Have you gone off track during your journey...how did you recover?

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kschwab0203
kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was doing so well. I managed to lose 15 lbs in about 3 months time using MFP. I have my goal set at 1lb per week. I was finally starting to feel better about myself.

I've gained back 6 lbs.

It started about 2 months ago where I just kinda gave up. I stopped tracking. I stopped weighing. I stopped caring.

I don't know what happened.

Now I am feeling this tremendous sense of disappointment which is just making it harder for me to get on track again.

I know motivation comes from within, but what helped you to get back on track? What did you tell yourself? What did you do to keep from getting bored with the process?

Replies

  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    After finding out about my TDEE I just don't eat over that amount. So although it will slow or stall my weight loss I won't gain.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,895 Member
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    In the "In your opinion, what's the most difficult part about losing weight?" thread, I said "Maintaining" ... in more words than that, but "Maintaining" sums it up.

    For me, it's relatively easy to lose ... but when I reach a point where I just want to maintain for a while, it is difficult to keep from gaining.

    Right now I'm logging about 4-5 days a week and I am holding steady. But if I want to drop a bit again, I'll have to start logging 7 days a week again.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    edited April 2017
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    tiffanifair wrote: »
    I lost 15lbs last year and then got off track due to my inner fat girl getting mad that people around me were eating things I "couldn't" eat or at least getting to eat way more of it than I was getting to eat. Gained it all back plus a couple more:( At the beginning of this year I made the same New Years resolution that I've made the last several years...to finally lose the weight. I decided that when I commit something to a friend I always follow through out of respect of that person and our relationship...so why when I commit something to myself do I give up? Shouldn't I show the same respect to myself that I would to a friend? I talked myself into committing for the long haul and WILL get to my goal this year. I deserve it and made the decision that I will eat within my calories more often than not and I will exercise at least 5 days a week whether I feel like it or not because I deserve the same amount of respect and commitment as I give those around me:) And you do too!

    This.

    I have no other reason (or excuse) other than it was my birthday then it was Mardi Gras and I didn't feel like tracking. I wanted the food and the drinks that everyone else was having. I gave up control.
  • LushLashes
    LushLashes Posts: 4 Member
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    I started losing focus and going off track about a week or so ago. I'd lost 9lbs in 10 days when I first started (which I know is a lot and mostly water, but I was still thrilled!) and then it all seemed to grind to a halt. Then after another couple weeks I started to think "what's the point?". I stopped logging so much on MPF and crisps, little bits of pudding and chocolate started to slip in. But then I started to think about all the reasons I want to lose weight in the first place - not only to look better, but to feel better and healthier and have more energy. Also the weather recently has started to get warmer and sunnier and the thought of going out in fewer clothes soon and not being able to cover up with a coat fills me with horror!! So I started logging again which really helped me get back on track, and I've lost another couple of pounds. I'm wondering whether having a few treats actually helped me to not get bored with my healthy eating regime ( I hate calling it a "diet"!!).

    Also, a good thing to remember is that many things start with motivation but motivation doesn't last...after that it's determination that's the key.
  • kayeroze
    kayeroze Posts: 146 Member
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    Last Spring, I lost 20 pounds in about 3 months. I had restricted myself so much, that I told myself I was busy and ate all the food that I had missed over the summer an beyond. Nearly a year later to the date that I started (February 2016 to March 2017), I have finally begun again. I think that because I failed and gained all 20 pounds back plus an extra 10, I have come into this with a new perspective that makes it easier to maintain. I have 70-80 pounds to lose, and I've lost 8 of those. I eat back most of my exercise calories, eat more of the foods that I "missed," set it to 1.5 pounds a week versus 2, and don't really have an end date as to when to reach my goal (ideally by next summer). It's okay to fail, but when you come back, learn from your mistakes and do better with your second round.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I guess I went off track and gained 20 pounds back. I would be back on track if I cut back on beer but I haven't yet sooo I don't really know, ah nevermind and give me another beer.
  • KayHBE
    KayHBE Posts: 906 Member
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    I set a reminder on my phone. Once a month it says "Healthy Me Day...Get on that scale" I set another one that goes off every 3 months that says " Are you still on track?" Plus I have a few other motivational phrases (You know you feel better after a walk! ... etc) that help keep me focused..... Only I can push myself. I have the hardest time after summer as I am always busy and outside until then... When its cold and dark and slippery I tend to struggle more.
  • FernRunner
    FernRunner Posts: 79 Member
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    This has happened to me a few times. About seven years ago I lost 75 pounds and felt amazing. I thought I would never regain it. Then I had a couple more pregnancies, was able to re-lose that weight, and took up running. Still doing well. But since that point in time, I have struggled. I lost about 15 pounds last fall, regained it around the holidays, and I'm now on my second try to really lose it. For me, I know I can do it. I've done it before. But now, with my husband to joining me, I feel like I finally have an accountability partner. That has made a huge difference.
    I weigh every day, I count my calories, I save up extra calories for special indulgences, and I move every day. This formula works. I just have to remind myself every single day. Good luck to you. You absolutely can do it.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
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    Here is my graph, can you tell when I went off my diet? lol.

