I gained everything back and I feel like a failure.

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  • saminmio
    saminmio Posts: 44 Member
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    Oh and I do not agree that mfp is a crutch - it's a tool - use it to your benefit. I'm a very strong person so I know what I'm talking about.
  • musicmint
    musicmint Posts: 469
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    Last Summer, I committed to losing weight and getting fit. It was an amazing experience. I dropped from ~125 to 108, and I felt healthier and happier than I had in a long time.

    Then, senior year started. School food and fast food began to replace my previously healthy meals. Gym hours were reduced, and then reduced some more, and soon enough my membership was gaining dust, and I was gaining pounds. Last week I weighed myself for the first time in months, and found out I was back at 120.

    I really wanted to succeed this year, and in some aspects I did. But buckling down on my education has made me feel absolutely terrible about my body.

    Rationally, I know 120 pounds isn't a lot. But when you're 5'2 and wear a 4 1/2 ring, it feels like so much. I think I feel worse about my body now than I did when I was 125, or even when I was 137 a few years ago.


    ANYWAY, now I'm a college-bound senior and school is almost over (I have a month left, but I feel completely done :D). I want to get back in shape and I want to stay that way, but I'm scared that my efforts will be wasted again.

    How do you guys keep life from getting in the way?

    Also, if anyone has fallen off the wagon for a few months and were able to fight back, please add me! I want to do this with support this time around.

    /ramble.

    I totally feel the same....I feel like I can't do school and keep my weight in check at the same time ...feel free to add me if you want to have an accountability partner
  • musicmint
    musicmint Posts: 469
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    It is tough when something else has taken your focus and you are stressed out. Try to sneak in a workout when you are stressed. And remember, you're only a failure when you quit. You're on here so you haven't quit so you're not a failure. Just keep moving, one step at a time. You've lost the weight before so you know you can do it again :)

    I love that....you are only a failure when you QUIT!!!
  • lizamichelle1
    lizamichelle1 Posts: 36 Member
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    Just get moving, be active. Don't worry about the scale. Take long walks to relieve stress. When I was a New Yorker I'd walk the Brooklyn bridge, especially when I didn't want too. By the time I got to Brooklyn I was calm and ready to take on the world. Did I loose weight or tone? I have no idea but I kept active. Even up to the birth of my daughter.

    Most trainers will say don't trust the scale. It measures mass in general. It doesn't tell you if it is fat or muscle. Lift more weights with your cardio and convince yourself you are gaining muscle and loosing fat. You may actually be doing it.

    Or do what you did before, like others have said.

    Good luck.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    Last Summer, I committed to losing weight and getting fit. It was an amazing experience. I dropped from ~125 to 108, and I felt healthier and happier than I had in a long time.

    Then, senior year started. School food and fast food began to replace my previously healthy meals. Gym hours were reduced, and then reduced some more, and soon enough my membership was gaining dust, and I was gaining pounds. Last week I weighed myself for the first time in months, and found out I was back at 120.

    I really wanted to succeed this year, and in some aspects I did. But buckling down on my education has made me feel absolutely terrible about my body.

    Rationally, I know 120 pounds isn't a lot. But when you're 5'2 and wear a 4 1/2 ring, it feels like so much. I think I feel worse about my body now than I did when I was 125, or even when I was 137 a few years ago.


    ANYWAY, now I'm a college-bound senior and school is almost over (I have a month left, but I feel completely done :D). I want to get back in shape and I want to stay that way, but I'm scared that my efforts will be wasted again.

    How do you guys keep life from getting in the way?

    Also, if anyone has fallen off the wagon for a few months and were able to fight back, please add me! I want to do this with support this time around.

    /ramble.

    108 seems like a really hard weight to maintain at 5'2 - have you thought about lifting weights, eating more calories and focusing on inches (muscle) and not the scale?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    You're 5'2 and 120 pounds. That is actually perfect, from a health perspective. What's the problem here?:huh:
  • bhbarros
    bhbarros Posts: 101
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    108 seems like a really hard weight to maintain at 5'2 - have you thought about lifting weights, eating more calories and focusing on inches (muscle) and not the scale?

    You're definitely right. I didn't really understand what I was doing the first time around, by my new goal is definitely not 108. Actually, I don't have a specific GW. I just want to be fit and healthy again :)
    You're 5'2 and 120 pounds. That is actually perfect, from a health perspective. What's the problem here?:huh:

    I know it sounds a bit whiny, and that I'm actually not as large as my mind is making me believe. At the same time, my body fat percentage (which is what I'm going with this time around) is 26 percent. I'd like to get down to 20 percent.
    Which means a lot more lifting this time! YAY.


    And I just want to thank everyone who responded to this today. I really didn't expect anything more, but I read all of your replies and felt extremely grateful for them. I really needed this, especially after this morning. I went to the doctor's and found out that I was, once again, anemic. It was a bummer, but also a push to be healthier! You guys have definitely made my day much, much better.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
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    OP: Just catching up on things. I see that you were/are anemic. Once you get that under control you will feel so much better and will nail this again!! Great job!!

