How'd you gain it back?

lindsmayf

I've been focusing on my health for three months now - and I've lost about 15 pounds! But I'm worried about slacking off and gaining it back... My self-discipline is not exactly stellar.

For those of you who have lost the weight, then later gained it back: What was your trigger? Was it a situation in your life, the time commitment, or just losing motivation?

DemoraFairy

I lost 55lbs, then gained back about 20. I graduated from uni and went back home where my mum cooked dinner, meaning I couldn't count calories accurately anymore. I also no longer had some scales so stopped weighing myself. I went by how I looked in the mirror and how my clothes felt. I tried to exercise and eat as little as possible during the day and have smaller portions at dinner so that I didn't go over my calories. None of that worked, a few months later I weighed myself and had gained 20lbs. I've now moved out and am counting properly now that I can control what I eat again, and I've got some scales that I now use again everyday.

So my issues were not counting accurately and not weighing myself.

Laurend224

I got pregnant, put on bed rest and ate way more than my limited activity burned.

JSurita2

I think the minute I stop paying attention is when I start to re-gain. It creeps back up rather easily. For me, it's important to weigh myself every day as well. I know some frown on that but I need to see the number on the scale every single day, sometimes more then once, despite the fluctuations. It keeps me on track. Otherwise I'll gain 10 pounds in a week, easily!

TimothyFish

For me, there wasn't a "trigger." My problem is that I'll go to the store and see something that looks good, bring it home and rather than keeping the package around for a while, I'll eat the whole package on the day I bought it. Or I'll eat a sandwich and think, "that was good, I'll make another one." Or I'll see something in a vending machine and think, "that looks good, one time won't hurt me." A little bit of that is okay, as long as you make up for it by eating less later, but when you string several of those things together, week after week, you find yourself with all that weight that you lost before.

But for what it is worth, I kept the weight off for five years before I started gaining again.

SezxyStef

When I was in my yo yo phase it was because I didn't understand maintenance...I wasn't counting calories.

Now I am, I log even during maintenance and stay in goal. Logging is the key for a lot of people.

If you continue to log you are aware of how much you are eating...everyday and those bad habits don't creep back in.

suruda

one pound at a time....seriously it came back slow enough that it was easy to ignore, 1/2 a pound a month and after 3 years it was 20 lbs. And like JSurita2, it was about not paying attention and getting lazy about eating, weighing in and tracking food. I think the habits I need to pull forward when I get to maintenance again are weighing daily for accountability, tracking calories, and enjoying lots of water daily!

avskk

I lost 65 pounds and gained back 40. I just got lazy and inactive. I started out by telling myself it was okay to have a treat, or okay to have one day where I didn't worry about logging... and before I knew it I was six months out from my lowest weight and scarfing down 3000 calories of junk per day. I also completely quit the physical activity I'd worked hard to achieve while I was losing, preferring to get rides from friends instead of walking and watch TV instead of lifting.

There were other factors (depression, starting a second job, our coldest/wettest winter in memory) at play, and denial played a hefty role as well -- I was forever telling myself I wasn't eating so terribly, or of course I wasn't gaining that much -- but at the end of the day I simply lost my willpower for a while. To be honest, I'm still struggling to stay on track; for whatever reason, calorie-counting and being physical are harder for me than they were a year ago. My hope is that it'll become easier as I become re-accustomed to it.

Sued0nim

returning to a state of lazy and not paying attention with the smugness of 'I've done it, I look hot'

North44

Four years ago I lost 22 pounds on WW. I maintained for about 7 months then went on vacation to visit family. Didn't follow my plan and started gaining back slowly after that. I've been on MFP twice since then to lose the weight I've gained back- about half of the weight, not all of it. The trigger for me each time has been going on a long vacay- I'm talking weeks. With summer coming up I'm about to face that gauntlet again!

toofatnomore

In "recent times", meaning the past 2 years...I would lose 10 to 15 and stall...In that stall would be frustration and then eventually giving up what got me to 15 down. More recently, now I am on 150 day logging streak, but prior to this, (down 47 currently), I lost 20, and QUIT LOGGING my food. Gained it all and then some. So it really for me boils down to paying attention and logging each day.

Krystle1984

I maintained my 5 and a half stone weight loss for almost 3 years but then a combination of a stressful situation at work and having to give up exercise for 18 months due to ankle and shoulder problems led to 3 stone creeping back on. It's coming off again now though! I'm exercising again and logging everything so hopefully be back at goal soon!

toofatnomore

SezxyStef wrote: »

When I was in my yo yo phase it was because I didn't understand maintenance...I wasn't counting calories.

Now I am, I log even during maintenance and stay in goal. Logging is the key for a lot of people.

If you continue to log you are aware of how much you are eating...everyday and those bad habits don't creep back in.

Basically this...

81Katz

I regained some of the weight because I was in denial for a long time. It crept back on slowly, clothes became tight slowly. Each hurdle I swore I would get back on track (and I kept up with the exercise for the most part, but that could not undo my crappy diet) Each 5lbs I made promises to myself, then 5lbs became 10, then 15, then 20+ etc.

