Trying hard to get back on the wagon

Jensylkat5 · July 2016

Hi guys... This is my first post on MFP, even though I've been reading yours a lot. Been on MFP since about March and I was a member of Weight Watchers before then. I lost 28kg (61lbs) over a year and a half and recently, mostly this year, I have gained 8kg (17lbs) back. I am so cross with myself for letting myself go this much again. I felt sooooo happy, having lost so much weight, even though I hadn't even reached my goal even then. I weigh 81.2kg (179lbs) now and I want to go down to about 65kg (143lbs).

Thing is... I've completely lost the plot. I have no idea where my determination has gone, no idea at all. I used to be so good and could have a small treat and leave it at that. But now... I'm like an alcoholic with unhealthy food. I have one bite and before I know it, I've eaten a packet. Every night I'm full of regret and 100% sure I will be stronger tomorrow, every morning I wake up motivated and with good intentions. After a days work though, I just want something comforting and quick.

I will not buy a bigger size in clothing again, though. I will fit comfortably into my "new" clothing size again. I will find the motivation. But how?? Have you guys got any tips on how to stick with it through the day? Any advice at all would be appreciated...

Jenny

leanjogreen18 · July 2016

Hi Jensy

I am a life long dieter. I loose and gain it back. I'm an expert at loosing but I can't maintain. I've decided that I'm going to do a zig zag calorie count and I will continue to do this once I reach my goal weight. Since I'm older I will zig zag based on my BMR and up ONLY if I don't have enough energy during maintainance. I've decided that I must count every calorie that goes into my mouth for the rest of my life.

Having said that I'm not depriving myself of the foods I love like potatoes and pizza. I just eat those on my high calorie day and I've adapted my pizza to a lower calorie pizza but still tasty.

At this moment I'm not eating back the calories I burn with exercise but I will reevaluate it when I start working out more.

As to sticking with it during the day - this time I added Quest protein bars into my diet. Most bars are around 170 calories and I eat half mid morning snack and a half late afternoon snack and I can honestly say its helped me feel full. I think eating 3 meals and snacks between have really helped me feel full all the time.

These are the things I'm focusing on right now to help me get into the "life long" pattern of eating.

best of luck!!!

grenachegirl · July 2016

Hi Jenny
I'm a classic yo-yo dieter, twice I've managed to lose around 50lb only to gain it back, I too find maintenance the hardest part. I'm hoping this time I can hold it together and put all the things I've learnt into practice. I did the whole bingeing/feeling guilty thing too, every day I'd start again but by dinner I'd given up!
Only advice I can offer is that losing weight starts with your head, you have to be in the right 'head space' once it clicks there, the rest just falls into place (for me anyway). So at the minute I'm in 'the zone', I just hope I can stay there long enough to finish the job and stay there this time!!
Good luck x

coughlin382 · July 2016

I am exactly where you are right now. What I'm trying now is a journal which I write in every day to evaluate what the heck happened with my eating each day. I write down suggestions and tips for myself. So, for example, when I had Chinese food one night, I kept going back for 2nds and 3rds. I realized that, for me, it's better to load up my plate at the beginning, and make a rule that I can't go back for 2nds. Overall I will eat less.

Another example is leftovers. I told myself that it's ok (actually beneficial) to throw out leftovers, if they would otherwise lead to snacking or overeating at meals.

I also gave myself a pep talk in this journal. I realized that I've had weeks of wonderful eating until I'm full (or overfull). Now it's time to buckle down again, prepare for feeling hungry sometimes, and then sometime in the future I'll be able to splurge again. (Once in awhile).

lilligraz22 · July 2016

Hi Jenny! !! We've all been there. And keep going back there!!!!!! Finding the motivation within yourself is hard and gets harder every time you fall off the Wagon. It's like a switch that has to go off and when it does, nobody and nothing can stop you.........except yourself. We are self sabotagers....getting in our own way. I think once we can answer the question "why do I keep doing this?" And deal with it, we break the self sabotage chain. Would be happy if you added me as a friend (my device accepts requests but for some reason will not let me add friends)

Jensylkat5 · July 2016

Thanks everyone. Lovely. Isn't it nice how our bodies change? I never used to have much trouble with my weight and to think I might now join the yo-yo dieting party - not happy. It's so hard to stay at a low weight for me now though. So much effort... But I won't give up. I feel so much happier just being slightly slimmer, I love the clothes I can wear.
And at the end of this month I'm going on holiday for the first time in 10 years - would have been nice to be slim for that, but hey...

x

godlikepoetyes · July 2016

When I started MFP last year, I knew, without any doubt, that I would need to record my food every single day, every single bite, for the rest of my life. This was the missing piece from the times I'd lost and regained before. I always thought, when this is over I can get back to normal! Now, I never say "diet" and I say "move" instead of exercise. No foods are off limits--no "bad" foods. No shaming myself about eating four Pop Tarts. No playing games with myself about food, or about the scale. I weigh once every Saturday morning. No other scales counts except my own. I have made swimming and dancing a regular part of my life, something I've tried to do all of my life. I'm 51 now and I'm in the process of losing the last few pounds (I'm down 89). And still, I know that if I quit logging, I would gain the weight back in a heartbeat. So I log every day, every single bite.

kommodevaran · July 2016

You already know that to lose weight, you need to eat less than you burn. You also know that you need to do it consistently. HOW to do it, is what's difficult to figure out, and it will be different for every person. You have to find some strategies that work for you, some ideas that makes it feel worthwhile for you, to continue day after day, week after week, month after month. I personally started with the "addiction" thing and decided to get rid of everything I used to overeat. It helped. Then I realized that food isn't the enemy and started to improve my relationship with food. But it took a long time until I was ready for that. Your incentives and inclinations may be totally different from mine. You have to find your own way. One concrete tip would be, just start somewhere, and take it from there: Log your food, and aim to hit your calorie goal every day. Notice how different things makes you feel and behave. Do more of things that make life easier, do less of things that make it more difficult.

katharineshalia · July 2016

Do you have a picture of yourself at your highest weight? I know when I look at pictures of me at my daughter's wedding I'm just nope! hell no! Sometimes that's all it takes. On the bright side, you haven't undone all your hard work and are aware you need to make changes now before it gets worse. So jump back in, and enjoy your well deserved vacation. You can do it!!

Trying hard to get back on the wagon

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