Having trouble getting in the groove again.

glennowill

Stepped on the scale this morning and saw a number I haven't seen in quite a while: 284. This puts me right around the weight I started at when I first decided to lose weight back in 2008. In 2013 I was hanging out right around 200 lbs, I was exercising regularly, and I must have been eating reasonably.

I sometimes wonder how I got back here. The first time around I thought I had the problem licked. I felt quite dedicated to my new lifestyle, and felt it was a sustainable way to live for me. Over the past two years, however, the weight has steadily just creeped up, and I watched it all happen. I knew I was gaining but didn't really fight it.

I guess this whole public lamentation is just me trying to remember something that I seemed to have forgotten. I used to read threads like these about regaining the weight and I thought, "OK, I won't let that happen to me!" and felt quite confident it wouldn't. But here I am, moping around, and the task seems insurmountable for some reason.

lilybbbbb

Glennon, all I can do is commiserate.

I've just been hating myself for not committing right now... and particularly your second paragraph resonates with me. I need a foothold and a starting point.

I was actually thinking about you the other day because I want to get collars and leashes for my fattie cats. I figured that might even be a fun little after work routine--and a challenging project!--to get me into some activity and out of the food slump. Any words of wisdom?

podkey

I know it took me several/many go-arounds on various diet plans until I got my "brain transplant" . I think I was just ready for WW and made it work for me very early on. I am by no means overconfident but use "fear" and vigilance to keep me on the road. Hang in there . Several folks here have had several go-arounds and are now doing ok.

goldenfrisbee

Hey Glen, I understand where you are at and can't really figure out why this happens to so many of us and so often. I guess it's like Podkey said, we have to get that brain transplant. I'm about 3 months in to recommitting to a new lifestyle after gaining back most of the weight I lost. It is harder for me this time around, but what choice do I have? I can be a mindful eater and be healthier or I can go on with instant gratification and end up miserable, unable to move around as I would like and full of self-loathing.

gadgetgirlIL

Glen - BTDT. Somehow, like Podkey said, I got the brain transplant this last time around after I turned 50. However, I am only in remission, not cured, so must remain vigilant.

Rachel0778

I don't think this is anyone's first rodeo so you're in good company. All I can say, from the ever-wise Dory, is "just keep swimming".

Philtex

Okay, back to square one. What is your plan? WW has changed from Points Plus to whatever. MFP seems to be an option. What tools will you use to reach your goal?

OldHufflepuff

Don't give up, brother. We're all pullin' for you.

mcbluesky

I certainly understand the truth, which is the plan only works when you work the plan. I have been on and off plan many times. Knowing it is the right thing does not always mean I will follow it. Life happens. Stuff happens. Cannot remember who said it, but a very wise GOAD member once said, "You have to focus on WHY you are committed/committing to the plan, and you have to understand WHY you choose to not follow the plan you committed to". Not rocket science, but sage advice. If I understand WHY I am doing what I am doing, positively and negatively, I will have valuable insight. Ultimately, the choices I make are up to me.

Jimb376mfp

Glen,
As you can see, you are not alone! The struggle is real, we all know if we take a day off we may pay the price at our next WI. If we take a week or two off we pay a bigger price. The only way to not pay a penalty fee is to pay the price EVERY DAY ODAAT!
I too am in the club of needing to get serious AGAIN!

glennowill

lilybbbbb wrote: »

I was actually thinking about you the other day because I want to get collars and leashes for my fattie cats. I figured that might even be a fun little after work routine--and a challenging project!--to get me into some activity and out of the food slump. Any words of wisdom?

Lily, I never pulled the trigger on the kitty harness/leash, but I am very interested in hearing how it goes!

glennowill

lilybbbbb wrote: »

I was actually thinking about you the other day because I want to get collars and leashes for my fattie cats. I figured that might even be a fun little after work routine--and a challenging project!--to get me into some activity and out of the food slump. Any words of wisdom?

