Gained it all back!

briscogun

I think a bunch of us have been there. I lost about 50 lbs., gained it back, lost it again... It happens. Just get back on the horse after you fall off and get back after it. It happens to tons of us, don't beat yourself up.

You've done it before, you can do it again! Good luck!

heathershaw4785

@tena1028 Thank you!! I think I will start measuring also. That way my goal isn't just weight focused.

lauraesh0384

VintageFeline wrote: »

heathershaw4785 wrote: »

megzchica23 wrote: »

I have been in the same boat as you. I have gone up and down in weight a few times. The last time I lost weight it wasn't even by trying. I had my gallbladder removed and found out I had IBS and hiatal hernia and struggled to keep food down. When I finally got to eating again I overdid it and shot up to 182lbs, my heaviest. I have completely revamped my diet. I have found ways to eat fun stuff and not feel deprived. For me this time it is easier because of my stomach problems. I feel so crappy after I eat the wrong stuff it makes me not want to. But I am also going slow. I'm counting and being harder on myself on the week days and being less strict on the weekends. This way I don't ever feel like I'm missing out. And because the weight lose is going a bit slower, I will be building these habits for longer before I meet goal weight. I may stop weighing and counting everything but I have gotten into a good habit of cooking now and everything I make because of my stomach restrictions are pretty low calorie. So I think I can do it.

Just believe in yourself. Make a choice and stick with it. Find a balance that works for you where you can eat right without feeling like it is a lot of work or effort.

Health problems don't make this any easier, that is for sure! I too was diagnosed with IBS and eating salads the last few days have been really rough on my system.
It is hard for me to to stick to 1200 calories a day. I have tracked breakfast, lunch and one snack and I only have 350 calories left for the day! So what ends up happening is that I eat anyway I just don't track. This has been my downfall most recently. I think you are right, I need to believe in myself and stick with it!

Boom. Here's your issue. Pick a less aggressive weight loss goal. I can almost guarantee this has been your downfall in the past. There is no need for a 5'7 woman to be eating 1200 calories a day, no wonder you can't keep it up for any length of time and hit the food like a starved dog once you get to goal! You're hungry!

And do you exercise? And eat any of those calories back?

This. I'm 5'6" and I eat around 1900-2000 most days, eating back about 75% of my exercise calories.

heathershaw4785

@VintageFeline @lauraesh0384 you are right. I am going to change my goal to make it more realistic. I think I lost so fast with WW because I was practically starving. Thank you both!!

heathershaw4785

brian_gunther wrote: »

I think a bunch of us have been there. I lost about 50 lbs., gained it back, lost it again... It happens. Just get back on the horse after you fall off and get back after it. It happens to tons of us, don't beat yourself up.

You've done it before, you can do it again! Good luck!

Thank you for the encouragement. I had hoped I wouldn't be in this position again but you are right I can do it again!

NatalieLJ

BABetter1 wrote: »

NatalieLJ wrote: »

heathershaw4785 wrote: »

Yes @NatalieLJ I have definitely been living in denial!! Thank you for your feedback. Do you weigh once a week?

I weigh daily, so I can track the fluctuations and also to keep me accountable - if I weighed weekly, I'd end up eating badly because I'd tell myself there's still x number of days until weigh-in so it will be fine, lol. My weight loss is quite slow, so I also use Trendweight to see the trend as well as the actuals, which keeps me motivated and on track.

What a cool little website. First time I'm hearing of it. I also weigh daily and try to do a weekly average to account for fluctuations. Trendweight does the math for me. Really cool!

It's useful isn't it? Glad to have helped

dlkfox

Been there. Done that. Doing it again...but this time with a maintenance plan in mind (it's called MFP). I still have 50 more pounds to lose but I am determined it is going to be the last time I have to lose weight.

heathershaw4785

VintageFeline wrote: »

And do you exercise? And eat any of those calories back?

I have not been exercising lately since I have been in a slump but I do wear a Fitbit and am intending to up my steps daily. Do you recommend eating those calories back? If not won't it help me reach my goal faster?

geneticsteacher

Health problems don't make this any easier, that is for sure! I too was diagnosed with IBS and eating salads the last few days have been really rough on my system.
It is hard for me to to stick to 1200 calories a day. I have tracked breakfast, lunch and one snack and I only have 350 calories left for the day! So what ends up happening is that I eat anyway I just don't track. This has been my downfall most recently. I think you are right, I need to believe in myself and stick with it![/quote]

Why are you eating salads then? Salads are NOT necessary for weight loss.

VintageFeline

heathershaw4785 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

And do you exercise? And eat any of those calories back?

I have not been exercising lately since I have been in a slump but I do wear a Fitbit and am intending to up my steps daily. Do you recommend eating those calories back? If not won't it help me reach my goal faster?

MFP uses what is known as the NEAT method. It gives you a goal based on no exercise. So it is designed for you to eat at least some of your earned calories back (also assuming you've picked the correct activity level, with an activity tracker the recommendation is to set it to sedentary). A bigger deficit can mean more weight loss but that doesn't necessarily mean fat loss, the body can only metabolise so much stored fat in a day. After that it metabolises lean mass (muscle) and you don't want to lose that!

Aside from that, at 1200 calories, you were at bottom limit of what MFP will give a woman as a goal because it is generally accepted this is the minimum needed to meet basic nutritional needs. Any activity over and above that is not fuelled and can lead to burnout and/or health issues pretty quickly. Your being taller will make this even more of an issue, your body naturally needs a little more fuel.

Of course, tracking your intake accurately will also help you see exactly where you are and what your numbers are and better prepare you for maintenance.

heathershaw4785

@geneticsteacher because my 1 cup of spaghetti with meat sauce would not leave me feeling full. Unfortunately I have an issue digesting a lot of raw vegetables but I know they are important for nutrition and weight loss...

VintageFeline

heathershaw4785 wrote: »

@geneticsteacher because my 1 cup of spaghetti with meat sauce would not leave me feeling full. Unfortunately I have an issue digesting a lot of raw vegetables but I know they are important for nutrition and weight loss...

What you eat makes no difference, just how much. If you can't digest raw veg well then don't eat them! Also, ditch the cups, they're inaccurate and should only be used for liquids. Weigh solids on a food scale.

geneticsteacher

I too have trouble with raw vegetables and seldom eat them. Cooked vegetables are also good for you and much easier to digest (cooking some vegetables enhances the nutrition - tomatoes and carrots are good examples).

gothchiq

Eat back up to half of your exercise calories. Something about the MFP software overestimates calories burned by exercise.