How to break the cycle of crash dieting?

[justbeingelle]

I'm 29 and for the last 15 years I've been in a cycle of crash dieting - losing weight initially (sometimes upwards of 3 stone) but then putting it all back on again. I've done everything - Slimming World, Weight Watchers, low carb, calorie counting etc. I realise that my diet is linked to my emotional health and how I see myself. If I'm feeling rubbish about myself, I feel low and binge eat. Then restrict via crash dieting, then binge and feel low. The cycle continues. On the flip side, when I am eating well and I'm active, I feel motivated, I have more energy and I feel better about myself.

I'm overweight and I know I need to lose weight. Has anyone else been in a similar cycle and been able to break it? What worked for you? Any help would be very much appreciated.

Give up sugar - it's life changing.

Following a 16:8 fasting protocol was the key for me. I only ate breakfast because people said I should - never felt hungry for it, but if I ate it then my appetite was revved for the rest of the day. Leaving it out has worked wonders. You don't have to skip breakfast if that doesn't work for you - you could skip dinner instead.

Added to that was keeping to a sensible calorie deficit and NOT dieting. In other words eating (and drinking to some extent) what I want but keeping to my calorie goal as far as possible. Avoiding sugar and refined carbs helps me as they make me hungry.

You've said how good you feel when you are eating well and are active. You have to harness that. Ultimately it is a lifestyle change that is necessary, so dieting to lose weight fast is doomed to fail if you then go back to exactly the same habits as before.

Good luck.

I'd love to know this too. I've been in the binge / starve cycle for years too and really want to stop it to be a good example to DD. I'm also an emotional eater. I think a lot of it is in the mind but it's hard to change. I got to my slimming world target but have kept losing so dropped below the bottom last week. This week I thought I would have gained as I've eaten out a few times but I've lost again. I run a lot and I'm struggling with eating enough to fuel without gaining weight again. Good luck to you