Lily, I never pulled the trigger on the kitty harness/leash, but I am very interested in hearing how it goes!

glennowill

lilybbbbb wrote: »

I was actually thinking about you the other day because I want to get collars and leashes for my fattie cats. I figured that might even be a fun little after work routine--and a challenging project!--to get me into some activity and out of the food slump. Any words of wisdom?

Lily, I never pulled the trigger on the kitty harness/leash, but I am very interested in hearing how it goes!

glennowill

lilybbbbb wrote: »

I was actually thinking about you the other day because I want to get collars and leashes for my fattie cats. I figured that might even be a fun little after work routine--and a challenging project!--to get me into some activity and out of the food slump. Any words of wisdom?

Lily, I never pulled the trigger on the kitty harness/leash, but I am very interested in hearing how it goes!

glennowill

Umm... don't know what happened there, and I don't see delete buttons.

Thanks for all the responses, everybody. I'm just going to continue to stick around, of course. I'm using MyFitnessPal, and have been for a couple of years. Honestly, I haven't had success since using WW, but I am not up for paying for that service again, especially when I know this is essentially the same thing.

I've got a couple of strategies in place, but I need to keep reminding myself to take baby steps with all those.

Al_Howard

Well, I'm up almost 25# over my low, for this round, so I feel your pain. Just can't seem to find a round-to-it. Keep trying, going to my meetings, etc., but........

Calvin2008Brian

If this *kitten* was easy, we wouldn't be here, right? Hang in there!

0ysterboy

heck ya, hurt my hip this winter and regained 30 of the 40# I lost 5 years ago. Struggled all summer to get a reset, still not successful but keeping at it hoping something goes doooiiing in my brain...

minimyzeme

I feel for ya, Glen! I hope your statement here helps anchor you for the next phase. Something that helped me (and I haven't been at it nearly as long as you) was @crewahl reminding me I wasn't cured when I reached goal; I was just a fat guy in remission. Charlie stated in black & white what I think I knew but didn't want to admit. As soon as he said it though, I knew he was right.

For me, that admission fine-tuned my dial to stay here, continue going to meetings, be mindful and not pretend I could do it alone. At the same time though, one of the realizations I'd come to was that the less I 'fought' with my program, the less energy it would take. I describe it as working it in the background. As I was working the loss part, I had a few other things going on that took higher priority. I didn't stop this program, but I worked it as much as I could without making it a big deal (if that makes sense).

I HAVE to work it one day at a time or it's overwhelming. I don't make long-term promises. I just commit to doing it another day. If I can do it today (and plan to do it tomorrow), I'm OK. So far, so good. However, I don't take it for granted. I know I could easily be where you are.

Keep at it. If you want it, you'll get there!

Jerdtrmndone

Glen I also have done the same and have gained some again. But what I do know if you put your heart in soul into it you will see change. I can lose for wks. and gain it back in a wk. if I stop being mindful. Like Kim said take it a day at a time you can do it!

Jimb376

Calvin2008Brian wrote: »

If this *kitten* was easy, we wouldn't be here, right? Hang in there!

Amen!

beachwoman2006

I can't tell you how many times I've lost and gained weight. I reached goal once (in the 70's and didn't stick around to get lifetime) and goal and lifetime once (in 1997). Then I gained most of it back because I really hadn't LEARNED anything in the process of losing the weight. All I was focused on was the number on the scale. I can't tell you how many times I rejoined WW between 1997 and 2002. I would join, go to a few meetings and drop out. I even did Atkins for a while and lost about 15 pounds in two weeks. Then I ate a piece of bread. LOL

When I rejoined in 2002, I decided that I was going to use it as a learning opportunity instead of focusing on reaching goal again. It took me 22 months to lose 55 pounds to get back to my goal weight. You do the math! LOL

But the good news is that I *did* learn something this time around. While I'm about 5 pounds above goal right now due to some unforeseen medical issues, I also KNOW what I need to do to not let it get any higher than that.

