"Well that escalated quickly"...

nokanjaijo

But seriously, thanks for understanding that and forwarding that link to me. This was great! I'm forwarding it to some others who can benefit.

My pleasure!

U2Amie

Something to think about...

I'm much more motivated if I set a goal that relates to physical strength instead of focusing on losing weight. For example, I LOVE to cycle. Each year I set a goal to put in a certain number of miles on the bike (and it increases year over year) and to increase my average speed by at least a specific amount. Then I sign up for rides that will challenge my ability and endurance. For example, my first century ride (100 miles) is on June 1st. I live in a climate that has cold, snowy winters and know that I won't be able to ride much outside from November to March or April. Knowing that I couldn't wait (or count on) the weather to warm up to start to get in shape for the century made me motiviated to hit the gym all winter.

In addition, we do indoor cycling at a gym that has a leaderboard that shows the power output of each rider. There's nothing like a little competition to make you work harder. When my daughter is riding with me my goal is to beat her up a hill. She knows that's my goal and that makes her work harder, too. Last weekend she told me that knowing I was nipping at her heels made her work harder than she would have otherwise. We both had a great workout!

Great advice too, thanks. I've done a local 5K the past 2 years here, and signed up for this year's. The 5K keeps me pretty motivated, especially in trying to "out due" my previous time. This year is different especially because my sister and cousin are running with me-two people who are in a lot better shape than me. So in actuality, I do feel a bigger need to work hard so I have a competitive edge on them. I really love jogging and running. I feel the accomplishment of running over a mile as something to be proud of. I'm hoping that the prep for this will help restart that love I once had, and perhaps restart my motivation overall.

ittybittybadonkadonk

I bought a fitbit one for myself on Valentine's day ....best gift that I could of bought.... its such a great motivator and it tracks sleep, steps and stairs .....I got mine at bestbuy for 99.00 and it syncs to MFP .... you log your food here on MFP and log your exercise on fitbit.com ..... for me I am doing the TDEE - 20% so I dont log my exercise ...but I do sync my fitbit at the end of each night

brendaj39

That has happened a lot to me, and I am hoping at age 40 that this will be the last time I lose and not regain. but like others have said, don't beat yourself up, you can do this just like you have before. Feel free to add me for support, Wish you the best... :flowerforyou:

U2Amie

That has happened a lot to me, and I am hoping at age 40 that this will be the last time I lose and not regain. but like others have said, don't beat yourself up, you can do this just like you have before. Feel free to add me for support, Wish you the best... :flowerforyou:

Thank You!

mariapuhl

Hello, my twin, how are you?

I've also always been just a little chubby, but ok with it. I am tall, so I never looked as big as I actually was. The weight goes everywhere, not just one area. But anyway, in college, I bucked up - starting going to the gym and eating right, and boom, lost 50 lbs.

Then i started my masters program, while working a full time job, and being a teaching assistant. Needless to say, I have gained about 30 lbs of my weight back out of sheer making excuses. I know I could have gotten up earlier. I just chose not to. My eating habits, thank god, have still been alright (but just alright, not great), which have probably kept me from gaining that other half of the weight back.

I finished my masters in December and now am having a break until August just working, before I start my PhD program. Luckily, I'll JUST be doing that and a teaching assistantship position, so I will have tons of time, compared to before. I've started back at the gym, and am surprised by how much I missed it.

SO yeah - we are similar. Haha.

KellySue67

Thanks for posting your story. It is very real and has happened to many of us. I lost almost 40lbs almost 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was insistent that I was not going to take medication and that I could manage it with diet and exercise. I was doing well until I had a physical set back and injured my knee. I then became quite sedentary and snacked more and more out of boredom more than anything. I gained back all of the weight I lost and then some. I ended up having to be put on medication for the diabetes and have continued to struggle with the weight loss ever since. My highest weight over the years was up around 272. It has flucuated over the years and I started the year out this year at 257lbs. Some of the weight gain came from some of the medication that I was taking, but most was my over eating. My doctor and I had a long conversation at the beginning of the year about the medication and we did some switching around and I also decided that enough was enough and I have been logging and weighing and measuring all of my food. I have been going to the gym more frequently and got involved in a "Biggest Loser" challenge here at work at the beginning of the year as well. I finished strong and lost 21.6lbs over a 12 week period. I currently weigh 235 and when from size 24 to size 20. I eat around 1500 calories/day and I have been doing great with not feeling deprived. I still eat most of the things I enjoy, just in smaller portions- which is a big thing since we really don't pay attention to what a recommended portion size is. It can be done when you stay focused on the goal. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

U2Amie

Hello, my twin, how are you?

I've also always been just a little chubby, but ok with it. I am tall, so I never looked as big as I actually was. The weight goes everywhere, not just one area. But anyway, in college, I bucked up - starting going to the gym and eating right, and boom, lost 50 lbs.

Then i started my masters program, while working a full time job, and being a teaching assistant. Needless to say, I have gained about 30 lbs of my weight back out of sheer making excuses. I know I could have gotten up earlier. I just chose not to. My eating habits, thank god, have still been alright (but just alright, not great), which have probably kept me from gaining that other half of the weight back.

I finished my masters in December and now am having a break until August just working, before I start my PhD program. Luckily, I'll JUST be doing that and a teaching assistantship position, so I will have tons of time, compared to before. I've started back at the gym, and am surprised by how much I missed it.

SO yeah - we are similar. Haha.

Ha! Great intro. Thank you for understanding. And keeping OFF 20lbs is NOTHING to be ashamed of! You are doing something right. Congrats on all the success, btw! PhD Program is something to boast about.

Unfortunately, I didn't find that miss-the-gym attitude present when I started going back. In fact, unlike bfore, it was almost a drag for me to go, and when I get there, I don't do nearly as much as I used to. This is what scares me because when I had free time it really was part of my routine, and I felt soo good after.

U2Amie

Thanks for posting your story. It is very real and has happened to many of us. I lost almost 40lbs almost 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was insistent that I was not going to take medication and that I could manage it with diet and exercise. I was doing well until I had a physical set back and injured my knee. I then became quite sedentary and snacked more and more out of boredom more than anything. I gained back all of the weight I lost and then some. I ended up having to be put on medication for the diabetes and have continued to struggle with the weight loss ever since. My highest weight over the years was up around 272. It has flucuated over the years and I started the year out this year at 257lbs. Some of the weight gain came from some of the medication that I was taking, but most was my over eating. My doctor and I had a long conversation at the beginning of the year about the medication and we did some switching around and I also decided that enough was enough and I have been logging and weighing and measuring all of my food. I have been going to the gym more frequently and got involved in a "Biggest Loser" challenge here at work at the beginning of the year as well. I finished strong and lost 21.6lbs over a 12 week period. I currently weigh 235 and when from size 24 to size 20. I eat around 1500 calories/day and I have been doing great with not feeling deprived. I still eat most of the things I enjoy, just in smaller portions- which is a big thing since we really don't pay attention to what a recommended portion size is. It can be done when you stay focused on the goal. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks for sharing your story. Your struggle, although different than mine, really proves to me that anyone can do what they put their mind to. Congrats on your recent success and I hope you keep it up! I also see you finding success in a competitive environment-like someone mentioned above. I should involve myself more in those too!