That sucks, really. It sucks feeling like you are in a vicious cycle of food doom.

What works for me:
- Knowing that how I eat is a habit, and knowing that resetting my food habits takes about 3-4 weeks.
- When I decide to alter my food habits, I like using something where I can input my intake and exercise (like livestrong.com)
- Doing the above with a buddy/family member because it keeps you honest and it makes it real
- After your period of habit-resetting, readjust. Don't just aim to continue with the same challenge, blindly. Re-assess, and honestly evaluate if you can continue this in a sustainable way. If not, set a new/modified goal, and set an end point for that. Do this with a buddy/family member if you can, to keep your momentum going.
- Forgive yourself when you slip up. You're not a robot, and food is delicious and should be enjoyed. None of the above should be a punishment, but a modification of your eating habits.

This is wholly unsolicited, so ignore if this isn't what you are looking for.

Is decide what person you want to be. You have two choices.
1.Do you want to be a girl that eats anything she pleases?
2.Do you want to be a girl who can wear anything she pleases?

Getting fit and thin is not an easy task to achieve. You have to be a little tough on yourself. You can have 1 day out of a week as a cheat day. No more. Now forget about food. It's always going to be there.

"I'm not sure if there is some sort of support group for this or not "....

See above

Yup, I'm like this.

I identify with this 100%, but I've been bulimic for 10 years.
I too have this compulsion that is on my mind constantly.

The only thing that has ever helped was to stop restricting. You might binge, you might feel like shit for a couple days. Eventually your appetite will stabilize. It helps me to not be alone. Surround myself with friends or family, or go outside.

I don't know if this will help for you, but for me it helped to almost treat it like an addiction, but food is a tricky one because you can't 'quit'.
Look at some AA tips and replace 'alcohol' with food.
Like:
-Avoid travelling by places that sell your favourite binge/snack foods.
- Avoid alcohol if you know it is a trigger
- Know when you are at your hungriest and usually 'lose control' by preparing in advance: Fill yourself up with nuts, fruit BEFORE you get hungry.
- Come up with a reason why you don't want that cupcake someone offers you at work (if you know that if you have ONE, it will trigger an evening eating 1000)
- eat really slowly, away from the TV and try and listen to your body.

I can apply all of these strategies to quitting smoking also, just change certain things to suit your habits.

Yes, it is 100% a vicious cycle. The hardest part is breaking it.
The umbrella holding the cycle together is body image.

If you can't do this by yourself, find someone to talk to!
Nutritionists, Nurses, there are also Over-eaters Anon groups. etc.

Good luck :)

And my message is also 'wholly unsolicited, so ignore if this isn't what you are looking for.

I eat only when I'm hungry. I eat what my body seems to be craving in the moment. Some days I don't eat. (In this heat, I have next to no appetite.) When I've really wanted to be seriously underweight and look anorexic (or so I've been told) I need to starve myself. Don't judge your body by unrealistic standards. Those chicks you see in celeb rags (with the exception of the oddly obese Kim Kardashian) have to starve themselves to be a size zero. They are lying when they say they have a healthy appetite and eat huge meals.

If you are unhappy then something needs to change but please evaluate first whether you "need" to control your eating because it's a compulsion/habit/addiction or feel that you "should" because you are not a size zero or because you feel some food is "bad".

I say this because I'm a psychologist and I see many people (often but not always young women) who describe your pattern of eating but it doesn't differ largely from anyone else's - healthy foods with occasional blow outs but the difference is in the punishment, low self esteem and attribution of "good" and "bad" labels.

I would get some counselling either way because you either are overeating/binging and need help to address the underlying psychological causes or to work on self esteem and acceptance. Working on the underlying issues will do more for you and your health than just altering what you eat and will give you control over your life.

I had this phase two years ago where I was obsessive about everything I ate, and restricted my diet to only vegetables. I weighed 108 lbs . I was too skinny. Then I started to get cravings and began binging, I think it was my body trying to tell me I needed more calories. So I understand the whole food on your mind thing. One piece of advice I have is to observe the food before you eat it. If it is junk food, ask yourself why you want it, would it benefit you if you ate it? Start to prep fresh fruits and vegetables and keep them in your fridge for easy grabbing. Eventually you won't want junk anymore. Give it a couple weeks of healthy eating and you will be fine.

I find that the more I work out, the fewer junk food cravings I have. The only part you have to overcome is dragging yourself to a workout, any kind of workout. Thank goodness it's summer because it's as simple as dragging yourself outside for brisk walk uphill. (Apologies if you live in flatter parts of town.)

I'm a huge food person, but not a huge person. The two don't go hand in hand. Consider eating healthy foods that also taste good and cooking/prepping for yourself. It may not work for you, but it does for me and when I feel like fries or a donut once in awhile, I don't beat myself up about it.

All I can say is that I was stuck in the same loop you are, and "clean eating" ended up triggering so much bingeing for me. I now have my dream body, and I got there through: If It Fits Your Macros. Although you will have to do some counting, you can eat the things you like to eat, along with the nutrient dense foods, that provide your micronutrients.

Check out Layne Norton's YouTube videos if you want more information. I have been binge free for over a year now, because there is a HUGE difference between "I can't have it" and "I choose not to have it".

Plus, always remember, you won't be able to improve your relationship with food, until you improve your relationship with yourself. Self-love is a critical part of having a positive relationship to eating, you need your own approval to act in a loving way towards yourself, and that includes the way you feed yourself.