It's all about having your head in the game.

misterhub

I also am having a very difficult team becoming focused. My head has not been in the game for a whole lot of reasons. There have been some reason transitions, which I view as positive, that should result in a change in my focus.

slimriptide

It's good to know that we are in good company (I always knew this). I can relate to all of this too, and am trying to stay focused. There certainly is no finish line, but I have to keep moving in the right direction!

glennowill

I did actually track everything yesterday, so there's that. Of course I got that nifty MyFitnessPal message: "If everyday were like today, you'd weigh 292lbs in 5 weeks!" I mean... I didn't track my bike ride calories burnt so hopefully that's not where I'll be in 5 weeks. WI today was in fact lower than yesterday.

goldenfrisbee

glennowill wrote: »

"If everyday were like today, you'd weigh 292lbs in 5 weeks!"

I like getting that little message. It shows me how just a little tweak can have an impact over a period of time.

minimyzeme

@glennowill , I thought of you (and other GOADs in a slump right now) after my meeting the other night. A woman who consistently attends and has just as consistently been frustrated and tired of following the program shared her story of recent success. She is married with one daughter. Like many couples, they both work during the day. She had acknowledged at several prior meetings she wasn't tracking (and wasn't losing).

So over the past couple weeks, she realized she needed to jump-start her efforts. She decided to start with meal planning. She said she initially just focused on planning dinners for the week. Planning led to shopping, and food prep on Sundays. She said just having that meal squared away for the week made her life so much better that she started tracking again. Now, she's expanded the scope to all the meals. She and her daughter spend 'quality time' together on Sundays doing the prep and enjoying time together. Her husband usually gets home before she does during the week and dinner is ready to put in the over, turn the crock pot on, etc.

The great thing is she seems so much happier now that she's found a way through her challenge. She's tracking, and losing weight. Her whole family is benefiting from the breakthrough and she was just beaming. She had busted through her frustration and was once again seeing results. It seemed by looking for a way to start (planning dinners), she had found a path to success--achieving her desired results. I think she was persistent, innovative and employed a great strategy to get where she wanted to go.

I'm not suggesting her path should be yours, only using her example to illustrate what seems like maybe somewhat similar circumstances with a positive outcome. I hope you have the same success!

glennowill

Thanks for that @minimyzeme. The day I started this thread I actually baked a bunch of potatoes, grilled sausage and chicken, and prepped some veggies and that alone helped me get my meals aligned for work lunch and the evenings. Meal prep really makes a big difference for me - the more I cook at home the healthier I eat.

I actually made it out of the 280s as of this morning - hit 279.6. I don't know if it was a bunch of water weight or what but I'm not going to focus on it too much. My strategy for now is track everything, every day and not worry about being way over in calories when that happens. I just need to see it all again - see exactly how I'm eating and why things are how they are. 3 days of doing this has already reset my focus a bit. My secondary strategy is to try to weigh in every day. It helps me to have an idea of where I'm at, and I noticed a lot of you successful people tend to weigh in often.

Work is crazy and I have a big passion project that has taken up a lot of time outside of work, in between all of that I make time for my GF, friends and family, and even a bit of exercise. I really liked what you said in your initial post @minimyzeme about running the program in the background and I'm trying to think of it in that way.

Swtdwy

I'm in the same boat (numbers are different but story is the same). Kept weight off for 4 years and thought I had it licked! A couple months of significant events (father's passing, kids Bar Mitzvah, right into the holidays) and viola, not tracking or concerned about what I was eating anymore. Cue weight creep.

minimyzeme

Sounds like a good plan, @glennowill . Glad you're finding your way back (you too @Swtdwy ). I can see where time and trust can go haywire, not to mention stresses. (I think I gained a lot of my weight when my mom was going downhill.) Thanks for your posts; I need to read these from time to time to help keep my head in the game!