Has anyone totally fallen off the wagon and then succeeded?

Happy_snow

I'm totally struggling here...... Have gained 21 pounds back over the last 8 months and feel like I'm never going to feel good again. Did anyone feel like this and manage to find their mojo again? Mine seems to have disappeared......l

healthyfoxx

Yes! I have gone up and down in varying degrees many times. It used to be very discouraging. It still isn't a happy thing, but I focus on the future. Did I gain weight back? Yes. Do I know how to lose it again? Yes! And I have all my previous knowledge to go off of once I get back in the swing of things. Same goes for you. :flowerforyou:

I actually gained 30 or so lbs over a year (15 of it in just over two months - OUCH!), but it is slowly going back down.

You can do this!! :drinker:

Velum_cado

A few years back, I lost about 120 lbs and then regained 90 lbs. I decided to get serious and have lost everything I regained, plus another 90 lbs on top of it. Set-backs happen, you just need to refocus and reflect on what went wrong the first time so you can better succeed the next time! It's a bit of a cliche, but I like it: "It's only failure if you give up."

Kotuliak

Did anyone feel like this and manage to find their mojo again?

We all did! What you think, we just decided to get skinny and a month later we were perfect?

In fact, my focus is not on what to do on the good days - but how to deal with exceptions. When I go to a party. When I go for pizza. When I have a drink or 10. When I eat an entire bag of chips.

Stop whining, get on your feet, and fight!

cricketcricket

This had definitely happened to me, and I don't know that I have any good advice. No one can help you find that motivation, ultimately you need to make the decision for yourself to work towards your goals.

I can't say that I've "succeeded" since I haven't gotten to my ultimate goal weight, but honestly I try not to think in terms of success or failure. I don't even have a specific goal weight because I know that the number on the scale is just a number that cannot tell you as much as you might like. I've chosen a somewhat arbitrary number that will put me in a healthy BMI range, but even when I reach this goal, I will never be done. I will just be at a different point in my journey.

For me, one of the most helpful things has been logging faithfully. The times when I have done the worst were times when I let myself take a break from logging. I've logged during times when I've been eating well and times when I've been eating poorly, and the only times that I really lost it all together and felt terrible about myself and hopeless were times when I wasn't logging at all. And I'm not saying that logging calories is the 'be all and end all' of weight loss. People can and do lose weight without logging. Just that for me, it represented taking a break from working towards my goals. It represented a break from forward momentum. It was me standing still and closing my eyes and pretending for a while that my problems didn't exist.

In terms of concrete advice, I would say to constantly be evaluating your methods. Consider whether the exercise you've chosen is something you enjoy or something that you are forcing yourself to do. For me, I really enjoy taking long walks and listening to podcasts or audiobooks while I walk. Not a terribly efficient way to burn calories, but I genuinely enjoy taking long walks and exploring my neighborhood. Consider whether you're cutting calories too aggressively. We all want to see quick results, but think about your long terms goals and sustainability.

It can be easy to fall into that 'all or nothing' mentality. You don't have to eat 'perfectly' or exercise every single day. If the only thing you can do is take a short walk, or make slightly better food choices, do that! Don't let yourself be derailed by a single slip up. We make countless choices every single day, and every choice is a new opportunity.

Is any of that helpful? Sorry for the terribly long winded response. I wish you the best of luck.

lambchoplewis1

I am in the same boat. Lost 20 lbs and kept it off for two years. Got lazy about logging and weighing myself and voila, 15 lbs are back on. I am now back on the plan of logging and weighing myself. I am not perfect. I gave into my desire for food and the weight is back on. I am back on track but it will take a while as the weight did not come on overnight. You can do this

Kabiti

I'm working on success again!

I lost 45 lbs, then gained about 20-25 back. Emotional issues and hormonal problems (that got worse with all the weight loss) made me stop in November. I maintained for a while, but this spring was another bunch of stress AND I was feeling better with the hormonal issues (beginning to be) fixed.

Life is tough, sometimes, and a temporary set back, whatever the reason, isn't something that should bother us too much. Fix the problems and move on.

marilynbauer

Basically that is the story of my entire life. I can't recall the many of times I have lost just too gain back sometimes it took several years to slowly accumulate. Lately it seems to take a matter of days. The logging is definitely the most helpful to me also, trying keep my food intake at a level I am comfortable with and that is doable for my family. That is probably my biggest challenge plus I have a huge sweet tooth. I can go a couple of weeks and then I seem to have a meltdown and basically sabotage all my efforts.

