Was successful then failed. Help
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groupthinker
Posts: 11 Member
Its been a couple of years so some details are hard to remember.
Basically, I've been fat from my late teens throughout my adult years but a few years ago I was able to turn that around. I lost 120 pounds total putting me within 40 to 50 pounds of my goal. Then I quit and it all came back.
My diet was entirely about calorie counting. I ate fast food still but in moderation with a few healthier choices substituted in (Chik fil A was a godsend, I ate there a lot) then I drank diet soda (need the caffeine). Tried to exercise but it never took. My weight loss was entirely about the dieting.
I was probably going through some stress at the time. I know I had some bad episodes but I can't remember if that lines up with the dieting. I think I quit dieting before the episodes got bad and that quitting may have played a role. But I've settled back down and still find it hard to resume my diet. Its like there was a switch in my head that turned on for a year to let me diet then turned off again and I can't turn it back on.
How can I have a good habit for a year and then fail and never get it back? I'm lost.
Basically, I've been fat from my late teens throughout my adult years but a few years ago I was able to turn that around. I lost 120 pounds total putting me within 40 to 50 pounds of my goal. Then I quit and it all came back.
My diet was entirely about calorie counting. I ate fast food still but in moderation with a few healthier choices substituted in (Chik fil A was a godsend, I ate there a lot) then I drank diet soda (need the caffeine). Tried to exercise but it never took. My weight loss was entirely about the dieting.
I was probably going through some stress at the time. I know I had some bad episodes but I can't remember if that lines up with the dieting. I think I quit dieting before the episodes got bad and that quitting may have played a role. But I've settled back down and still find it hard to resume my diet. Its like there was a switch in my head that turned on for a year to let me diet then turned off again and I can't turn it back on.
How can I have a good habit for a year and then fail and never get it back? I'm lost.
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Replies
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I don't have an answer for you, as I'm in the same boat. Lost 50 pounds a few years ago, gained it all back plus some while pregnant. Currently ON the wagon, and hoping to stay there. I'd like to see what kind of responses you get.0
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Thank you. Yeah its important to me. I've never felt better about anything in my life. I felt so powerful. I was losing weight my way and ignoring many of the stupider and more needless diet tips. I could tell people how I ate fried chicken and lost weight and nobody could argue with me because the results were so evident. That was a good feeling.
I liked that it was math based. Simple quantifiable. Not a bunch of stuff about feeling the right way or eating more of this thing and less of that thing.0 -
It was the thing I've done that seemed to impress people the most. Want that again.0
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At least you know how to do it right. Perhaps you might consider finding some activity that you enjoy. Some people dont enjoy exercise just for the sake of exercising, but you may enjoy tennis, golf, swimming, racketball etc....anything. Good luck, you can do it....you already have.0
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Lost 55 pounds and gained 20 back in the last year, here.
I have no idea why you weren't able to keep the weight off, but I'm starting to get a handle on why I couldn't. I never really dealt with the emotional reasons I eat, the underlying reason to why I got fat in the first place. I can keep the issues at bay for a while, but they come back. There are times when there's a little voice pleading inside of me to get fat again. Because it was easier, because it was safer, because food is comforting, and because I had that happy protective cushion of food and fat between me and the world.
Those are my own insecurities talking and I have to deal with them this time around if I want to be successful for life. I have to find real ways of dealing with my stressors. Your problems probably aren't the same as mine and maybe I'm projecting. Maybe I'm flat wrong, but I think it's worth taking a look to see if there's something psychological happening at the back of your mind as well.0 -
Its been a couple of years so some details are hard to remember.
Basically, I've been fat from my late teens throughout my adult years but a few years ago I was able to turn that around. I lost 120 pounds total putting me within 40 to 50 pounds of my goal. Then I quit and it all came back.
My diet was entirely about calorie counting. I ate fast food still but in moderation with a few healthier choices substituted in (Chik fil A was a godsend, I ate there a lot) then I drank diet soda (need the caffeine). Tried to exercise but it never took. My weight loss was entirely about the dieting.
I was probably going through some stress at the time. I know I had some bad episodes but I can't remember if that lines up with the dieting. I think I quit dieting before the episodes got bad and that quitting may have played a role. But I've settled back down and still find it hard to resume my diet. Its like there was a switch in my head that turned on for a year to let me diet then turned off again and I can't turn it back on.
