is what i tell myself each time before i endulge in a pint of ice cream or a #11 at mcdonalds. Im so sick of this, i am ashamed because i lack self-control, i really do, i cant stick to a healthy lifestyle for more than a weak, but i desperately want to be fit and healthy. I guess i dont want it bad enough or somthing. It just seems after about a week of doing excellent, i see a mcdonalds or someone in my household brings home ice cream and i just cant resist. Is it because im restricting myself too much during that week? or is because i truly lack self-control, maybe im a sugar addict? it just seems hopeless because i've been on the wagon so many times doing great only to jump of for a piece of cake.....does anyone else have this problem?

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Is that sure, you can't expect to not crave these things; we all do. What you might want to try is replacing those things with an altered version. Healthy Choice makes pretty good ice cream and then there is the frozen yogurt kind of stuff. You just can't sit and down the whole container, you definitely need to keep the portions controlled. And you need to make sure you are leaving room for it in your calorie allowance. I have never had one, but those veggie burgers are supposedly good. While I like hamburgers and french fries, those foods don't mix well with me because I had my gallbladder removed and just can't digest the fatty, fried stuff very well. That is the ONLY reason I tried to stay away from it in the past. And of course now, that I am trying to lose the fat, I have a second reason to stay away from it. There are many alternatives out there, so don't give up. I just got a new cookbook by BHG called the Dieter's Cookbook. It is an updated version and they have several lower calorie treats and hundreds of main dishes. And the recipe section of this website has some pretty tasty sounding things, too.

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you eat it because you choose to eat it.
Everyone smells it and gets the cravings.

Its not a magical mythical thing thats happening. Its you choosing to eat it. your body doesnt control your brain, it just sends signals that are often wrong (ie "im hungry" when its not). Its up to you to treat it like the naughty child it is and tell it to get lost.

It might help if you dont go near a McDs then you wont see/smell/crave it so much.

if you dont buy it you cant eat it!

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SW: 330 | CW: 163 | GW: 150
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It could be that you're restricting yourself too much. I doubt it, but it's certainly a possibility. What sort of plan are you following?

More than likely it's a lack of self control which can certainly be improved with practice and some 'work' on your thought processes.

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If you think you've got an addiction - find a 12 step program and work thru the addiction -- don't use it as a reason to justify your behavior...

Some people enjoy having a persecution type complex... where they will do things to derail their efforts to say can say to their brain.. see you are a screw up - told ya so.

Ice cream isn't bad -in fact it's quite good... One portion... not a pint of ben and jerrys... you can stop at one serving... If you choose to...

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To be honest it sounds like you are a normal person who is restricting themselves too much. It happens. I love Mexican food, even though it is very fatty, and I eat it at least once a week. However, instead of eating an entire carne asada burrito I cut it in half and eat that. Usually I will eat the second half the next day or my fiance will eat it. That way we get our "fix" but we are not over endulging.

Remember that it is ok to eat a little bit of that stuff. Just dont eat too much.

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"There's not a lot of difference between a fox whole and a grave, but knowing that you dug your ditch and climbed in anyway."

thanks to all of you for replying.....Now that i really think about my everyday meals on my "plan" i realize that im restricting myself way to much, and if i eat 4 m&ms i feel super guilty and i don't want to try anymore (until later, when i feel i can do it again). On my plan, i only allow myself around 1200 cal, 30 grams fat, i make it a goal to get at least 50 grams of protein(which comes from the chicken or fish that i eat). I don't eat many whole grains, 75% of what i eat throughout the day are whole veggies and fruits, the rest is lean chicken or fish, and some whole grains....i do cardio for an hour each day 5 days a week, weight training 30 min/3 times a week. Normally when i cave in and eat a tempting food, im ravenous, so maybe i should up my calorie intake.. or should i eat more fat?

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What are your stats?

I can tell you now you are low in protein.

I can also tell you now that you have a bad case of the all-or-nothing mentality that is so commonly seen among dieters nowadays.

You're either 100% on or you're 100% off. One slip up leads to an entire day down the tubes. For some it extends from there for the week and even the month.

Everything is black or white... they leave no room for gray, which unfortunately comprises most of reality.

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the only stats that i know are my height and weight, 5'5.5 133pds right now.

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Your calories aren't terribly low given your weight. However, the trick in general is to eat as much as possible while still losing weight. This best negates the potential for binging.

Rigidity and restriction are things most don't enjoy.

Also, bumping your protein and fat intake up a big would probably help satiate you better as well.

100 or so grams of protein

30% of calories from fat, predominantly coming from the good stuff

fill the rest in with carbs

make sure you get your fruit and veggies in

don't completely leave out the stuff you enjoy

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well i know that im not overweight, the heaviest i've been is 137 and about 1.5 years ago i weighed 107, and that was normal for me because of my frame, i didnt look sickly or anything. I just put on weight from getting out of sports and eating poorly. So now i just need to take control of myself and get back in shape.....thanks for the advice steve i will try what you said, im probably going to add another mini meal to make it 5 meals a day instead of 4.

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Hi. We are very similar. I am 5' 5.5" and 134.5 pounds. I have only just recently gotten out of the all or nothing mentality, through talking to people on here. I used to do the exact same thing as you. Tons of cardio, some weight training, and then I'd occasionally overeat, get mad at myself, and think all was lost. When in fact, it wasn't. I was giving myself both a planned menu, and a calorie goal that was usually between 1000 and 1300 cals. Way to low. I tried forgetting about the calories, and only sticking to my plan, but I would still get mad at myself if I ate one little thing that wasn't on it. Now I just give myself a number, and eat what I want within that range. However, the most important thing I've learned is that it is most certainly NOT all over if I happen to go past that number. I usually aim for around 1600 calories a day. But yesterday, I didn't really have any real meals, just snacked throughout the day on nuts, blueberries, cereal, milk, and a few other things. The thing that put me up to about 1850 was graham crackers with cream cheese, which might sound weird, but I love it. I didn't let it bother me too much, just went out for a walk, and ended up with a pound loss this morning. Things like that just show me that not every mistake matters. Just keep doing the best you can each day. One day at a time.

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Like someone previously stated, learn to replace your favorite foods that are just as tasty as the really bad food you have been eating.

For instance I work at DQ and am around ice cream, so when I come home at midnight I just want to eat ice cream. Instead I bought a pack of 60 cal. pudding snacks, triple chocolate. It definitely does the trick

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C'mon now!