I spent yesterday in tears after my weigh-in :-(

I lost 50lbs 3 years ago.

I kept it off for about... 8 - 9 months (even after not working out and eating not as healthy) ... and then Christmas came.
I was so busy... I ate so badly for like 2 months up to Christmas and then until after New Years.

It honestly went downhill from there... I stopped weighing myself... I was on birth control that added weight and I wasn't ever working out and eating horribly.

Three years later...

I gained all the weight back and then 30lbs. So I gained 80lbs.
It sucked and I really wish I never gained it back PLUS MORE. ugh.

I'm sure a lot of us go through this. When we see progress, we reward ourselves and say "this won't hurt, I've been doing great!" But we also don't stay disciplined. You fell off the wagon but at least you want to get back on it! Many people see it as defeat! Work just as hard, even harder actually, and get to your goal weight. You've done it before, and you can do it again. No more crying.

I don't think it's the same as last time. You begin again, but smarter. You know what works, you know how to eat and how to exercise--that's a lot of learning you don't have to do again. You know your body so much better now; you're better armed for the fight! So go ahead and dive in; you're so ready!

Don't beat yourself up! Pick yourself up and go forward!

I had lost 40 lbs, then basically did just like you...fell off the wagon, but didn't go crazy. I gained 10 lbs back. I knew it, and knew I had to get back on track, but didn't have the motivation. For me, there was no magic motivation or trick. I had to do what I did the first time. I just made the decision to to it. I use Facebook, and I posted a status telling everyone that I had gained some back, but I was back on track. I like the feeling of knowing that everyone can look at what I'm doing. The fact that I have to lose 10 lbs to get back to where I was sucks, but even after one week, I feel so much better than it really doesn't matter. I'm just happy to see the scale going down again. Just make the decision and do it. You did it once before, you can do it again.

Everything is a process and a process has its ups and downs and setbacks. Try not only to lose weight but to make healthy changes in your life. Even if you lose little by little, you will not get it back. So make a change and make it part of your life, then make another. Make a habit of eating mostly plant based food - fruits, vegetables, salads, and walk every day at least 30 minutes. Splurge once in a while in what you like, but if it is too unhealthy, try to find substitutes that will give you the satisfaction without the damage. But more important - look in the mirror every day and tell yourself how beautiful you are. Self esteem is very important - feel good about yourself and do things that make you feel good. No more tears. Turn that setback into a bigger victory. Now you know the mistakes you made. This time it will be easier. Just remember to incorporate the changes into your daily life.

I haven't gotten where I want to be yet, and sometimes I get lazy, but I am sure I will get there!

about 9 years ago I lost 70 lbs and kept it off for a couple years. then life circumstances happened and I gained most of that weight back. I fell into bad habits and excuses. this year I decided enough was enough and have re lost 30 pounds of what I gained back *19 of if since joining MFP in June and exercising. it can be very depressing but now that you have realized it you must make the effort to get back into good habits. you can do it! I believe losing weight is not hard but maintaining it is. lifestyle changes have to stick. you cant just lose weight and then when you have go back to eating freely and sitting on your behind not exercising. so just wipe away your tears and put on your walking shoes as soon as possible and hit the pavement or treadmill. log your food daily no matter what you eat. and repeat everyday!

Know that bottom line u have to change your habits of health...so maybe choose a bad habit and work on taking 22 days to fix it and the bad habit will become a good one...so if u hate cardio do cardio for 22 days and then go from there;)

This time you will go stronger and reach new heights.....you hate this feeling and by no means want it again. You now understand something you didn't once before. Life is for learning. Let's go and finish what was started!

I went through this as well. Worked hard, lost a decent amount of weight (without ever actually reaching my goal), only to put it all back on again - and then some!

I think the main thing is that you have now made yourself accountable by jumping back on those scales. That's a big step in the right direction and I don't think you should ignore that. For me the biggest thing was the following decisions:

1. not to set a goal weight "deadline" - as you only get bitterly disappointed when the date comes and goes without the success you were hoping for. This is a lifestyle change, and so what if it takes me months to get to goal? At least by then my habits will be firmly planted in my subconcious!

2. weigh in once a week - NO MATTER WHAT. I know that when I have a bad week my first instinct is to avoid those scales so I don't see the damage. Before I know it, 4 weeks have passed in my state of denial and my clothes inevitably are getting tighter. You can undo a week's damage pretty quickly - a month? Not so much aragh. Stay accountable to yourself.

