Your Cautionary Tale for the Day

DanerTee

Hi Friends!
So, this is a story about a girl who did it all wrong!

Background:
Lost 97 lbs......
2 years later gained it all back, plus 10 lbs

Now sitting at 250 lbs, and doing it all over again.....

I'm not the only one out there who has done this. I am sure there are thousands, and we all have to make our own mistakes, but if even one person learns from me then I will be happy!

DON'T hit your goal weight and think this is over. IT HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.

DON'T starve yourself for a year and think that you won't go back to your old tricks the second you are at your goal weight! Diet AND an active lifestyle is the only way. NO WAY AROUND IT, so stop fighting it!

If you can, try to talk to someone about WHY you over eat. Try to deal with the issue, not just the symptom.

That amazing lifestyle change you made? It is called a lifestyle change because it needs to be permanent!

Having to lose this weight again is heartbreaking, so incredibly heartbreaking that I am writing this in tears. I WILL do it again, and I am DETERMINED that this is the LAST time. Sometimes pictures are more powerful than words. Here is my story in pictures:

This was me "before"

This was SUPPOSED to be my "After" but instead it is my "during"

This is what I look like now again.

jlemoore

This is nothing but a journey. And the cycle of life. Good luck and know that you're on the right track.

jessiferrrb

can't wait to see your new "after" pics when you get there again. you've got this!

PrncessBre

I did the same thing hun so I understand completely how hard it is to start again. But we can do this together. We know we are capable so lets do it again


ETA: Sending friend request

leejoyce31

DanerTee wrote: »

Hi Friends!
So, this is a story about a girl who did it all wrong!

Background:
Lost 97 lbs......
2 years later gained it all back, plus 10 lbs

Now sitting at 250 lbs, and doing it all over again.....

I'm not the only one out there who has done this. I am sure there are thousands, and we all have to make our own mistakes, but if even one person learns from me then I will be happy!

DON'T hit your goal weight and think this is over. IT HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.

DON'T starve yourself for a year and think that you won't go back to your old tricks the second you are at your goal weight! Diet AND an active lifestyle is the only way. NO WAY AROUND IT, so stop fighting it!

If you can, try to talk to someone about WHY you over eat. Try to deal with the issue, not just the symptom.

That amazing lifestyle change you made? It is called a lifestyle change because it needs to be permanent!

Having to lose this weight again is heartbreaking, so incredibly heartbreaking that I am writing this in tears. I WILL do it again, and I am DETERMINED that this is the LAST time. Sometimes pictures are more powerful than words. Here is my story in pictures:

This was me "before"

This was SUPPOSED to be my "After" but instead it is my "during"

This is what I look like now again.

You are still very pretty.

Gallowmere1984

You did it once, so can do it again. This time should be a bit easier for you, since there will be less to learn than the first time.

JourneyToWorlds

I just wanted to say I've been there and AM there right now. My weight has been all over the place but right now I'm almost my heaviest EVER (the heaviest minus the 10 pounds I've lost since restarting a few weeks ago).

You're beautiful at every weight above but I understand where you're coming from. You can do it! If you would like to add me as a MFP friend I will be here to cheer for you!

Kelly

RLeighP

Been there, doing it again. Lost 115 lbs with MFP a few years back, and then got pregnant. Back up to original starting weight and starting over really sucks *kitten*. You got this, we all do!

upoffthemat

My best wishes to you. I have done similar. I never got to goal, but I let life distract me from putting me first and food is such an easy comfort. The problem is it nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels... it is such a temporary fix I had to keep putting more food in.

2y2k

Thank you so much for posting this. You're SO right– this ISN'T a "diet". Diets end. This is a *LIFESTYLE CHANGE*. I KNOW you can do this! You've done it once, you can do it again! And you don't have to starve yourself to eat right. You can eat plenty, as long as it's the RIGHT/HEALTHY stuff (: I'm so proud of you for putting yourself out there like this! Thank you, again, for sharing your story. You're on an incredible journey and I KNOW you can do this!! One day at a time, girl! You've got this!!

hollen_carol

Its a battle everyday, even in maintaining. I try to keep in mind, stories like yours, so I do not go there. You will lose the weight again and next time you will know it has to be a forever thing. Making mistakes is something we all do. I remember doing the same thing back in my 30s. Got down to a healthier place and then life just happens and you have other things on your mind and you "forget". I've also done the same thing with financial debt quite a few times in these 5 decades of living. I always get myself out of it somehow. Now this time, I think I'm doing ok with both areas and I really, really want to stay this way, if at all possible. And listen to me (and others), you are absolutely gorgeous at any weight you were above in your pics. Be so very thankful for that! Not everyone is as lucky

JoeCWV

Thank you for posting this. I am starting to creep again. I am once again hanging around at the top of my range. This morning I was thinking about "upping" my range. Your post made me realize I was about to start down a slippery slope. I'm going to get back to the lower end of my range by the end of September. Thanks. I know, I'm only talking about a few pounds. Your post reminded me that's how it starts. A little careless. A little more then BAM back to the beginning.

