Fitness first

Lately I have really let my diet go, and I think the main reason for this is for ever allowing myself cheat days atall. How do I get back on track and stop binging and even stop having a cheat day atall, how do I stop the cravings?

You should have a cheat meal or two(at max) each week that helped me alot during my 5 months of losing weight(lost 70 pounds) but at the end of the day it comes down to willpower. Buy foods like grapes and other healthy stuff and eat more portioned meals, if you are living with your parents talk to them about a healthier diet.

Also water is a great tool to stop cravings and so is going outside and doing other activities that get your mind off of food

@fueled-system: basically I have eat well all week, and had a cheat meal today a take away, so am I still okay to have a few drinks tomorrow or should I not?

you have to go cold turkey with sugar just like you would with alcohol or cigarettes.

I try to limit my cheat meals to once a day. Goodness knows I don't have time to make a healthy meal twice a day.

^^Sure you do!

you should try limiting your cheat meals to once at 2 days

I pig out a lot. But, it's usually on fruits: mangoes, rainier cherries, chopped and chilled watermelon, etc.

Apparently,someone has to fat shame you.

BAH, I'll just pay for the blasted liposuction!

I've found that if I stick to eating food I prepare myself, even my worst days of binge eating are no where near as bad as days where I binge and eat prepared, purchased food. SO yeah go home and make a double burger with bacon and cheese, it's still 10x better than going to Jack in the Box or some crap.

I wouldn't totally forsake "cheat" days, just view them as "treat" days instead. "Cheat" attaches a certain taboo to what you are doing, like "Oooooh I'm a naughty boy, naughty naughty" and somehow makes it more attractive to overindulge on. "Treat" implies its a bonus, like you eat normal but you maybe indulge yourself a bit; so have fries with your sandwich instead of salad, and don't feel bad about impulsively buying that candy bar if it's just once a week.

Even the most insane "I eat to live, not live to eat" nutjob that pretends to not enjoy food still takes pleasure from good meals, it's important to have at least one meal per week (ideally one day's worth) that you enjoy. It maintains a positive relationship with food.

You're talking added sugar, right (and maybe high-sugar foods like juice, to an extent)?

protein, fiber and a lot of water.

yes, hell I don't even let myself have maple syrup with my oatmeal, which is unfortunate indeed.

a little bit of fruit and stuff is fine though

Yeah I'm trying to cut most carbohydrates from my diet. I'm not going full blown Atkins or anything, but I've got my cardio covered at work (I walk 15k+ steps a day, plus it's physical work) and I've started weight lifting again.

Doing pretty much a lot of lean protein, mostly green vegetables as sides (cruciferous stuff like chard, brocolli, asparagus, etc). After workout I'll have some fruit and maybe some pasta or a sandwich but that's about it for high-carb foods.

I've been told if you want to lose fat while lifting weights that's kind of the way to go. I'm noticing a big, positive difference digestion-wise as my poops are much more solid, and my body responds appropriately to bad foods; been doing the healthy thing for two weeks feeling good, got drunk last night and ate two frozen burritos and some ice cream, woke up and felt like crap and pooped like four times today. Gotta treat myself better!

*apologies for the bowel descriptions, but it's an important indicator in one's health.

If I understood correctly you want to lost weight . As written above try eat healthy food . Also do cardio every day . I hate gym and not so much like running outside , so cardio machine best solution for me . Without cardio I cant lost fat even used 1200 cal per day, not more

And add Probiotics to your diet to help reduce the negative bacteria(Candida) in your intestines. High levels of Candida are the result of the typical unhealthy American diet and it also causes cravings.

Most of the stuff that they put in our foods here don't get approved in other industrialized countries

@benny_boy98: The only thing to stop stop cheating all the time is you. You have to want, desire even, a healthier, fitter, stronger etc you above all things. When I was on my diet, each time i feel the cravings or binging temptation, one thing i did(amongst other methods) is ask myself "Do I live to eat or do I eat to live?". I reminded myself that my desire to live a much more fulfilling life, to be stronger and healthier, to do all the things that I want, other simple pleasures in life like looking good and wearing any clothes that I want is much more than that mere minutes of pleasure of eating food that I don't need.

Even when I caved in (coz its so easy to go too hard and ending up starving myself) and binge a bit, I immediately follow with a 20-30 minutes workout as damage control, so that I don't feel too bad and a motivation because I got right back on track and dont feel demoralised. So the "cheat" food ends up being used for good anyway, by being the fuel to my extra session of working out.

Hope that helps!

edit: Anyways, controlled cheat days are useful, desirable even, because other than the obvious reason of keeping your sanity in check, it revitalises your body's metabolism. So in a way, cheat days are not cheating, but simply another essential step to your weight-loss efforts.

Play sports.

Lots of stuff that cause cancer, like many dyes, and preservatives, are illegal in every other industrialized country but america. That is a large cause of our problems, along with the over indulgence.

@thegerg: If I not do cardio my weight stable. But when I start to move I'm lost .Maybe if start eat 700 calories a day will be different. but such experiments I never have done.

@thegerg: I m agree with you. But I do not want go hungry, in that I prefer to create a calorie deficit by burning it. IT's IMO not dogma)

You lose weight in the kitchen as they say. You're nutrition has to be a priority over exercise. Some people overestimate how much energy/calories they've burned w/ exercise and eat more than they should/would if they hadn't exercised.

Just give your body what it wants. Don't resist, let it go. If i want cake, i'll eat cake, lol ..

I have nothing revolutionary to add. What I do:

1. Try to eat homecooked food.

2. Wait 10 minutes between helpings.

3. Keep sweets(chocolate, ice creak, cookies, etc) out of the house. I am NOT saying don't eat sweets. But if you have to get dressed hop in the car and go buy the stuff that gives you time to think if you really need it.

4. Exercise vigorously. That doesn't mean exercise super long. But don't expect to see tons of benefits from walking around the block once or twice.

5. Try to do without that late night snack.

Remember you aren't going to starve. Eat candy and not cake. Eat fruit and not candy. Drink soda and not beer. Drink lemonade and not soda. Drink water and not lemonade(etc). Just gradually change your lifestyle and you will see changes in your body.

But still enjoy yourself some. You only live once.