I became unmotivated and depressed. I was angry at myself and that should have been a motivator *but it just became self loathing. Eventually the exercise became zilch but the poor diet continued so I gained more weight.

I didn't prepare myself for maintenance. I figured I lost the weight that I was "all good".

I am back, round 2, more determined than ever to get the 're-gain' back off. I still have my slips and poor choices but I am trying to correct my way of thinking which is what leads to the poor choices to begin with. I often have to remind myself to keep my head in the game. It's a constant.

Long story short, you have to be honest and consistent with yourself and your food/logging, and vigilant when or if the weight begins to come back on, even just a couple pounds, get on top of it THEN.

Good luck!

Machka9

lindsmayf wrote: »

For those of you who have lost the weight, then later gained it back: What was your trigger? Was it a situation in your life, the time commitment, or just losing motivation?

I was slender, bordering on underweight much of my life. I was also very active.

Then my life situation changed, I became less active, I tried to adjust my diet accordingly, but very slowly over a period of about 3 years I crept up into the overweight range.

So I started tracking and in 13 weeks I lost 13 lb ... back down into the normal range. So I stopped tracking. But I still attempted to eat moderately and exercise more.

It took me 4 years to put on 15 kg (33 lbs) ... just ever-so-slowly. I gained a bit, lost a bit, gained a bit, lost a bit, and on and on.

So I'm pleased that my diet was pretty close to accurate for my activity level. However, it wasn't quite close enough.

Jgasmic

I never really learned anything about portion control in my first stint, but I was running enough to keep me covered. Once I was injured and unable to run my overeating allowed me to quickly and easily put on 20 pounds. I'm a 5'3" woman who wants to be able to eat the same as a 6'3" man and still fit into the same jeans. It doesn't work that way, sadly. Getting a food scale really helped me see exactly how much I was overestimating portions and I'm learning that just because I can eat an entire pizza in one sitting does not mean I need to or should.

Chrysalid2014

I've gained it back three times. The first time I 'cracked' after starving myself down to 109lbs and started binge eating. The second time was due to an illness that went undiagnosed for 18 months. And the third time, the trigger was going on a month-long summer holiday and getting back into the habit of eating desserts, which continued when I returned and then escalated into uncontrollable sugar-seeking missions that continued until very recently.

JSurita2

lindsmayf wrote: »

I've been focusing on my health for three months now - and I've lost about 15 pounds! But I'm worried about slacking off and gaining it back... My self-discipline is not exactly stellar.

For those of you who have lost the weight, then later gained it back: What was your trigger? Was it a situation in your life, the time commitment, or just losing motivation?

Good thread by the way. Thank you. It's good to acknowledge the why, where, when and how we go wrong.

jellybeanhed313

I lost 120 pounds, maintained about a year, then for some reason I thought I could go back to eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. So, I gained back 40 pounds pretty quickly. Maybe over 6 months. I just overate. I did the same thing that got me fat in the first place. Its pretty disheartening losing the same pounds over again. If I hadn't slipped up, I'd be at goal instead of the same place I was a few years ago.

Contrary03

I had reached my goal weight of 125 lbs, then got a promotion at work last year which added more stress to an already stressful job. Was working crazy hours and lots of them! Never saw my family, so that put a huge strain on my marriage. To relieve my pain, i started having cocktails frequently. Long story short, i ended up quitting my job and felt like i put 25 lbs back on overnight! Started working with my husband who is self employed and involves a LOT of driving. My old job required 8+ hrs of walking, running, lifting, etc. I have now cut out the alcohol, eat better and exercise. The weight is slowly starting to come off.

ExRelaySprinter

SezxyStef wrote: »

I log even during maintenance and stay in goal. Logging is the key for a lot of people.
If you continue to log you are aware of how much you are eating...everyday and those bad habits don't creep back in.

Yep, i agree with this^^.
When i wasn't logging or weighing my food, i'd just be eating anything (without a care in the world).
Then a few months down the line, I'd realise just where all the Pizza's, Doughnuts, McDonalds etc that i was eating ended up. Lol

cwolfman13

lindsmayf wrote: »

I've been focusing on my health for three months now - and I've lost about 15 pounds! But I'm worried about slacking off and gaining it back... My self-discipline is not exactly stellar.

For those of you who have lost the weight, then later gained it back: What was your trigger? Was it a situation in your life, the time commitment, or just losing motivation?

I haven't gained it back, but in my experience, people gain it back because they fail to actually adopt this new lifestyle that they talk so much about. By lifestyle, I'm not talking about logging or keeping a diary either...I'm talking about ditching the SAD and moving on. Healthful eating and regular exercise and activity in general.

