anyone who lost weight and gained it back, but ended up losing it again?

Francl27 wrote: »

tomteboda wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

Well 2300 doesn't seem excessive to me because it's my maintenance, but I have to be very active to keep that up (I'm 38, 5'5", and have to walk about 12k steps a day to get there).

But I hear you. I lost 80 pounds eating 1600-1700 and it was easy, and maintenance has been really tough. It's actually much harder to eat 2300 now than it was to eat 1600 at the time! But I've maintained my loss (ok, more or less 5 pounds) by keeping a deficit whenever possible - my goal is still 1800. Most days I stick to it, some days I go over (some days way over), but overall, I'm maintaining. And yeah, I have to stay active... there's easily a 800-1000 calorie difference in my TDEE if I take a rest day!

I guess the key is to try to limit 'empty' calories, especially on days when you're hungrier... eat more filling/nutritious foods. If you're less hungry one day and have extra calories, indulge a little bit if you feel like it... if not, save those calories for another day. And just keep a small deficit - 400/500 calories.

For what it's worth though, I still can't lose my last 5 lbs (plus the 5 I've gained back in 2.5 years), so it's definitely not as easy as it sounds. Sigh.

I get about 14,000 steps a day. I'm 5'9" and maintaining 165 on 1800 cal/day at 38 years old.

OP: I hit 225 in 2000. I got down to 165 in 9 months, then left the weight slowly creep back up. And up. And up. In 2014 I found myself at 260 lbs, and realized that I couldn't let my weight be a problem in my life. I lost much more slowly this time, and am maintaining 165 now. I know I need to track calories for the rest of my life because my appetite is misleading. I'm OK with that... I know I have the tools necessary.

Do you weigh your food? I have a hard time believing that someone with your stats would maintain on so few calories.

rcadogs wrote: »

My weight's been going up and down for several weeks. My highest weight since loosing over 20 pounds from being 148 is 126, the lightest I've been is 121.

It's just so frustrating! I exercise, I watch my calories and it still happens! Sometimes I think that something is wrong with me!

bikecheryl wrote: »

I started gaining weight right after I left school and its organized sports.
Then well life……….

Got married, had our twin boys, and struggled to make ends meet…..lol.

I always used food as my escape….. it’s my drug of choice.

When I didn’t want to think about things I’d hide away for a few minutes with food and pretend it would all go away.
I had become resigned …. I’d “settled” with my over weight 265 lb life and thought that it just was what it was.

Then in Feb of 2004 I was watching Oprah while making supper and listened to Wynonna Judd talk about her lifelong struggles with self-esteem and weight. Don’t ask me why, but it struck a chord. Here I am in rural Manitoba sharing the exact same feelings as a Country Superstar!

So I literally went out that very same week, bought a treadmill and Dr. Phil’s Food Guide.

I was 44 years old and in 11 months I lost 105 lbs.

Exactly one year after that Oprah show I ran my first half marathon, and later that year completed my first full marathon.

I had found myself!! Running wasn’t just my passion, it was my salvation!
.
My sister was so proud of me she emailed Dr. Phil and Oprah. I’ve had the honor and thrill to have appeared on both of their shows.

For 5 years running was everything. I ran 17 half marathons, 4 full marathons & 1 ultra-marathon.
I was teaching learn to run classes and speaking to them about my weight loss journey.

And then I had one knee injury and surgery. Then the other knee and surgery.

Looking back, it’s almost like those years were some strange wonderful dream that happened to someone else. I distinctly remember having a panic attack in a Walmart parking lot because I felt like I was in someone else’s body, that I wasn’t really this slim person and that everyone knew I was just a big fat liar.

Not being able to run anymore just proved it….. I mean, I was Cheryl…. the woman who lost 100lbs, ran marathons and was on Oprah…. if I can’t run then that Cheryl never really existed and the real me was that overweight person I was seeing in the mirror again.

And I so went back to my drug of choice when I didn’t want to think about any of it.

Fast forward to 2017. I'm 58 and almost 290 lbs. I had gained all the weight back and more.

I could hardly walk or even stand because of back and knee pain. I looked at recent pictures of myself from our son’s wedding and didn’t recognize me.

I cringed if anyone even mentioned my running days, embarrassed and ashamed.

Lol…… it took me awhile, but I had found rock bottom.

So I went to my old running orthopedic Dr and said shoot me up with whatever you got cause I know I have to lose weight before they will even contemplate knee replacement. He disagreed, said how can you lose weight if you’re not mobile and referred me. His faith gave me purpose.

I knew what I needed to do….. I could teach classes on what to do….. heck I DID teach classes on it!

I logged onto MFP last April and started weighing & logging my food again.

THIS WAS KEY !! Logging it made me face the reality of what I was eating.

Exercise was pretty minimal the first few months because it was just too painful, but eventually I became more and more active. lol..... not running marathons.... that will never happen again, but walking, cycling, rowing.

I've lost 103.5lbs and hope to hit my initial goal of 130 lbs lost this summer.

What is different this time?????

I’m older, wiser, humbler.

And I had some really, really good talks with my husband.

I’m not going to hide my feelings behind food anymore!! Whether he likes it or not, I’m going to tell him how I’m feeling…..lol.
And I’ve asked him to please, please, please talk to me if he sees me stumbling, to not be afraid of hurting my feelings.

I’m learning you can’t outrun a bad diet and that I don’t have to run marathons to stay slim, just live my normal relatively active life doing the things I love to do.

I’m learning that I’m not the only one in the world who will always have to be mindful when it comes to food because for me it’s a very, very, very fine line between sustenance and drug…… between enjoyment and oblivion.

I’m learning that I can eat anything I want, but the ability to take a minute and think about that choice is a powerful thing.

Lastly, I’m finally learning to be comfortable in my own skin…. loose and wrinkly as it is.