That is where I am currently, I was extremely distraught to realize I have gained an extra 5 pounds in addiition to my overweight. So I started back on MFP and was doing good for 2 weeks with food/exercise and lost the weight. But then I fell off the wagon it all started with a box of donuts. and it has taken me several days later to try to get back on track. But hopefully I have.

shadowjack1965

Did anyone feel like this and manage to find their mojo again?

We all did! What you think, we just decided to get skinny and a month later we were perfect?

In fact, my focus is not on what to do on the good days - but how to deal with exceptions. When I go to a party. When I go for pizza. When I have a drink or 10. When I eat an entire bag of chips.

Stop whining, get on your feet, and fight!

Thankfully you'll find a lot of wonderful support out here, (unlike this guy).

I lost 32 lbs a couple years ago then gained it all back. Very tough fight for all of us but all we can do is keep trying. This time around I've surpassed that previous loss and haven't lost sight of what I'm after. I'm on a 120 lb journey myself and I know how hard it is. Here's my own introductory post that has some of my own personal tips and/or successes.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1365511-time-to-go-to-the-mattresses?hl=time+to+go+to+the+mattresses&page=1#posts-20862665

Feel free to add me as a friend if you like. You can do this!

jeffd247

Did anyone feel like this and manage to find their mojo again?

We all did! What you think, we just decided to get skinny and a month later we were perfect?

In fact, my focus is not on what to do on the good days - but how to deal with exceptions. When I go to a party. When I go for pizza. When I have a drink or 10. When I eat an entire bag of chips.

Stop whining, get on your feet, and fight!

Thankfully you'll find a lot of wonderful support out here, (unlike this guy).

I lost 32 lbs a couple years ago then gained it all back. Very tough fight for all of us but all we can do is keep trying. This time around I've surpassed that previous loss and haven't lost sight of what I'm after. I'm on a 120 lb journey myself and I know how hard it is. Here's my own introductory post that has some of my own personal tips and/or successes.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1365511-time-to-go-to-the-mattresses?hl=time+to+go+to+the+mattresses&page=1#posts-20862665

Feel free to add me as a friend if you like. You can do this!

There's value in what you said, as well as what you quoted

Meerataila

About a hundred times over the past few years. My heaviest weight was 245. If I'd been perfect from start to finish, I'd already have been such a perfect, rational, and disciplined person I never would have gotten fat in the first place.

They key is to never let a slip up mean that you give up.

marquishagetaka

fall off get dusty and get back on your trail = the beaches of the west are waiting for you

swaistle

I started again last year at 203lbs and i got down to 198lb then just lost it. I then shot up to 213lb by April this year and that's when i decided enough is enough and i'm not 188lbs. i'm not a success yet and i'm betting i'll hit many walls and struggles, but it's perfectly normal! its a marathon not a race!

Pirate_chick

YES!I am in the middle of my success story. I fell off the wagon for 12 years gained double what I lost initially back. I am currently working my way down to my goal weight and I feel fabulous. Are there days when I want to say f it. Heck yeah! The key is to not give up even on those crappy days. Take this one meal at a time. You may slip at lunch time, but come back strong at dinner. Try to incorporate the things you love into your caloric goals. That way you don't feel deprived or like you're on a diet. I tend to make most things at home so I can control whats in it. From taco seasoning to hamburgers to chicken nuggets. I do occasionally partake in domino's pizza. And I am generally over that day as I eat the entire thing all by myself over the course of the day but it's worth it to me. I know I won't lose as much that week and that's ok. It's work, but it's worth it. Hang in there!

Alisontheice

You'll get back there. I jumped on and off the wagon many times. My last kick at the can I did my best ever and while I'm not perfect I'm not as heavy as I was and I'll keep it that way.

But just keep trying. It will work

JTick

I think we've all done this a time or two to varying degrees. I lost from 235 down to 195 once...and then gained all the way back to 265. It took a few more tries, but I'm finally ready to do it for good, and am down 85 lbs this time with no intent to quit....ever.

juliemouse83

Same here...Started in 2011, stalled, got frustrated, stopped caring, put the weight back on and then some. Got back on the horse spring of 2012, lost to about the same weight as before, and stalled again, at which point, I said screw it. I'm over it. Six months or so later (January 13), weighing in at my all time highest weight EVER, I knew I had to do something.

