Have you ever 'started over' with your fitness plan?

Drdmike

I've been thrown off of my normal routine due to being off of work for three weeks. I ended up eating more than I normally should. However, it gave me time to think about how I can cut calories from my diet without starving myself. I've found that it would be easier to start all over again which would include erasing the excess calories that I've had over the last few weeks. Has anyone done that and what was your result? I don't want to get into a routine where I'm constantly changing things.

pds06

Yes, I stopped for 2 years when my husband got sick and passed. I'm back again. Hope I do as good now as I did then.

curlygirl513

The nice thing about life, is we can take a look and see what is working and what could be better, or what could be scrapped, and make adjustments as needed.

For me, I went vegan in May. I lost weight initially, but I eventually wound up eating too much of high calorie foods and was gaining it back. So for me readjusting my program meant finding an app that would help me track my caloric intake. MFP got a wonderful rating.

This program is helping me right where I needed it. Also, I'm making adjustments where I need to. For example, I thought I might be not eating enough, (I'm a whole foods vegan and I don't eat refined sugar), so I give myself permission to have some fruit or nibble on some raw nuts if I feel the need. I do not think this will hurt my program, but time will tell, as will the scale.

I will adjust as necessary. The program is a continuum for me, a process. I like knowing I can check in and see what is working. And sometimes, I gotta try different things before I know what I will commit to, or better yet what I can live with.

Having said all that, I do not suffer from commitment issues. I do my research and find a course.

I wish you well on your journey. It sounds to me like you are on the right track for you.

cmcollins001

I don't know if I would call it starting over, more like getting back on track to achieve a new goal.

I spent several months maintaining, but not at a point where I wanted to stay. I did gain some back, but it wasn't because I slipped or "lost track" of anything and it wasn't anywhere close to where I was when I first decided it was time to lose. I knew what I was doing and what the end result would be by not tracking and hitting the gym or doing some sort of exercise on a regular basis. I also knew that I needed to make sure that I could maintain at some level without tracking everything, just using common sense.

Now I'm ready to get back to losing again, so I need to be a little more vigilant about my tracking, macros, and getting back in the gym.

To me it's not about stopping or starting over, it more about what goals you want to achieve. Are you wanting to maintain, lose, bulk, or to be cliche "just stay fat". Either way, if you lose weight properly, over time, you learn about food, calories, nutrition and what it takes to achieve/maintain your goals. Fad diets, crash diets, or anything that promises miraculous overnight results don't teach anyone what to do when the weight is off and how to keep it off.

CipherZero

Yep, was forced into a three-month layoff for cardiac surgery. I gained a whole three pounds.

Went back to the program (Cardio, Starting Strength, watching calories) and it still worked. I've gained a few more pounds and put on muscle mass.

jimmmer

Yep, was forced into a three-month layoff for cardiac surgery. I gained a whole three pounds.

Went back to the program (Cardio, Starting Strength, watching calories) and it still worked. I've gained a few more pounds and put on muscle mass.

Dude! Great way to come back.

I busted myself up pretty good and had a long break from training. I'm pretty well healed up nowadays: just hoovering up some outstanding muscle imbalances and I'm good.

likitisplit

I don't know whether my answer would be "all the time" or "never".

Yeah, recalibrate and work your new plan. There is no past when it comes to choices, there is only the now all the way into the future.

If you don't want to constantly change things, don't constantly change things. However, tweaking things based on new learning is critically important to success and only experience will let you differentiate between the two.