New Member- Struggle with loosing weight and keeping it off!

ak248902

Hello!

I have tried multiple times to loose weight and have done so sucessfully, however after I am done with my "loose weight mode" I end up gaining all the weight back. I feel I have lost (and gained back) the same 15 pounds at least 4 times. I have done WW points in the past, but thought I would try something new. My husband loves MFP and has lost 15 pounds in the last couple of months.

I have started working out about 5 times a week and signed up to work with a personal trainer starting next week. I am really motivated to work out and eat healthy, but I just hope I can keep this momentum going long enough to really enjoy the benefits of the weight loss and happiness I get from working out.

Have other people struggled with loosing the same weight over and over? Any suggestions or motivation that worked for you to finally keep the weight off? Anything would help! Thanks!

dfresh926

the only thing i can say is you pretty much have to make a life long commitment- choose what will work forever-not just for now
add me if you'd like!

runningfromzombies

I feel you on this! Last year I lost about twenty pounds--and then summer hit and I ate a little bit too much In-n-Out and stopped exercising. I gained about 11 pounds back. It sucks. But, I honestly think that to keep the weight off, you have to make a lifestyle change. There can be no "lose weight mode" versus a "not lose weight mode"--sure, you can go into it intending to lose weight, but once you get to that point, you have to find a comfortable maintenance zone. You can't go back to eating like you did before, or you're going to end up looking like you did before! That's motivation enough for me--I hated gaining the weight back, so here I am to do something about it, permanently. Hopefully this time around, it'll work out for both of us. Welcome to MFP!

mkennedym

the biggest problem most people run into with weight loss is that they do this whole "weight loss mode" idea where they eat right, exercise, etc, lose some weight, and then when they lose the weight they go back to how they ate before they lost the weight (losing their dietary discipline and becoming less active).

if you are losing weight and then gaining it back then you need to make sure this time after you lose the weight to keep up with your diet (but instead of having a calorie deficit, or eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your body weight, you eat just enough calories to maintain your body weight - MFP should help you determine what your daily caloric needs are). also, if you are exercising consistently to lose the weight, continue to exercise after you are done. accomplishing your weight goal is only half the battle. maintaining your weight goal and physical fitness is the other half.

good luck.

blondie1238

I think of this as a lifestyle change. I've been stuck in a plateau for a good month or month and a half and this week I finally broke through and lost a pound and a half, so I know what you're going through with the struggle. That's why I try to keep in the mindset that this isn't a diet, but a lifelong commitment to my health, to my husband, and to my family. I fully agree with what everyone else above wrote as well. Just take it one step at a time. One change first, if that's easier. For example... first cut out soda, or switch to diet. Then cut it out altogether. Eat more fruits and veggies. Then maybe lower your sodium or sugar. Those are the ones I am working on right now. You can add me as a friend if you need support, because I need it too sometimes :happy:

AEB_WV

You can't go back to eating like you did before, or you're going to end up looking like you did before!

ak248902

the biggest problem most people run into with weight loss is that they do this whole "weight loss mode" idea where they eat right, exercise, etc, lose some weight, and then when they lose the weight they go back to how they ate before they lost the weight (losing their dietary discipline and becoming less active).

if you are losing weight and then gaining it back then you need to make sure this time after you lose the weight to keep up with your diet (but instead of having a calorie deficit, or eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your body weight, you eat just enough calories to maintain your body weight - MFP should help you determine what your daily caloric needs are). also, if you are exercising consistently to lose the weight, continue to exercise after you are done. accomplishing your weight goal is only half the battle. maintaining your weight goal and physical fitness is the other half.

good luck.

Thanks! I think before I was not sure how many calories I should be eating to maintain my current weight. I would then eat things here or there that I probably should not have been eating so much of and then it just became more of a habit to eat more calories than I should. Once I get to my goal weight I am going to readjust my calories to maintain and still keep logging my food and exercise.

AEB_WV

Was trying to do the quote thing. Amen to this:

You can't go back to eating like you did before, or you're going to end up looking like you did before!

LerocDancerCat

Hi I know just how you feel I've lost my weight before and even though I still exercise and dance the night away my weight has all gone back on!
I have no gallbladder so I should have no excuse for eating rubbish I know my body can't digest it!
So now I need to stick to the healthy eating and even though i dance 5=6 nights a week i will be pushing myself harder I know I will lose it again but this time no letting the bad eating habits return plus summer is coming I want to look good in a pair of shorts!
Good luck to everyone x

calmmomw3minimeez

I feel you on this. I've lost and gained so many times it's not even funny. The truth of the matter is that I was 'dieting' whether it be crash diets, fad diets, or like you said I was just in that 'mode' or 'zone' if you will. The problem with this is that this was always temporary and I was oblivious to the fact that once the diet is over, I've reached my goal and I'm no longer in the zone, hence the weight 'regain'! Since I've been on MFP, I see things the way I should now, because none of this is temporary, it truly is a life changing experience that should last for LIFE. It's simply changing the way we do things in our lives to make it better, and I just want to let you know that you are definitely in the right place to reach your goals and stick to them. If your mind is made up that no matter how many 'bad days' you have or how many 'slip-ups' occur that you are not quitting, you can be successful. MFP has become a regular part of my daily life and I can't even imagine myself without it. Good luck and stick to your guns...you can do it!!!!:happy:

ak248902

I feel you on this. I've lost and gained so many times it's not even funny. The truth of the matter is that I was 'dieting' whether it be crash diets, fad diets, or like you said I was just in that 'mode' or 'zone' if you will. The problem with this is that this was always temporary and I was oblivious to the fact that once the diet is over, I've reached my goal and I'm no longer in the zone, hence the weight 'regain'! Since I've been on MFP, I see things the way I should now, because none of this is temporary, it truly is a life changing experience that should last for LIFE. It's simply changing the way we do things in our lives to make it better, and I just want to let you know that you are definitely in the right place to reach your goals and stick to them. If your mind is made up that no matter how many 'bad days' you have or how many 'slip-ups' occur that you are not quitting, you can be successful. MFP has become a regular part of my daily life and I can't even imagine myself without it. Good luck and stick to your guns...you can do it!!!!:happy:

Thanks so much for your support!

hairspray74

hi & welcome, you'll love it here! you or anyone can add me, my sister shellyp3, my cousin mistletoes71, or my husband rumblybigred! good luck! I can relate kinda, about 3 years ago I was 220 and I lost 8 lbs getting down to 212 where I hit a plateau for about 5 or 6 weeks, I got so frustrated I quit, I gained back all 8 lbs plus 20! this time I started at a whoppin 240 lbs (the largest I've ever been in my life)!!! This morning the scale told me that I had lost 28 lbs making the magic number on the scale whatelse but 212! grrrr, but this time I know that I am doing everything right and I will see my goal of 180, I'm hoping to get the last 32 lbs gone by my birthday in june!