I gained back 30 pounds. :(

So I lost 56 pounds.. . It took me 10 months... I kept it off for a year... Now I have gained back 30 pounds, quickly... like in the last 3 months, while still going to curves... I don't think its fair that I have to eat next to nothing, workout 5 days a week, and walk 5 miles a day and golf 3 days a week, and work 50+ hours a week in order to stay skinny. I am so frustrated. I don't know what else to do... so here I go with round two...I dunno If I have the steam to do it again. Or the willpower...

Replies

  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    Hi - i too gained back half the weight i lost last year.

    :( boo

    anyway, you can lose weight by lowering your calories so maybe lay off some of the exercise for now till you find its fun again.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    .I dunno If I have the steam to do it again. Or the willpower...

    I think there's a balance between losing and gaining. I sympathize with you. But maybe instead of losing right now, just focus on maintaining. Just for now. Get used to tracking again. Don't overdo the exercise. Make better choices maybe than you were making yesterday while you were gaining, but TRACK THEM.

    This is just a suggestion, since to maintain, surely you would have to work less to achieve that goal, right? I hear your frustrated, but I hate to think that you don't believe that you can be happy AND healthy.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Then try something other than just cardio to increase metabolism. Lift some heavy weights to activate muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Then try something other than just cardio to increase metabolism. Lift some heavy weights to activate muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    this...and keep counting calories, this site isn't just for weight loss it's for calorie counting for whatever reason you are counting...loss, maintenance or bulking.
  • Indiri13
    Indiri13 Posts: 104 Member
    Last year I stopped counting and I gained 25 pounds of the 85 I'd lost. I've since lost 20 of them and I really think that this time I'm just going to keep logging through maintenance. It doesn't take me very long to log and it does make me look at what I'm doing every single day.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Why do you think you gained it back?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Now I have gained back 30 pounds, quickly... like in the last 3 months, while still going to curves...

    Why?
  • HappilySingle
    HappilySingle Posts: 149 Member
    Omg. I could have written this post! Soooo frustrating. Nothing at all haschanged, but i keep gaining. I had my thyroid checked and its fine. Not sure what to do!
  • COliver416
    COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
    So I lost 56 pounds.. . It took me 10 months... I kept it off for a year... Now I have gained back 30 pounds, quickly... like in the last 3 months, while still going to curves... I don't think its fair that I have to eat next to nothing, workout 5 days a week, and walk 5 miles a day and golf 3 days a week, and work 50+ hours a week in order to stay skinny. I am so frustrated. I don't know what else to do... so here I go with round two...I dunno If I have the steam to do it again. Or the willpower...


    You need more lean body mass. On average, you shouldn't have to workout more than 4 to 10 hours a week to stay fit.

    Second, whatever your maintenance calories are, deduct 20% from them, that's your maintenance calories. Metabolisms are slower after you've been overweight, and you lose roughly 20% of your metabolic ability. Lean body mass will increase that number, but, it's safe to say that you'll always eat a bit less than most your size.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Omg. I could have written this post! Soooo frustrating. Nothing at all haschanged, but i keep gaining. I had my thyroid checked and its fine. Not sure what to do!

    weight gain is about taking in more calories than you burn. It's that easy.

    You are eating over maintenance and gaining.

    start weighing and logging food again...
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
    I'm in the same boat as you! I started MFP in Feb 2010 and had lost 52 lbs by Feb 2011 and kept it off for 2 more years. Then the old unhealthy habits crept back in and I gained almost 10 lbs between January & June last year despite still working out a lot. My problem is junk food and sugar.

    Then in June I got a bad soft-tissue injury in my left hip during a bootcamp and went from working out 5 or 6 days a week plus being fairly active outside the gym to not being able to exercise AT ALL for 6 months. I couldn't even walk my dogs and some days could barely walk from my car to the office. Instead of cutting back on calories I allowed myself to continue to pig out on junk and I gained another 15 lbs by the end of 2013! At least I know how it happened!

    I never gave up logging food even when it was really bad (most days) and after months of physio just recently began to work out very lightly. Tomorrow I am meeting with a registered dietician to find out how many calories I really should be eating (compared to listening to a thousand different opinions on MFP) and in 10 days I start sessions with a personal trainer who specializes in injury rehab.

    My advice to you is to never give up, you haven't failed, it's just a temporary relapse and you can get back on track! If I can do it, anyone can!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's really tough. You don't really realize it's a lifetime thing until you lose the weight then realize that you still have to be really careful about not eating too much once you are at maintenance (and I'm not even there yet!).
  • catfive1
    catfive1 Posts: 529 Member
    I could have written this as well. Lost 60 quickly and kept it off for about 8 months. Then gained back 30. I gained because I cut back on exercise and ate more. My fault. This time around I am counting calories, lifting weights and staying more active. It is taking longer but it is worth it.
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    I've gained back 15 of 66. I sympathize. :(
  • qstneverything
    qstneverything Posts: 125 Member
    When I was sixteen-seventeen I lost twenty kilos (About 44ish pounds) and managed to maintain for about two years before I began slowly putting it back on, then towards the end it started stacking on. Just before I joined MFP I was at my heaviest, I gained more than I lost (to be fair I'm now 21, so I'm going to weigh more than I did as a teenager)

    The way I look at it when trying to keep motivated, is that do I really want to be that chubby person again? I got to a healthy weight and it felt great, I can either work hard to become that person again, or I can keep doing what I'm doing and make that a thing of the past, just a small phase where I looked great, like it wasn't meant to be.

