Will Power??

Hi S.,

I understand everything you are going ing through. I myself have some of the same struggles. What really helped me was I stopped buying that stuff. If it wasn't around I didn't eat it. Also changing my ways of eating was hard but I also get a cheat meal once a week too. Kind of a reward for being good. I hope this helps.

M.

I hear you! I also love eating what I want and it is hard to have the will power to not do it. Here what's I have done to stop myself from induling. We do not buy sweets-like at all. Then I am not tempted to eat them. There have been times where I have been craving something but there is nothing sweet to eat so I like eat a couple raisins. The problem for me is usually when we are out at friends' houses or other activities where there is sweets-maybe you related to that. It is really hard not to eat the sweets but I have given myself one day a week to indulge which is Friday (this seemed like a good day to me because this is often a day when we are out and there are sweets available). It helps to have that one day to just "eat whatever" and if I am tempted a few days before I just tell myself that Friday is coming. Anyway, good luck. Hope this helps!

I was kind of the same way. The thing that helped me most oddly, was watching the Biggest Loser. I just kept thinking if they can do it, then I definitely have no excuse. Once you get started, even though it's hard to start, it'll get better. You'll eat better because you just struggled to get to the gym/exercise for 30 minutes, and probably wouldn't want to undo what you just worked so hard to do. Start off easy, just go for a light jog/walk for 30 minutes. Try doing it at least twice a week, so you start building a pattern of exercise.... Good luck!

My best suggestion is to not purchase the junk food. You'll squirm for a while when it's nighttime and there's no junk in the house, but that's a lot easier than actually having junk in the house, because then you're required to constantly resist it. good luck!

You have had some great advice on dieting, eating right, and exercise. I would just like to add one more aspect. What is your relationship with you body like? Are you in a constant battle? Do you have a running negative dialogue about all the horrible things your body is? I highly recommend a book called "Do I Look Fat in This?: Get Over Your Body and On With Your Life." by Rhonda Britten.

As we begin to learn more and more about mind body connections we are finding that what you 'think' really is what makes the difference in your health. If you are always in judgement and beating yourself up, it will effect all kinds of things in your physical body. This is also the place where "will power" is affectd.

So, I suggest getting really conscious of the viscious voice in your head, hear what it has to say, and inquire as to the "truth" it is telling you. Best wishes, T.

summer is the best time to try new fruits and vegetables because they taste their best. pause to notice the many flavors as you're eating one and you may become hooked on something you never thought to eat. like artichokes-- one day i decided to try them. i looked on www.foodnetwork.com for the simplest way to make them. they are kind of an adventure because there is such a process to eating them, so my kids love them too and get so excited to eat them. also, making a small change like eating baby carrots at night instead of one of your junk food snacks can make a difference. i have been heavily limiting my sugar intake for a couple months now and have lost 8 pounds as a result. it's been really hard because there are so many sweets that i like, but you asked what the motivation was and honestly it was because i got ill and knew i had to make a serious change to get back to a better quality of life. good luck!

Plan a trip where you have to wear a bikini! Just kidding. I have been the same way in the past. I am not big on fad diets, I think it's important to be healthy, but my junk food cravings do get the better of me sometimes. I was desperate last year to loose weight. I didn't know it at the time, but I had hypothyroid. I was having a really hard time loosing weight even though I was eating healthy and working out. I decided to try a natural diet pill. I used Orovo, and I really liked it. I didn't loose as much wight as I'd hoped for, but again I had a thyroid problem. I felt I had more energy and my desire to eat healthy was much easier to accomplish. (You can find it on ebay for a good price)
Even though it's really hard, if you can stop eating junk food for a week, you will stop craving it.
The best motivation for me is just that I want to be healthy as I get older, I have a lot of goals for after my children are grown. I want to be able to have the energy to accomplish them. starting healthy habits when you are younger will give you a better chance at being healthier when you are older.
Good luck!