How can I have a good habit for a year and then fail and never get it back? I'm lost.
You think of it as a diet....something you do for a short time and then you are done. That's why...
It's not for a short time it's for life. You lose the weight by eating at a reasonable deficet...you stay at your goal weight by eating at maintenance...
If you aren't counting calories how do you know what you are eating????? apparently you were eating over maintenance...
This is not a one shot or two shot deal this is a lifestyle choice....you are either going to keep track in some way or you aren't...and if you aren't then you need to really stop and think about how much you are eating and be able to eat "intuitively" (which I wonder about) or be active enough that you burn the excess off...0 -
You did it right the first time so it can work the second time, atleast you know how to do it sensibly. Other thing, figure out why you gained it back and work on that...0
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Its been a couple of years so some details are hard to remember.
Basically, I've been fat from my late teens throughout my adult years but a few years ago I was able to turn that around. I lost 120 pounds total putting me within 40 to 50 pounds of my goal. Then I quit and it all came back.
My diet was entirely about calorie counting. I ate fast food still but in moderation with a few healthier choices substituted in (Chik fil A was a godsend, I ate there a lot) then I drank diet soda (need the caffeine). Tried to exercise but it never took. My weight loss was entirely about the dieting.
I was probably going through some stress at the time. I know I had some bad episodes but I can't remember if that lines up with the dieting. I think I quit dieting before the episodes got bad and that quitting may have played a role. But I've settled back down and still find it hard to resume my diet. Its like there was a switch in my head that turned on for a year to let me diet then turned off again and I can't turn it back on.
How can I have a good habit for a year and then fail and never get it back? I'm lost.
You think of it as a diet....something you do for a short time and then you are done. That's why...
It's not for a short time it's for life. You lose the weight by eating at a reasonable deficet...you stay at your goal weight by eating at maintenance...
If you aren't counting calories how do you know what you are eating????? apparently you were eating over maintenance...
This is not a one shot or two shot deal this is a lifestyle choice....you are either going to keep track in some way or you aren't...and if you aren't then you need to really stop and think about how much you are eating and be able to eat "intuitively" (which I wonder about) or be active enough that you burn the excess off...
Maybe I didn't articulate clearly.
I actually did calorie count when I was dieting and it worked. I know mechanically why gained back the weight. I knew when I started eating bad again that I shouldn't be eating that way but I'd lost whatever it was in my head enabled me to keep going for over a year in the first place. When I was dieting, I was eating basically the right way (as right as I could make myself, I made sure to get some fruits veggies and grains in there within reason). Then I stopped.
But something you said does remind me of a strategy to try. I'm going to try to eat the maintenance limit for the weight I want to be. My weight loss will slow down towards the end, sure, but I'll already have a year or two under my belt by that point of eating the way I should continue eating. I did view it as a lifestyle change.0 -
Lost 55 pounds and gained 20 back in the last year, here.
I have no idea why you weren't able to keep the weight off, but I'm starting to get a handle on why I couldn't. I never really dealt with the emotional reasons I eat, the underlying reason to why I got fat in the first place. I can keep the issues at bay for a while, but they come back. There are times when there's a little voice pleading inside of me to get fat again. Because it was easier, because it was safer, because food is comforting, and because I had that happy protective cushion of food and fat between me and the world.
Those are my own insecurities talking and I have to deal with them this time around if I want to be successful for life. I have to find real ways of dealing with my stressors. Your problems probably aren't the same as mine and maybe I'm projecting. Maybe I'm flat wrong, but I think it's worth taking a look to see if there's something psychological happening at the back of your mind as well.
Actually, you're probably spot on. A lot of that sounds similar to my issues.0 -
It was the thing I've done that seemed to impress people the most. Want that again.
There's your problem, right there. If you are doing this to impress people, of COURSE you are going to fail. This won't work in the long run, unless you are doing it for yourself, and no one else.
Stop thinking of it as a "diet". You are changing your life for the better, and with it comes a change in your eating habits. As long as you think of it as a temporary thing, you will risk "giving up" as you say, and gaining all your weight and bad habits back.0 -
I understand. This is my third attempt. I lost 30 lbs almost 6 years ago, then gained it all back and then some. Then 2 years ago, I lost 20. (Thanking heaven I didn't gain that back.)
