I don't want to get fat again
srecupid
Posts: 660 Member
Ok over the last year I've lost alot of weight.The last few weeks with holdidays and my birthday yeterday have been brutal food wise. Now I don't consider myself skinny by any means but, I'm terrified of getting fat again because I dont' think I could do this again. I'm 4 shots of bourbon and 6 oreos in as i type this. Now I know I'm on vacation and just chillign but, I'm still worried that this could be a very easy pattern to fall into. Any advice on stopping dangerous momentum like this?
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Replies
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Realising the potential for falling in to bad habits is a great start - if you know it could be an issue, put a plan in place to stop it. There is nothing wrong with enjoying life and celebrating, with food to match, but maintaining is harder than losing in my opinion as your goal of "doing nothing" (in regards to weight) doesn't sound as if it requires the commitment of losing.
Perhaps commit to logging and exercising - find something to motivate you, like new skills, better time in a race, heavier weights at the gym etc.8 -
Happy birthday. Tomorrow is another day. Set a reasonable goal for tomorrow (not one intended to "make up" for the latest festivities. If you're in maintenance right now, do that for a few days and if you find you've put on extra weight, so to a deficit again. This won't be the last stretch or partying I'm sure. Accept it, and move forward. Next year you'll enjoy it all even more because you'll have seen first hand that the holidays don't just undo everything you've done.2
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Set a 5 lb maintenance range for yourself. When you reach the top of the range, return to a calorie deficit to return to the middle of the range.19
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I hear ya. I'm in a similar situation after holiday excess calories. Now battling a foot issue along with a cold so can't get back into a rhythm yet. Still eating what I do when I do cardio so I've gained a few lbs.
You must've had a good rhythm going previously to lose all that weight. Set a reasonable goal, get tight with logging again. I find it helps to go back in MFP diary history to see what food program worked for me when I was in weight loss phase. I'll be doing that shortly regardless if I can be mobile or not. It's so much about the calories.
I also find it takes a few days to get used to less calories. Once that subsides it becomes routine again.3 -
I know what you mean about not doing this again. I have IDGAF days spread out over the year for special occasions. I keep it to one day because I know it's easy for me to go off and eat all the foods. Even if I do get to my upper weight limit, I'd probably think "Oh I did this before and can do it again, ez pz."
For me, I have to tell myself I only get to eat what I want in amounts I want on specific days. The rest of the time, I have to be more diligent about how much/what I'm eating. Hope you find a balance.3 -
I know how you feel. I've been in maintenance for over a year but a couple of times, including this Christmas break, I've had the same kind of fear as you describe.
Though I still log from time to time, I weigh nearly every day because that's what keeps my head in the game. I have a target weight and when I go over, I shift my calorie allotment from maintenance to a 0.5 or 1 lb per week loss. Just one or two weeks of corrective eating does the trick.
Keep well - wishing you a terrific year filled with love and joy!4 -
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I allow complete cheating starting Christmas Eve through the first every year. I try to stay really busy and active but it is okay with me if I gain a few pounds.
I am a 10 year maintainer and there is a 15 pound range that I gain and lose.9 -
You have to tell yourself hit the holidays and bday have been fun...and they're definitely there to be enjoyed, but now...it's over. The holidays are over. Your bday is over. And it's time to get back on track. Then...you just do it.8
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Set a 5 lb maintenance range for yourself. When you reach the top of the range, return to a calorie deficit to return to the middle of the range.
I do this too. As soon as the scale moves to my "red zone" I'm back to strict logging again. It feels like I'm cheating the system (mfp) but so far it's working.
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Set a 5 lb maintenance range for yourself. When you reach the top of the range, return to a calorie deficit to return to the middle of the range.
I do this too. As soon as the scale moves to my "red zone" I'm back to strict logging again. It feels like I'm cheating the system (mfp) but so far it's working.
You're not cheating the mfp system, you are using it!3 -
@srecupid you have had so much success in losing weight try reminding yourself that you have the knowledge and the ability to get back on track. Seriously too, your concern shows you are aware and mindful. Given that, you aren't likely to regain what you have lost.
As others have pointed out the Festive season can be difficult and if it is your 1st experience of Xmas and this Birthday (Happy Birthday from me too
) then you are facing this 'blowout' for the 1st time, and that could make you suffer extra anxiety around gaining weight and returning to 'old' habits and scale numbers.
Maybe seeing this as a diet break, which is beneficial will help you. You have had your fun and now it is time to return to your previous routine. If you have gained, incorporate a slight deficit, log everything as accurately get back into your workouts till you return to your comfortable zone.
Also, give your body a chance to give you accurate feedback weight wise. Heads-up on my n=, my indulging showed days long temporary high gain from fluid retention (but even after 4 years of maintaining I still had scale anxiety - just pointing out the worry can happen to anyone). So before you panic see what the true trend is over the next week or two.
Hope this helps, all the best.2 -
Control is the key. If you give yourself permission to abide for a discrete, limited time off the wagon with the planned subsequent act of getting back on the wagon, you can easily get back on the wagon.
For the goal of maintaining weight, you have to stay on the wagon.0 -
You have to tell yourself hit the holidays and bday have been fun...and they're definitely there to be enjoyed, but now...it's over. The holidays are over. Your bday is over. And it's time to get back on track. Then...you just do it.