I don't think it is so much will power as changing habits. I LOVE junk food too. I want that sweet, I want that salty, I want...whatever! I think the key to this is babysteps. It may take a bit longer, but it will hopefully stay with you. Just change one thing at a time. I went to Costco and got some freeze-dried fruit. They come in chip back size. I would take some of these to work, and would eat these instead of my bag of Hershey kisses, it was the sweet that I was craving. Okay, I would eat the kisses too, but not as many. Finally, I was eating more of the fruit, and when the kisses ran out, I didn't get anymore. Fast food seemed to taper off when I started planning my menus better. There was no excuse to stop off, and I was saving quite a bit of money too. For sodas I switched to carbonated water, or perrier because I liked the bubbles. These habits will be good for your kids too.

There is a book that I have heard about that I keep meaning to get and read too. It is called Body Clutter and it is at http://www.flylady.net/pages/flyshop_bc.asp
This is supposed to focus more on why we eat the way we do, and while it doesn't focus on weight loss, it can be the result.

If the food's not good for you, it's not good for the kids. Why is it in your home?

If you shouldn't eat hot dogs, why buy them? If you shouldn't eat chips, why buy them? You don't need them, the kids certainly don't. If temptation isn't there, you're much less likely to give in.

Tomorrow morning, purge your fridge, freezer, cupboards of all the 'bad' foods. Donate them to a foodbank. Then shop Sunflower and stock up on fresh veg and fruit, seeds, nuts, etc. Promise yourself to eat out one day a week...meanwhile get really good at sandwiches/salads for lunch and quick, easy meals with lots of veggies for dinner.

GL!!!!!

Hi S.,
I was like you except I had 20 lbs from babweight gain, I was still healthy but it drove me nuts because I had alway's been small. Anyway, I did weight watchers and i think you would be surprised how easy it was, with just 10 pounds you could do it in a healthy way in about 6 weeks and keep it off! I really did not change my diet that much, alot less eating out ( we go once a week, this helps with the family budget!), I stopped eating all the candy that was around from my kids, and I walk, alot! If you have little one's bring them with you, go every day! Just make it a habit, it works! I was like you, i thought I would have to jog to lose my weight( which I hate!) but I just cut back on eating, I still eat alot of the same stuff but I have more salads and fresh fruit and veggies, I still have a cheeseburger once a month or so. And if you drink pop or any kind of juice even if they are sugar free that still messes up your blood sugar so you crave more food/carbs. I only drink water, you get used to it quickly.( I do have one cup of coffee in the am). You can do it! Once you win it won't feel like you are giving up anything!

I have a serious sweet tooth & the only thing that I can seem to stick to is just quitting cold-turkey. I'm Catholic, so every Lent I give up my candy & move to alternative sweets-juice, fruits, flavored whey protein. Mark a date on the calendar, start throwing the junky stuff away & by that date, you should be ready to go! Buy fruit snacks for the kids, dried fruit to make trail mix, whey protein really helps to fill me up instead of snacking, baked crackers & potato chips for when you MUST have something junky, the 90 or 100 calorie packs of goodies, tons of fruits & veggies (cut them up as soon as you get home from the store so you can grab & go, rather than having to take time to prepare them). I'm currently on a mission to lose inches-I don't measure weight because my weight can stay the same while I get smaller, so I measure inches.
And pick up a new hobby. I snack when I'm bored, or sitting at the computer. Once I really got into crocheting again I really stopped snacking because I didn't want to get my project funky.
Good luck!
And take breaks from working-throw the kids on bikes or in stroller & go walk them!

