Getting mentally in the healthy diet game!

I think the reason so many people fail on diets is because they are still trying to have their cake, and eat it too!
   All of the diet cookies and sugar free items attest to that, Cookies are cookies, candy is candy.   Fat free items are often loaded with sugar.  We feel that we can't survive without our treats.  
  I have written before about Tradition, family and friend pressures, If you think you can't have a great time without sinking your healthy diet, then you are doomed to fail in the long run.  If you are not in the zone, and are not committed to a complete change, mentally, the cycle of food addiction will continue over and over again.  
   I am speaking from experience about this, I was a skinny child, who got fat, then obese.  I went through times where I was almost ready to change, I loved to read about healthy food, but bringing it home was often short lived.  Even after the diagnosis of Diabetes, I did not change, even after going to the Gym on a regular basis I was not ready, I went home and ate chips.  
    My food addiction was killing me.  After the Doctor at the free clinic said she only gave me three years, I still was not committed.  What finally got my attention was the pain.  The Medicine they gave me made me sick.  I lost my clear vision, I knew I had to change.
   But why on earth did I have to wait until I felt like death to change?   What If I had decided to do this ten years ago?   What if I had lived a healthy lifestyle my entire life?  What things could I have done with the time I had wasted.   
   First of all if you are not mentally in the game no matter what you try it will fail.   Unfortunately poor food choices wreck your ability to think clearly, especially with a health issue like diabetes.  I believe so much depression,  And inability to concentrate is from poor food choices.  Some people say you can have anything in moderation,  but for people with Food issues that's not really true.  
    I have found some great tasting alternatives to cookies and cakes, and Chicken nuggets,  I am researching exactly what is good in the food I am choosing to eat,  Dead food, especially food made with processed white flour, high sugar counts, and tons of fat and salt, do nothing for you, so why would anybody want to keep that up as a part of their healthy diet?  Why not treat yourself with something really good, from nature, something that will really make you feel good, and good about yourself?
    I was lamented publicly that there was nothing I could eat, except lettuce and boiled chicken, how FOOLISH!!!
    I have managed to find so many good things to eat, and on a modest budget,  I have saved money by not eating out so much, I had to decide to spend my money on what would benefit me.  
    With all of the healthy food I have added there is no room for Dead food,  I make sure everything I eat now benefits me,  I have made healthy substitutions for the times I want sweet, or crunchy snacks.
    I honestly do not miss the old food.  I am so excited about trying the new foods, I look forward to shopping, and trying a new approach to cooking.  Every day is a challenge that I am looking forward to, now that I am mentally in the game.   Thanks for looking in, Mrs Cook