Cassie--Your suggestions are excellent! I will look into getting a food scale. I've resisted one until now, thinking I could do it on my own, but I'm far too permissive and guesswork just doesn't lend itself to accurate portions! And thank you again for the encouragement--I've opened several threads to read to see how others are coping with their struggles.
Lizzy--Thanks for chiming in! I'm sorry to hear of your chronic pain issues. :\ I'm actually taking Celebrex for my knee right now, but it's not helping a lot. I think taking weight off the knee will be my only recourse. Congratulations on how much progress you've made! You're quite right on the temptation front, and also on the self-esteem front. I feel like moving out WILL help me a great deal, but I'm going to try and make some stabs at progress in the meantime. I feel you on the pints of ice cream--I know not to buy them because I'll eat them in one or two sittings rather than four or more. And I eat far too many Oreos at once, too. Portion control and stopping when I've really had enough is probably my biggest issue.
Canary--My mom suffers from fibromyalgia, too, and she thinks I have it, but I feel like my problems run towards CFS. I've been worn-out since I was a teenager and easily sleep anywhere from 10-18 hours at once. Working up the energy to exercise is really difficult. And I appreciate your advice! Thank you very much for your belief that I'll find success. I'm understanding now that it's far more trial-and-error than I thought. I sort of figured if I couldn't stick with something, it was *my* fault because X or Y method was clearly working for other people! But I'll find my own path.
Thanks again, everyone, for your support & kind words! It does mean a lot to me. I've kept up a gluten-free regimen for two days now and seem to have lost a little weight on it. I'm going to try to make it through the week with no wheat to see how that goes. I think focusing on exactly one task/limitation at a time is the most I can handle right now and this is easier than I thought it would be--but only because my sister's been doing it for years and has all the right foods sorted out!
J.