I am a person addicted to fat. I love butter, cheese, oils, any fats. I also love carbs. My whole life was a weight roller coaster until I started the Zone diet. It's not a diet like to lose weight diet, it's a diet in terms of what a person should eat to have a balanced food intake. It changed my life, and there has been no roller coaster since then. Before Zone, I tried the following:
- Removed all fats from my house, period. No butter allowed, no cheese, no oils, no fats. I didn't care how difficult that made things seem, I figured out ways to work around it. It seems this would be effective in your case - no one NEEDS junk food. Stop buying it, and you will at least reduce your availability of junk food to eat.
- Stopped eating in my car. I convinced myself this was a barbaric practice we Americans have - eating on the run - and decided I would NOT eat in my car, period. This virtually eliminated my stopping at fast food places. I never told myself not to go to fast food places, but I knew I wouldn't if I couldn't eat it right away - who wants cold fast food?!
- Started shopping at Whole Foods exclusively. At a minimum, the junk food is some level of healthier than the junk food you can find at normal grocery stores - but I don't feel that strongly about that one.

The truth is this: being overweight is very simple - you eat more calories than you burn. Period. You can live on junk food, and not be over weight - that is no problem. Just stop eating so much of it. Of course that isn't healthy... but it's realistic - you are eating too many calories for your desired weight. You have 2 choices - burn more calories (exercise) OR reduce the caloric income - or a combination of the 2. You eat more when you eat junk food, because it's typically simple carbs that keep you hungry - you are never really satiated.

I'm sure you'll get volumes of responses to this... but my advice is to keep it simple: reduce calories and or increase exercise. It's not a magic thing that you stop eating junk food, and start eating apples and all of a sudden you will be thin. If you eat too many apples, you can still be overweight.

I love going to the gym and being around healthy people. Of course, there are those people who really don't want to work out but want to show off what they have. For the most part the people are determined to better themselves. Once you start going and meet people who share their stories about getting fit and healthy it will usually motivate you. I have met some of my best friends at the gym and I even got my daughter to go with me one summer. I was probably the most motivated when I could see her trying to make a difference in herself. After the birth of my last son I had extra pounds to lose and I went to the gym and got a trainer and took it off.

I never deprive myself of anything. If I want potato chips, I eat potato chips. Just not the whole bag. I eat chocolate, but not handfuls. Many times it is just mind over matter. Don't let yourself get hungry. I tend to snack a lot on nuts. I go to the Good Earth and get them in bulk and they are cheaper. Something that you could do for yourself is to cut up celery, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables and put them in the frig for the following day. A lot of times people will grab something quick out of the frig. You try different things and see what works best for you. We are all different and everyone responds different.

Belle also mentioned getting your thyroid checked. I did this just last year and found out that my thyroid was a little sluggish. After I started taking hormones I lost 10 pounds.

I started doing Power Yoga about 3 years back and noticed that I firmed up a lot. I felt a lot better physically and mentally also. Remember you are being a big example for your girls.

I took pictures of myself in a bikini and that was a really big inspiration.

I found a couple of things that helped, if not all the time, then at least MOST of the time. For me, if I completely quit something cold turkey then I end up craving exactly that. If your weakness is sweets then let yourself have one a week. I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but find that I crave chocolate every now and then so I keep a tupperware container of bite sized chocolates in the fruit drawer of the refrigerator. If I feel a chocolate craving coming on I grab one of those. I usually make them my favorites, something pretty rich that I don't really want more than one of. If I eat more than one then I try to eat extra vegetables that day.

I have a big weakness for salty foods....ie, potato chips, french fries, etc.... I let myself indulge in that, but when I do I make sure I am only having ONE serving. Serving size has always been my problem and I find if I REALLY pay attention and keep track then I am able to keep myself in check.

Something that helped with this was this website:
http://www.thedailyplate.com
It lets you decide how many calories you need each day to either gain, maintain, or lose weight. Then you can search their HUGE database for the foods you eat. After searching a few times you'll start to realize what your servings should be of the things you eat on a regular basis and be able to adjust the servings to meet your daily caloric intact. The site is free and it keeps track of everything for you. It's the perfect way to "retrain" yourself into eating better. I'm pregnant right now, but will start using this site when it's time for me to get back on track after the baby. The best thing about doing something like this is that it's not really a diet, you're just keeping track of yourself in order to keep from over doing it. I never tried to be a health nut, I just kept eating the things I normally did, but in better portion sizes. If you stick with it, it works. And if you go overboard one day, DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP!! You can always start over the next day. Good Luck!

