How on earth do I stop being such a greedy pig?

[Givemestrengthorvodka]

Every single day I wake up telling myself today is the day I will stop eating crap and stop drinking so much. Roll on bed time when I'm 3 (strong) g&t's deep, face down in a family sized bag of Revels berating myself once again for being such a failure.
How the hell do i stop being like this? I understand what I need to do, I have all the info I need....just apparently a complete lack of willpower. How on earth do I change my habits for longer than 3 days at a time 😬.
Send help, please!

How’s it going op?

Hi @Layinwait its not going particularly well. I'm sitting here in a happy puddle of wine and bugles 😬. Meh...Will try again on Monday, because its Friday now and so of course, that's the entire weekend written off.

No no no OP!!! It’s not written off.

enjoy one more drink. Slowly. Enjoy a snack. And then go for a walk / watch a film with kids / have a bath.

tomorrow… up at decent time, walk, and you’re off on a healthy day

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

I have a day out tomorrow but not a boozy one. Nothing tomorrow night so that's high risk for drinking and eating a load of rubbish. Sunday should be okay. I had a bit of an accident last weekend and so I've been sore and recovering this week, plus very busy at work so that has meant no gym classes. And that means I'm much more likely to eat rubbish which I have done.

I'm putting on weight at a rate of knots though and very much want to be healthier so still keen to change my ways...its just so bloody hard.

And thank you...even just talking about it on here is enough to get me feeling a bit more motivated.

Do you have kids Op?

Leverage them OP if so! Be out and about as much as possible. Weather looks good!

put the bottle of booze down. Seriously. Think about tomorrow am and shudder

You poor thing. Come on Op. you can do it.

imagine stopping….
now. Imagine how great and proud of yourself you’ll feel tomorrow

I am a recovering binge eater.
its been a problem all my life.

The key is to stabilise your blood sugar. So, for me, I woke up one day IN THE ZONE and made myself a massive fry up. I was hungry but also depressed and miserable about my weight. I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day.

the next day, my hunger was virtually gone, it was definitely very controllable. I can’t cope with carbs at all, they turn me into an eating machine.

I suppose I am basically doing keto now and have lost 4 stone in 5 months - I am 49 so this has been a huge surprise for me, I was braced for a very long and tedious weight loss journey. It is so liberating to be freed from the constant gnawing hunger and relentless obsession with eating.

Grab the moment and run with it, the next time you think you can manage say an omelette for breakfast do that. I normally have an omelette for breakfast with feta and fried broccoli or left over vegetables from the night before, keto doesn’t have to be an orgy of bacon and eggs. But to start you off: have a fry up. Seriously. You don’t even need to snack. It’s like you forget about food.

I feel your pain op and I'm hardly a good example myself but here are some things that have helped me.

Identify if you are an 'abstainer' (you can't open a packet without finishing it) or a 'moderator' (you can have one and stop)
Change your environment to suit.

Delay don't deny. Tell yourself you can have that treat BUT only on a certain day/after a certain event. I use this by giving myself deadlines a couple if weeks in the future e.g. a trip away, someone visiting (who would criticise my weight) and tell myself I can treat myself after that.

Eating the latest/most satisfying meal of the day in the evening and keeping breakfast and lunch very light. That way, I might feel a bit hungry but I know I have a big meal on the way. This might also curb your evening eating as you will be fuller.

And finally...not for everyone but...fasting.

I routinely skip breakfast now to extend my night time fast but I have done some all day fasts and found them quite liberating as I didnt need to think about food at all!!

There are a couple of books called "Beyond Chocolate" that are helpful

Thanks everyone, it's really helpful to have this thread on the go...feeling more motivated today. @Luckydog7 I am definitely an abstainer...all or nothing for me.

@HorsePlatitudes a carb free fry up is a good idea. Anytime I do eat something like that, you're right, you feel full all day.

Those doing keto what are you meal recommendations? I don't want it to be all meat/fat as I love veg. Is fruit a no go on keto? I guess I need to look in to it more.

I really do need to curb sugar and carbs. I have some PCOS symptoms and have read that pcos can make you insulin resistant and so more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. I would like to make changes to avoid that before it's too late.

@Peonyblush81 feeling good thanks. I'm having a day out today to celebrate my DD's birthday so that will involve lots of walking round the shops!

Feeling much more motivated today. My DS loves hillwalking and so I've decided to make that one of my motivations. For us to go and do walks together, we are lucky to live in a place where we can access hills, munros and the weat highland way sections relatively easily so I'm now planning a couple of days of walking for later this month and that gives me something to focus my motivation on.

They are all good. Its not that I eat unhealthy meals...most of what I cook for us is healthy and home made...its just the aperitif of gin and bugles and the tea and chocolate that comes after that's the problem for me 😊

Have you tried fasting? The 16:8 helped me a lot - it's quite good if you are all or nothing as you say. You eat between 12-8 and not outside of those times. Food outside those times just isn't an option so it forces you to distract yourself until you're in your eating window.

(Doesn't have to be 12-8, it could be any 8 hour window in the day so 11-7, 10-6 etc)

No it's fine, I'm not worried about an addiction. If I do have one during the week it's only one, maybe 2 gins...but it acts as an immediate trigger for snacking. And at weekends I don't drink a huge amount more...maybe 3 or 4 gins or some wine (less than a bottle) but gain good intentions go out the window. I think I need an evening routine. Working from home means I can go to my gym classes during the day more easily but maybe that's not ideal as it means my evenings are less busy. So u think I'll book a few evening classes next week and see if that helps

This used to be me. The only way I found was to quit drinking alcohol. It’s massively calorific and leads to over eating, bad sleep and feeling generally like shit. All things that contribute to weight gain.

Visualise who you want to be. A knackered, overweight shadow of yourself, never reaching your true potential? Or, a healthy, fit Individual who actually gives a shit about themselves and how others perceive them?

I know that sounds harsh, but the only way is to read yourself the riot act and draw a line in the sand. Until you do, nothing will change.

I’m 2 stone overweight….but was 2.5 stone heading to 3 stone over…8 weeks ago. 54.

nothing dramatic…well I’ve joined a 3 day a week gym programme….but I’m nott sure that’s what’s made the difference.

but I’ve got it in to my head that crisps, chocolate and red wine in the week are not my friends.

wfh yesterday, usually my crisp/snack nemesis. But had breakfast, lunch with toast sardines and roast veg….then went out for tea last night and yes drank red wine but I hadn’t in the week at all. Or felt deprived.

get some veg and fruit in, knock the wine on the head in the week, unless there’s a reason for it or you really feel like it….and make some small tweaks.

That attitude isn't hard coded into your DNA though. It's just the choice you make most of the time. If you can focus on one day at a time persistently, you'll see results. I don't personally think willpower will get you anywhere, you need to change your perspective on food. Its necassary nutrients, don't let it get tangled up with how you are feeling. Find another way to deal with anxiety or whatever causes you to over eat. Savour the feeling of successfully reaching your goals, rather than seeing it as a sacrifice.