I thought I knew what I was doing

5pmsomewherenow

Anyone who has been on a transformation to a healthy lifestyle for any period of time (years for some of us) will all relate and agree that if you STOP living the healthy components, the body changes and the pounds add back on & sometime multiply terribly.

"Diet" = strategy to get back on track, over and over again.

Responsible, educated, "eating" + consistent, efficient exercise & strength training = healthy lifestyle you can maintain

MFP is a great resource tool to monitor success toward maintaining a healthy lifestyle, along with weekly weigh ins to stay honest.

Sounds like you have the knowledge to get a plan to get back to doing the things that worked for you before -- we all fight boredom and changes in the amount of time (or money) we can spend on our lifestyle. Give yourself a pat on the back for learning a VERY valuable we all learn at some point in the journey.... If you stop doing it, you'll have to start again. So don't stop.

shapefitter

So, I lost 66 pounds and easily maintained that for a year. I ran 3 half marathons last year and I ran daily, so I was pretty active. I ate healthy, but mostly ate the exact same foods day in and day out. (I know....).

In August, I got a new job and moved 300 miles away. Suddenly, I didn't have time to run as often and I had an unlimited meal plan at the university where I work. I still made "healthy" food choices, but I realized far too late that nearly everything in the cafeteria was coated in butter and oil. I also got lax about "sometimes" foods, and suddenly, Oreos and sugary cereals became "I'm bored and want to snack" foods.

I've gained back 10 pounds and I absolutely know what changes I need to make. I'm just having trouble doing it. I'm running another half marathon in June, so I've definitely upped my activity level, but now that I am living alone, it's too easy to wander into the kitchen and do regrettable things.

I a super frustrated. Can anyone relate?

blog.myfitnesspal.com/2014/04/do-you-have-more-self-control-than-you-think/

JoMoMOMx3

story of my life. i know what to do. i know how to do it. actually doing it? its SO hard.

_HeartsOnFire_

You did know what you were doing, you were doing it. Until you weren't. You lowered your activity level and raised your calorie level. So, you know what you have to do to fix it. Either eat less, or exercise more, or a combination of the both. The same thing we all have to do. Get after it, you can do it!

Because this should be repeated.

yellowlemoned

i can absolutely relate! I was down 78 lbs at one point, then Christmas happened and my "vacation/holiday" eating became "I'll start again next week" eating lol. 15 lbs later I've added another 3 months onto my weight loss journey. I finally got back on the band wagon with only a few minor slips so far since the beginning of April. Whats worked for me is remember how hard and how long it took to get the weight off the first time. I never want to go through that again. I kept my "fat pants" and when I'm feeling discouraged I put those on to remind myself how far I've come. If you don't have any of your old pants anymore run to a goodwill and find some that size. It helps so much!

RabbitLost

You did know what you were doing, you were doing it. Until you weren't. You lowered your activity level and raised your calorie level. So, you know what you have to do to fix it. Either eat less, or exercise more, or a combination of the both. The same thing we all have to do. Get after it, you can do it!

Because this should be repeated.

+1 (or maybe +2)

pdhaas

It's so easy to stop being careful. Especially if you like to eat. I lost 20lbs last year. It was not on purpose. It was a change of pills. But, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. This year I must be used to the medicine because my weight is going up. The best I can do is step on the scale each day and count the calories. I discovered I am eating at my old level that took me to 250lbs. So, I am trying to hit my target goal and it is not easy. It is a year after two hip replacements and I haven't yet started on an active program of exercise. just stretching and that doesn't burn calories. I am going back to dbl check my handful sizes, my cup sizes so I know I am not overfilling and counting it as less.

nxd10

You do know what you're doing. You didn't get that far off and you know you have to change and what to do. All good.

The activity level is important but unlimited foods and snacks are killers (which is why I have to keep logging).

Enjoy your training and stop buying oreos.

GatorUA

I think what a lot of people do is to have a goal for their weight loss. When they reach it, rather than adding in the appropriate amount of calories and still tracking, is they think "I'm here, I can do what I want" so they eat a lot more, and exercise a lot less. I've been down that road a couple of times over the years. I can lose weight when I want/need to but keeping it off is the difficult part for me. Even though I know what usually happens, I normally go nuts when I get to the goal, and every time I gain, I gain more than I lost. I'd really like to be finished with this cycle for good!

dblaacker

A tablespoon is about the size of 4 quarters stacked on top of each other. I hope that helps, for when the measuring spoons are dirty.

budobo

When you're on MyFirnessPal, most of us are doing a "diet" where we really track everything we eat and exercise. This is a DIET and not a NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE.