I have never finished the journey. I start out strong, but I don't seem able to stick with it for more than 6 months. The first time I plateau'd and gave up. The second time... I have no idea. I just stopped for no apparent reason.
I think for me, any kind of change in my routine throws me for a loop. So I need to be better able to roll with the punches, be flexible about my workout time, find different things to eat that fit within my calories and not let the outside world ruin it for me. Cause the outside world isn't going away. I have to learn to fit it in.0 -
Ok.... so I was right where you are. I lost about 22 or so lbs a few years ago sticking to a strict 1300 calorie diet.... eating all the same crap in moderation, etc... finally I stopped losing and sat at a plateau for months. I gave up.... gained it all back. I think the trick here... is the "eating all the same crap" part. the "diet". This time... I have totally changed the way I view food and though my weightloss is VERY slow... I am seeing results (eating 1500cals/day). I cut out fast food nearly 99%... my hubby and I eat out 1x/week only... and I work off those calories to make sure it doesn't sabotage my week. I got rid of the crap... threw it all out of the house. I allow myself carbs 1x/day... and really stepped up on getting more veggies and protein. I do weight lifting as my main workout 3x/week. I look at food as fuel... and what am I getting out of this meal? If the answer is "nothing much" I don't eat it. Period. Your body needs protein, healthy fats, omegas, vitamins, etc. You don't get that from Doritos or McD's french fries. See food differently.... use food for fuel... allow yourself a healthy treat (instead of ice cream I buy frozen yogurt), my "milkshake" is a protein shake, etc. Stop dieting... change your lifestyle... then eventually you won't be able to "stop" doing it.... because it'll be normal life for you.
Good luck!0 -
Your body needs protein, healthy fats, omegas, vitamins, etc. You don't get that from Doritos or McD's french fries. See food differently.... use food for fuel... allow yourself a healthy treat (instead of ice cream I buy frozen yogurt), my "milkshake" is a protein shake, etc. Stop dieting... change your lifestyle... then eventually you won't be able to "stop" doing it.... because it'll be normal life for you.
Good luck!
I figure I might could do that over time. Problem is I'm terribly lazy. Any time I tried to adopt a diet plan, it failed in part for that reason. Unhealthy food was both tempting AND easier. When my diet did work, it was because I adapted the plan to work around my natural tendencies. Minimum willpower for maximum effect. Work smarter not harder.
I kept no food in the house because I'm a homebody and had already noticed that I would put off going out to get food simply to stay in, so I used that to my advantage (for that same reason, I'm going to favor home exercise equipment over gym membership, it takes so much extra effort to psych myself up to work out in public). And I ate at Chick Fil A every day. I didn't have to think about what I was eating after an initial period because I knew the calorie totals of the foods there and it was also a lot easier than going to the store, getting food, preparing it and cleaning up afterwards (and cooking for an entire week at once doesn't work for me because I devour the extra food too quickly.)
If anyone has a solution to that (other than simply "don't be lazy" because that ends up being a losing battle for me) then great.0 -
You did it totally the right way... You just have to do it again. What makes it unthinkable to do exactly what you did to lose the first time again? I don't see anything wrong with Chik-fil-a every day if it works for you and fits in your calories.
All I can suggest is try again... and try to understand you went back to your old habits so it doesn't happen again. And do it for yourself, not for anyone else.0 -
Your body needs protein, healthy fats, omegas, vitamins, etc. You don't get that from Doritos or McD's french fries. See food differently.... use food for fuel... allow yourself a healthy treat (instead of ice cream I buy frozen yogurt), my "milkshake" is a protein shake, etc. Stop dieting... change your lifestyle... then eventually you won't be able to "stop" doing it.... because it'll be normal life for you.
Good luck!
I figure I might could do that over time. Problem is I'm terribly lazy. Any time I tried to adopt a diet plan, it failed in part for that reason. Unhealthy food was both tempting AND easier. When my diet did work, it was because I adapted the plan to work around my natural tendencies. Minimum willpower for maximum effect. Work smarter not harder.
I kept no food in the house because I'm a homebody and had already noticed that I would put off going out to get food simply to stay in, so I used that to my advantage (for that same reason, I'm going to favor home exercise equipment over gym membership, it takes so much extra effort to psych myself up to work out in public). And I ate at Chick Fil A every day. I didn't have to think about what I was eating after an initial period because I knew the calorie totals of the foods there and it was also a lot easier than going to the store, getting food, preparing it and cleaning up afterwards (and cooking for an entire week at once doesn't work for me because I devour the extra food too quickly.)
