Two steps forward, three back, etc...

celtsguy81

In my first month of trying to get in better shape I did pretty well. I went to the gym just about every day and worked hard. I monitored my calories and kept it in check. I ended up losing about 11.5 pounds over that first month. I was pretty excited.

Then came a long weekend away with my GF for her birthday. I allowed myself to relax a little... mostly because I felt I "deserved" it.. but also because when I'm not eating stuff I made myself or stuff from a chain restaurant I have NO CLUE how to record it calorie wise. I promised myself I would go extra hard at the gym the following week.

That was *two* weeks ago. I only am now just getting back to where I was before I went on that trip (264). Except for one bad night out in that span (friend in town from CA), I have been doing well. It's very frustrating going from losing 11.5 pounds in 4 weeks to losing 11.5 pounds in 6 weeks.

And here is the real kicker and reason why I am posting here (looking for some advice): Tomorrow I am going on this huge pub crawl. It's an all day thing to celebrate a bunch of people's birthdays. Can't miss it because the GF is one of the people they are celebrating. So I know I'll be drinking.. and that is going to sabotage me again. Not only will I retain some water weight (yeah.. I'm monitoring the scale almost daily) but its a ton of calories. Even if I go in moderation I am picturing at least 10 beers throughout the day.

So it will take 2 weeks, maybe? So instead of down 11.5 lbs in 4 weeks.. will it be 8?? More???

Anyone else deal with a similar situation? It's frustrating and tempting to throw in the towel. Logically I know that would be a stupid move.. but would be good to hear other people's takes on my situation.

Doomfrog

This happens to me frequently. I'm down 32 pounds since July 2011. My weight loss probably could have been a lot faster, but I've been generally living my life. I have lots of visitors and they seem to come in streams and I tend to let my guard down a bit. My one big piece of advice: DO NOT get out of the exercise habit. As long as you keep up that habit, you will at least maintain even after the occasional boosy weekend where you eat Taco Bell in an alcohol induced moment of weakness. Just make exercise your habit and when you have long stretches of time where you are really able to stick to a sensible eating plan, the weight will come off. One thing I'm trying to do is make sure I'm still logging on those days/weekends when I'm a little more lax. It is hard to see "on paper" but it gives me some relief when I still manage to lose a little bit of weight even if I've let my guard down food wise a little bit. This isn't all or nothing. You have to live. Sometimes that means a few beers with friends.