What Made You Quit the First Time and Start Again?

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  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    I was recovering from surgery, but because I was so sick from diet pills, a four week recovery from surgery took eight months. The weight came back so fast. Twenty pounds the first month.
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
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    I let other peoples negative thoughts about what I was doing/ how I was doing it get in the way of what I knew was the right thing. It was "a lot of work" for me to battle the negative thoughts on top of the pre-planning, the exercising, and the tracking. I was living it as a diet and allowed myself to be mentally sabotaged and lost focus. THIS time, the difference is I KNOW what I need to do and this is a lifestyle change not a "diet". THIS TIME, I don't listen to peoples negativity which lately has had the weird effect of having them SUPPORT me instead - they go for hikes with me and we choose places to eat out that I KNOW I can find healthy options at. THIS TIME I bombard myself with healthy web pages and recipe sites to keep my focus. THIS TIME? THIS TIME I WILL SUCCEED because I am more determined and much more focused on my health.:drinker:
  • CudyBug
    CudyBug Posts: 742 Member
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    I lost 50 lbs and then got pregnant. That is what did it for me. Gained 40 back and am holding on to it because I am busier and less motivated, unfortunately.
  • FindingMyself24
    FindingMyself24 Posts: 613 Member
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    For me it was my pregnancy....i got pregnant with my second and was freaking out because i didnt want to gain everything i had lost...and of course i did.....i felt discouraged knowing that i had to start all over again..plus having two kids under 2...my daughter is now 14 months...i attempted several times before....but i would always lose my inspiration and quit...this time is different though...ive lost all the extra weight..and ive become more educated on the human body..etc etc....after i had my daughter i was 216... and 203 when i started trying to lose...im 174.4 now...ive lost 28.6 pounds....but didnt join MFP till 16 pounds ago..it was in JAN of this year...i didnt know such a wonderful tool existed...i LOVE it...and i truly believe its helped me...i now look forward to seeing the next workout i wanna try...im on my last week of TurboFire (week 12)....and ill be doing Billy Blanks pt 24/7 for four weeks (while im on vacation)...then ill be starting p90x...i cant wait!!!!
  • libertygirlfla
    libertygirlfla Posts: 184 Member
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    which first time? there's been several. last first time it was because i hit a goal and got sloppy. one cheat meal turns into a day, turns into a week, turns into a month, etc.

    This!
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
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    My grandmother died and i gained back everything that I had lost and kept off for over a year. Then i bought a scale when I moved into my new house and couldnt believe how much i weighed!
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
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    My weight loss attempts have mirrored my struggles with depression. Now that the depression is under control, I'm making a concerted effort to eat well and count calories. And it's working.
  • fortimer
    fortimer Posts: 21 Member
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    I joined here exactly a year ago because I ballooned to 227. I lost motivation, quit suddenly and just came back this week. Exactly 40 pounds heavier! Also, I rekindled a love affair with red wine which didn't help. A couple of glasses a night adds a heavy dose of empty calories.

    Anyway, I'm back and hopefully this time for good...
  • ForMyTomorrow
    ForMyTomorrow Posts: 13 Member
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    I quit smoking and didn't want the stress of dieting on top of that. This sunday is one month smoke free. I have since started to run and am starting to watch what I eat again. I was down 25 pounds and I am still down 10 pounds. So, I am still better than I was when I started. Right?

    I would definitely say better now! Great job quitting smoking and not gaining it all back.
  • soggypuppet
    soggypuppet Posts: 12 Member
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    I was thin growing up so when I hit middle age I had no experience in "watching my weight". I tried weight watchers last year and did very well. Then the holidays hit and I had no coping skills. Now that the busy season at work is over all of the people in the office (literally) are watching what we eat and some are trying to get more active.
  • keep2it
    keep2it Posts: 8 Member
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    The key question in your post, I think, is "what is it that made you stop? Was it gradual or sudden?"

    I have tried losing a few times before with various methods. For me, the things that made me stop each time have been gradual. Maybe feeling like I'm doing well, so thinking it's ok if I ease back a bit; or getting a bit bored with it; or feeling disheartened if I had too many weeks in a row with no significant loss; or having an intense few weeks at work and getting home too late to cook healthy meals and exercise too many days in a row; or in one extreme case my dad dying and me then falling in an emotional heap after a few weeks; or...

    This is my first time using MFP and I intend for it to be my only time. This time around I have realised that as well as looking at my diet and my exercise, I really need to work on keeping my motivation strong. Reading the forums weekly helps with that. (Thank you all you MFP posters!)

