Is Starting Over Harder?!

CatWhispererrrr

Hi All,

I have Been on MFP for a while and had a great deal of success by logging and following this community. I lost the last 25lbs of a 45lb weight loss with the help and motivation of this site. (At one point logging may have become obsessive). Once I reached my goal last spring, I slowly lost motivation and now a bit more than one year later find that 20lbs have slowly crept back. I have abandoned pretty well all exercise and any healthy relationship I had developed with food. I will track for a couple of days here and there and lose interest once I know I have gone over my calories. I'm back to terrible binge eating habits and seem to be back into the original unhealthy spiral.

Every week I plan to get back into the logging and exercise but excuses always get the best of me. I feel like its even harder the second time to find the motivation and consistency than when I started my weight loss journey. I see that other people mention the embarrassment of gaining weight back after a big loss, as well as the damage is does to self esteem. I'm right there as well.

I'm wondering who here has been through this, and if they have tips on what to do and how to maintain a healthy relationship with food.

luckyduck8801

I'm going to have fun when preparing my food. Using lots of flavor that is not salt, making it colorful and healthy. Allowing myself a cheat day occasionally. Good luck!

Marinemomm

I really had to make myself a priority this time. I say no to people or work if it will interfere with my excercise plan. I take time to food plan and prep. And I made myself a journal..took before photos and put them in the front of my journal so every day I go to write in it I see how I started. I also bought stones.. And I have 2 jars one filled with the number of stones to represent the number of pounds I am going to lose. Every pound I lose I put a stone in the empty jar. I like visuals. I put them right by my bed. Try not to eat the same foods all the time or you will get bored. I try 2 new recipes a week. But yes this isn't my first rodeo but this will be my last... It's a lifestyle change and I got this! So do you!!

DawnieB1977

I have been through it, but due to pregnancy, so maybe slightly different. I've had 3 children, now 6, 4 and 16 months, and I gained weight in all three pregnancies. I lost weight after each one, and I'm about 15-20lbs from where I want to be now. I exercised and logged all through my third pregnancy (I joined MFP when my second was 14 months old).

I've learned that I need to eat enough. Being restrictive doesn't work. I'm very active, as well as exercising a lot, and I realise I need enough food for that, so I'm never at a point where I'm unhappy because I'm hungry. I've also learnt that you can still have little treats. For example today I shared a dessert with my kids, so I still got to have dessert, just a small portion of it.

I also enjoy exercise and work out a lot. If I were just going to the gym every day I'd probably be bored, but I do a variety...spinning, circuits, PT, HIIT class, step, kettlebells, Zumba etc.

I have a Fitbit charge HR which is great motivation. I love getting my 10,000 steps every day and seeing my name at the top of the leader board lol.