Feel like I have failed again

cazbit · March 2017

Hi guys,

I have been doing the Atkins diet religiously after gaining back all plus a stone of the weight I lost the year before last. I have stepped on the scales again this morning and haven't lost anything so feeling really disheartened.

I have decided to go back to my tried and tested low calories as per my fitness pal but this morning I am just feeling really crappy about it all.

Firstly that I let all the weight pile back on and then some, after two years ago being the lightest I had ever been and secondly that here I am today starting again at the beginning of a very long journey. I am getting married next year and have a wedding dress fitting in august and can actually see it far enough.

Anyway sorry for the moan. I just wanted to say it to someone who might actually get where I am coming from.

Hope you are all doing well
C x

TheFatLadyPortrait · March 2017

Hang in there. You will get back into the swing of it again. I have never done atkins myself, but my mom does. When she was having trouble she had to take a closer look at some of the hidden carbs she was eating. One thing she realised was that the bavon bits she was using on her salads had sugar in them. And some of her cheeses said 0 carb so she thought she was fine eating more than her daily recommended limit. But sometimes things with <1g for a small serving will be marked as 0 even though there are carbs that will add up if you eat a lot. And the last thing was her artificially sweeteners. Some have more carbs than others and its important to pay attention when choosing one.

Hope that helps. Best of luck to you going forward.

mskimee · March 2017

I did the same as you, lost it, gained it all back (plus extra) and had to start from scratch again. I dunno if it was cos I had done it once before, but the 2nd time round just felt so much harder mentally, especially at the start. The best advice I can give is don't give up! I wish with all my heart I had lost the weight before my wedding, despite people telling me I looked beautiful, I wish I had put the effort in to feel beautiful too. You can do this!! In August when you're trying on your dress, you'll feel fantastic. Even if you're not "there" you won't be "here"

elphie754 · March 2017

cazbit wrote: »

Hi guys,

I have been doing the Atkins diet religiously after gaining back all plus a stone of the weight I lost the year before last. I have stepped on the scales again this morning and haven't lost anything so feeling really disheartened.

I have decided to go back to my tried and tested low calories as per my fitness pal but this morning I am just feeling really crappy about it all.

Firstly that I let all the weight pile back on and then some, after two years ago being the lightest I had ever been and secondly that here I am today starting again at the beginning of a very long journey. I am getting married next year and have a wedding dress fitting in august and can actually see it far enough.

Anyway sorry for the moan. I just wanted to say it to someone who might actually get where I am coming from.

Hope you are all doing well
C x

While I can't say I know exactly how you feel, I can say I can absolutely relate. 2 years ago I lost 60 lbs and still had 60 to go. I swore I would never regain it or give up the healthy lifestyle I had adapted (I wasn't starving myself, was eating a decent amount, walking or jogging every day etc). Then my second SO moved in and I slowly stopped the healthy habits. Before I knew it I was back to having to lose 115lbs again. So I restarted doing what I did the last time, but then found out I was pregnant so had to stop. I was so depressed because I gained 60lbs. Thankfully, I am 3 weeks post partum and have already lost 50lbs which is a nice headstart/motivator to keep going.

youdowant · March 2017

Gaining it all back is a serious mental heartache. It really is. But all you can do, all any of us can do, is stop worrying about it and move on. One step at a time. One calorie at a time. Just get back at it. You already know what to do.

hookandy · March 2017

OP how did you make the fantastic loses the year before last? It seemed to work for you. I'd do the same again. I am in the same boat, lost 70lb and put on 50lb. So I am here again, just that this time I am focusing on the maintenance stage and planning for that. In my head I am kidding myself I know how to lose weight, and my mind is believing me. I am not struggling with the losing stage, because I am focused on the long term. I *know* how to lose and I am just getting on with it.

cazbit · March 2017

I was doing really well the year before last but I lived on my own as I was single, I spent the weekends out walking, I got myself a treadmill and ate at 1400 calories every day. It almost was enjoyable as I had something to focus on. I took 4 stone off. Then I met my husband to be that December. We would go out for dinner on dates and the cinema and my activity levels went way down and my calories went way up. Then we moved in together and with kids there there was always nice big hearty dinners and desserts on offering. So I piled it all back on.

I am really disappointed in myself as fitness wise I have taken myself from being able to run 3 miles every day to struggling to walk for 30 minutes without being out of breath. But the most disheartening thing is all the clothes I was so proud to be able to fit into all just sit at the bottom of a wardrobe now as they are three sizes too small while I am back in my bigger clothes.

I don't blame my other half at the end of the day the food choices were mine, I know I have let myself down and just wish I had realised a lot sooner.

C x

prattiger65 · March 2017

OP I am going to make some generalities, so if they don't apply to you ignore me. I believe one of the biggest reasons people fail and/or regain is because they make too drastic a change in what they eat. Another reason I believe people fail or regain is because the are much too aggressive in their weight loss. Both of these can, and often do, lead to relapse of old ways of eating which leads to weight gain. I would ask you to consider a couple of things, one is to consider changing your eating habits very little in terms of what you eat and simple reduce the amount of calories you eat. You really can eat foods that you love and lose weight. Second, consider a slower approach, meaning a less aggressive weight loss goal. These two thing will help you succeed because you still eat what you like and you can eat a little more. While restrictive diets can work, it can be more difficult.