Stay focused and you'll get back to where you want to be. Then the struggle changes, but never ends. Stay strong.

beachgal0626

That took a lot of courage to post your story, and I'm certain you can do it again -- because you know how to do it, you WANT to do it, and you are one determined gal! Best wishes to you!

Hyperbum

Thank you! Everyone learns as they go in life and sometimes we get helpful tips from others so we don't get to experience the heart ache our selves. I hope to make my changes permanent but can already see on my off days how easy it would be to let old ways creep back in. Thanks again!

nowine4me

I did the exact same thing 4 years and 75 pounds ago. I'm now back in healthy range with 10 more to go to my goal. It was super painful to have to start over, but I will says it's been easier to get in a groove this time since I already knew the fundamentals. Please know you are not alone!! My biggest tip would be to take it slowly and learn some great habits along the way. You got this!!

NancyYale

Been there, too!

But it's not wasted. You've learned many life lessons since your first journey through WL Land, and you can apply them to THIS leg of the journey.

THIS time you have the knowledge and will to succeed, and you will.

aarar

Thanks for posting this! I've been in your shoes, I lost 80+lbs years ago 'the wrong way' and gained it all back plus some extra ones.

I joined MFP 4 years ago (1425 days of logging and counting!) and lost 100lbs over the course of about a year by counting calories and running a lot. Unfortunately I've been slipping and have gained back 15lbs (ok 20lbs). All you can do is focus on where you are at now and move forward by making good choices every day. Use your experience as a lesson learned for when you feel yourself slipping again.

Claudia133

I use MFP in so many ways...but I notice that not logging in is the beginning of the end. I don't use it perfectly. Sometimes I plan out my day by recording the foods that I am going to eat and then if I want to have a no holds barred meal with wine etc, I find the extra hour in my day for some cardio...or at the latest the next day...I am hoping to be more consistent but I notice this is just what I do and I am within 5 pounds to 10 pounds of my goal weight...Life takes me in other directions sometimes...work gets intense and travel gets in the way...Portion control is my downfall...MFP shows me the way when I let it!!! Good luck...can't wait to see your progress.

Sabine_Stroehm

Great post. I think you've GOT THIS FIGURED OUT! Cheers!

leejoyce31

I didn't join MFP until I lost all my weight. I didn't know much about MFP. I just happened upon it after hearing a few others talk about it. I have lost weight before and regained it. This is my first attempt at really understanding weight loss and maintenance. I don't think I could maintain without MFP. We just have to be as diligent as possible knowing that we are human and we will slip up at times.

Good luck.

StacyChrz

You are beautiful and brave. Thank you for sharing your truth with us. We're here to support you!!

Mini_Medic

I'm right there with you. I lost 40 lbs and then gained 45 back. However I have lost all of it again!!! It can be done, and you know you can because you already have. Yes it is heartbreaking. Maintence is 100 times harder than losing. I've been learning that I can't eat the volume I would like so I need to find satiating and filling foods and make better choices so I don't go hungry within the maintence calorie goal. First time I lost all the weight, the very first thing I did when I hit goal was go to my favorite pizza buffet to celebrate. Big mistake! I can have pizza, but only like 2 slices, not a damn free for all buffet like old times! That should've been my red flag but alas it wasn't. I also stopped exercising, also big mistake! Keep doing the same things you did to lose it last time. When you hit maintence still do it like your in loss/diet mode but you get more calories. That's the only way to do it. Otherwise old habits creep in and bam! It was all for naught. Good luck getting it off again! You will do amazing, just keep on keeping on and put in the work!

gothchiq

Exactly. Don't switch up what you're doing except by adding back the amount of calories it takes to get you to maintenance, and you might want to ramp up to that slowly. For me, that's an entire laughable 200 calories. Loss: 1200. Maintenance: 1400. I work out hard every other day so that on those days I can eat something beyond a salad and a couple of boiled eggs. So you can imagine if I stopped working out, and ever went over 1400, how fast the fat would return. Maintenance is a perpetual state of work like fat loss is.

reesa1234

Thank you so much for sharing and like another poster said you are beautiful at every weight, like really beautiful. I feel and understand your pain. I never reached my goal weight but was doing really good and got cocky and right back to where I started which is such a punch in the gut and a great hill to climb but what's are options being sad and pissy and gaining more weight. No thanks right. So let's do it. Would love to be your friend since I have a bit of your back story and would tell you whatever details you feel like knowing about me but if you choose not to be friends, power on fabulous and thanks for sharing.

DanerTee

reesa1234 wrote: »

Thank you so much for sharing and like another poster said you are beautiful at every weight, like really beautiful. I feel and understand your pain. I never reached my goal weight but was doing really good and got cocky and right back to where I started which is such a punch in the gut and a great hill to climb but what's are options being sad and pissy and gaining more weight. No thanks right. So let's do it. Would love to be your friend since I have a bit of your back story and would tell you whatever details you feel like knowing about me but if you choose not to be friends, power on fabulous and thanks for sharing.

Please add me! I tried to add you but it didn't work!