When you stop a bad habit you have to replace it with a good one. So I would go through your house and get rid of all the junk. Well, keep one thing, for a tiny splurge (it can help keep a diet from backfiring). Then go to the store and buy healthy foods - fruits and veggies especially. Stock up on apples, broccoli and cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrots, edamome, etc. Munch on those when you're hungry for a snack. It takes a week or two to retrain your taste buds, but you've already gotten rid of the junk food :)
Try to identify when you're truely hungry and when you are reacting to other cues (boredom, frustration, impatience, excitement, etc) that cause you to eat. Instead of eating then, find another activity to replace it. Only eat when you are hungry. I usually did best with breaskfast (cereal and milk) snack (fruit) lunch (salad or sandwich, but Lean Cuisine has some great choices too), snack (fruit or veggies) and a reasonable dinner. Once I got going, I also kept some really good ice cream in the freezer. If I had been good all day (I was counting calories, so I went by that) I could have 1 scoop - measured out 1/4 cup - at the end of the day (that's 1/2 serving, usually 100-150 calories). When I was tempted to grab a bag of chips or a cookie or something, I would stop and ask myself - do I want this or do I want my ice cream at the end of the day. That way I wasn't depriving myself, just making a choice!

Finally, make sure you're exercising too. 20-30 minutes a day of something that gets your heart rate up is good not just for your waist, but for overall health. Put the kids in the stroller and go for a walk, hop on the treadmill or bike, or go to the library and check out some fitness videos (cheap and a good way to keep variety in your workout). Start slowly and don't overdo it. At 34, your heartrate should be around 115 for the best fat burning. If you go over about 148, you move into anaerobic excercise where you're not burning fat anymore. (If you do 1-2 minutes of anaerobic a couple of times during a 30 minute workout it actually increases your metabolism, but don't go there until you've got the 20-30 minute workout into your routine first). Weight/resistance training is also going to trim up your body, by building lean muscle for a tighter look - and muscle burns more than fat, even at rest. Yoga and pilates are good ones that you can get videos for.
You might want to look into a gym membership, several places even have kid care centers for while you're there. And you have a lot of equipment available, and usually a trainer who can show you how to use it.

Remember, it takes both a reduction in calories and an increase in activity (diet and exercise) to effectively loose weight. And they actually support each other. When I was exercising regularly I craved more healthy foods, and when I ate right I felt more like exercising. Plus, when you do it that way, it's easier to keep the habits up and keep the weight off.

Hi S. - I totally understand where you are! Taking on a diet takes a lot of energy. There are a few things you can do without starting a full blown diet.

One thing I found to help me with the junk food is to just not buy it or buy things my family likes but I dont really care for. I can buy chips because those arent a big deal for me but I cant buy cookies. I could eat the packaging! I also found that we all ate better when I kept carrots and celery sticks in the fridge along with string cheese, grapes etc. Easy snacks to grab but dont break the calorie bank.

Another way is to increase your daily activity level. Go for a walk, take the stairs, extra play sessions with the kids -

One that is harder for me but I know I need to do is to reduce my caffeine intake and drink more water. That goes for artificial sweeteners too because they can lead to carb/sugar cravings. A naturopath I met said that if women cut out coffee and drank water instead, they would all lose 10 pounds in a year. Somehow caffeine affects the insulin response.

I hope that gives you some ideas!

EDIT - hi again! I just read your answer to hardest thing about being a mom is not sleeping. AMEN to that! That is something that also affects my weight. When I'm tired, I drink more caffeine and tend to use sugar/carbs as a way to boost my mood and my energy.