megzchica23 · March 2017

I understand how you feel. I finally got serious last year about losing weight when my husband proposed, I was 180lbs. I was kind of sad he couldn't have proposed back when I was like 140 or even 150. LOL I lost 14lbs before my wedding in August of last year. I was so proud. But I lost motivation after that as I got sick off and on which kept putting large breaks in my habits. I was getting to the point where I was so fatigued I didn't even want to cook or move when I got home from sitting all day at work. But my blood pressure is high and I'm tired of feeling like crap. I know if I lose weight it will help all my health issues a lot. So here I am starting all over again after gaining the 14 lbs back plus 8 more. It sucks starting over again but you gotta do it. Don't give up just because of one mistake! Life is full of trial and errors. Just find new ways to help motivate yourself and create habits and routines you can stick to!

kbrouthers · March 2017

This has been my struggle all my life. I've lost a lot and then would gain some back. I am back at it with my boyfriend on board and find it easier doing it with him. We need to start putting some exercise into our mix but we like to be outside and walk ( Cuz we are old

amtyrell · March 2017

You have only failed if you give up. Persistent pays off.

rouhnaz · March 2017

@cazbit I relate! I've done it too! Doing it all over for the - honestly can't say if it's 5th or 6th time now.

It's a strange thing, right? We work hard and somehow get into the groove, lose all the weight, feel awesome, and then somehow we gain it back.

I've done this so many times! It's not fun at all and can be downright depressing. (Don't let that sadness consume you though! We can cry for a day or even two, but then it's better to move forward.)

That all said, daily weigh-ins fluctuate! Don't beat yourself up. I'm sure you've started making internal changes that the scale cannot spell out. As for making the scale move in a good direction, adjust and adapt. Nothing we decide to do is set in stone. When you find a method that you can do that works for both weight loss and getting through your day, it'll click!

crooked_left_hook · March 2017

Ahhh, the dreaded 'New Relationship Weight'. When I got married I put on about 40lbs. I lost all of the weight about 4 years before we separated and felt great. We divorced and I was on my own for awhile, but unfortunately that was where things got tough because HE did all the cooking and I was clueless. I started dating my current BF and that motivated me to learn to cook. I still put in 8lbs of fat (mostly from eating out 75% of my weekly meals) and I lost all the muscle tone I'd worked so hard for. I've lost the fat but I've just started the process of recomp.

My advice would be ditch Atkins if that's not a diet you and your family are willing to sustain. Both times I lost weight I just made modications to the recipes and portions of the foods I normally ate. I was able to lose the weight and maintaining was fairly easy because it felt seamless with my life and my partners. The diet plans work for some but it definitely seems like these people are the ones that tend to gain the weight back the most often.

xmichaelyx · March 2017

Atkins works by making it easy to limit calories. If you do Atkins without counting calories, there's no reason to expect to lose weight.

Don't try to slim down for an event! Choose to do it for your life, and for your future self.

musick79 · March 2017

I lost 60 and have put back on 20. I started seriously counting calories Monday. I want to see it come off fast but I know that is not reality.

Breathe and move forward! You can do this!!

cazbit · March 2017

Thanks everybody. It's nice hearing that it happens and there is a way back. I need to get back on the band wagon.

I was counting calories on the Atkins too but it just didn't work for me. So I am going to count calories and try to get back into running although at 5 stone over where i need to be it's not easy at the moment.

I get that I shouldn't lose weight for an event and overall I wouldn't say that I am, I want to lose for every day feeling better and looking better in my clothes but I think the event is what has shocked me into realising I am really not where I want to be. Too bad my other half didn't propose on our first date I was a happy size ten then lol!

kgirlhart · March 2017

prattiger65 wrote: »

OP I am going to make some generalities, so if they don't apply to you ignore me. I believe one of the biggest reasons people fail and/or regain is because they make too drastic a change in what they eat. Another reason I believe people fail or regain is because the are much too aggressive in their weight loss. Both of these can, and often do, lead to relapse of old ways of eating which leads to weight gain. I would ask you to consider a couple of things, one is to consider changing your eating habits very little in terms of what you eat and simple reduce the amount of calories you eat. You really can eat foods that you love and lose weight. Second, consider a slower approach, meaning a less aggressive weight loss goal. These two thing will help you succeed because you still eat what you like and you can eat a little more. While restrictive diets can work, it can be more difficult.

I agree with this. Another thing that was hard for me was realizing that as a 5'4.75" woman, I do not need to eat the same amount of food as my 6' husband. I can eat the same things, I just need to eat smaller portions. And for me at least once I got used to eating smaller portions I found that I was eating enough. You did it before, so you know you can do it again.

pinuplove · March 2017

hookandy wrote: »

OP how did you make the fantastic loses the year before last? It seemed to work for you. I'd do the same again. I am in the same boat, lost 70lb and put on 50lb. So I am here again, just that this time I am focusing on the maintenance stage and planning for that. In my head I am kidding myself I know how to lose weight, and my mind is believing me. I am not struggling with the losing stage, because I am focused on the long term. I *know* how to lose and I am just getting on with it.

I'm going to have to disagree here. The lose it --> gain it all back + some cycle suggest the OP didn't make meaningful long-term changes when she was losing weight before. Make changes that you can live with forever, OP. Consider this the first stage of the rest of your life - once you've lost the weight, you'll be faced with maintenance. Better to make sustainable changes that get you to a healthy place and keep you there.

Afura · March 2017

You haven't failed until you give up completely. If you had trouble maintaining atkins, then just eat at a calorie deficit without the restrictions of food. It's about making sustainable changes you can live with that will make you successful in both losing and keeping it off.

Feel like I have failed again

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