    I also read a great quote early on: "Motivation is what gets you started. Routines are what keep you going." So I have put in place routines for exercise, healthy shopping and even for motivation.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    Young, dumb and no time! :bigsmile:
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    The two first times as a teen: stupid nutrition advice and "points" systems.
    The first time with a dietician: a "healthy eating" booklet that used plates and pyramids IIRC that didn't take my mental health into account - those potatoes and green things on that plate looked like they needed to be cooked.
    The first/last time in 2008-10: the "quit" point was because of "no progress" on the scales, measurements, and photos - I should've been comparing over a longer period than a week. Also the ~25% of the time I wasn't "eating clean" because that requires being capable of cooking.

    This time is simply modifications of what I did last time so my compliance rate is better, with additional tools (iPhone/iPad and apps, Ki Fit, 12-weekly Bod Pod assessments, etc.) so I can track my progress with less formulas and estimates.

    What made me start again?

    "I should really lose some weight."
    "You know how to do it."
    I do, why haven't I made adjustments to what I did last time instead of waiting until I'm capable of cooking again? (I'd currently weight ~293.25 lb if I were still waiting until I reach that point.)
  • UrnAsh
    UrnAsh Posts: 207 Member
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    I've got two kiddos under two, haha! Really I just kept making excuses. I've finally cut beer out of my life so that should help somewhat..
  • twinmoon
    twinmoon Posts: 108 Member
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    For me, it's all about logging. Every time I gained the weight back, it was when I stopped logging my food & exercise. So, here I go again. I've been logging consistently, and that alone makes me feel empowered to keep going, even if I eat too much one day. The key isn't not to cheat or overeat - it's inevitable for those of us who struggle with food and weight. The key is bouncing back after a bad day. I also find the MFP community very helpful and encouraging. When the going gets tough, I read posts here and get lots of encouragement that way.
  • lisahewitt22
    lisahewitt22 Posts: 102
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    I went about 7 months and only lost a few pounds so I was hoping I could stop logging and stop exercising but would still maintain the 30 pounds I'd already lost. Sadly I was wrong. Since summer's coming and its getting hotter I put on a pair of my favorite shorts from last year and they dont fit! So here I am again and this time im not giving up :mad:
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    LOL First time....

    1. Stress
    2. Counting calories made me cry, a lot.
    3. Sometimes I would quit abruptly, but it was usually gradual
    4. Math also makes me cry
    5. Stress

    I started again by accident. I was losing weight for a couple of month's before I noticed, then I started making more changes on purpose. Then I found this site. Then I got a scale. I don't know my exact starting weight, but I do know my starting size, about how many calories I was eating a day prior to October and about how many I cut out between October and March, so long story short I lost about 30 lbs before starting here.

    I kind of liked that I didn't know I was "dieting". I didn't think about what I was eating all that much I was just trying out different vegetables and different ways to prepare foods and kind of keeping an eye on how many carbs I was eating (way too many and still too many), but I was constantly tweaking things swapping things out, for example a normal snack might have been a moffin or a slice of pizza or two, a sandwich, or a big bag of chips and maybe a candy bar on top of that. So, I swapped out that type of snack for Sun Chips and a V8 still not the greatest snack but it was a lot less calories than what I was eating and more fiber added bonus even though it was less calories it was more satisfying. So, I am still constantly tweaking things, trying to get my protein levels up and adding more veggies and variety of veggies, and looking for lower carb options for food.

    I think I will be able to stick with it this time because I am finding out what works and being patient with the process of doing that. I am tolerant of mistakes like trying something and having it not work for my tastes. And I am willing to try just about anything like baked kale.

    Also if I don't stick with this I will get sick and die. It will be a sort of a long process and very likely painful. I could also go blind before I croak. And I don't really want to have problems with my feet. And I really don't want to have to have insulin injections. Also I want to get small enough so that really nice people on the bus don't feel like they have to give me their seat.
  • MrsBioChem
    MrsBioChem Posts: 80 Member
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    I stopped recording over the holidays... Thanksgiving through NewYears because I thought it was "impractical" with all the traveling and eating food that was not in the database.

    Then it just took my pants getting too tight for me to start back up again.
  • StellaP77
    StellaP77 Posts: 2
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    Reached my goal weight and thought I didn't need to count calories anymore.
  • Eleanorjanethinner
    Eleanorjanethinner Posts: 563 Member
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    I've been on hear for nearly two years off and on. I lost about 7-8kg (about 14-16 pounds) to start with towards my goal of 10kg or 20 pounds then emigrated to a new country. Lots of change!

    Since being here I've gotten a lot fitter with all the walking that's part of my daily routine. I put on 2-3 kilos (4-6 pounds) over about six months.

    I listened to the folks saying 'eat more to lose more' and tried 1340 calories a day but really didn't lose weight. I've decided that doing a half-arsed job is just pointless 'cos I feel restricted but don't actually lose weight. I'm now aiming for 1200 a day and have lost for the last three weeks.

    I want to hit my original goal loss then keep going 'till I'm a proper size 12 trousers (US size 8, I think?). Then stay there forever!

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