I've done it before! Why can't I do it now?

Huskerduer

About 5 years ago, I managed - through diet and exercise alone - to lose 80 lbs. I went from 256 lbs to roughly 175. I am almost 5'8" so it was enough. I looked great, I was getting many compliments etc.

I then met my husband, and since then, I've gained 1/2 the weight back.

Here's what really bugs me: if I did it before, why can't I find that same motivation to do it again? Also, I want to mention, I am a member of a 12-step program where I had to give up the sauce. If I can do that - close to 3 years now - why can't I do this?!

I am convinced I have "issues" w/food. I obsess about it. I think about my weight, pretty much, 24 hours a day. I cannot get past how I once looked.

Do I just not care anymore?

Flyntiggr

could food have become your substitute for the 'sauce' as you call it? I think to some extend we all obsess over food - that's what got us here - our love affair. Good luck!

megz4987

You obviously care!
It's a rough start to change your lifestyle. Stick through it for 2 weeks and it will become habit

barbiex3

you probably just don't care anymore. i've been there many many times.

GibsonDarlin

You CAN do it. You just haven't found your motivation. You gave up one unhealthy choice and giving up your now comfort food is like a denying you anything good. I don't drink don't smoke all I do is enjoy food. So now that I am 80 lbs over weight, I at first thought, dang now I have to give up good food. For me it is a over all health reason to get fit - arthritis, diabetes, heart disease.

I am also looking for better, healthier recipes, so I can still have GOOD food. You have to find your motivation and reward system. But you CAN do it! Small steps!

Congrats on your 3yr mark, it is an accomplishment and it shows you have self control and will power!!!! Good Luck! Add me if you like Ill help support you!

tmiqueen

As you've probably learned in your 12 step program, addicts tend to trade one addiction for another...be it sex, gambling, porn, smoking. Food could be another addiction, but unfortunately not one you can just "quit" cold turkey. Perhaps attending an Overeaters Anonymous or similar program might help with that issue as well?

cnsmith2

I know the feeling. About 8 years ago I lost 75 pounds in about 5 months. The motivation I had was "intimate" and part of a different type of relationship I had with someone. I have no idea how it worked, because it was so unlike me, and I kept it off for awhile, though eventually it came back plus much more.

I've thought long and hard many times since then where is the motivation... why can't I find you? Why can't I do this... I could do it then, why not now?

There aren't any easy answers sadly. You just have to decide to do it and stick with it. This site actually makes an INCREDIBLE difference for me. Even when I'm feeling crappy. I don't want to go over on my calories. Even on days when I feel bad about myself, I can look and see the progress I've made and it helps me to put the last day behind me and move onto the next.

johnhowson

Well you have made a start - so you definitely care! The only way I can ever get over my own obsessions is simply to let them go by channeling my energy a different way. Once you start some exercise and dieting it will get much easier. Good luck!

MamaDee2

Could be your new addiction is food. Sadly the difference with food and the "sauce" is that you can avoid alcohol (with some strong willpower) but you have to have food to live so it is not like you can avoid it. There are food addictions just like other addictions. I totally understand I am a food addict! Good luck I know it is hard.

SweetCharity

Well, you definitely care or else you wouldn't be devoting so much of your thoughts to this. Is there anyone you can talk to? Like a dietician or a counselor? A lot of people have food issues, you are not alone! It is a real problem and you shouldn't feel bad about it. I would try to figure out exactly what is going on with your issues with food either through research or through talking to a professional. Most importantly is to not give up - there's always hope and there's always help.

JaenaM

You are a different person than you were 5 years ago so you're going to have to do this differently than before. Comparing yourself to the past is not fair to yourself; you may not know that girl anymore! I agree that if you stick to something 2-3 weeks, you'll start really getting into it and then it won't be such an effort for you. For right now, try to keep your mind focused on "just for today" and today, you can track your food and move your booty. Tomorrow, you may or may not do the same but you'll take care of it as it comes. Going through the 12 steps you're obviously familiar with taking things "one day at a time". Food is no different; it's harder to get in check! It's the only addiction that you have to always take part of in order to survive. You can live without alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, but food? You've got to face it 3 times a day. It's tough but you're supported...you've got this!!!

vettle

Sometimes we're just not mentally ready. A few years ago I went through all this too. I went to LA weight loss and sat down and said I want to lose weight. They gave me a program and said "that'll be 650 dollars". I said... ok I'll think about it. Went home and decided, I don't need to pay someone $650 to tell me to eat less and exercise so I grabbed a notebook and started writing down my own calories. It was more like an "I'll show you" attitude. I lost 20 pounds and was super happy.

Then, I started working two jobs which didn't allow for proper meal preparation or actual lunch breaks. I gained it all back, and then some. I tried numerous times over a couple of years to lose the weight the same way I did before and it never stuck. So why could I do that before cold tukey and struggle so much to even make an entry the next time around? I wasn't ready. I didn't really want to. Nothing was motivating me.

So then, in April of this year my family all went camping. I saw my cousin there, and she looked fantastic - she had lost a ton of weight. Lots of pictures were taken, etc. I got home and looked at some of the pictures of myself next to her (and she's an amazing person BTW) and my mind turned on and said, time to look like her. Since then I have been tracking again and motivated and I have lost 31 pounds.

So in my experience, unless something has really made you hit your wall, that life changing moment or decision, it will be an uphill battle that you will just fall out of again. There are many times I THOUGHT I wanted to lose weight and tried, but never followed through. Obvbiously I didn't want it enough at the time.

So sit down and think about when you did it the first time. What was it that made you do it, how did you feel. Was it a movie? A friend? A doctor? A money diet scam like me? and think about it this time and what your reasons are. It's definitely not that you don't care anymore, but maybe in this time of your life, it's not a priority.