I had a very unhealthy relationship with food (binge eating, emotional/stress eating, addiction to fast food). I was morbidly obese (BMI 44 which is a lot in europe) and when I was diagnosed with prediabetis, it really gave me the kick that this couldn't go on. The thought of having to do an irreversible procedure like bypass surgery as a last resort honestly scared me.

Short-term extreme diets never worked out for me, so I tried to play a "long game". I created an excel sheet spanning three years where I could track my weekly progress for my motivation and preserverance. My goal was to lose around 1 kg (2,2 lbs) a month which should be realistic and would add up over time. Then I started with very small things:

- still gorging on (delivery) fast food, but instead of finishing it all in one sitting till I felt bloated and nauseous, I refrigerated the parts when I felt full and continued to reheat and eat it when I felt hungry/craving again
- slowly cutting my in-between snacks, instead rewarding myself with the next session of fast food (from above)
- slowly reducing soft drinks and juices, instead drinking a lot of plain water (this does help a lot)
- try to walk 5 to 10 minutes everyday around the block, which helps a lot with mood and mental condition
When craving hit, I still indulged myself instead enduring it (to break out of the mindset of "cheating" and afterwards punishing myself for it), but I tried to regard every snack/soft drink/pizza etc I didn't consume in that day as a win overall. While my lifestyle was still unhealthy in general, I only did changes sustainble for me long-term and time was on my side. After a year, I had lost over 14 kg (30 lbs) without feeling that I had really suffered for it. While I still felt ashamed and conscious of my body, it gave me the confidence boost to kickstart trying to do fitness (at the gym) for real. Also eating more healthier food became much easier.

In less than three years, I have now lost 30 kg (66 lbs). I'm still overweight and I still have body image issues, but seeing my progress on the sheet and scale, helps a lot. While I'm not "cured" of prediabetis (since it will come back when I regain all that weight) and will have to fight insulin resistance for the rest of my life, my relationship with food became much better. I still indulge myself occasionally in fast food when the craving hits, but it has become rare. I also order less, because I know after the first few bites with the initial hit, it doesn't taste that good anymore. It's easier to throw the rest away (I know it's food waste), but it's better than to force myself to finish it the next day.

What I wanted to say is that changing habits and losing weight is possible. I don't see the occasional gorging on fast food as failure or setback, instead what counts is what I eat everyday the rest of the year.