    D
  • RandomMiranda
    RandomMiranda Posts: 298
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    The best suggestion I can give you is to establish some healthy patterns during the summer and make a plan for maintaining them in college. College life, especially if you are on campus, can be rough on fitness and nutrition. I highly recommend registering for an athletic class and participating in intramurals. I wish I had done that and known then what I know now about fitness and nutrition. Take advantage of the classes your college may offer to learn new sports, learn weight lifting technique, etc.
  • synthomarsh
    synthomarsh Posts: 189 Member
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    Just a head up if being a senior in highschool was too much work for you and it made you stop working out get ready for College, You will have to go to class and work. My weight gain happened my junior year of college when I was taking 23 hours a semester which was near impossible. I promise you life is only gonna find a way to get more in your way every year you get older. If being in shape is important to you you need to learn some good time management and figure out a way to stick with it.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Lots of colleges have gyms that are wither free or low cost.

    While scheduling so that you have enough time to walk to class, be careful about the distances between class. I wen to Penn state and that campus is huge. They gave us like 10/15 mins between classes. One semester my classes were literally as far apart as they could be and even on a bike I had a hard time making it to class on time. One day someone decided to walk backwards into the street and ran into my bike. I got flung over the handle bars and had a concussion. I know this is like a one in 10 billion thing but thats my reasoning for being careful about how you schedule classes :laugh:

    Also be careful of the food. I lost 30 pounds in my first semester at PSU because i hated the food. Then I found other cafeteria's that i did like and gained it all back. Most college cafeterias let you leave with a piece of fruit so take full advantage of that!

    Also school gyms are usually packed on saturday mornings by the ladies who partied too hard the night before and "have to burn all the beer calories away."

    If you wanna chat feel free to PM me.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
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    I don't know about you, but if I don't record what I eat everyday....regardless if I hit a goal or not, then I simply will not realize what the hell I am doing. The only times since I started "counting" that I have gained is when I didn't record my food regularly. For me, it helps immensely to see what I did today.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    If you're anaemic add in plenty of red meat and other high iron foods like spinach. Oh, and if you need a boost a bit of dark (70% cocoa) chocolate - the iron is easier to digest from chocolate than from vegetable sources!
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Just repeat whatever you did to lose the weight....over and over again :flowerforyou:

    And set yourself up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. If you've gained the weight back it's because the plan was not sustainable for you in the long term. Find a plan that works for you, that you can do for the rest of your life.

    Eat a little bit less. Move a little bit more.

    Calculate your TDEE and take a 15 or 20% cut from it. This will give you enough food so that you feel satisfied, can eat all the foods you like and not notice you're on a 'diet'.

    Find an exercise that you love and that you can stick with. Something you enjoy so that it doesn't feel like exercise or a chore that you *have* to do.

    Do not restrict food items or food groups - telling yourself you *can't* eat X, Y, Z, often just makes people crave them more.

    Try and eat protein and fibre at every meal to help satiety.

    Do not treat this as a short term "I must lose X amount of weight by Y date".
  • FlowersInTheDirt
    FlowersInTheDirt Posts: 124 Member
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    Dont beat your self up about it. Do whatever it was you where doing before but this time Make the time to go to the gym and pack yourself a lunch if ther are no healthy options available.
    Most of all enjoy what your doing! :flowerforyou:
  • chymerra
    chymerra Posts: 212
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    the good thing is that weight is never permanent! it's the hard work ahead that often puts people off.

    that said, you have to make time for fitness and make it into a habit. this means working out everyday at the same time so that it becomes integrated into your daily routine...it also makes it easier for you to plan your day because you know that at X time, you have to workout.

    also, prepare your meals every day...it's the best way to continue eating clean. i work full time and lug a giant cooler to work with all 5 of my meals. i prep the night before, already sealed in containers and everything and then put everything into the fridge so when it's time for me to leave for work, i just pack it all in my cooler and away i go.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    you don't fail when you get knocked down. you fail if you stay down.
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    Life does get in the way at times but just remember - you are back, so you are not a failure! We can do this. I fell to the wayside of MFP / taking care of myself and gained back 65# while taking care of my daughter and dealing with her passing. I am back to take care of me and have tried to get my mind wrapped around the fact I do my best work when I take care of me. We learn from our setbacks. :heart:
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    Life will throw you lots of curve balls the main thing is you know you can always come back here and get it off. If you could make this a lifestyle change instead of a diet you would be able to succeed better. Don't deprive yourself of the foods you love just have them in moderation. I always tell myself I can have more of that tomorrow lol so the key is moderation and not cutting out your favorite foods. I wished I would have had this site when I was younger so never competely give up just keep trying and one day it will click
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    you don't fail when you get knocked down. you fail if you stay down.

    this is awesome.


    I am glad to read that you are into lifting...I believe this will make you happier with your body...college free/cheap gym is a win.

    It's all about body composition, not the number on the scale, and from your comments it looks like you get that...which is fantastic.

    I like Starting Strength...compound lifts give you the best bang for your buck timewise, and engage your core as well because it needs to stabilize your body as you squat/ lift the barbell.

    you can always add a few accessory lifts if you have time, but this program is great if you are busy...google some youtube videos on form for the exercises...

    I lift 3x a week, and do some cardio on the other days.

    http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

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