I need advice on losing weight

I'm still in the middle of my weight loss but I've been through some very trying times while I've been doing it these last two years. I've managed to continue to lose weight or at the very least maintain my current loss instead of gaining back all that I lost.

For me the secret to my success has been logging and being mindful of my portions. I don't think, I can't have certain foods I just can't have them every day or in large quantities. I try to eat higher fiber foods especially whole grains and veggies. The fiber keeps me from feeling ravenous but it's not just the fiber it's a mix of protein and fats, too. I don't cut out carbs but I eat less carbs from added sugar and processed grain. It doesn't make me feel full, it makes me feel hungry and I like the way someone else talked about carbs on here, they said carbs beget carbs and I think that's true for me. I basically eat anything in moderation. It's fine to eat a piece or two of pizza with a salad, it's not cool to eat the whole pizza by myself. I don't have Poptarts for breakfast every day but I eat my Peanut butter ones before I go to the grocery store on the weekend. And I don't have the Poptarts for breakfast and then the pizza for dinner.

Whenever I lose weight, I always seem to fall off the wagon and then I gain it all back and then some. I really need advice from anyone who has successfully lost weight.

I've done this too, in the past. This is the longest I've ever stuck to my goal of weight loss and the most I've ever lost. The things that have changed are that I'm older (31 this year), I had a scare related to my weight a few years ago, and I really want this for myself. I can't explain that in another way but I really want to lose this weight more than I want anything. Money, a great job, a significant other, a child. Right now I want to get this weight off. And now that I've lost so much (somewhere between 95 and 101, my scale is broken right now and I'm going on how my clothes fit) I don't want to stop.

Logging here every day keeps me going. I see everything I eat and I have to be honest with myself I can't pretend I didn't have a moment of weakness last week and eat candy every day. I did and it's there in black and white. I'm doing better this week and that shows, too. Every day that I don't eat over my calorie goal is a success and I know it will eventually lead to more weight gone for good.

I have friends here and they're wonderful, wonderful people but they weren't with me for the first 70 pounds I lost, during that time it was ALL me, I did that and it's what kept me going.

I don't know what's going to happen in the future but I'm going to continue to log my food until I can find a better way but right now this is the best way. It's something that I can do that doesn't cost any money, it doesn't require special food, or a pill. I don't have to figure out "points" or drink potions. Also, I can do it anywhere. I don't need MFP to count my calories but it's makes it SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier. MFP is as simple as it comes and it works.

Hope this helps!!

I'd suggest you think about why you weren't able to maintain...really consider why this hasn't worked for you before.

A few years ago, one of my best friends asked me why my last diet didn't stick - I had been on Atkins for about a year and lost about 50 pounds then went on a vacation, threw my diet out the window and just couldn't get back on track so I gained it all back and then some over the course of a few years.. At first I dismissed it as water under the bridge...but I couldn't get the thought out of my head so I gave it some thought And the #1 reason I came up with was deprivation. Every time I tried to lose weight in the past, I did it by cutting out all the so-called "bad" foods I loved. It'd work great for several months but eventually I got bored of trying to live off salads and frozen meals and diet/light everything while craving real, satisfying food. Atkins was a bit more forgiving but still, we're talking about giving up most of a whole food group. Not sustainable.

So I decided this time around, I would eat all the foods I enjoy but do so in reasonable portions within the prescribed limits.

And guess what - 4 years later, I'm still at it! Sure, it's been slow and I've still got a little ways to go but I've stuck with it longer than any other weight loss attempt (and trust me, there were plenty over last 20+ years) and can't imagine giving up at this point.

Maybe that's not the answer for you. Maybe it is. Only you can figure it out and then find ways to work around those obstacles.