Dieting is great for temporary weight loss. The real challenge comes when you integrate your diet into your normal every-day routine. I am still in the diet phase of my weight loss goals - however, the challenge is always how to maintain your diet as a permanent thing.

I know for a fact that I won't be able to keep up my diet lifelong, which is also not my goal, because right now I'm in weight LOSS mode. Later I want to be in weight MAINTENANCE mode. For me, this means that I need to keep up on an exercise routine, eating habits, and generally speaking just watch how I fit in my clothes and feel about my body. For me, it is all about moderation and adjustments as needed.

If I splurge and get that bag of chips, I will actually see the weight reflected on the scale or how I feel about myself. So the next day or next week I'll be extra careful and cut out a snack from my day.

Another thing i'll do to break the routine is I'll be very good for 6 days out of a week, but on my Friday night I treat it like a vacation - drink and eat whatever / however much I want. It keeps me sane as well as allows me to have a normal social life (dates, friends, etc)

@the girl who weighs 78 lbs, please tell me you're under 5' tall. I think I was 78 lbs at age 10

spoiledpuppies

Great job catching yourself! You know exactly what you're doing!

I lost 50 pounds about 10 years ago. I kept most all of it off for the 10 years--the scale only started creeping up a few pounds after a move, different habits, no longer weighing every day, etc. I hopped on MFP to get to get back in check, and I ended up losing another 40 pounds from my previous maintenance. You are on the right path--great realization and recommitment!

PJPrimrose

Keep low calorie snacks on hand Leave some "room" for them in your calorie count for when you are prone to snacking! I have to snack between meals so I prepare for it.

xsmilexforxmex

Omg! xsmilexforxme. What kind of life are you living? Why are you working so hard? It would be impossible for anyone to eat properly under those circumstances. Is there anything that you can do to improve the situation? Can you at least catch up on sleep on the weekends? Don't beat yourself up. You are surviving an extreme situation.

I'm in the military as a supervisor on nightshift - we're under manned and I frequently get told to stay a few minutes to an hour after my 12 hour shift in order to speak with leadership on their time. It's never that I've done anything wrong, quite often is in regards to something volunteer wise, one of my troops or recognition.. Other days is in order to make contact with my troops who are all on an opposite shift currently. My days off I have homework for school I can't complete at work so I spend the majority of my time on that and do try to catch up on sleep otherwise (I slept 13 hours yesterday! It was so nice!) Hopefully in a month when I go back on days it will get easier but I'm mostly used to it...

(edit for spelling)

pkw58

There was a quote on Facebook - "People often say that motivation isn't lasting - well neither does bathing- that's why we do it daily".

My maintenance means daily logging. food , exercise , and weighing in. I quit logging my daily weight and exercise. I am good about what I eat, thanks to the iPhone Ap. Back on track after I went up 4 pounds that stayed for 6 days. Back to logging exercise and weight as well. Now for logging my hours of sleep...

I think we all have our Non-scale measurements that tell us when we are straying from our healthy lifestyles. I just haven't found anything that works better than logging.

svelt123

:ohwell: Yes, I can relate to this very well. All is not lost! You have only gained 10lbs. and you are still in control! You have acknowledged what is going on. You are back on track!! I have now learned to only eat my meals and literally stay out of the kitchen! You know that you are going to eat or snack if you are just sitting around. Get out of the house or start a new hobby. Just don't get bored. I have placed post it notes with MFP written on them in areas where I know that I may get bored and snack.
Or just write your daily cal. count down and post it. Post your goal weight on your frid. door. or a healthy reminder of encouragement note. Wow.60 lbs. you don't want to throw all of that hard work down the drain. You want to live a heathy and happy life. You know this! You can do it!:flowerforyou:

GreenIceFloes

I can completely relate!
I lost 60 lbs a couple of years ago, and gained back 50 of them when I changed cities and fell back into bad habits. :sick:
I'm back at losing now, and I've lost 20 of the 50 gained, another 30 to go.
Learn from my example, and the other thousand you'll find here. Trust me, you don't want to end up at square one. 10 lbs is almost nothing; you can lose those easily. Just don't go back to your old lifestyle and gain back the rest. Please, just don't. All of us here know it is NOT worth it.
All the best to you!