help!! my mind thinks "you can do it!" but my mouth just wants to eat.

Hi Eveyone!!

I feel like such an addict.  Can anyone explain why is it so hard for me to follow my well planned recipes or the exercise program that I've organized?  Why is it so hard for me to drive by a Taco Bell without wanting a gordita crunch?  Why can't I stop myself from looking twice when someone is eating something that looks so good and I know that if I take "a little piece" I'll run out and eat too much of it?  WHY IS THIS? 

Really, I have all good intentions, but I can switch from angel food to devil's food in a second...ya know what I mean?  In my mind, I really want to lose this weight.  Then something inside me turns on and I'm just ruthless.

Do any of you have this problem?  How did you get yourself on track?  I appreciate all your feedback.  God Bless You.

"WHY IS THIS?".... because you haven't got to a situation yet where you are in control of your choices.  You're still stuck in old behaviour patterns.  If you've been in the habit of eating things from Taco Bell, for example, then it'll take a time to drop that habit and develop better ones.

It takes about six weeks to three months of consistently changing your behaviour to get past this point, I'd estimate.   That means doing things like not driving past Taco Bell, not looking at what other people are eating.... until you're out of the habit.  Might be a little contrived at first and it'll require a little determination but it'll soon become second nature.   

And then have a look at your 'well planned recipes'.... I've no idea what a gordita crunch is, sorry, but is there any way you could recreate a version of it that's rather healthier but still tasty?  Less fat/meat/cheese, more vegetables/beans/salads? In other words .... make what you eat so interesting and flavoursome that if you do look at what other people are eating you can think 'actually I prefer what I'm eating'

Finally...sounds obvious but you have to really not like being fat.  If you're overweight and it's no big deal, not causing you any problems, not impacting on your health you have no incentive to change.  If eating gordita crunches is ultimately a better option than being slimmer.... that's something you have to square away.

I got very fat eating Chinese takeaways, amongst other things.  They were my favourite.   For six months I banned them... shredded the menu, drove a different way home in the evening.  Instead,  I found ways to make chinese-style food but with fresh ingredients, less oil, lighter sauces, more vegetables. ....  Finally, one day, I reordered my 'usual' from the local restaurant.  (V exciting moment it was too!) When it arrived it was absolutely disgusting.... greasy, sugary sauces, disappointing flavours.  That was that and I've never gone back.

Good luck

gi-jane - chinese take out = how I got so fat.

jsaoul - for me, I still use a mantra that weight watchers used to teach that I found helpful, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" I know it's pretty corny but I've said it to myself in those weak moments where you want to binge.

I would also say - don't be so hard on yourself! In the beginning, I would binge occasionally, but always come back. That is what made my weight loss different this time around.

And by the way - I completely consider myself a food addict! You can do it!!

Thank you gi-jane for your reply.  You're idea is really a good one.  I do plan to try and recreate some of my favorites.  I really enjoy cooking but  sometimes it's just faster to go through drive thru.  Let me know if you have any quick recipe's. 

Oh yeah, I've decided to start slow and ban fast food for the next two weeks.  Baby steps!  I'll let you know how that goes! 

Ms. Janemcall that cheesecake looks so sinful!!  It would be so hard just eating the fruit ah,ah

Hon, you can preach that weight watchers teaching all day!  That is so true.  I was 40lbs lighter once and I felt so sexy and confident.  Being thin is a great feeling.  I will keep this mantra in mind. 

Thanks for your encouragement.  I'll try not to be so hard on myself. 

It is quicker to go through a drive-thru but the word 'fat' often gets teamed up with 'lazy'... and that would be a good example of why.    Some of my favourite quicker recipes..... Sub 20 minutes prep & cooking.

Turkey & Apple Burger

Tuna Pasta Salad

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Spicy Prawn & Noodle Stir Fry

Sesame Salmon with Noodles

Prawn Stir-Fry with Lemon & Ginger

To make life easier, plot out a few meals in advance & make sure you have the right ingredients in the cupboard/fridge/freezer.  If you know you have the components all ready to go and that the end dish will be tasty and interesting, you're less likely to resort to nasty takeaways.

Too add a bit of commiseration, I totally understand where you are coming from.  My situation is a bit different; I live in a college dorm with an all you can eat style dining hall, complete with giant dessert station and 6 flavors of ice cream, daily.  It took me two years to break the idea of "getting my moneys worth" out of meals, which was just an excuse to indulge my sweets urges.  It does take some major changes in thinking, which I was able to stick to for the year and half I was losing weight.  Now that I'm at my ideal weight, I've slipped back into eating more desserts than I probably should, but I also eat a lot of healthy stuff too!  To this day, I can not keep snacks in my room, even healthy ones.   They are gone before bedtime, always.  So I just don't have them.  I still allowed myself snacks and such, but I have to leave my room to get them, so I have all of that walking time to think about if I really want them.

Good luck with your goals!