I fell off the wagon. Needing some serious encouragement.

Anyone with any success has fallen off the wagon a number of times. It's not how many times that you fall that matters, what matters is that you just keep going. Whenever you fall, pick yourself up, and keep on keeping on.

And be kind to yourself. Understand that this happens from time to time, and this happens to everyone. There is no need to ever feel down on yourself when you make a mistake, because being down on yourself doesn't help you when you need to get up after a fall. Be patient with yourself. This is not a race. It's a worthwhile endeavor. You are worth it.

I hate the standard "Be Patient". Frustrating as HE**. Unfortunately, it also happens to be true. So you fell off the wagon again, so what? You caught yourself, just hop back on the horse. I don't think you will be able to lose 23 pounds in 8 weeks (DA** that patience again!), but you'll get there eventually.

Get up, dust yourself off, and get right back on that wagon!

Use this as a learning experience. What is it that derails you? Is it any treat? Or a specific treat? Is it a particular day of the week or a part of the month? Are you in a particular mood? Are you always alone or with friends? If you can figure out which part derails you, you can change it. It's not knowing that keeps it going.

Hey, you're still in the green right? That's something right there. You had a "diet vacation" and now you came back. Time to get back to work!

mactaffy84 - Listen to this lady, she is bang on!

I started my journey feb 14th. I weighed myself about 4 or 5 days ago and say I lost about a good amount of weight. I weight 160 starting and when I weighed myself I was around 148... So I decided it would be safe to allow myself a treat. That kick started about 4 days of terrible eating... Completely back to my old habits... This has always been my problem... I do well and see results and allow myself a treat ''just once''. Just once turns in to just one more time and so and and so on....

Thank god this time I caught myself this time but I just looked at the scale and I gained about 4 or 5 pounds back... I am feeling very down on myself... To be honest I am kind of hating myself right now and I am so disgusted at myself I can't even look in the mirror...

I just need some encouragement right now... I would really like to weigh 130 by june... I am 153 now...

You've lots 12 pounds in the past six or so weeks. In reality though, about five of those were glycogen and the water it's usually stored in, so say about a pound a week of actual body weight. That's freaking awesome! And it's healthy. The five you just gained? You replenished your glycogen and water, that's all. If you want to weigh 130 on any average day, you'll need to go a little under to make up for the effect you've just experienced. So almost 30 pounds in eight/nine weeks is not a realistic or healthy goal. Slow and steady keeps you sane, and keeps the weight off.

I spent the better part of 18 months falling off the said "wagon" until I opened myself up to constructive advice instead of just words of encouragement. What are your stats? How tall are you? What's your exercise routine like? How much is your deficit? What are your macros? Find some of the successful and amazing people on here that you can trust and share that information with them and then listen to their advice, and it will totally change your attitude towards of few days of overindulging.

Best of luck!

Start off by ditching the "wagon". There is no wagon. Own what you eat, but don't moralize it; you did nothing "wrong".

Your choices are either bringing you closer to your goals, or further away. But every day goes in the bucket, regardless.

From painful personal experience, the worst thing I EVER did was look at weight loss as a "wagon", or a train off the "tracks", which fostered a "start tomorrow/start Monday" mentality that lead to this idea that I'd be perfectly on point tomorrow. Those tomorrows seldom came. The shame, guilt, and disillusionment that came after all those wagon falls just served to help me stay fatter longer. It's amazing what happens when you drop that mentality.

Great post. I'd also add that the "treat" for good progress is better health. That is the whole purpose of refining your nutrition and increasing your activity levels. Keep that as your reminder. Of course, on those days where you know you'll have a slice of the birthday cake, holiday pie, or whatever is your weakness, plan more intense workouts to offset the extra calories consumed. Another way to reduce the damage is to modify your indulgences (e.g., yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream; dark chocolate instead of candy bars; or granola instead of potato chips/processed snacks).

Start off by ditching the "wagon". There is no wagon. Own what you eat, but don't moralize it; you did nothing "wrong".

Your choices are either bringing you closer to your goals, or further away. But every day goes in the bucket, regardless.

From painful personal experience, the worst thing I EVER did was look at weight loss as a "wagon", or a train off the "tracks", which fostered a "start tomorrow/start Monday" mentality that lead to this idea that I'd be perfectly on point tomorrow. Those tomorrows seldom came. The shame, guilt, and disillusionment that came after all those wagon falls just served to help me stay fatter longer. It's amazing what happens when you drop that mentality.

This is excellent advice. I will tack on to that. . . if your plan is so restrictive that you "fall off," it is not a good plan. Figure out an appropriate calorie level and make sure to build in some treats, carefully measured to keep you at your calorie goal. This can't be something that you have to fight so hard to do.

It's gotten to the point where I feel guilty after putting anything in my mouth. Even ''healthy'' foods like a cup of tea... I have struggled with food since I was around 13 and have a history of binging and purging. I am starting to feel the urge again.

It sounds like you need to stop making foods "good" and "bad". You need to eat to live, you need to eat to move. Food isn't going to go away. And if you build your success on staying away from "bad" foods 100% of the time, you're going to fail - only because those "bad" foods will still be available to you every day of your life.

Try to figure out how to do this without putting things off limits. Make it about choosing better foods more often, and treats less often. I still had treats every single day of my 60 lbs weight loss. I was never derailed - there was nothing to derail. I ate whatever, I just tracked it and kept moving. For the sake of building healthy life habits I ate more fruits, veg, and lean protein than usual, but I didn't cut out anything that I loved. Make it about moving to make your body stronger, and tracking to get an accurate idea of your intake.

Congrats on your success in weight loss so far - it is success! You can continue to succeed. But if you'd like that success to stick around for some time, I think you'd benefit from not making food the enemy. That's giving food WAY too much power .

You don't want it bad enough! You can do it! Do the work, and get the results...always earn what your worth. You don't have to be strong to start, you have to start to be strong! Just remember that it doesn't get any easier, you just get better! Like Rocbola says...it's not a race, it's a worthwhile endeavor! Eventually you will just get used to it, and that's all your going to want to do because you never know how bad you feel, until you start feeling GOOD! Keep up the dedication!

This is amazing and encouraging! Thank you! We all fall off once in awhile and get back on. Never quit!!

Start off by ditching the "wagon". There is no wagon. Own what you eat, but don't moralize it; you did nothing "wrong".

Your choices are either bringing you closer to your goals, or further away. But every day goes in the bucket, regardless.

From painful personal experience, the worst thing I EVER did was look at weight loss as a "wagon", or a train off the "tracks", which fostered a "start tomorrow/start Monday" mentality that lead to this idea that I'd be perfectly on point tomorrow. Those tomorrows seldom came. The shame, guilt, and disillusionment that came after all those wagon falls just served to help me stay fatter longer. It's amazing what happens when you drop that mentality.

Well said

:flowerforyou: Almost everyone does!!!!! I sure did! Live and learn. Please take care and don't entertain the b and p cycle! Easier said than done, but its good to talk about it. Confessing you have a problem is a positive first step. Add me if you'd like.

Look at it like a bad relationship. You made a mistake. Kick that crap to the curb and move on. That's all you can do.