Why do I sabotage myself?

I know I need to lose weight.  I am about 75 pounds overweight.  I will watch what I eat and do real well for a short time.  Then I will eat the wrong thing and keep doing it until any weight I have lost is gained back or more.  It seems like I am not able to control myself. I eat very little meat and have been sticking to a vegetarian diet for the last year.  Carbs and fats seem to be my worst problem.  I keep very little around but when I do have them in the house, it is almost like they are calling me.  It is like my common sense turns down the volume and my impulsive side will hear and eat. 

Any suggestions on how to make myself behave?

if carbs and fat are not on your daily meal plan then what is? ideally these 2 macronutrients should make up

20-35% for fats

50-65% for carbs

So a MINIMUM of 70% of your diet should be composed on these 2 macronutrients. your diet is probably terribly unbalanced since protein should only account for 10-20% of your diet, maybe a bit more while training. 

You are craving carbs and fat because you NEED them and you're being too restrictive! how about incorporating them into your daily meals so that you don't binge or fall off the wagon.

Thanks, Chrissy.  I will try to look more carefully at what I eat. 

I understand what your problem is, and not only changing your diet because of the macronutrient ratios will help. Because you've lost weight, you feel justified in eating something that you would have restricted yourself eating if you were dieting/exercising. Numerous celebrities' weight loss became their amount of weight gained plus more because of this justification.

I've found that the best thing is to simply not have anything tempting around you for weeks. Please don't underestimate this tip, because a person's common sense like you said will just shut off they merely see what is tempting.

What ever you do, do not let yourself fall into your own traps. A package of Oreos (anything tempting that you like, really) is not speaking to you to buy it an then eat it.

Sometimes people who self-sabotage have low self-esteem issues - they might feel that they are not deserving of the goal that they are trying to achieve, for example, or they might see themselves as a "fat person" and they subconsciously can't do anything that would take away from their basic identity; i.e. lose weight.  I used to have a similar pattern to yours and once I had slipped up, I would tell myself that that was the proof that I wasn't motivated or strong enough to stick to my goal and so I wouldn't bother trying anymore, based on that one slip-up.  Of if I lost enough weight that I started getting compliments, I'd be so self-conscious that I'd put the weight back on so that I'd go back to being unnoticed!  If you have self-esteem issues, counselling might be the way to go if they are serious enough that you find yourself unable to deal with them on your own.  Good luck to you!

All of you have some really great suggestions.  It only makes sense that I am afraid to lose weight for many reasons.  I appreciate the help.

Thanks

Also, remember that when you mess up, you can start over again tomorrow!  Sometimes we take the "all or nothing" approach.  A lifestyle change is hard.  There are going to be some slip ups.  The less that you beat yourself up over it and move on to trying again, the better you will feel! So, a package of oreos today means that tomorrow, you will try harder!

pvwalla10 - I have been battling the same pattern my entire life. I have 85 lbs to lose (hey - 80 now! - that's a nice realization!) and I am determined to not give up and go back to my old repetitive ways. I find this community very supportive, as well as journaling my trials and tribulations.

Believe it or not - a "You can do it!" goes a long way.

So...Good luck - You Can Do it!

Have you considered making smaller changes in your lifestyle?  I know that when we have a lot of weight to lose, it feels like we need to solve a big problem with a big solution.  But it is hard to make big changes all at once, and I think leads to the kind of slip-ups you have been experiencing.

What I did back in January was make 1 small change at a time, practice it until it became a habit, then tackle a new challenge.  It was much easier (and more successful) for me than the kind of wholesale changes I used to make.