't be hard. I have been on the big side all my life and I have tried so many diets, W/W, Aitkens, Harcombe, as well some pretty wierd fad diets over the years and have only ever once been at a weight I was comfortable at, only to get pregnant and throw it all out the window again!!
I love food and anything to do with food. I love to cook, I love to fed my family and friends, I think about food ALOT. So am I an addict?

I also certainly know how to eat right...but find myself constantly undercutting myself and actually sabotaging any weight loss effort. I wonder at times what my weight is protecting me from (have some ideas but???) --- I am no longer young or looking for a partner/spouse etc. Have had my children and grandchildren and am not having to deal with the work force any more. So there should no longer be any need for self-protection. But I still find myself over-eating, eating the junk foods, sugars etc etc. So, now, hopefully with this "pal" and this group I will be able to finally start the downward journey towards a healthy body. I have been overweight most of my life (interesting the two times I lost all my excess I ended up married LOL). I look forward to learning more about all of you and about me.... it is high time I think.

I read in a raising children book ( the only one I've ever read!!) that you mustn't reward childrens accomplishments with food. For example, Johnny is getting toilet trained so each time he uses the toilet he gets a jelly-baby - apparently this puts the emotional food thing in a childs mind. Do a good job - reward youself with a nice snack, hurt yourself/your emotions make it better with something nice to eat. I've been thinking about my child hood - one of my earliest memories is sitting in a supermarket trolley and my Mum buying me a candy cane for being well behaved in the supermarket - I must have been about 3 1/2.

Like the rest of you i know what needs to be done. But it is so darn hard when the rest of my family is thin. Has anyone really lost weight by watching calories??

I really struggle with the food when I see my husband (who can eat almost anything and never gain weight) sitting down with a bag of chips or just grabbing something and not having to worry about calories or weight,he's supportive to the point where he encourages me but will not watch what he's eating,so it's very tempting to want to snack,I started eating corn chips and salsa that usually get's rid of my snacking and also tried the Smart One's meals from weight watchers and they are REALLY good,has anyone tried any of the desserts yet? They look really good but I'm kind of worried about the taste!