Has anybody taken a few steps backwards?

We all have ups and downs. Sometimes its those things we do wrong that we learn the most from. Just start today and start making a better decision. You can do this.

It sounds like lunch and dinner are where you would like to have most of your calories, so I recommend:
- Having a low cal, meaningful breakfast. If it's a hard boiled egg or a handful of almonds or a balanced breakfast bar, pair it with unsweetened coffe or tea or water. That way you feel full and you have more calories reserved for the two meals that mean the most to you.
- I am big on salads with dressing I make myself and lean protein for lunch.
- Eat something small with a giant tumbler of water on your way home from the gym. It will keep you from sabatoging your day.
- Plan dinners in advance so when you get home, you know what you're going to eat and you're not headed for the first most convenient thing!
- Don't keep things on hand that you know are triggers for over eating. (I purposefully do not keep Grippo BBQ chips in the house because I LOVE THEM and it's probably the only thing where I will say to heck with it and eat too many of them. When I do have them on hand, it's a small sized bag that I know my husband will share with me.)

Hope this helps...and I have definitely taken some steps backward in this. But if you keep trying new things and commit to the long haul, you'll be fine! Good luck to you!!

Many of us have been on this rodeo quite a few times before getting it right. You can't change the past so forget about it because today is a new day. Personally, I buy the portioned controlled frozen meals like Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine because those help me keep within my calories limits. Although they have a high content of sodium, I still do not go over my sodium for the day or week. In addition, I drink plenty of water and tea. Therefore, I do not have any problems with those foods. I also cook more for dinner and bring leftovers for lunch. Another option is if you know ahead of time the reps will bring food to the office then allocate calories to cover for it by planning for smaller breakfast and dinner. This is something you will have to play around with until you find a method that works for you. Try preplanning your food diary for a few days so you have a better idea of your calorie allocation.

I found that pre-logging helps me stay on track. Usually whatever I decide to make for dinner, goes for lunch the next day.
I have found that on Sunday's, If I cook a pound or so of chicken breast, then chop it and bag it, it lasts through the week. Add fresh veggies, rice or just toss it on a salad.

a FEW steps? mine could equal a marathon backwards... lol

i want to thank you for posting this though b/c everyone's answers are great for me too.

Good luck with your WL journey.

There will always be snags. I guess it just depends upon whether you give up completely or try to keep moving forward.

I to work in a Dr. office, and they are always having catered lunches, courtesy of the drug reps. I used to eat these free lunches all the time, but when I started cutting down back in May, I literally stopped cold turkey. I have not joined in on one single rep lunch in almost 3 months. It was hard at first to watch all my co workers eating all that yummy free food, but I just ate what I packed, and did my best to ignore them, and the lounge area where the food was kept, now I don't even think about it when they say we are having a rep lunch, it doesn't phase me at all, because I am so used to eating my own lunch now. My best advice-wherever they set the food up at DO NOT GO IN THAT AREA, out of sight, out of mind, good luck!

Losing weight is easy (I've done it many times!) It's keeping it off that's hard. So don't feel bad about that.

My suggestion for dinners during the week is to keep them really simple. Our dinners are meat, some sort of starch/carb (rice, potatoes, or couscous) and then just cut up raw veggies and/or fruit. No sauces or casseroles that take time. I just chop up the veggies and put them on the table. Half the time I just set the cutting board or colander on the table. Martha Stewart would gasp, for sure, over the lack of presentation, but it's really a timesaver. Plus I think that raw veggies/fruits are way more filling than the cooked variety. And if you eat enough that way you kind of get to the point where you think "good grief I am tired of chewing through these things so I'm just going to stop eating and give my jaws a rest," rather than just opening your mouth and sucking down soft cooked stuff.

As far as lunches go, I take pretty much the same thing every day:

1. one container full fat yogurt one cup full fat cottage cheese
2. chunk light tuna in water (high in protein, low in calories, I eat two 2.6 oz packets for lunch each day)
3. a dark chocolate/almond/sea salt Kashi bar or a dark chocolate chunk Nature Valley granola bar
4. a bunch of raw veggies/fruits (~3 servings worth)

It's quick and mindless to pack that stuff while I fumble around the kitchen in the morning, waiting for my coffee to brew.

After the gym--pick something that is always going to be your post-gym snack--a glass of chocolate milk, greek yogurt with a piece of fruit, etc. Something with protein and carbs that is super easy to grab from the fridge as soon as you get home. Don't pause to change your clothes or sort the mail or pet the dog. Get in there and grab your snack so that you don't end up totally exhausted and resorting to grabbing a tube of saltines and shoving them in your mouth because they are fast to eat. (Gee, do I speak from experience?)

I've lost count of how many times I've had to restart this. Things happen, both within your control and out of ot. The way I look at it is that you only fail at this if you give up completely and decide you're not worth it. Losing weight is trial and error (I still haven't figured out what works for me).

"I have not failed. I've just found 1000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison :bigsmile:

Yes- I have pretty much stopped all progress since July 4th. I had a few not so great days around the holiday, then a bunch of birthdays. I have also noticed I am drinking more frequently in the evening and have been going out more often. I am still tracking and pretty much eating at maintenance. I just get so down on myself when I think of where I could have been with another month of losing. The key is to not dwell on it and move on! I am making the conscious choice to track and not drink today- one day at a time! Good luck!

After the gym--pick something that is always going to be your post-gym snack--a glass of chocolate milk, greek yogurt with a piece of fruit, etc. Something with protein and carbs that is super easy to grab from the fridge as soon as you get home. Don't pause to change your clothes or sort the mail or pet the dog. Get in there and grab your snack so that you don't end up totally exhausted and resorting to grabbing a tube of saltines and shoving them in your mouth because they are fast to eat. (Gee, do I speak from experience?)

I think you have a camera set up in my home. I put my post-ride/swim snack on a plate or in a bowl and leave it in the fridge or on the counter. If I don't do this, even though I'm not hungry when I leave, and even when I'm going to eat lunch 20 minutes after I get back, EVERY TIME when I get home I start glancing around like a crazy person, looking for something to shove into my mouth. I don't know whether exercise makes me ravenous or it's just a Pavlovian reaction to exercise, and it doesn't really matter. I have finally accepted the fact that I need to do this, just like I need to lock the door when I leave. My go-tos are a couple of dried apricots and a handful of almonds, a serving of edamame, a hard-boiled egg and some salt for dipping, chocolate soy milk and yogurt that I add ice to and blend when I get back (sometimes with oat flakes left to soak in it while I'm out--makes a very thick shake), a couple of Wasa crackers and labne or hummus--you get the idea. I eat standing up, sometimes right over the sink.