hi there everyone...i have came to this forum alot in the past to help learn about the lc life. and for awhile it worked well...then one bad day turns into many and its has been two months since i was able to stick to the plan. i always get back on and try again but i just can't get past it. sometimes i go for a day, two, even a week before screwing up. i dont understand if what i want is to lose weight why i keep sabatoging my progress. i was happier and looked better than i had in a long time when i sticked to my diet. i dont want to give up and just accept how i am, but i dont know how to get past this. i feel terrible and discouraged about the future. how do all of you get past the desire to cheat.

OK. I'll have a go at this... This problem gets posted frequently and many folks give excellent responses, so keep checking -- I'm sure you will get some encouragement and advice. I just want to say that, yes, it is important that you eat well, exercise and try to be healthy but it is not the only thing in life. Don't let messing up on food consumption destroy your day. Surely there are things you did right, even on the days when you lost control of eating. I have this problem sometimes but I'm trying to learn to just let it go and make better choices the next time I eat or drink something.

I hope I don't sound rude when I say this, but you need to have some willpower. No matter what method you use to loose weight you are going to be giving something up, most likely things that you really enjoy eating.

Having said that some of the things that I do when I am having trouble is:

-drink some water
-get up and move around
-try to get involved in something
-have some 'legal' snacks pre-made so that they are easy to get to. (String cheese, pork rinds, cut up some veggies, etc.)

Good Luck and Let us know how you are progressing!!

Planning is the key to success on any diet. Make sure you've planned what you're going to eat, how you're going to deal with common temptations and what you'll do when unanticipated cravings or hunger hits.

Planning lets your brain run the show, not your emotions.

Not that I disagree, but this is only looking at one side...yes, you are giving stuff up. (And if you stay away from it for a while, it won't seem like you are giving up much of anything. Yes, I've eaten whole bags of chips in my day, so I know what I'm talking about.)

But don't look at it that way. You are TRADING. Trading a few minutes of eating junk for 23+ hours of looking good, feeling good, avoiding disease and getting your life back.

Sounds like a trade UP, to me.

thanks for the advice i appreciate all of you taking the time to listen.

You are right Pam, I didn't word that particularily well. You said it much better, thanks !

in the past i ate for more reasons than hunger...stress, bordom, period, sadness...whatever. now i cheat and get so upset about it i cheat b/c im upset. its ridiculos!!! its now about changing my patterns of behavior during those times. i know everything you have all said is right on...i believe it and said the same things to myself.

For me, it's as much 'moderation' as possible. In the simple sense of 'the perfect plan', I stray almost every day...but I never 'cheat'. After induction for about 3 weeks, I sort of fluctuated to 25-30 carbs a day, and now am heading back to induction. For the first 3 weeks, even with induction, I needed my iced tea. I used to drink about 7 teas a day before Atkins with 2!! Sweet N Lows each...now I have about 1 every 2 weeks with 1 sweet n low and don't even need to finish it. You will change eventually and you just have to go with it...

By the way Nikas, I noticed our goal weight and starting weights were near the same thing and about the same progress, then I checked your profile to see your height (comparing goals are, etc)...turns out we're about the same age, same height, and same profession! LOL

If you ever need to talk, I'm available!

I have found that the best thing I can do to stay on plan, is to never let myself get overly hungry. Getting too hungry is my downfall, then I just eat whats available.

Is seems to me you are a candidate for the Warrior Diet. Use search to find the info. I can guarantee you there is no trouble except having to learn to eat more!

I returned to this WOE about a year ago, after a few years away (and a big weight gain). For the longest time, I just couldn't seem to stick with it even though I'd done it several times before. Same as you: One bad decision, or cheat, would turn to another and another until I just gave up.

That was when I decided to switch to Weight Watchers, because low-carb just wasn't working for me anymore.

Well, after five weeks of misery on WW, constantly feeling hungry and obsessing about points - and a weight GAIN - I finally decided it was time to just buckle down and DO it. And that's what it took for me. I picked two weeks when I didn't have much planned other than work, so I could plan my meals, avoid eating out, and just stick out induction. I also announced to the world that I was going to stick to it, which I hoped would make me keep my word just to avoid embarrassment.

And it worked. I had trouble losing at first, but I seem to have resolved that, and now I'm not even TEMPTED to cheat anymore.

So I'm not sure if that helps, but for me the keys were: picking a low-stress time to get through induction, making a public commitment, and realizing I really had no other choice because it's the only WOE that actually works for me. And just buckling down and FORCING myself to stick with it for the first few weeks.