Starting over : motivation need (please read)

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If you were to ask me 4 years ago to tell you a story about motivation I would have been happy to share it but these days my story is less about motivation and more about the struggles and difficulties about starting over.
My first journey on MFP was an amazing one. My son had just turned two and I had hit a turning point in my life where I was tired of being overweight. Being heavy was never something new for me, I had a lot of trauma in my young life with abuse and emotional abandonment and food, starting very early on, became my friend. I use to hide in my room when I was 11 and eat whole packages of cream cheese and boxes of powdered hot chocolate mix because I was searching for that comfort that I never had. Being fat became my wall, no one could hurt me because I was hurting myself. The worst part is 15 years later I still had that mentality.
March 2011 I made a change. I went to my first Zumba class and even though I felt as if I was going to die it was a pain that I learned to love. I taught myself to respect food
and treat it not as a comfort but as a necessity. I was consuming 1500 calories a day and exercising four days a week. I remember stepping on the scale and after three weeks I was down 13lbs. I was hooked, I was never going back. If you were to tell me back then that the hardest part wasn't losing the weight but keeping it off , I would have slapped you. In a span of 7 months I had dropped 65-70lbs (I estimate because I did not step on a scale for the first two months out of sheer fear). I remember going shopping and buying a sweater that was four sizes smaller than I use to wear and that motivated me to share my story on MFP with progress pics. The love and support was overwhelming and I thought "I'm never going back".
A few months after that post I found out that I was pregnant again and of course the fear of weight gain kicked in but I thought to myself "I have the tools and the knowledge this time so I'll be fine" jump to my two month checkup. My doctor asked me what I was eating, and I told her. At this point my diet/exercise had not changed. She told me that my baby was not receiving nutrition because I was technically starving myself, and that I was at risk for a miscarriage. Scared, I made small changes to my diet and four weeks later not much had changed, I got a serious talk from my doctor that if I didn't start consuming more calories that my child's health would be in serious risk. To be blunt, that scared the *kitten* out of me. I threw everything I knew out the window and stopped dieting and working out (looking back now I see how dumb that was). Six months later I gave birth to the most beautiful healthy baby girl so I can't say I regret anything but now I'm paying the consequences. I tried getting back to where I was but I was just to tired all the time, so I pretty much gave up.
Here I am today, and my daughter is 2 1/2. Three weeks ago I stepped on a scale and I was ten pounds less than my starting weight the first time. That was a serious kick in the face. How did I let myself get back there? So I deleted all of the progress on MFP and started over, fresh. I'm back to the 1500cal diet and I've been working out at home 4-6 days a week. I downloaded all my old Zumba songs and dance like a fool in my living room and I just started the Jillian shred. I've lost 9lbs in three weeks and I wish I could feel good about that but I find myself crying every night in bed because I'm here again, I'm at the place I swore I would never be again.
I wish I could tell you I'm a lion, a champion, a determined mother f'er, but to be honest I'm mostly sad.
Even though I will never look back I can't help but to dread the road ahead of me. If you're starting over too I could really use some love and encouragement to know I'm not alone, and that I shouldn't be ashamed to fall off and start again.

Replies

  • julierictor
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    Maybe we can help each other
  • SunflowerCat74
    SunflowerCat74 Posts: 258 Member
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    I had a hard time losing after all my pregnancies, then did it...felt awesome and looked great. Fast forward to injuring both knees, then getting cancer and bam! I was back to my post partum weight in under a year. :'(

    You've done it once - can do this again! I know it's depressing, but you're back here, so that's a start. You can add me if you like.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Dr. Sharma's explanation of the challenge of weight loss was a huge comfort for me. I'd be interested in your opinion. Be happy with your new loss. I'm in my fifties starting over so don't worry, you can do this again.

