On point in 2012 to 2013--How do I get that back with chronic health issues?

Hello, MFPers!

In 2012 and 2013 I lost about 85 pounds. I went from about 250 to 165, and I was on a roll! I'd been doing Jillian Michaels workouts and had done the C25K program. In the summer of 2013 I noticed a clicking in my back. That clicking became a severe pain one day in the autumn, and I had to drop my studies in the UK to come home and figure out my health. In the short time I had to leave the country, my boyfriend and I also got married (spring 2014)--something we'd been planning for a long time. I moved back with my parents for two months while we waited on his visa, and then we moved to Minnesota where I had more connections.

I was still struggling with my back, and in the year or so since I'd had the bad pain I had gained back some of my weight because I wasn't as active. I continued to do Pilates once a week, but my cardio was off. Also, being with a guy who wasn't as active either (he'd at least done an obscene amount of walking in London where he worked) but still loved chips, burgers, chocolate, and ice cream was very challenging. We'd not lived together before, and so settling into a routine and bringing that stuff into the house was horrible for me (and him).

Last year we bought our first house and had a wedding ceremony here (spring 2015). We'd had some job chaos, and as of this February we are both employed full-time in places we enjoy.

The other piece of the puzzle is my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It had made my studies difficult in the best of times, but with a more restrictive schedule (work from 7:30 to 4:00) and natural preference for nighttime hours I find myself even more exhausted. I also was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis last November (2016), and so my hands and feet are often painful and stiff.

I've recently started at a gym closer to us and go to Pilates once or twice a week. I at least walk on the treadmill usually, as well, and try to get that 10,000 steps on my FitBit.

I think my diet is really tripping me up. Feeling tired, having more pain, being frustrated about the way things had to end in the UK--it's all so hard for me to manage. Plus, there's at least one lunch out each week at work, and being the newbie (I was hired exactly one year ago today!) I'm not sure how picky I can be. The lunches are provided for us or my boss will decide where we go (like Dairy Queen). I feel like my willpower is lower with being tired all the time and feeling the pressures of fitting in.

Does anyone have anything that has helped them get back into gear when you've had a long setback?

Or does anyone have a coping strategy for CFS or RA?

How do you manage your time when all these life changes make it feel like you don't have much time for yourself?

Thanks for anything and everything, guys!