Gained 20 pounds back within 5 months

Options
Hello, I feel very depressed and bad. I have gained 20 pounds of body weight back within 5 months. In May i took a break from my weightloss because i was losing interest with the routine and foods. I was on my diet for over a year now. I have also hit a very busy moment in my life. I am in my last semester of college and i am trying to earn my degree so my classes and internship is keeping me busy from working out. I also have a new love interest and he understands my need to get healthy. I basically have so much going on. I use weigh 316 pounds and my smallest was 240 pounds. Now I am down to 270 pounds!!!! I need motivation. My goal us to be 195. I did not intend to start over eating for 5months but i would also workout here in there. It's just an array of problems arose in my life. Last week i started back and lost 10 pounds of water weight. I got down to 263. I decided to have a cheat meal being that it was a holiday weekend and all of a sudden i am 270. The weirdest thing is the inch of my waist is still the same as it was at 240 pounds and I can also still wear my small jean sizes. Not sure what is going on. I just feel very depressed

Replies

  • juliepaluscsak
    juliepaluscsak Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Weight can fluctuate for many reasons some of them being stress, hormones, water, salt intake, and so on. To keep from focusing on the small set back of gaining some weight back, is just keep on moving forward in small steps. It sounds like you have a busy schedule and need a way to fit your daily nutrition and exercise into a short time frame. A suggestion is to choose a workout plan that you can do right when you get out of bed for 15-20 mins a day. It should be something enjoyable. Continuing on your journey of weight loss you can also prep some healthy meals and snacks once a week to take with you on your busy day, or find healthy meals on the go.I hope this helps. Stay positive and keep moving forward! Just remember everyone has minor set backs, don't let them hinder you from your goals!
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    Options
    Stress can derail diets. I think we only have so much ego and it can be depleted. If you have too many things to juggle you might not have the ego to support it all.

    First of all, until you quit for good, you haven't quit, even if you took a 5 month break. You are still down 46 pounds from where you started. That is awesome. Don't lose sight of what you have accomplished.

    Secondly, the key to sticking with it is to stick with it! Log your food every day. Don't allow yourself a "cheat day" if your cheat day becomes a cheat weak. If you are eating a 1000-calorie-a-day deficit remember even if you "blow it" for a day it is unlikely that you blew it by 1000 calories and so you are STILL in a deficit even if you don't hit your MFP calorie goal for the day. Blow it off and move on to the next day.

    But log, log, log.
  • MissAnderson31
    MissAnderson31 Posts: 25 Member
    edited September 2015
    Options
    Listen! As women, we have so much working against us! We have water weight, gain from sodium intake of foods we don't normally eat daily, menstrual cycle, etc. Don't freak out or get depressed about it, you just need to get moving! I commend you on working towards your degree! I'm on the same journey with you working towards my degree as well! You have to refocus your attention to your weight loss! You gained the 7 pds over the holiday, then your plan should be clean eating to get it off! Your focus needs to be preparing your own meals without the salt etc. to lose that weight as fast as you gained it. If not, then you got to deal with those extra 7 pds. Keep going because you can definitely do it! It's nothing wrong with a cheat meal but don't go overboard with it! If u gain it's okay, you just have to work really hard being disciplined to get it back off!
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    edited September 2015
    Options
    Listen! As women, we have so much working against us! We have water weight, gain from sodium intake of foods we don't normally eat daily, menstrual cycle, etc. Don't freak out or get depressed about it, you just need to get moving! I commend you on working towards your degree! I'm on the same journey with you working towards my degree as well! You have to refocus your attention to your weight loss! You gained the 7 pds over the holiday, then your plan should be cleaning eating to get it off! Your focus needs to be preparing your own meals with the salt etc to lose that weight as fast as you gained it. If not, then you got to deal with those extra 7 pds. Keep going because you can definitely do it! It's nothing wrong with a cheat meal but don't go overboard with it! If u gain it's okay, you just have to work really hard being disciplined to get it back off!

    Clean eating doesn't do jack for weight loss.

    A caloric deficit does...





  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    edited September 2015
    Options
    These things happen. You gained weight - time to lodge that fact away and deal with it (in the nicest way possible!) :)

    You've lost weight before so you can most certainly do this again. I think what you need to focus on this time round is making it sustainable for you. Can I ask what plan you were following before? Restrictive 'diets' tend to lead to gaining the weight as soon as 'regular eating habits' are resumed, so perhaps this time - eat a little more and move a little more - it may work better for you :)

    Regardless, I wish you the very best of luck. Stay strong!
  • DeterminedbyGod
    DeterminedbyGod Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    Thanks a lot to all of you! I will try to maintain the best way I can