Last summer I stalled at that same place...again...and I was frustrated, but I kept going. Last fall I hit my first goal weight of 145. I have been teetering between 142 & 145, with my next goal weight at 135, but not sure if I will get there (or really want to) because the last time I weighed that little, I was pretty scrawny, and didn't lift anything heavier than a 20 pound kid. Now I lift weights, and I am smaller than I have been in years, and am really not terribly concerned about what the scale says, as long as the clothes fit, LOL...

But it took the better part of a year to get to my first goal weight, and there were ups and downs, and stalls, and adjustments, and the whole nine yards, but it was SOOOOO worth it. Hang in there. We didn't gain it overnight, we won't lose it overnight. :flowerforyou:

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Beth_Gorman

I've fallen off the wagon and gained more weight than I was when I previously started. I've started back again and really made some major changes. I didn't change my weight when I came back I just waited until my weight was the same when I last logged. I've lost around 50 pounds and can see the difference in my health.

ShannonS921

I'm totally struggling here...... Have gained 21 pounds back over the last 8 months and feel like I'm never going to feel good again. Did anyone feel like this and manage to find their mojo again? Mine seems to have disappeared......l

I can almost guarantee that EVERYONE who has ever had success has felt this way at least once along the journey. We're all human. We all have moments. Just get up, brush yourself off, and keep going. I never "found" motivation, I forced myself to do what I had to do...I'm no where near my success point, I'm still at the beginning, but I've done it before and will do it again!

sophysings

Yes! I lost 2 stone over the course of a few months a couple of years ago, then back on it all went when I moved house and dropped into bad cooking and eating habits because, I guess it's most easily described as life was getting me down. I think my mojo came back when I felt better about myself again - I apologise as that's not a fabulously helpful thing to say but I think that's what it is for quite a few people I know! Onwards and downwards. You can do it :happy:

laureneliset

Yep! Lost about 16kg in the first half 2012, then moved to a new country and became a student living on stress, alcohol and starbucks with very little time to sort out a new exercise routine after I badly injured my ankle, so gained 20kg over the next year.

I'm now 9kgs down this year. For me it was all about recognising what caused my bad habits and working gradually to change that in a sustainable way. I still have mini falling off the wagons, but I don't beat myself up about it. You dust yourself off, keep the end goal in sight and keep going, learning each time what it was that triggered falling back into bad habits. Changing this takes time and patience, but you get there as long as you don't give up.

angelb1983

I am in the same situation. In the beginning I weighed 240 then lost to 165, got pneumonia, did not exercise till it was over but never back to the same level and gained gradually back up to 205 then lost down to 180 only to be where I am today at 205 again. I really need to have more consistency.
I agree with one of the previous posters that said log regardless. I did that last week for a few days and it was a rude awakening. It made me evaluate why I was really eating, and I found that I tend to eat when I am sad, or mad. I have to learn to do something else during these times....
I am so hard on myself. I look at where I used to be and get discouraged. I can't hardly even stand to look in the mirror anymore. I was one that tracked EVERYTHING and NEVER went over, and now I can't seem to stay in calorie limits even though Im eating BMR.
Anyway, I feel good seeing that others have been in this situation and have forced their way through it and came out ahead. Thank you for starting this thread

maceycarey

Do you see what year i joined? do you see my weight ticker? yeah thats right... it happens to all of us
But the important part is I'm back (again) and ready to do it ... a (what i feel like) better way than last time

BlackStarlight

Yep setbacks happen. Back in 2012 I had lost about 27kg and then got ill. I mean bed bound ill. I regained all over the following two years learning to walk again and struggling with the disability I now have. But I decided last month that I would try again. I've lost 8kg now and while I have a long way to go to get back to where I was I'll get there. Life throws challenges at you. My whole life has changed.

But I'll get there.
So will all of you
And I wish every single one of you luck on your journey you can all do this.
Things happen
But then we wouldnt be the people we are today
Good luck
Much love. xx

Luciano500

I just gained pretty much all the weight I lost. So let's get back to business and lose weight, shall we?

Megan101792

Ive fallen off the wagon so many times. The point of it is to get back on the wagon