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I try to cook simple healthy meals as often as possible. I buy whole grains and make sure our meals are mostly meats and veggies and easy on carbs. I don't keep a lot of junk food around because we'll eat it!

That said I have a sweet tooth and if I want something I eat it. I just try not to eat a lot of it. When I go out to eat I'm not concerned about picking the healthiest choice on the menu. I also like to work out so I that keeps me healthy.

@Cherrybee: GD diet was truly amazing! But after I gave birth I just had no desire to go back to it, mainly because it was so much work and hassle. I'd say that when I am more mindful of it, portion control is key for me. Putting bulk snacks into smaller portioned out ziplocs, eating slower so a smaller portion will still fill me up, etc. I find that I can eat whatever I want and not really gain weight if I really watched my portions.

@Cherrybee: The app is pretty awesome. I'll put what I'm having and it finds the brand, etc.

I suppose if you were cooking meat, you'd have to know how many ounces, and then add tablespoon of oil, etc.

We're vegetarians, so mostly it's one serving of rice/pasta/etc. with cup of broccoli, 1/4 cup of tofu, etc.

ETA: Before I had my son I could eat whatever, exercise and wouldn't gain weight. If I amped up the exercise, I had great muscle tone, abs, etc.
After my son, it's like I can't do anything to lose weight. I'm sure if I could go to the gym 4-5 nights a week, I could. But with my husband working nights and weekends, it's just not going to happen.
I'm 36, my metabolism sucks. But if I count calories and at least get in some yoga at home, I'm good. When I really stick to the app, I lose a lot of weight.

(and I'm a vegetarian, mostly eliminated dairy from my diet, all organic/fresh/local - but if I wasn't watching my portions my weight would be a lot more)

@snowjewelz: yes portions!

I think that was my biggest problem - I would eat what turned out to be 2-3 portions of a meal.

I tried using MFP but its such a pain and time consuming - so rather than count calories I counted portions.

I used containers from 21 Day Fix (you can get knock offs on amazon) and filled my containers and ate that. That when I realized that 1 serving of carbs was tiny!!

After about 2 weeks I could easily eyeball my portions.

I lost 7lbs in 8 weeks and was at a weight I never thought I would see again.

I do allow cheats here and there - life would suck if I didn't do that!

Its about 80% food choices and 20% exercise.

Choose a healthy carb (sweet potato) instead of a not so healthy one (pasta) or a lean meat (turkey) instead of a fatty one (ground beef).

I still suck at drinking water = but I try to drink as much as I can.

Never been a big drinker so that's not an issue for me.

It's a conscious choice. I choose to work out and eat what I eat and enjoy the good things in moderation. I personally do macros (percentages of proteins, carbs, and fats) because I lift weights and it's important to me to retain the muscle I have. More body recomp than weight loss, but I have lost 30 pounds since July.

I've never been a naturally lean person who could just eat what she wanted. I grew up in a household where my mother had an eating disorder and still, to this day, brags about how little she eats. I was always told I was too big. It messed me up for a bit and I work really hard to have a positive body image that reflects the work i put into it. So, it is a conscious decision for me. I want to have a lean and athletic body, that is strong (not just "skinny"), and my actions have to reflect that. I do meal plan, which is crucial for me. I always have a healthy option at hand.

We try to eat healthy, organic, and whole foods. We cook most meals and try not to keep many processed foods around. No soda!!

I try not to completely cut foods out, and keep things in moderation. I enjoy good food, and want to keep a healthy outlook on food and be able to treat myself. I snack a lot, so I try to have lots of healthy snacks around: fruit, almonds, yogurt, whole wheat crackers, homemade muffins, etc.

The biggest thing for me is paying attention to when my body is telling me I'm full. I'm a small person, and I snack a lot, so I eat small meals and snacks throughout the day.

A few years back (pre-LO), I got myself down to a really nice weight by cutting out all processed foods (including my beloved diet sodas), by upping my veggies, and by staying away from grains at most meals. During the work week, I kept myself on a pretty strict diet, but I allowed myself some "treats" on weekends. I maintained a nice slim shape for a couple years doing this, until I got pregnant.

Since then, it's been hard to say what works for me, since I've been on an elimination diet for a year (that got me down to my lowest weight ever, but I don't think it was healthy), and I've been pregnant and then miscarried a couple times. I can't seem to stay on a strict diet the way I did before LO (I just get too hungry these days). So right now, I'm still avoiding processed foods, trying my hardest to limit treats, and I still eat a pretty healthy whole food, low-ish grain diet. I think I probably eat more calories than I did before, so I weigh more, but maybe I need it now that I'm older.

"Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I can't remember who the credit goes to for that quote but it's a good one and I try to live by. Real whole foods. Most of the time. I know not everyone struggles with the same things but I was some that would binge eat. See those cookies at the Christmas party? I probably ate 25 (not kidding) then I would feel guilty and horrible and get super restrictive and force these workouts I hated on myself (or skip the workout and eat because I felt bad for skipping the workout) and do it all over again. But i stopped giving food morality. I started eating "clean" and stopped keeping tempting foods in the house on the regular. It took a long time. Like 2 years for me to be able to eat one or two cookies or to pass on the cake because I actually don't like cake, I dont know why I kept eating it. It was along process. But the key for me was to focus on foods that are real/nutrient dense and let the guilt go when I eat something more processed.

