Hello, I'm new here and I need some moral support and/or wisdom from you, guys!
I'm 23 and all my life I've been somewhat fighting my weight and self image. Not to go too deep into details- I've been through binge eating/starving, went down the "I messed up again- but I guess if I puke It'll fix it and NEXT TIME I'll be better" road, managed to stop it on my own, then went the "24/7 fitness and diet" road for a change. I was 21 at the time and had some divine strenght in me. I found HIIT workouts, I started counting calories, I gave up alcohol for almost 6 months- and I looked and felt GREAT. But, as the time passed by, I started to be so tired of it. Because, let's face it- 1,200 cal/day, HIIT workouts every second day, no alcohol is NOT sustainable. It gave me some fast results, but let me tell you- it was physically and mentally exhausting. And the worst part was that I just couldn't give up on it, because of the fear of going back to my previous weight. I guess my real problem was my lack of acceptance for myself.
Now it's better. I still have pretty high standards towards my weight, but I see these destructive mechanisms the moment they show up. And, throughout the time I took to take a break from obsessing over my looks, I gained some weight- nothing crazy, but enough to make my summer clothes fit a bit worse than before
And for the first time, I don't feel the urge to run 10km a day and count every single calorie, which is such a relief and success for me.
But here's the thing- even though I've been searching all over the Internet, I can't seem to find any sensible advice on how to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way that won't make me want to kill for a teaspoon of sugar after a week and eventually eat a whole cake. I'm not interested in any specific diets- I was on Dukan diet for over a year and it was NOT fun, especially since I couldn't keep the weight off after finishing it. I just want to know what REAL people, not fitness gurus who look like celebrities for a living and basically advise to do the same, do to lose a bit of excess weight when they go a bit crazy with treating themselves. I really don't want to go into that whole "ok, it's time to get FIT FOR SUMMER!" mindset, because a) I'm afraid I'll go way too intense into that again, and b) I find that these super specific regimes give you the effects you want... but then what??? I either go back to old habits or keep dieting until I can't do it anymore, then binge, then panick and go back on the diet... You know the drill.
I'm so sorry this post is so long. I just wanted to explain everything properly and help you understand my problem a bit better, because I really feel like I need to... well, I need to learn how to function in a normal way. It sounds horrible, but it's a step forward, right?
Thank you so much for any help or comments