I know how you feel. I am a very little person but I just had my second daughter 4 months ago and am still holding onto 7 pounds too. Like I said I am a little person I only weigh 119 right now but it is still very hard because I can't fit into my pregnancy pants. Like you everyday I say I'm going to do good and then about half way through the day I fall apart and start eating everything! IT doesn't matter what size you are if you want to loose weight it's a very hard thing to do. And although I am struggling right now I will tell you what I did after my first daughter was born to loose the rest of my weight. For me I just have to make it through the first day. IF I do really good the first day I don't want to go back to eating bad. Then I just keep telling myself what's better eating this cupcake or being really skinny? Being skinny wins! and then I'm on my path to watching what I eat. I still have little slip up days of course but you just have to keep telling yourself that being thin and healthy is more important then whatever it is you are about to eat. You can do it you just have to get really serious about it.

I agree with Crista, don't buy it at the grocery store. Then you only have to resist while there and not every day. If you really have a craving walk to the store if possible. I also do not believe in diets, just eating healthy. Easier said than done. :)

well if you don't have any will power by yourself then you should use a buddy system. With me, it is my husband, we recently have had real concern with both of our parent's health taking a dive. We have to make a conscious decision every day to put healthy things in our body by following the food pyramid, no crazy diet, just going back to basics by getting all the important foods our bodies need. If you look at the pyramid and notice how many servings of everything your body needs a day, then there is not much room for junk. Don't deprive yourself though, give in to those chocolate cravings a few times a week. We also changed because we want our daughter to grow up making good nutritious choices. We knew we didn't want our child to have take care of us or see us struggling with all the health problems from an unhealthy lifestyle when it could have been prevented. I am sure you have already figured out that your daughters want to do the same things that you do so take advantage of that and show them how to take care of their bodies, not for looks, but for a healthy, happy life. Good luck!

Are we related? You sound so much like me. I'm a junk food junkie, too!
Now that I'm a grandma, my life is different (though just as busy) than it was when my children were little, and I've learned a different outlook on food. I wish I'd learned it earlier! But I always liked the sweet stuff and the salty stuff, and I still do.
I discovered that I use food for comfort - big time! Life gets busy or unhappy or anxious and I want to turn to something I can put in my mouth (preferably chocolate. Or chips.) Ask yourself if you do that. I had to admit that I have an addiction to junk food. In other words, I eat the way some people drink!
OK, what then?
If you are consistently the same weight - just not the weight you'd like - then the number of calories you're putting out in your daily routine is about the same as the amount of calories you're putting into your mouth. You want to tip that scale so that you're using up more calories than you're taking in. But you don't want to starve, and you don't want to feel emotionally deprived.
Now, this is where you need to go to "healthy school." If you are going to take in fewer calories, they need to be the best calories, the ones that will do the most work for you and make you just as happy.
This will take some courage, but get a notebook and write down every little thing you eat every day (and how much and *when* - very important). Be shameless - include the eating you don't want anybody to know about. Do this for a week or two. Then you'll know where you are now.
If you belong to a gym, you might be able to find somebody to help you with the next step - or you may have a good friend who can do this. If not, there are books you can use to find out what foods are better and *why*. You need to try substitutes (for the junk food) that you'll learn to like just as well. (Among the many resources, some of the "Biggest Loser" books have that good information.)
I could have a candy bar to pick me up in the afternoon - but I know that a protein bar, a banana, or a glass of milk picks me up even better; with a candy bar my energy will soar and then crash, but with other foods the energy really lasts, and I like that. I've found a brand of low-fat (1%) milk that I like as well as the regular kind. I've learned to fix veggies so that they're almost as satisfying as chocolate (almost). I discovered I wasn't eating enough protein; I now have protein options that I like (and because of them I don't crave as many carbs). I have a little low-fat string cheese at night instead of my usual bedtime snack, and I'm not even going to tell you what that used to be!
I also discovered that I was snacking more than I was eating real meals. When I began to eat more (of the good stuff) at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when I *planned* snack times into my day, I was less inclined to reach for the potato chips. I just didn't need them. (Chips are still something I can't still have around at home much. They still sing tempting songs to me.)
I don't want to make this much longer, but do you see what I mean? It's a matter of being adventurous and finding out what you can do with healthier food that will give you the same "comfort" but with more nourishment and fewer calories.
If you can do anything in your busy day to be more active physically, this will help as well. One of my major discoveries was that when I eat healthier food, I have more energy, so I can move around more (and burn calories) without getting exhausted! Oh, that's another thing - sometimes one's brain says, "FOOD!" when what the body really needs is rest.
Hope this helps a little. If you want to get off a junk food habit, it's not something you can do overnight or even in a month or two. Decide that you're *going* to get healthier and that you're going to be that way for life. If you "fall off the wagon" (as I did last night), say, "Oops!" and get back on! This is a lifestyle change - like marriage or motherhood - so be in it for good. End of lecture. :^)