    http://www.drsharma.ca/running-down-the-up-escalator.html
  • thektturner
    thektturner Posts: 228 Member
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    You are definitely not alone! About 4 years ago, I decided I had been fat for long enough (since I was 13 or so) and worked really hard to lose about 50 pounds over the course of a year, the healthy way. I looked great and then I started a new job with different hours where I just sat all day. Two months later, separated from my husband and started drinking. Today I am 20 pounds HEAVIER than I was when I started last time. I'm at my highest recorded weight and can't seem to stay motivated to do anything about it.
    I'm getting (re)married in a little over 4 months. No matter what I did, I could not get back to a size 10, like I was in when I finished last time (currently in a 16-18) but I would like to at least try to get back on track so that I can be strong enough to hike and sight-see on our honeymoon.
    I hope we both make it back to where we were and even further.
  • Sandy1930
    Sandy1930 Posts: 12 Member
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    I did the same thing. I used MFP and lost 40 lbs in 1 summer and got down to the lowest I had been as an adult. I was so healthy and was doing really well at keeping it off...then my 6 year relationship took a really bad turn and I was miserable. At first I used exercise as an outlet, but then I turned to drinking and eating out with my friends all the time. He was never physically abusive, but VERY emotionally and mentally and I just couldn't get myself out of the funk or out of the situation. After I finally left I was so much happier and I ended up getting married to my best friend of 18 years in November, however by this time I had gain all and more of the weight back. At the end of December I couldn't stand looking at myself in the mirror anymore, I was 20 lbs heavier then I was the first time I did MFP, but I know that it worked and I know that I can do it, so now my wonderful husband is working out with me and eating healthier and we are doing it together!
  • mrron2u
    mrron2u Posts: 919 Member
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    A lot of your story really resonates with me. I got laid off back in November and that really derailed me. I was doing quite well up to that point, but quickly slipped back into old habits of binging and making poor food choices. I had lost 60+ pounds before the layoff and had made the conscious decision to “Never Look Back”. I even got a tattoo to commemorate my accomplishment. Well here I sit having gained back 30 pounds. Yesterday I came clean with family and friends that I had restarted and I’m hoping to regain my steam. But I really struggle with the part about maintaining once I get to my goal weight. I’m here working on this again and hope you can get back to where you were. Maybe this time the loss will be permanent for all of us!
  • rexkt
    rexkt Posts: 41 Member
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    Thank you all!
  • ponderosakaren
    ponderosakaren Posts: 60 Member
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    I can see that I am not alone in having started-suceeded-stopped...and then undid all the great work!! But I sense I might be the oldest? Notwithstanding that I'd love to hear how your journey goes, and that of the other people in this post. How do we do that?!
  • 36patti
    36patti Posts: 6 Member
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    I am in this with you. As I have gained weight back after having so much success two years ago. It is hard to look at myself now. Keep going forward, making the right choices and use your momentum the work will show.
  • beachbum4044
    beachbum4044 Posts: 57 Member
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    I just started my journey in January. I have tried to adjust my food intake only and have slowly worked in some exercise. I was able to get to my pre-baby weight but then let life get in my way. The down side is it took me 11 years to get there. I finally committed, was using weight watchers and going to the gym 5-6 days a week to get there. I felt good, but then my kids both start spring ball, my daughter played on 5 softball teams that spring/summer. They went straight from ball to volleyball and football. It became a cycle, just no time for myself with constant games/practices/household chores and a full-time job. I recently remarried after being alone with my children for 12 years. I am facing turning 40, having a hysterectomy in the next 5 weeks. I choose to start by working on portion control, better choices, eliminating soda, getting my water in each day. I am eating 5-6 small meals each day. I have lost weight and I have taken measurements as another method to know what I am doing is working. I know that if the weight doesn't come off quickly or I plateau which we all will do. I will the measurements and the way my clothes fit to show me that the effort is worth it. I went to get my exercise up in the next week to a more consistent schedule, this will get me to my goal quicker and it will allow me to recover from surgery as well.

    Losing and then gaining is a huge disappointment for all of us. It is something that I hope to beat. I am not calling this a diet. This is a lifestyle change. Most individuals that I have talked to on this site understand, they are very encouraging and they have offered great suggestions. Good luck on your journey, let go of the shame, make it a clean slate. You can do this. Any one on here feel free to send me a friend request.
  • qiana56
    qiana56 Posts: 1 Member
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    I understand how you feel. I've been in this position before. This is not the first time I've lost a significant amount of weight (40 pounds this time), only to never reach my goal before gaining most of it back (I've gained back 30 pounds). What I do know is that the only way we can fail is if we stop trying. This discussion has motivated me to climb back on the horse and keep trying. Don't give up!
  • dagnus
    dagnus Posts: 7 Member
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    I sent this in a private message/friend request to you, but decided to share it for others as well... I have a total of 32 lbs to lose and this time KEEP OFF!

    I read your post about starting over, and I'm in a very similar situation. I'm 32 years old and 5' tall. All my life I've been tiny, around a size 2, up until 5 years ago when I started a desk job. In my first year there I gained 20+ lbs and went from a 2 to a 10. (When you're only 5' tall, 20 lbs is a lot!) I joined a gym, hired a personal trainer and tried for almost 2 years to get the weight off, making a little progress but not much. Let's be honest, I was NOT consistent with my food. I gave up for about 6 months and then about 2 years ago made a big change in eating habits, while keeping up with pilates once a week... I lost 26 lbs over the course of 7 months and got to my goal! I felt amazing, had energy, and was finally feeling comfortable with myself again. I got rid of all my "fat" clothes. I NEVER imagined that I would gain it all back plus more. I really didn't keep the weight off for long at all... only a few months. My pilates class was cancelled. I let my gym membership lapse. I started slowly letting all my bad habits slip back in, and over the course of 1 year gained 28 lbs. I'm now the heaviest I've ever been, in fact I weighed a week ago for my annual "health screening" through the company I work for and was only 4 lbs less than when I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter who is almost 9. I barely have any pants that fit... and refuse to buy more. I can still squeeze into a couple pairs of jeans, barely, and have some yoga pants/sweats, but that just doesn't cut it for work. I've just started using MFP about 3 weeks ago, and have gotten really consistent with it over the past couple weeks. I found that the first week I was surprised how hard it was to try to get down to my goal calories. The second week was a bit easier and lower totals. This week I've been very motivated and staying accountable and really feel like I'm ready to stop making excuses and get back to goal! I have a couple friends/coworkers who I've told about the app, but they don't use it consistently like I do, so I'd like to have some more friends who are regular users to help keep me accountable. Thanks for sharing your story! I haven't been brave enough to post publicly, but I'm glad you did. Your story helps me feel like I'm not alone.

  • anggoc
    anggoc Posts: 25 Member
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    It's almost been a year since my journey began for the 5th time in my life. I was almost not even going to try again. I knew if I did try I had to truly change inside first. I was depressed, an alcoholic, binge eater and completely at rock bottom. I was at my highest weight ever and knew I needed to change. I'm only 18 days away from one year sober and binge free!! It all starts with your mindset. You have to believe you can do it and find new ways to deal with your emotions. Try to change your negative thinking into positive thinking .