thirty pounds times two or it turns out that i am not a special snowflake

worsthorse
worsthorse Posts: 73 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I have thirty pounds to lose. Again. A year ago, a couple of years after losing thirty-one pounds and keeping it off (through conscious eating supported by logging), I decided i got this. i been good. a little improv is okay. i can tighten down a little and make up for it.

Thirty pounds later, I am waddling proof that this is not a terrific strategy. I am not sure why this outcome surprised me but, of course, I assumed I could beat the well-known odds, cause you know, special I am.

Special I am not. And so I will spend the next six or eight months on a reduced calorie program while dealing with the inevitable cravings, frustration and setbacks that come with it, all of which I could have avoided by just doing what I was doing consistently before I had attained snowflakehood: logging, being honest about what I was eating, and weighing in once a week. All of which, I recall, is a lot easier than what I will be doing until my regained poundage is gone.

Moral of the Story: All that stuff you read about how and why most people regain lost weight? Unfortunately, it is all pretty much true and we are all pretty much average. The discipline doesn't end when the target weight is attained. And losing it once and keeping it off is a helluva lot easier than losing it twice, physically and emotionally.
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Replies

  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    I love this. Welcome back! Cheers to forever effort XD
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I found the loss period to be less stressful than maintenance, I think because I got the routine down and there were very few choices to be made once I got the groove. Good luck!
  • JoLightensUp
    JoLightensUp Posts: 140 Member
    "Snowflakehood"...lol, I love it! I, too, had thought I had attained that special status. Turns out...not.

    I'm still in losing mode (again) but I am thinking a lot more about how I will approach maintenance. Now that I am in the habit of logging, I think I will just keep going. The calorie counter I previously used didn't have a phone app so it was sometimes an inconvenience to log. It is so much easier now and I really have no excuses.

    Anyway, at least you are back. All the best with your loss and maintenance this time around.
  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    Lost and regained my weight at least twice every decade since leaving high school in 1983

    Hopefully this time will be the last time
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I lost weight once...but I've managed to keep it off for almost 6 years and counting so far. I wouldn't want to have to do it again. So glad I've dedicated some effort to maintaining, instead of just getting to goal and then "letting go" like so many seem to do. I have no illusions that I am a special snowflake!!! ;) This is a life-long endeavor for me.

    I can't imagine how frustrating it would going through the weight loss process and then gaining it all back. That would be so demoralizing. I feel for you, OP! So I stay proactive and I take steps to keep it off. I still log, but I'm a little less consistent and I do a bit more guesstimating than I did in the past, but I'm still basically tracking and monitoring my overall habits. If I start to move in the wrong direction I just tighten up the logging for a bit. And happily, that little bit of extra effort has been working for years now! B)

    Good for you OP, realizing what you need to do to make this a permanent solution! And sure, it does take some effort to maintain, but it's not that much effort. You know what to do and I have no doubt you'll be successful! Good luck! :D
  • Rebirth08
    Rebirth08 Posts: 174 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »

    I can't imagine how frustrating it would going through the weight loss process and then gaining it all back. That would be so demoralizing. I feel for you, OP! So I stay proactive

    Try dropping 45 and gaining double. Even worse are those who lose like 200-300 pounds, only for it to come back.
  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    Rebirth08 wrote: »
    jenilla1 wrote: »

    I can't imagine how frustrating it would going through the weight loss process and then gaining it all back. That would be so demoralizing. I feel for you, OP! So I stay proactive

    Try dropping 45 and gaining double. Even worse are those who lose like 200-300 pounds, only for it to come back.

    yup aged 23 I lost 30, gained back 40

    then it went lose 40, gain 60 right up to this year where I have 140 total to lose (35 gone)

    can assure you, 'demoralising' barely covers it
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited October 2017
    Glad you're back on track again and you will lose what you have gained - this time round be prepared for maintenance, nothing changes except you get a few hundred more calories to work with a day.
    I got to my goal range in 2013 and have kept it off since, to do so means keeping my eye on my calorie intake all the time, keeping active and stepping on the scales frequently.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    Yep, I've been there. I'm finally close to my lowest weight now (and when I typically stop logging as "I got this, I know what to do"), but I'm going to continue to log and exercise and reach my goal then STILL LOG AND EXERCISE because I have little self-control otherwise I've learned.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    Show me the person who has lost and not gain some or not all back, at least once in their life.

    Fifteen years ago I lost 45 on WW....day after I reached maintenance I stuffed my face with something I had denied myself eating during the losing period. I've gained twice as back since that day. For me, I know it's probably better for me to enjoy some of the treats that I like, but not all the time, and and within my calorie range, saving calories for that treat. This is a way of life for the rest of my life. I've lost 18 with 70 to go. Let's do this. Sending you a friend request.
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 247 Member
    I’m right there with you. I’d lost 70. Kept it off for 4 years. Did a marathon (gained 15). Mom died. Two surgeries. Got married. Now, I’ve gained 55 of it back.

    I consulted a dietitian. I feel like I know what to do, but am struggling. Exercise seems harder I never stopped going to the gym, but my intensity dropped a lot and I lost my running mileage.

    I feel irritated that I put myself in this position, but I recognize that irritation isn’t good motivation for me. Focusing on keeping it positive.

    I started the Couch to 10K app over. Made an appointment with a therapist to help me figure it out.

    Next step will be personal trainer if I can’t get it together by the end of November.

    Good luck! I feel like at least I’m starting off this time knowing what I’m capable of and know to reach out for help.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    worsthorse wrote: »
    thanks all for the kind words. as with almost every fail in my life, i have met the enemy and he is me.

    and... the now-embarassing "about me" on my profile page is on sabbatical until i am quite a bit lighter. ;)

    I read that and decided that I would, in fact, update the "about me" on my profile. It's been an evil, wicked, mean, and nasty couple of months, and I admit it.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I too have been in your shoes. Lost my 70# and was done. Done logging, done weighing, just done. Wouldn't ya know a year later......
  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
    That is tough. I find logging food so mentally draining...I'm hoping that I won't have to do it forever, but is there any way around it??
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I have t-shirts for sale been there done that LOL. About 10 or 15 years ago I lost 60 lbs. Then I was like I got this! I was doing Weight Watchers and I didn't need to go back to the meetings and I decided to save some money. Well I gained the 60 back and picked up a few extras. Then two years ago I lost 40+ lbs and got into OneDerLand . Now here I am again with those 40 lbs headed to OneDerLand again, this time with hopes of getting deep into the middle of OneDerLand and staying put!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Good post. I can't comment about the 'losing it once and keeping it off is a helluva lot easier than losing it twice, physically and emotionally' part though because maintaining the weight has been extremely hard. I've also gained back some weight but only 10 lbs in 3.5 years while STILL logging and weighing... but going over a bit too much because I'm just too hungry and my willpower isn't what it used to be (I'm actually kinda shocked that I haven't gained back 20 lbs, considering that I'm still logging and can't really be in denial of how much I've been eating).

    But obviously, when maintaining is already hard, losing those 10 lbs back again is way worse...

    But yeah, I'm with you, unfortunately it's really one of those 'easier said than done' situations.
  • katsheare
    katsheare Posts: 1,025 Member
    vinerie wrote: »
    That is tough. I find logging food so mentally draining...I'm hoping that I won't have to do it forever, but is there any way around it??

    I'm not sure I can provide advice on this: I'm a data nerd at heart who loves the process of putting everything into the tool, but I will say that if you start resenting the logging you're more likely to start avoiding the logging, and as all the posts above can attest to (and I can too: my hiatus from this site 2015 - 2017 directly corresponds with my going right back where I'd started, about 30 kgs to kick off) you need to know what's going in and what you're using. I'd recommend thinking about what makes logging so draining, and see if there aren't ways you can help it be less so. I'm happy to help you out with this, @vinerie so feel free to PM and/or friend me. The tool is supposed to help, so let's see if we can't get it there!

    @worsthorse I found when I needed to come back that I was going to make sure the only other place I'd go was into maintenance. If that means logging what I eat for the rest of my life, I'll do it. I'm on a maintenance break right now, in two weeks will tackle those last 7 kgs. As @millerdan1 said: GW is the beginning.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    No special snowflake her either

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  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,726 Member
    @worsthorse - thanks for this post. We've all been there.

    Now I know that I will need to keep logging food and weighing myself to maintain when I reach my goal weight. I'm ok with that. It will surely be easier than losing a lot of pounds again.
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