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I have not succeeded in a single day of trying to stay MWL. The first few days were good until epic junk binges even eating things like pizza and choc at one stage (i dont normally eat meat or dairy) the last 2 days ive done really well until baking for the kids which was vegan but had flour and oil in it. I just dont understand how i keep sabotaging myself. I was even thinking this morning how great i was feeling despite the indulgences. Any ideas or advice as to how i can pull my head in and get it sorted. i really want to and im so frustrated by the whole thing

The main thing is you need to go over the BENEFITS around why you want to lose the weight. What are the top 5 reasons why weight loss would be great to you?
You need to keep reviewing those reasons every day until it sinks into your deeper mind.

Until you feel much pleasure fused to weight loss, your mind will most likely give in.

Also, keep seeing yourself, in your mind succeeding at your ideal weight. Visualize it everyday for at least 3 minutes.

When you win in your mind, you will reach your desired weight.

Maybe you need to look at the "Regular" plan....it is not as "strict" as MWL...I lost all my weight with that plan...plus lets face it..you really have to commit to this plan, it is life long, not just to lose the weight...look over both plans and see which fits best with your lifestyle....you will lose weight on both plans, just at a slower rate following the regular plan...if you stick to it.

Also I think it would really help to give a lot of thought as to what's motivating your eating? That really helps me. For instance, are you stressed, do you feel like you need to be taken care of, do you have very little time for yourself and are you trying to steal some more by eating treats?

You can do this! It gets easier with practice, though of course I still slip up with dairy sometimes for the above reasons.

I second the regular plan attempt.

Are you eating enough starches? Are you trying to do the hasty or fast approach? Sometimes eating too few starches will leave you feeling very hungry, deprived then eat fully off plan. If you are eating meat and dairy and you didnt in the past, maybe you are hungry. Reach for the starch first then decide if you still want to eat whatever it is.

Ive been a long time weight loss "failure" and have recently realized that almost all my failure has been due to not eating enough or any starches. While Im losing weight, it is slow. Its not a race and thats okay. Before when I was really struggling to stay on plan, I'd lose 15 lbs in 5-7 weeks then fully blow it because I couldnt withstand the constant hunger and feeling of deprivation.

I have blogged some about it (see signature line). Its a journey and no ones journey is the same as anyone elses.

Dont give up. Just keep learning.

Hi M3F, I'm new here, but read your post and thought I might also add some ideas for you.

I totally agree with all of the notes about letting yourself know why YOU want this. It's not a willpower thing, it's a want power thing.

(If willpower worked, we wouldn't have a $60 billion a year weight loss industry in the U.S. It's the only business model I know of that makes more money the more people it fails.) But I digress.

Try right before you go to sleep and right as you wake up seeing yourself becoming more and more healthful every day. You'd also be well served by imagining moments where you've been tempted in the past, and how you would make more healthful choices this time.

When I was a kid, I was raised to eat everything on my plate, because cosmically, someone in Africa was dying of starvation if I didn't. Never really got that logic, but I did have big time hangups about leaving food on my plate.

It helped when I started to visualize being calm and sure of myself when I left food on my plate when I was satisfied. Not full, but satisfied.

Finally, continue to get group support, as you can here, and track your progress. I literally give myself a sticker on the calendar when I've met my daily goals. What can I say, gal likes a sticker. I'm visual, and this works for me.

Hope this helps! Warm regards,

So annoying i wrote a reply from my phone at work but it froze and i lost it. Basically from what i can remember posting was thanks heaps for the practical advice. I actually think my problem is not eating enough leading me to binge later. i eat predominantly starches so that isnt a problem at all but i have a very physical job plus i run and work out as well. I switched to the regular plan yesterday and while i wasnt perfect i was heaps heaps better. Losing weight isnt an issue as such, ive done it before and can do it again but i want to do it a healthier way.

Being a shift worker also makes a big difference as you cant get as much sleep (i work 3-7am every day), but im currently on university holidays so at least my brain is pumping hard all day which makes things much easier too. Will keep trucking on anyway and see how i go.

The book that helps my clients the most is called "Shrink Yourself" by Roger Gould, MD. He is considered THE expert on emotional overeating. He also has an online program at www.shrinkyourself.com. He believes that until you can successfully manage your stress you will never be able to manage your weight.

Another good thing to do is make sure you always have some on-plan food prepared and ready to eat. It does make things much easier when you're really hungry if you can grab something straight away. Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, brown rice, sliced apples and carrots will all keep a few days in the fridge. Setting aside some time just twice a week for advance food prep might make all the difference when you're hungry.