    UUxDW50.png


    How did I recover? Well... I had to suck it up and get back to business!!! I was off the wagon for like 3 days. When the dust settled I felt terrible for behaving so poorly. For some reason it's hard to get "back on the wagon". But.... there's no way to do it other than to just do it!
  • crskoglund
    crskoglund Posts: 12 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    I managed to lose 15 lbs in about 3 months time using MFP.

    I've gained back 6 lbs.

    Try not to think in terms of "I lost fifteen pounds and gained six back"; instead, think "I lost nine pounds," and carry on from where you left off. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be peaks and valleys along the way, but so long as you're on a downward trend overall you're in VERY good shape.

    Worth noting, also, is it's highly probable you didn't actually gain six pounds of fat -- a good deal of it is likely water weight. My scale numbers have varied by as much as ten pounds just over the course of a given day. Six pounds is well within the "margin of error" so to speak. When you start eating healthy and logging again, I bet some of that extra weight disappears within a few days.

    As far as staying consistent goes, the best advice I can give is forgive yourself for the off days. If you fall off the wagon on Monday, it's all too easy to get discouraged and skip Tuesday too. And Wednesday. And before you know it, it's been weeks since you last logged in. It's hard, but if you miss a day (and you will), try to carry on like it never happened. In the long run, it won't matter much anyway. Make a rule that if you miss a day, you HAVE to log the next, and hold yourself to it.

    Forgive yourself for the past two months, and get back into it as if you never stopped!
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    One of the hardest things I have had to deal with in this weight loss adventure was to not be so hard on myself when I wasnt "perfect". I tend to be an all or nothing kind of thinker - I remember my dad telling me as a child, and throughout my whole life that if something is worth doing, then it is worth doing well. Thats an admirable sentiment, but I took it to mean if you cant do it perfectly dont even try.

    So in previous ill fated attempts to lose weight, when I would eat something excessive, or something that was "bad", I would think "OFFS, whats the point? I cant do this right", and I would just give up.

    Changing that mindset has been my biggest challenge, and fortunately, I have had some success, and have lost over 110lbs in just over a year.

    The talk I give myself now is that its only one day, or one meal, and that that one time doesnt define me as a person and I wont allow it to dictate my feelings. That, and the fact that truly, sincerely, unequivocally I want to lose weight more than anything in the world. I once said to a psychologist colleague that I would do anything to lose weight, and she said "then why dont you?" That rocked me back on my heels, because basically she was saying I was just making up a bunch of excuses and stalling, rather than doing the work. She was right of course. Still took me more time to accept it!

    Anyway, the goal of being healthier, positively affecting some of my health issues, being slimmer and able to be the fashion plate I always imagined myself - that is more motivating to me now than any food. Especially since nothing is off limits in the calorie counting world, and I have not given up anything. I have learned portion control and that is what keeps me from abandoning everything to the wind, and going back to old and destructive habits.
  • sabinaholtby
    sabinaholtby Posts: 73 Member
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    So, I'm a noob, been logging here for a month, but about two months overall this time. I really appreciate the input because I'm trying to make this forever. I wanted to share something that motives me. My kids are eating better when I'm eating better. It's simple, but really really great. I'm the person feeding these humans and when I'm eating better so it's the whole family. I hope to get better and better at feeding them.

    I've also fallen off the wagon already. I'd say, never to go a buffet if you can avoid it. Not. Worth. It.
  • fbchick51
    fbchick51 Posts: 240 Member
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    This time around... I stopped looking at it like I was on a "diet" and started seeing it as a lifetime journey. THere is no giving up and there is no falling off the wagon. If I have a weekend where I over indulge and the scale shoots up, I chalk it up to a learning experience and get back to work.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    The scale is both a wonderful and horrible tool. Don't completely rely on what it says for things like constipation and water retention can cause huge shifts.
    Now if you know it is not that, it is time to reevaluate and reset priorities. I often get in a rut and need to just step back and look at the picture. Where am I slacking off? Am I sloppy with my logging of food? Am I not exercising as effectively or have I been doing the same exercise over and over without adding anything to challenge myself?
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    Thanks for all the feedback!

    I feel like I am starting all over again. I was pre-logging my food this morning and it was just so depressing. Like I remembering how I felt when I first started and it seemed impossible to lose any amount of weight.
    I had gotten into the habit of eating at correct portion size and stopped binge eating and now I have to un-do all the mind games I play with my self, the guilt, and the urges to binge, etc.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I tell myself that I don't want to go back to where I started, so I keep moving forward. You KNOW how to do the logging and calorie management, so focus on the skills you already have. It's just as routine as brushing your teeth, I assume you do that even when you don't feel like it! Logging is a TOOL to help you achieve your goals, not punishment. Only you can decide how badly you want this.

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