I've been maintaining right on about 2 years and I don't log. I eat very healthfully for the most part. My diet consists largely of whole food nutrition and meals prepared from scratch, whole ingredients. It's easy to eat a bag of potato chips and down a couple thousand calories in a sitting...I challenge you to do that with an actual potato. Fruit and veg are front and center in my diet with roughly 6 servings per day and a serving or two of fruit per day. Most of my protein is lean sourced...I eat a lot of eggs, fish and chicken and lean cuts of pork and beef...fattier cuts are a nice treat on a special occasion. Legumes, lentils, oats, and brown rice are staples of my diet and I get most of my fats from things like avocado, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil. nuts, etc.

In addition to nutrition I exercise regularly...exercise is just as important, if not moreso in maintenance. This is why the exercise regimen you adopt while losing weight should be sustainable...too many people go nut trying to lose weight and they burn out. People also associate exercise with weight loss rather than fitness...so they lose the weight and they stop exercising...because after all, they're not trying to lose anymore right? Big mistake and very common.

I and my family are also just pretty active in general. We like to be out and about doing things when we can. My wife and are stuck behind desks most of the day, but we like to spend evenings walking the dog and weekends taking the kids hiking or doing family bike rides or long afternoons walking around the zoo, etc. We don't spend too much time just lounging around, watching t.v. or whatever...we like being out and about when we can be.

All of these things are habits that have been cultivated over the last 2 years and 9 months or so....they didn't come overnight...lots of baby steps and mini goals and the realization that I'm never really "done"...there is always something to improve on.

lthames0810

Depression

It led to poor sleep (still a problem) and sugar craving. Binge eating started. Also, it caused me to not care about myself and so I didn't want to spend the effort to plan meals and log calories.

Got treatment. Much better now.

snowflakesav

I gained it back because I started eating out more. Especially vacations or family events like a funeral . I return home to ashamed to step on the scale. I feel resentful that the event didn't allowed me freedom to exercise or included lots of pub food ( which I hate) then the bad feelings of shame and resentfulness manifest in eating comfort food and the scale rockets.

Failure to plan, not having time to take care of myself and eating out are my triggers

I tend to do better if I have a plan in place after family events to diet...for instance I do alway go on an extreme diet before and after the Christmas holidays.

Queenmunchy

I lost weight as a kid and maintained that (give or take 5 lbs) until I got pregnant at 25 years old. I gained 80lbs (RIDICULOUS) and lost it all within one year. In the past 8 years, I've slowly gained 10lbs, lost 5, and now I have 5lbs to go - 15 if I want to get crazy small. I attribute the weight gain to post-divorce outings with friends. Social life was busy!

ab_1203

I lost weight at first, but then starting to comfort eat because pf situations that arose in life. The food was good and it was easy to say screw it, Ill lose it down the line. In the end I gained weight, didnt want to get any bigger and realised the eating wouldnt solve my problems, so here I am again. I dont have much to lose but its still a challenge. Really hope I dont fall into that trap again.

TeaBea

TimothyFish wrote: »

For me, there wasn't a "trigger." My problem is that I'll go to the store and see something that looks good, bring it home and rather than keeping the package around for a while, I'll eat the whole package on the day I bought it. Or I'll eat a sandwich and think, "that was good, I'll make another one." Or I'll see something in a vending machine and think, "that looks good, one time won't hurt me." A little bit of that is okay, as long as you make up for it by eating less later, but when you string several of those things together, week after week, you find yourself with all that weight that you lost before.

But for what it is worth, I kept the weight off for five years before I started gaining again.

This^

It wasn't a "trigger" for me either. It was just the small daily decisions. Skip an exercise day here, have an extra snack there. I hate to think I will be logging forever....but that may be the case for me.

harpsdesire

The moment I stop actively dieting I start gaining. It's always been that way for me-- I apparently don't have any good concept of maintenance....

The trigger for stopping dieting though? It's been things like: feeling depressed, being overly busy, becoming so bored with my healthy food rotation that I lose interest in eating for several days and end up binging eventually (CICO has hopefully solved that one at least!), family difficulties, injury/illness, moving, or special occasions like holidays or vacation.

atypicalsmith

I've gained and lost about 300 pounds over the past ten years. When my scales read 169.8 I was horrified and haven't looked back. Twenty four down, thirty six to go.

dirtyflirty30

I had lost 80 pounds. Then I plateaued for like, a year. It was frustrating. And then, the creep began. A slice of pizza here, a slice there - what did it matter since I wasn't getting to my goal anyway? And then... I got a boyfriend. Who really liked to eat. And I said, what the heck? Sure! Let's go out to eat all the time and eat all the things! And then my mom died. And then my then-fiance decided he didn't want to marry me after all. And then I ate all my feelings.

^^^ eff that. Lessons learned.

fattymcrunnerpants

I lost 80lbs, got pregnant, and continued to maintain a net of 70lb weight loss then got thyroid cancer. My thyroid was so screwed up I gained 60lbs in 3 months and gained another 30lbs after that... yeah. Things are evening out again and I'm slooooooooowwwwwwwwllllly losing it again.