@Cherrybee: have you considered talking to a therapist to understand what the root cause of feelings underlying your binge eating might be?

@Cherrybee: even though I love looking at cookbooks for inspiration, I have to admit I get most recipes from online. If I crave something, I google it and chances are there's a recipe for it! I actually find that vegetarian recipes are more plentiful and look so good on British websites or blogs! Even mainstream chefs like Nigella and Jamie Oliver have lots of good, really easy recipes. I also love experimenting with Indian food, Thai food, Greek, Arabic, etc. and a lot of those cuisines have lots of traditionally no- or low-meat recipes too.

What dishes or types of cuisines do you like?

I follow the idea of everything in moderation. I don't want to deprive myself of something and then binge when I inevitably fall off the wagon later.
I don't always eat great but I kind of keep in mind what I've eaten over the last 24 hours and if I'm seriously lacking in nutrition or over indulging I make adjustments to make sure my body gets what it needs or can get a break from the donuts I had the day before.

I do workout (weights, resistance) twice a week.

My mom did MyFitnessPal and Zumba 3-4 times a week and lost about 25lbs. She looks amazing! Being accountable to the app for calories and such really helped her curb any cravings or overindulging. It gives a nice nutritional overview, not just calories.

Interesting to read everyone's responses. I have always been thin. I think I've always been a fairly healthy eater, but definitely eat something if I want it. Never been super into stuff like fries, chips, etc. My weakness is sweets. So I try to have some in a healthy way - like I buy dark chocolate chips and eat some after dinner. Instead of something like cookies or gummy bears that I could polish off a bag!!

That being said - I did go to Target today and buy a bag of Swedish fish and eat the whole thing

I am breastfeeding right now so I am STARVING all the time. I eat usually 2200-2400 calories which is plenty for BF but honestly I could eat 3,000+.

I eat a lot of fruit and veggies and fibery things like oatmeal. Always have.

@Cherrybee: If you want a plan to follow, I recommend looking up the "12 week body transformation" by Michelle Bridges. She's an aussie personal trainer who is one of the trainers on Aussie biggest loser. The name sounds super gimicky, I know, but it actually makes so much sense. Essentially it is:
-A meal plan for the week with all whole foods, make at home meals, with one treat meal of your choice incorporated. Each meal makes a serving that is between 300-400 calories (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 snacks of 200-300 calories each. The most you take in during a day is about 1600 calories, and the least is about 1200 calories IF you are looking to lose weight. If you are just looking to maintain, the daily calorie allowance changes based on your goals. You can choose meals that are freezable which is what I usually do, cook it all up on Sunday so I can just defrost our dinner every night, and I double the portion for my husband. I usually use my treat meal Friday night, which can be up to 600/700 calories - kids size takeaway pizza!
-An exercise plan involving either high or low intensity exercise 6 days of the week. You can select gym, home, equipment, bodyweight, running, or run/walking. The plan provides workout videos, or prompts that play trough your phone...you just have to follow it.
- Mindset videos to watch every couple of days to keep you on track.

I did 2 back to back rounds before I had my son and lost 12kg...of course gained it all back and then some during/after pregnancy. 2 years on I'm 6 weeks into a 12 week round and I've lost about 4 kg while not being strict at all on the weekends, and not keeping up with the exercise. Its really an amazing program, and available internationally. Look into it! I like being told exactly what to do and just blindly following it.

I think cooking basic but tasty foods is a good start and we eat a lot of "meat and three veg" meals for dinner. I usually do something exciting with the meat then have steamed veges with it (potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, beans, broccoli, etc). I try not to use too many packet mixes because there can be an amazing amount of sugar, fat, salt and other additives in commercial / pre-prepared flavourings. I'm also really boring and eat the same thing for breakfast every morning (porridge with milk and brown sugar) which was good when we I was losing weight because I knew how many calories it was and it was a nutritious breakfast option.

I'm on the upswing from bf'ing weight loss at almost twelve months postpartum but I know I could counteract the weight gain if I stopped eating all the extra snack foods!

@Cherrybee: it's great you're already on that path then and so aware of the cause. That's a great start! In general, I think it's best to find some way to get out of the diet mindset and into the this is my lifestyle mindset. How you get there is going to be different for everyone of course. But certainly addressing underlying emotional ties to food will be key!

A few suggestions that come to mind that might help a little - at dinner, portion your meal and immediately put any leftovers away before you sit down to eat. If you're feeling anxious, just sit with it and accept it and rationally talk yourself out of it - it's hard at first but the more you practice, the easier it gets! Then maybe you put all the leftovers away except for a small serving. Gradually work your way up to the point where the extra food lying around doesn't cause you anxiety. Obviously this may not be exactly what Happens in your scenario (I'm only guessing based on what you've shared), but you can tweak it for whatever situation usually challenges you.

I try to use MFP but I keep falling off the wagon. When I track everything but I don't restrict myself, I easily eat over 2,000 calories in a day mindlessly snacking, finishing LO's food (literally just did this yet again), and having too big of portions. So MFP when I use it really helps me actually be mindful of how much and what I'm eating and make more sensible choices. But I keep falling off the wagon.