If anyone has a solution to that (other than simply "don't be lazy" because that ends up being a losing battle for me) then great.
I get that... totally. Maybe look at it from a financial standpoint then... if you buy the food (say, the same food you get from chick fil a) it's a lot cheaper than eating out... and 9/10 times healthier as well. My all time favorite fast food is chicken tenders. I FRIGGIN LOVE EM! With LOTS of ketchup! So, I have been getting the Perdue Simply Smart Breaded Tenders... only 175cal/2 tenders. You can nuke them in the microwave for a few minutes and they are yummy. And, they are so good I don't even need to slather them with ketchup so I save another 100 calories! If you don't want to plan our your meal.... then buy something ready made in a large enough container it could be your lunch all week. For instance, last week I took a bag of the tenders, my magic bullet, and a bag of frozen fruit to leave in the fridge at work. Each day, I would take 8oz of milk to work with me (in my bullet cup) and a 6oz container of greek yogurt. I had 2 tenders and a smoothie everyday for lunch last week. No planning required.0 -
Another no planning required lunch I like is buying salad kits that come with the dressing, etc... (they're a little expensive so I try to get them on sale) and a box of already cooked chicken and leaving it at work. So, I can grab a bag of salad and a bowl.... add some chicken and voila! a salad (as opposed to a $8.00-$12.00 salad at a restaurant, this usually costs me about $4.00/day)0
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Its been a couple of years so some details are hard to remember.
Basically, I've been fat from my late teens throughout my adult years but a few years ago I was able to turn that around. I lost 120 pounds total putting me within 40 to 50 pounds of my goal. Then I quit and it all came back.
My diet was entirely about calorie counting. I ate fast food still but in moderation with a few healthier choices substituted in (Chik fil A was a godsend, I ate there a lot) then I drank diet soda (need the caffeine). Tried to exercise but it never took. My weight loss was entirely about the dieting.
I was probably going through some stress at the time. I know I had some bad episodes but I can't remember if that lines up with the dieting. I think I quit dieting before the episodes got bad and that quitting may have played a role. But I've settled back down and still find it hard to resume my diet. Its like there was a switch in my head that turned on for a year to let me diet then turned off again and I can't turn it back on.
How can I have a good habit for a year and then fail and never get it back? I'm lost.
You think of it as a diet....something you do for a short time and then you are done. That's why...
It's not for a short time it's for life. You lose the weight by eating at a reasonable deficet...you stay at your goal weight by eating at maintenance...
If you aren't counting calories how do you know what you are eating????? apparently you were eating over maintenance...
This is not a one shot or two shot deal this is a lifestyle choice....you are either going to keep track in some way or you aren't...and if you aren't then you need to really stop and think about how much you are eating and be able to eat "intuitively" (which I wonder about) or be active enough that you burn the excess off...
Maybe I didn't articulate clearly.
I actually did calorie count when I was dieting and it worked. I know mechanically why gained back the weight. I knew when I started eating bad again that I shouldn't be eating that way but I'd lost whatever it was in my head enabled me to keep going for over a year in the first place. When I was dieting, I was eating basically the right way (as right as I could make myself, I made sure to get some fruits veggies and grains in there within reason). Then I stopped.
But something you said does remind me of a strategy to try. I'm going to try to eat the maintenance limit for the weight I want to be. My weight loss will slow down towards the end, sure, but I'll already have a year or two under my belt by that point of eating the way I should continue eating. I did view it as a lifestyle change.
Stop calling it dieting, it's forever not temporary. It's never done.0 -
If you don't view this as a lifestyle change, something you need to do for a long period then your going to fall off the wagon.. as another person mentioned you view this as a diet, something you do then you go back to how you were.. Well if the old you was eating a bucket of fried chicken 3 times a week and the other days pizza and whatever.. guess what, your just wasting your time..
You know where you fail, its adding things you love into your lifestyle, as you seen you can still have all the foods.. just not everyday/meal..
Look in the mirror, if you see someone you no longer want to be, and you are ready to actually make the change that this is more about your health and life then get your mind right and start.
If your just going to pig out for a year after you lose weight, well don't donate any of your large outfits.0 -
try exercising this time0
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Bump to read responses later. Im rooting for u OP!!0
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