    No, I'm going to look great again. Just watch me.
  • IsaacHudson
    IsaacHudson Posts: 33 Member
    I agree with going back to maintaining. Find what gets you stable and then when you are ready lose some weight.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I've maintained for almost 3 years so far. How do I do it? I've kept logging calories consistently. And I'm going to keep logging them. it's really not that hard (it only takes a couple of minutes, make it a habit like brushing your teeth every day) and it's so worth it to be able to STAY in shape. Good luck on round two. You can do it! :flowerforyou:

    ETA: I just thought that I should add another perspective. Not everybody wants to log all the time for the rest of eternity. My husband keeps it under control by watching how his clothes fit and checking the scale now and then. When things start getting a little tight, he jumps back on MFP for a bit. No need to gain back half the weight you lost. Just pay attention to how your clothes fit. When you start to see yourself gaining a little (don't wait until you've gained 20 or 30 pounds) start logging again.
  • sfinsterys
    sfinsterys Posts: 14 Member
    I lost almost 40 pounds back in 2003, and did pretty well maintaining for a long time, but eventually I gained 30 of them back. I joined Curves in October. I did not start getting results until I started doing the Jillian Michaels class once a week. It's killer, but ever since I have been going to them the weight has been steadily dropping off. I'm down 5lb in the last month. Give her a try.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Were you doing low calories?
  • Rockstar_JILL
    Rockstar_JILL Posts: 514 Member
    I have seemed to gain back 15 pounds...I am trying HARD to get back on track...it is very hard.....I just can't seem to focus.....I will succeed though! I am SOOO pumped to lose it!!
  • vivaldirules
    vivaldirules Posts: 169 Member
    So I lost 56 pounds.. . It took me 10 months... I kept it off for a year... Now I have gained back 30 pounds, quickly... like in the last 3 months, while still going to curves... I don't think its fair that I have to eat next to nothing, workout 5 days a week, and walk 5 miles a day and golf 3 days a week, and work 50+ hours a week in order to stay skinny. I am so frustrated. I don't know what else to do... so here I go with round two...I dunno If I have the steam to do it again. Or the willpower...

    You don't think it's fair? I understand your frustration and most like you (including me) would, too. I lost 65 pounds and then regained 30. It's very common even while continuing to exercise and watch what we eat. But I saw eventually that I just wasn't being as careful about as I should have. A few extra calories here, a few missed workouts there and I was going backwards. It wasn't that big of a deal for me to be more careful and I've lost the 30 again plus some. Yes, it's unfortunate we have to keep working at it. But if your attitude is that it isn't fair, then I would worry that you're going to be rebounding like a yo-yo for the rest of your life. Do you see what I mean?

    Good luck to you!
  • bl1nk6
    bl1nk6 Posts: 175
    I lost 2 and a half stone in a couple of months and gained half of it back over the past 3months ..got an injury, back to square 1, but im back on my diet in a couple of days and getting back on track .... i have a long way to go :P
  • TallGlassOfQuirky
    TallGlassOfQuirky Posts: 282 Member
    I lost 140, gained back somewhere between 15-25 depending on the week (my body is a freak of nature).

    It's MUCH harder to lose it this time (I only want to lose about 15). I can't be as active due to health issues, groceries (especially produce and meat) are more expensive here than where I used to live, and I can come up with about a thousand other excuses, all of which are valid.

    Bottom line, though?

    If we want results, we have to put in the work.

    We lost it once. We can do it again.

    Figure out what your goals are - a number on the scale is one aspect, but what else? Do you have health issues, like diabetes, that you want to improve with weight loss? Do you want to be a runner? Do you want to be stronger? Do you want to get rid of your muffin top or feel comfortable (note: I didn't say look skinny) in a bathing suit?
    Once you've figured out those goals, then think of how you should adjust your lifestyle (nutrition and fitness) to get closer to those goals.
  • cutmesumslack
    cutmesumslack Posts: 12 Member
    I too gained 30lbs in 3 months. Very frustrating. It can come on so fast. Please STOP now before you gain it all and more. You probably celebrated once you lost such a great amount. Time to get back on the wagon then once you get to a healthy you work at finding a lifestyle you can maintain. A drink twice a week. A dessert once. It may be less often and its not fair compared to others that can indulge in a variety of foods. My favorite thing my hubby says is "stay in your own lane" just take care of you can don't compare yourself to others. I put my treadmill in my living-room and walk slow often during my favorite shows in the evening. It feels less like a chore and my family leaves me alone and I get to watch my garbage TV.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    Not sure if anyone is still reading this, but, the key to staying on this time is my determination in my mind. I still had the floundering feeling like where do i begin, i dont think i have the stamina, i dont really want to give up the things i was enjoying eating. eating was so enjoyable. but i decided i was going to try again, so i just started one day. thats was Feb 11, 2014. now 6 weeks later i lost 15 pounds. and it took only 3 days to get my mind set back.

    if you get that focus/determination/mindset back, thats the huge key that will keep you, I beleive. its the mind over matter. yeah the food is really good that made me fat, but i have my focus back and that is what is keeping me on track.

    if we go back to our old ways and start allowing ourselves the things that got us here, then we will gain back the weight. well i was gaining back about 20 pounds i lost last year. i was starting to creep back to that original weight.. didn't want that to happen..

    my freind started very low carbo and he was losing a ton of weight, he was on a doctors program, but what he said was low carbo seemed to be a huge help. well im not going that drastic so i keep my carbs about 80-100. not sure if thats low carb or what, but im going to eat a few things that will keep me going enjoyable now. anyhoo, the hard part is i wish i was below a particular amount of weight, but it will take time.

    i think just begin again, dont look at the past, but start again, because the past is gone. we have tomorrow to make a change. it took a couple weeks for me to get over some addictions to food, and sometimes i had to just say no and choose not to eat all the food around me.. like the valentines day treats, and other free food around the office. i try to eat when im hungry and not to give in to my old triggers.