Struggling with Yo-Yo Dieting

SarahRDanaher
SarahRDanaher Posts: 9 Member
in Motivation and Support
I was never one who believed in weight loss in general. I thought that we were all designed to carry a specific height and weight and that was it. In my case this was 5'4" and about 153 lbs.

However in August 2010, during my freshman year of university I lost approximately 20+ lbs in a very short period of time due to nerves, malnutrition, and athletics.

Nevertheless, after the first semester I became VERY comfortable with myself and my surroundings that I steadily gained about 30+ lbs over the next 2 years.

Frustrated by this weight gain I took a HUGE step in bettering myself physically and mentally in September 2012. I moved to France. Over the course of 6 months I gained fluency in the French language and lost approxiamtely 20 lbs leaving me at 143 lbs. I was so thrilled by this weight loss I achieved by walking A LOT, drinking tons of water, and eating smaller portions of food.

Nontheless, after returning to the United States I slipped right back into my old habits, thinking the weight loss would never come back. Before I knew it I was right back up to 165 lbs by April 2014.

That brings me today! I made another MAJOR change in my life by moving to North Carolina in August 2014. I am currently enrolled in Graduate school and working 2 jobs. I feel as if I do not have the time to work out like I desire to and over the past month I feel as if I have gained 10+ lbs by over eating, lacking sleep, and never making time to work out.

I need to make a change. This time will be different...I think! I have made small adjustments like swapping my 1-2 cups per day of Starbucks coffee for Numi Organic Tea, working out in the morning (even though it takes everything I have to get out of bed), and eating more fruits and veggies rather than my go to easy to bake pasta recipes.

Tonight after work and class I plan on buying a scale and taking before/after photos for MFP. It is time for a change!


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Replies

  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    You aren't the first person to yo-yo around and you won't be the last. I suspect the vast majority of people looking to lose some weight here have been up and down a bit. As with most people, the problem comes from complacency once you've lost the weight, and ultimately keeping it off comes down to staying on top of things. For some people, that means continuing to track their calories every day, and/or staying active, and/or tracking the scale closely, and so on. You just have to find some way of staying focused - and preferably find a way of losing/maintaining weight that you enjoy, as just "suffering through it" is unlikely to work in the long run.

    But in any event, welcome to MFP and NC. :smile:
  • SarahRDanaher
    SarahRDanaher Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you! That means a lot to me!

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