My advice to you is that if you can't avoid the junk once it's in your house, simply don't buy it. This is something I've had to help my husband with. He used to be SO bad with junk (sugar cereal, ice cream, Mt Dew, etc.) that we just stopped buying it. Now, we may treat ourselves to a DQ trip every now and then but Ben and Jerry don't come home with us. Period.

Try buying healthy snacks to keep on hand — I make a raw nut/dried berry snack mix. Apples, carrots, bananas are all great snack choices too. If you replace the junk with healthier options, you will soon find that the good food actually helps you feel better and more energetic. When you eat junk again you'll notice how it slows you down, etc. Plus summer is the best time to shop for fresh produce.

Good luck!!

I don't have very good will power with food either. I've always pretty much eaten what I wanted and could get away with it because i was really active, but that is changing...

What I do is try to stick by the rule of one-a-day, meaning I get to have one unhealthy/junk item per day, and that's it - everything else has to be healthy. (that means one regular kind of serving, not like a whole gallon of ice cream! :)

I basically don't buy junk food, or if I do, just one thing at a time - if it's not in the house, it's a lot easier not to eat it!! If you have stuff you know is bad, you might just do a cupboard cleanup and literally throw or give away the bad stuff. Try to buy the simplest, freshest, un-processed foods you can - no premade entrees, for example, because those are loaded with fat, sugar, salt, refined sugars and flours, corn syrup, etc -- generally not good nutrition. Buy things you like to eat that are healthy. Forget about anything fried altogether. If you like fresh fruit, fresh veggies, now that everything is in season, it's a great time to start. I find that in the summer, I pretty much want to live on salads, pasta, corn on the cob, and occasionally grill something.

The other thing I do is walk every day. As fast as I can for a half hour or so, or longer if I can get the time. (Jogging is better, and with that, I motivate myself by saying 'just 10 minutes' - the key is getting me out the door, and sometimes I go longer... I'm struggling with a bad knee). Even walking really helps - if you can go walking, or better yet jog, it really helps me to slim down.

Good luck... just take small steps, maybe one new step a week. You'll get there!

I'm just writing to say you should be proud of your successes, and acknowledge them. Often I think we get caught in a negative spiral which then stops us from progressing. I recommend checking out the Beck Diet Solution.
and I do have to say--I can't wait until I have only 10 pounds left to lose. Be gentle with yourself. I'm not saying that your goal weights are wrong or unrealisting, just that as you go through the process, acknowledge every good choice that you make, love yourself through the process instead of berating yourself and it just might be what you need for that final motivation...not because you get mad at yourself, but because you feel love and inspiration for yourself.

We did a bit of a family experiement....to purge our bodies of unhealthy foods..we went through all our cupboards and threw out anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, refined sugar, artificial colors, and dairy products including eggs. Then we committed to just 6 weeks eating healthy foods. We decided that for the 6 weeks we would eat a completly vegan diet with the majority of our calories from raw fruits and veggies. I did some research, put together a meal plan for the 6 weeks and bought only those foods on my list that I made according to the meal plan I'd made at home. We got rid of the meals that we didn't like on the plan and found new ones that fit into our goals (just browse around your local bookstore for vegan or vegetarian cookbooks, even if your goal is not to eliminate meats, by reducing the amount of meat you do eat significantly reduces the amount of fat you consume). The 6 weeks wasn't difficult at all because you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want during the day..we made homemade dressings and dips from veggies and healthy oils and simply evaluated how we felt at the end of the 6 weeks. That alone was proof enough for us. While we decided to not continue with the 70% raw as we had done we do eat a primarily vegitarian/dairy free diet and have for nearly 2 years. Good luck! Motivation really is the key to success but give yourself a short timeframe (like our 6 weeks) It really does make it a lot easier.