Yeah I think the problem is that I tasted (no pun intended) a sample of what I could be eating and then sorta rebelled against the prospect of going back to normal. I'm also somewhere is the mid ground between skinny and fat. I'm 5"10 170 as of this morning (like 160 a week or two ago and not sure if it's permanent or what. Anyway striving for something is easy. Maintaining is hard because I feel like I should be done punishing myself after losing all the weight and to me normal calories feels restrictive after binging so often in the past1 -
You have to tell yourself hit the holidays and bday have been fun...and they're definitely there to be enjoyed, but now...it's over. The holidays are over. Your bday is over. And it's time to get back on track. Then...you just do it.
Yeah I think the problem is that I tasted (no pun intended) a sample of what I could be eating and then sorta rebelled against the prospect of going back to normal. I'm also somewhere is the mid ground between skinny and fat. I'm 5"10 170 as of this morning (like 160 a week or two ago and not sure if it's permanent or what. Anyway striving for something is easy. Maintaining is hard because I feel like I should be done punishing myself after losing all the weight and to me normal calories feels restrictive after binging so often in the past
That's the problem. You shouldn't deprive yourself of things that you love. No, it doesn't mean having cookies every day, but a few cookies once a week if they fit in your calories, why not?
I gained a few pounds between September and New Year and I'm not planning on depriving myself to lose them, but just to limit how often I have the higher calorie stuff. And I'm trying to increase my activity as well (getting a Fitbit helped a lot).2 -
I hope you don't get offended-I just want to spread awareness. Have you heard about food addiction? It's real. You can check out the website foodaddicts.org for more info.-1
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You've posted a few threads with a similar story in it and get given good advice on how to maintain your weight. If you want to eat what you want with no consequences then up your activity significantly or exercise some self control.7
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I was going to say, you've been here a long time. There are consequences to eating (or drinking a few bourbons). You eat what you want but less or you exercise it off. Personally, I'm not into sacrifice and like to be active but not a gym bunny. I do small portions.0
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You have to tell yourself hit the holidays and bday have been fun...and they're definitely there to be enjoyed, but now...it's over. The holidays are over. Your bday is over. And it's time to get back on track. Then...you just do it.
Yeah I think the problem is that I tasted (no pun intended) a sample of what I could be eating and then sorta rebelled against the prospect of going back to normal. I'm also somewhere is the mid ground between skinny and fat. I'm 5"10 170 as of this morning (like 160 a week or two ago and not sure if it's permanent or what. Anyway striving for something is easy. Maintaining is hard because I feel like I should be done punishing myself after losing all the weight and to me normal calories feels restrictive after binging so often in the past
And there in lies your problem. During weight loss you obviously restricted the foods that you enjoy therefore felt like it was a punishment. Losing weight is definitely challenging at times but why make it so hard? Have some of what you want, you can make it fit into your calories...as @trigden1991 and @nxd10 pointed out, smaller portions, more exercise, self control. I would be so sad to think that I couldn't eat or drink what I wanted for the rest of my life.....that sucks and is no way to live.3 -
Yeah I think the problem is that I tasted (no pun intended) a sample of what I could be eating and then sorta rebelled against the prospect of going back to normal. I'm also somewhere is the mid ground between skinny and fat. I'm 5"10 170 as of this morning (like 160 a week or two ago and not sure if it's permanent or what. Anyway striving for something is easy. Maintaining is hard because I feel like I should be done punishing myself after losing all the weight and to me normal calories feels restrictive after binging so often in the past
Check out smart bmi calculator. You're not in the middle ground between skinny and fat. You're at a perfectly normal weight.
Unfortunately you seem to have done what I tend to advise people NOT to do: restrict big time to lose weight and not use the time of weight loss to develop ways of eating that you can keep to long term. In my opinion it is easier to explore things when you have a large deficit that will sooner or later "right" any indiscretions you come up with.
Having said that, it is what it is. On the plus side you have lost the weight, you're feeling good, you have a great power to weight ratio and you can go forth and conquer the work so to speak.
SPEND THE TIME NOW that you're used to logging to develop a diet (a diet as in a way of eating a variety of foods) that you can KEEP TO LONG TERM.
If you like pizza and your diet doesn't include provisions for pizza it won't end well. OBVIOUSLY it is unlikely that you'll manage to have pizza every day, twice a day, a large one every time <been there, failed!>. But you can certainly arrange to have some pizza once a week or so.
You may also want to find some favourite exercise activities. This nice power ratio... will start disappearing over time as you get used to your new lower weight.
Just some thoughts! Take care.1 -
You have to tell yourself hit the holidays and bday have been fun...and they're definitely there to be enjoyed, but now...it's over. The holidays are over. Your bday is over. And it's time to get back on track. Then...you just do it.
Yeah I think the problem is that I tasted (no pun intended) a sample of what I could be eating and then sorta rebelled against the prospect of going back to normal. I'm also somewhere is the mid ground between skinny and fat. I'm 5"10 170 as of this morning (like 160 a week or two ago and not sure if it's permanent or what. Anyway striving for something is easy. Maintaining is hard because I feel like I should be done punishing myself after losing all the weight and to me normal calories feels restrictive after binging so often in the past
I totally get that. I lost 45lbs and then intentionally gained 10 back (trying a bulk). It was really hard getting myself back into a deficit after loosening the reins for 5mos and enjoying having more food and snacks.
It's hard and it's an ongoing battle for a lot of us. Believe me....I would love to sit with a half gallon of ice cream and a spoon....all the time. LOL! You can do this though. You just have to get your mojo back.
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Maintance is not that different from weight loss. Your just adding a few extra calories. You might want to try a Fitbit and sync it to fitness pal to measure calories in vs calories out. This way you can figure out a diet that includes daily "snacks" rather than bingeing off the grid and gaining weight. It's all about moderation. You really have to take the time to put together a new, sustainable diet that works for you and stick to that diet.1
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