I fell of the wagon!!!

It sounds like you made a lot of drastic changes. You need to decide if they are sustainable. If so, then dig deep and look for what motivated you to do that. If not, then modify those changes, make them sustainable and while you're at it, make your life easier. Plan and prepare as much as you can so those chaotic days are easier. 17lbs is nothing to snub at and you deserve to keep that off.

It's ultimately your choice. Do you want to the same New Year's resolution next year as this one? Or do you want to be the person who accomplishes their goal and moves on?

Dust off your knees...and climb back on the wagon.....

I'm the same way. That's why I can't have cheat meals. Cheat meals turn into cheat days and then cheat weeks and then cheat months and before I know it I've been overweight for 2 decades!

The only thing to do is knuckle down buckle down and climb right back into the wagon. Now go drink a glass of water and put on your climbing duds.

get your *kitten* back on the wagon and FOCUS!!!

You started off amazingly! I'm thinking as other(s) have said that the 3lbs is water weight. You have a chance to get back on track now. Do exactly what you were doing before. Take time to prep your food - if you feel like you 'dont have time' then schedule that time just like you schedule work/school/studying/family into your week. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you need help to prep, then reach out to those around you. They want you to be successful. You can do it!

There is no wagon.

Starting now, you make the choices that you know you need to make.

And whatever you do, do *not* fall into the trap of, "well, I fell off the wagon, so now I can just throw everything out."

Sounds like you should have a lot of help at home, I understand working and going to school full time-- many of us have to do it! Are you taking care of the grandchildren? Maybe your kids/son-in-law could help keep the house running smoothly since they are grown adults. You shouldn't have to do it all! Let them be responsible for them and their kids, so you have time to focus on you and your health.

Good luck!

Yup....you fell off the wagon. But it sounds like you're ready to get back on board. Pick a few small goals to start with, and find success. Somebody recently told me that nothing tastes as good as skinny. Thinking that thought has helped me to make a few better choices recently. It's all about one choice at a time. You can do it!

Your life sounds extremely stressful. Just from having so much on the go. If you're not getting enough sleep, that could cause the weight to pack back on because being short on sleep and high on stress is going to release cortisol (the stress hormone) like crazy! I think you need to seriously consider if there are any commitments going on in your life right now that you can afford to drop or if there are tasks you can deligate to someone with a bit more time than you so you have time to take a bit better care of yourself.... or at least not get burned out!

We all fall off the wagon - that's the first thing to say. The second thing is this: being healthy, and being the weight you want to be, is about focusing on YOU. It seems that you spend so much time being busy that you run out of time for you. I'm lucky that I don't have the same super-stressed life that you do and I have a husband who does the lion's share of the cooking and household chores, but we both work (me 37.5 hours and him 30 hours a week) and we have a son still with us at home.

We cook WeightWatchers recipes from the magazine (do you have it in the States?) which are wonderful. And we plan our week's menu in advance, ordering our groceries online and getting them delivered (that way we only buy what we need!)

Exercise. We walk or cycle to and from work. I also run or walk at lunchtime, and I swim twice a week with our youngest son. But here's a good trick I found to make walking (or running) more interesting. I listen to audiobooks - you can walk for miles without realising it when you're listening to a good book! This is how our own national treasure, Stephen Fry, lost loads of weight a couple of years ago.

I am the weakest-willed person in the world - so if I can lose weight, so can you! Do it for yourself.

pop

For some reason, my dysfunctional brain read "pot"....

One meal at a time - one day at a time.

Just last night I had a planned 'fall-off-the-wagon' meal. It tasted great, but now it's back to my new normal routine. The trick for me is to get right back into it now - not after whatever the next upcoming event may be, not the 1st of the month, not Monday morning, not even tomorrow morning - but RIGHT NOW. It's just way too easy to get back into old habits, isn't it?!

My doctor said something to me that made me put the whole "falling off the wagon" thing in perspective. She said, "If you're late to work, do you say the day is ruined and get to work even later and get fired or do you do your best to get to work as soon as possible?" The same principle applies to food. Everyone is going to have a bad day now and then but you can't let that bad day turn into several days. Just pick up again the next day and trust me, it will get better. I had a bad day last Sunday but I spent the rest of the week eating right and exercising and I still lost 2 pounds. The last 4 weeks cannot be undone in just one day.

Also, as someone else posted earlier, I do not have cheat meals or days because they are guaranteed to turn into months and before I know it, I've gained 50 lbs and am desperately out of shape--again. I also feel like crap when I don't eat clean so not feeling like crap is another incentive for me to eat right every day of my life.

Great job on the 17lb weight loss!