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

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.

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.

couldn't have said it better!

And how are you doing??? (-: