Lost 40 lbs, gained all plus some...trying to get back down

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Amry1213
Amry1213 Posts: 13 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am 5'7" and currently 234lbs. A few years ago I got really into running, and dropped from my original starting weight of 215 down to 175 with diet and exercise. Then I got married, moved across country (twice), and started (then stopped) birth control. I also work a desk job now instead of cutting hair. Not that these are great excuses, but it threw me way off track, and I'm currently the largest I've ever been...for me it's been hard trying to run and lift because I'm starting over. I hate starting over knowing where I already was a couple of years ago and I feel so weak :'( Anyone else in this boat with me? I know what I have to do to lose the weight, but the motivation is not there since mentally I keep thinking that I'll just gain it back anyway...

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  • rayzerwolf
    rayzerwolf Posts: 203 Member
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    I am similar 5'8" currently at 180 few years ago i was 211 i think it was higher but i refused to weigh my self. I got into running when i lost the wight the first time got down to 149. Then back in the dating game gained weight back to 160 witch i was fine with. My job changed i used to landscape full time and part time now working in an office again for the last 3 years put on weight. Been with my partner for 2 years and realized i made my way back up to 194, I was weight my self but always blamed TOM when it was going up. I am finding that my body is adjusting quickly back to how it was strength wise. weight loss is slow and i weigh every day and track it. I do get discouraged when it goes up but i can look at the last 3 months and see that even though some days it goes up its also going down. I have decided that i probably going to have to log for a long time, it took me 2 years to gain 24 pounds. I think about that and it makes sense why i had gained all this weight it took a long time to put it on then one day suddenly you notice it which makes it feel daunting. We have done it before and we can do this again! Dont worry about the maybes and just do your best and if you fall down dont fret over it just get up and keep on trucking on.
  • speyerj
    speyerj Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I know exactly what you are going through. I lost 100 lbs over the course of a year (through MyFitnessPal) and managed to keep it off for about 9 months. And then I didn't. Here's what happened. These aren't excuses; its important to know why you got off track so you can learn from your mistakes. I got cocky. Like you I was running and doing great and I felt that I didn't need to track my food anymore, so I stopped. I would say, "I run so I can eat what ever I want" and that worked, for a time. Then I got injured and couldn't run, but I still ate like I did. Life got stressful, and bad habits reemerged - night time carbo loading, not working out. I wasn't weighing myself and I was in complete denial. Eventually health issues that had been resolved through weight loss all started to reemerge and it was enough to break me out of my denial. I felt ashamed as though I had failed myself. And the task ahead of me, losing 80 pounds seemed so distant. But I signed back into this app anyway and started over. That was 60 days ago. I've been tracking everyday since then and so far lost 24 pounds. What I have come to realize from this is that I need to track. Even when I get down to my goal weight, I need to track for maintenance. I need to weigh in every week. It keeps me accountable to myself, and shouldn't I respect myself to be honest with myself? Look, you are not weak. You had a set back, but you got this. With every weight loss journey, you gain experience. You learn, you get stronger, not weaker. I'm with you sister. We got this!
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
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    When you were 175 lbs, did you look back and dwell on the past when you were heavier and less capable? Or did you just live in the moment and enjoy what you were capable of at that time?

    It doesn't matter that you weigh more now and can't physically do what you could do then. Your body and capabilities may be different in this moment, but dwelling on the past isn't going to change anything. Worrying about what may come in the future isn't going to change anything. Living in the present and focusing on what you can do in the here and now is the only thing that's going to change anything.

    You can't live in the past, you can't live in the future, but you can live right now. And you'll get many more "right now"s for the rest of your life that you can continue to do something about.

    So don't think of it as starting over. This is your starting point right now. Get going!
  • thingeringer
    thingeringer Posts: 241 Member
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    Been there, done that. Over and over in my life. It may sound trite, but this is the only day you have so try not to dwell on where you were. Just eat less today. Move more today. Drink lots of water. Say nice things to yourself. We're all here because we struggle with food. Use us to help you. And good luck!
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
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    I went from 285 to 190, in the middle of it i went from 265 to 225 back up to 265 before ultimately getting to 190. When I had regained weight and I knew that since I had already done it once, then I was surely capable of doing it again. Focus on what worked the first time and just stay consistent with it.
  • cowgoo
    cowgoo Posts: 58 Member
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    I actually made a collage of my weight gain. It's on my thread somewhere. If I can find it I'll post it. I went from being obese in 2011 to 135 pounds 2013-2015 and I've gained it all back. It's a bummer but sometimes stuff like that happens in life.
  • moholley2009
    moholley2009 Posts: 7 Member
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    Totally understand. At my heaviest I was 250. After 2 years I got down to 175 and loved it. Then life happened. Eating fast food between 2 jobs and school, eating in the car with my kids, etc. Now I weigh 220. I'm extremely disappointed in myself. Not to mention now I've turned 40 and it feels even harder to get the motivation to lose weight. All we can do is take things one day at a time and celebrate daily victories.

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