When I was a young lad and first discovered the dopamine rush that comes from beer and foods that basically convert immediately to sugar in your body (like Pizza, Bread, Pasta, some Potatoes, etc...) I couldn't get enough...two years later I was over 100 lbs overweight and miserable.

When it comes to weight loss, skinny people are retards - don't listen to them...most have been skinny for their whole lives and "weight loss" to them means "holy FUCK I gained five pounds and I can feel the beginnings of a gut!" - a few skipped meals later they feel like they're qualified to help truly food-addicted and obese people.

Look, there is no way to sugar coat this - if you're truly a massive fat fucker like I once was - it goes way beyond the bullshit we hear from skinny people like "hey just watch your portion size bro" or "eat whole grains"...you need to take immediate and drastic steps to change your situation.

There are sometimes medical reasons why people become obese but primarily it is sugar and alcohol (fermented sugar) addiction. Before you can become fit you need to identify the reasons why you may be struggling with this addiction and strategies to overcome it.

You need to understand that addiction to food and/or alcohol is going to fucking kill you. Do you know anybody over 50? Are any of them 300+ lbs? How about 60? Hopefully you can see where this is going and where you are headed if you don't change - but if you're reading this subreddit you probably want to change already.

With this in mind, CHEAT - normal addiction strategies will tell you to focus on the positive in life, and take other typical treatment steps, etc...and sure, I encourage you to do that - but you need to change your habits right NOW not gradually.

You SHOULD find something positive to replace your food addiction with like lifting, cycling, racing, programming...whatever...something that gives a sense of accomplishment and some delayed gratification...but if you can't, then find something negative instead. Find something else you can cross-addict to that won't fuck up your life as much as food addiction - I don't care what it is, become a pot head, take up street racing...do SOMETHING, ANYTHING but eating yourself to death.

Rule #1: No more sugar or wheat - if a product comes from these, you can't eat it...sorry but it may as well be heroin where we are concerned.

http://commonsensehealth.com/list-of-sugar-names-and-sugar-facts/

Rule #2: You're going to fuck it up. The most important thing after not eating sugar and products with sugar in them is not going on an eating rampage when you fall off the wagon...as you go on, the fuckups will be less and less, but they will be frequent enough at first that it's more important that you don't make it into an excuse to go all out than it is to totally adhere to avoiding them.

Some basic strategies I STILL use even years of being fit:

  • Never go to a grocery store or any store that has junk food or booze when you are hungry or when you have low blood sugar, or when you are depressed or stressed out about something
  • Skip meals instead of eating less per meal...intermittent fasting people will tell you this is healthy, opponents of intermittent fasting people will tell you it's not...fuck both of them, the reason to do this is because it's easier. Think of yourself as a drug addict except for the rest of your life instead of quitting you have to take only a small amount of the drug (but never enough to get high) or you die...yeah, exactly.
  • You don't need to workout at all to lose weight, especially if you're really obese, but do it anyway...get simple weights and just do your best...don't go to a gym at first unless you're some kind of weird fucker that despite being obese cares not at all for the opinions of others...which I find hard to believe or else you wouldn't be trying to get fit in the first place.
  • Eat the same things over and over again...find some food you can put up with but doesn't trigger you to binge and stick with it...for me, 1/2 cup black turtle beans on the daily with some green vegetables and a variety of meats/proteins...find what works for you
  • Eat like a diabetic; check foods you are eating against the GI and keep it under 50-60 whenever possible.
  • In order to be truly free from urges to binge-eat you need to make sure you're getting what your body needs...which is essentially a bunch of protein, omega3s and 6s in the right balance, and vitamins...but do your own research, I am not a dietician.
  • You're not a skinny person, ignore their advice, ignore their "pasta is totally fine in moderation" - ignore them, they know nothing about what it is like to be you. Quietly nod and smile and agree and then go home and do the opposite.

TL;DR: If you are truly obese it is most likely due to food or alcohol addiction or both...you must overcome this somehow to become fit...normal "portion control" and other advice won't cut it.