I have had a hard time lately with this too. I have gotten in shape this year and excercise almost every day but over the muscle tone I still have about 10 lbs of fat that I need to lose. I CRAVE baked goods and once I start I just cant stop.

I have done weight watchers multiple times (after having each baby) and it consistantly works. I would definitely recommend it. What I have noticed is that eating sugar leads to me craving more sugar. If I avoid 1 cookie then I will not eat a whole box of cookies! I start craving healthy foods, the more healthy foods I eat. I also tend to crave healthier foods if I am excercising regularly.

Another thing that might help is just focusing on portion control. If you want Doritos, fine, but measure out the correct portion into a bowl (based on the serving size listed on the package) and then PUT THE BAG AWAY! this usually helps me to avoid the mindless snacking.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
It takes 21 days to make or break or a habit. I basically tell myself how important it is to me to lose the weight. I take it day-by-day.

I lost 3 lbs. in one week & I was ELATED!!! Then the next week I lost another 3 lbs.!!! By month's end I had lost 10 lbs. That was without exercise & a few "cheat days". Try to eat very well for a few days. Then have a day where you have anything you want, just in LIMITED quantities. I also used the "lose it" app. on my I-phone to keep my calories in check. But you can use an online option like www.gofigure8.com I use the on the go chews as my treat, they are like candy but are a metabolism & energy booster & help control cravings. (www.naturallylovely.myarbonne.com >weightloss & nutrtion> Figure 8 > on the go chews, YUMMY pink lemonade is out for the summer.

I would eat lunch at Taco Bell & I would eat 2 hard tacos. So you can eat fast food/junk food just be careful that you eat within your calorie guidelines. Also eating carbs is ok, just don't go overboard. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! ;0)

IF you have Comcast cable, one thing that has worked for me is the Exercise On Demand programs found on On Demand. I am doing the Jillian Michaels exercises and it seems to be helping. It only takes 20 minutes per day and seems to be firming things up. I don't eat well either so I am focusing more on exercise. However, I do try to eat healthier snacks. I keep a jar of raw almonds mixed with chocolate chips and dried fruit handy for a healthy go to snack. We've also started eating the "Skinny Cow" ice cream desserts instead of our normal ice cream when we need to indulge.

Good luck and don't be hard on yourself!

So, I have the same problem, but I have overcome it! I have lost 12 lbs in 5 weeks, and have 25 more to go.
To help me stay motivated, I ordered all womens fitness magazines, this will help you get fun ideas for workouts and help keep you geared to working out, plus they always have easy reciepes to make.
I also joined on Glamour.com for Glamours Better Body contest. This is free and has a daily calorie intake and fitness journal. This helped me because I am better keeping up and I also challenge myself to do even better the next week.
A third thing you could do is after working out go to the grocery store, you will feel healthy and not want to turn back to junk. If you need to indulge just let yourself have three bites then throw it out!
I hope this helps you out!

I know this will sound stupid b/c you said you don't have the willpower. But, commit to just two weeks. Eat healthy and exercise and don't weight yourself for the two weeks. After that (if you have honestly commited to it for the two weeks) weight yourself and I guarentee the progress you see on the scale in those two weeks will be motivation enough. I did that once and lost the last 10 lbs I had been trying to loose for 5 years since my wedding. I was so excited that in those two weeks I lost 3lbs that I kept going. Now that I just had my daughter I need to do it again :-).