3. take it day by day. By breaking everything down to smaller, more manageable "chunks" it's so much easier. I hate seeing that I have 26kg to lose. It's easy to be overwhelmed. So, I am just concentrating on the next 5kg. Once that's done and dusted, I'll look at the next 5.

I too am now looking at a big uphill slog. I admit that there have been times where I have been utterly overwhelmed by that hill. But I'm realising now that by looking at the ground in front of me and just taking small steps, day by day, I can look up every now and then and be surprised that the top is just that little bit closer. Even better, I can turn back and see just how far I've come!

This is just what works for me (and yes, there are certainly times where I've fallen off the wagon!) - everyone is different and you just need to find what switches that light on for you.

The thing to remember about those wagons is a) they're so bumpy that you have to hang on tight not to fall off and b) in my experience, they're not going fast enough for you not to be able to chase down and jump back on!

Hope this was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

Definitely been there and done that. You just gotta tell yourself if you don't get back at it now, you will only be going even further backwards. And when you do get back at it, don't let that scale run your indication of progression. Scale don't mean ****. You can lose many inches, gain much muscle and actually gain weight. For future reference.
To sum it all up.
JUST DO IT!
Keep your head up, your Shoulders cocked, and keep charging!

I went through this as well. Worked hard, lost a decent amount of weight (without ever actually reaching my goal), only to put it all back on again - and then some!

I think the main thing is that you have now made yourself accountable by jumping back on those scales. That's a big step in the right direction and I don't think you should ignore that. For me the biggest thing was the following decisions:

1. not to set a goal weight "deadline" - as you only get bitterly disappointed when the date comes and goes without the success you were hoping for. This is a lifestyle change, and so what if it takes me months to get to goal? At least by then my habits will be firmly planted in my subconcious!

2. weigh in once a week - NO MATTER WHAT. I know that when I have a bad week my first instinct is to avoid those scales so I don't see the damage. Before I know it, 4 weeks have passed in my state of denial and my clothes inevitably are getting tighter. You can undo a week's damage pretty quickly - a month? Not so much aragh. Stay accountable to yourself.

3. take it day by day. By breaking everything down to smaller, more manageable "chunks" it's so much easier. I hate seeing that I have 26kg to lose. It's easy to be overwhelmed. So, I am just concentrating on the next 5kg. Once that's done and dusted, I'll look at the next 5.

I too am now looking at a big uphill slog. I admit that there have been times where I have been utterly overwhelmed by that hill. But I'm realising now that by looking at the ground in front of me and just taking small steps, day by day, I can look up every now and then and be surprised that the top is just that little bit closer. Even better, I can turn back and see just how far I've come!

This is just what works for me (and yes, there are certainly times where I've fallen off the wagon!) - everyone is different and you just need to find what switches that light on for you.

The thing to remember about those wagons is a) they're so bumpy that you have to hang on tight not to fall off and b) in my experience, they're not going fast enough for you not to be able to chase down and jump back on!

Hope this was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

Don't think I could have said it better. Did the loss and gain game several times myself. I am currently working on losing the 10 pounds I gained back after a back injury. I basically used that as an excuse to take a break from the gym and turned my weekend into foodie adventures. Yes, I am that girl who plans her weekend around finding the best crepe in Seattle. Which is fine if you exercise and keep your portions small. But this girl made it an event.

One thing I did not stop doing was weighing myself. I was fully aware of what I was doing to myself with every pound I gained. Ten pound up and I was done! Even trying to lose ten pounds is a bummer for me but I will never reach my goal if I don't put in the work.

Now I have small goals. Drink all my water. Go to the gym twice a week (used to go four times). Stay at calorie goal. Weigh myself once a week. Try to plan my meals ahead.

Good luck to you! You can do it, just remind yourself that this is a journey. The ending is what matters most at this point and you are in control of that!

Thanks. So much what I wanted to say.

I don't think it's the same as last time. You begin again, but smarter. You know what works, you know how to eat and how to exercise--that's a lot of learning you don't have to do again. You know your body so much better now; you're better armed for the fight! So go ahead and dive in; you're so ready!

^^^ Totally this.

Just think of all you know now that you didn't know before. I also remind myself of all those folks you've seen who were addicted to drugs and had to keep trying to beat their particular drug of choice. You can do it. Be glad you woke up when you did. Also, Welcome back.