Candace...
I know how hard it is to make life changes. I woke up in August and decided that my love affair with sugar and carbs had to stop. As much as I love them... they are bad for me. With my family history and some health conditions I have, carb-free (or as close to that as possible) IS healthier for me.
The sugarfree "to-go" koolaid packs have been my lifesaver. I went from drinking a 12pk of soda per DAY to none. Zero. I don't really miss them (except when I want Jim Beam backed by my precious Sundrop)
As of this morning, the result has been a loss of 71lbs. Yep. Seventy one. Four clothes sizes and still dropping. The new "skinny jeans" I bought just two weeks ago are already too big. Its a great feeling even if the continual shopping is making the cheapo bastid in Jess have near fits.
Am I proud of me? Oh yeahhhhhh. Do I feel better? Its amazing. Am I running circles around Jess because I feel better? Uh huh.
Food is the only demon I think we have to "feed" everyday. I am an emotional eater. I love my mashed taters and gravy moreso than ice cream.
I think that to be successful with long term weight loss, you have to find what works for you. The way you lose the weight is the way you will have to eat for the rest of your life.
I know that you have all the necessary internal tools to do this. There are good support groups that are completely free (OA) that might be beneficial to you. You have your planet family here and I am sure we are all behind you 100%.
I heard a lil blurb on tv the other day that said that ppl who keep a food diary are far more successful at weight loss than those who don't. I know when I started tracking what I ate and the portion size (cause we all know that super size bag of cool ranch doritos MUST be the serving size), it was really an eye opener for me.
Best of luck to you!
Christie