Here I Go Again.....

After losing a lot of weight in grad school (maybe 40 lbs. between 1990 and 1996), I put it back on, and a little more, between '97 and 2008. At that point I decided to try what had worked before - more exercise, and "watching" what I ate. I fluctuated over the next five years between 205 and 220. I finally decided in January that I had to count calories, and fortunately, ran across MFP in my sister's copy of Consumer Reports. Since then I've taken off over 40 lbs.

The method that worked for me was strict calorie counting, along with being skeptical of the exaggerated exercise calorie burns from online calculators (fortunately, my favorite exercise, cycling, has been well studied, and there are better calorie estimators available for cyclists).

My motivations? Several. I'm getting more serious about long distance cycling in the hills, and every extra pound slows me down a lot when going uphill. My cholesterol and blood pressure are higher than they should be, and I don't want them to get to the point where I need medication. I was tired of having a big roll of belly fat sloshing around when I sit down.

The most important thing, though, regardless of your motivations, is having the will power to defer short-term pleasure in favor of long-term goals. If that bag of chips looks tempting, I now ask myself, how will I feel afterwards? and do I want to give up the steak and potatoes I plan to eat for dinner in order to eat the chips now? Planning out your daily menu can be a big help.

Good luck!

well, i have yet to achieve my long term goal, but the approach that seems to work best for me is to think about what healthy improvements i can make that i feel i can do even on my "worst" day--what workout can i do even when i feel tired? how many calories can i limit myself to even when i feel hungry? what unhealthy foods can i eliminate from my diet without feeling it is a huge sacrifice... i think we can improve our healthiness a lot just by making improvements like this, and its a lot easier to sustain than trying to completely overhaul our whole life... i have found that in the past few months my workouts have gotten more involved and longer as my fitness has improved, but if i set out with the mindset that i had to workout 90 min almost everyday it probably would have seemed too much and overwhelming and that i just don't have the energy to do it, now i just allow myself the time to work out and if i feel tired or whatever i just don't push as hard and i am fit enough to get in my exercise even if i don't feel bursting with energy or super-motivated on a particular day...

I go through the same type of periods. I'm like "yeah loose all of the weight." I go hard core I loose a few pounds and then i get bored almost. When I feel that happening I'll shift my calories to maintenance. So I get a break but I don't reverse the process.. It also helps me stay in the habit of logging. It happens a lot with me having a mood disorder. Like maybe about once every two months. When you feel the will to loose weight come back you're still ate the weight you were when you lost it and you're all set. I myself am trying to learn how to pace myself. It's really really hard but I feel like it will help me in the long run. Like with running. Instead of using all your energy in the beginning spread it out. But yeah that's what I do

For sure! I lost 9kgs when I first moved and then jt slowed down and ground to a halt as I lost motivation. I have since jumped back on the band wagon two or three times more since then. I think you've just gotta keep jumping back on! Really go hard when you are on and focused and then don't slip backwards ie even though I am not currently loosing weight I am not gaining it either and therefore am still in a better place than I was 7 months ago