10 Years Later- Starting Again

GW4321

I signed up for MFP over 9 years ago, but my original weight loss journey started exactly 10 years ago. I lost at least 125lbs (not sure what my initial weight was, so can't be certain) in about 1 year. I was very focused and actually found it really easy to lose the weight. Over the years, my motivation faded and I slowly regained most of that weight. When I realized today that it was exactly 10 years ago when I started, it renewed my desire to lose weight and get in better shape.

The good news is that I'm still 35lbs less than when I started 10 years ago. However, that means I still need to lose about 90lbs to get to my lowest weight.

I'm posting this because I remember how helpful this community was for me nearly a decade ago. Figured this was a good place to start. I wish all of you the best of luck with your journeys.

cmriverside

If I stop logging food it's quickly a downhill slide for me, both food and weight wise.

Welcome back. A lot has changed here!

AnnPT77

Welcome back!

I joined in 2015, though with admittedly less weight to lose than you had.

Since you absolutely crushed your goal that time - amazing! - I have no doubt you can do that again.

Riverside's right: Maintenance is a whole other thing.

When you get closer, I'd recommend reading posts in the "Goal: Maintaining Weight" section of this Community. There are s everal threads, especially ones in the "Most Helpful Posts" subsection, where long-term maintainers talk about their tactics.

Different people benefit from different methods. One thing that mostly doesn't work, though is the variations on "lose weight, then go back to normal". Everyone who succeeds makes some permanent changes in their habits.

Like Riverside, I'm a forever logger. I admit, I've gotten more relaxed about it by now, year 9+ of maintenance. I skip days that would be hard to count, and just watch the scale. My experience is that if my routine habits are good (the things I do the overwhelming majority of days on repeat), I can keep things in bounds. Some people can do that without logging at all. That doesn't work for me. You can figure out - when you get there - what will work for you, personally. It does take a plan of some kind, though.

Wishing you success with your loss (of which I have no doubt) and this time with maintenance afterwards.

Best wishes!

GW4321

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I agree with the logging calories comments. I think that was the start of me getting off track. I never went back to eating like I did before weight loss. I tried to select better options most of the time, but I must have been in a slight calorie surplus all this time. A couple hundred calories here and there probably made the difference over several years. Logging would have helped me identify that surplus before allowing it to get out of hand. I'm starting today with logging again.

AnnPT77

Being still 35 pounds down from your highest weight is a good thing, really meaningful!

Regaining around 90 pounds - if I'm doing the arithmetic right? - in about 10 years? Averaging 9 pounds a year? That's about 86 calories a day surplus, on average. Yes, it can come from the occasional bigger indulgence. But it's not a big average surplus.

Logging is one way to move forward, maybe right for you - that's up to you. But once you reach a healthy weight again, watching the scale would also potentially work, while eating somewhat similarly to the way you have been, but reducing the indulgences or the daily intake a little on average, and cutting back a bit (whether counting or not) if the scale starts creeping up.

Like I said, I'm in year 9+ at a healthy weight. But I didn't say "at the same weight". 😉 My weight has crept up during that time, usually slowly. Every time - so far - I've intentionally crept it back down again when my jeans started to get snug. (That works for me, because I hate to clothes shop. 😆) As long as I intervene before the scale gets really out of hand, it's no big deal. Sometimes I've taken months to lose just a few pounds . . . also no big deal. Practically painless, too.

I think monitoring and reacting to upcreep fairly quickly - not obsessively or stressfully, just paying some attention - is more important than logging, TBH. I keep logging more because that makes the process less anxious for me, not because I don't think I could do it without logging.

YMMV.

elisa123gal

Hey.. like you say.. you're down 30 from before.. so all is not lost. And, you did crush it last time. Rinse and repeat. Best to you as you go on your fitness journey.

elisa123gal

HS7793

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10951385/10-years-later-starting-again

Your resilience is inspiring. You never give up until you achieve your goals. Wishing you much success ahead. Keep at it!

GW4321

Thanks everyone