How many times have you failed (gain weight back) and had to start again?

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  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    If I counted every time I started trying to lose weight, lost a few pounds, and then gained it back, I wouldn't even be able to count that high. I barely even count those attempts though.

    I had only had one significant weight loss attempt before. I lost 50 lbs in college, but I did it in an unhealthy way... just exercising a ton and eating as little as possible. So I lost weight, but eventually hit a plateau and just quit and gained it all back throughout grad school. Made various attempts to lose it, but it never lasted long.

    This time around, I've lost 90 lbs and have been maintaining it for a year. I honestly can't imagine ever gaining it back. I know so much more about maintenance and weight loss, and I don't deprive myself like in the past. The way I'm living my life is sustainable. There have been times where I see the scale trending upwards, and I just buckle down with my eating again and it goes right back down again.
  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    For me the last two years have been somewhat rocky, but as far as serious gain it really only happened the once late last year when a took a "break" around the holidays.

    I had lost about 70 pounds over the previous year and a half, and that year and a half had its own ups and downs and rough spots.

    I gained back roughly 30 pounds before getting back on the wagon seriously in january, Im down by just under 18 over the last ten weeks and hope to be back at my old low within another few weeks.

    Whats important to remember in the midst of the doubt frustration and recrimination is that you KNOW how to do this, you have already woneven if the road continues to be bumpy.

    I do get emotionally invested in goals and progress like most people and when things dont work out short term it can be crushing, but you and I both have made significant progress even if the path has been unsteady.

    Even after regaining 30ish pounds the fact is I had STILL lost 40ish pounds and that IS a win, you regain 6 out of 12 but you still lost 6. Thats a win.

    Keep up the good work, you already won. Now its just extra credit
  • rcadogs
    rcadogs Posts: 23 Member
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    This is happening to me recently. At one point, I was around 125 pounds. Then after my family and I moved from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, I gained weight back! Now I weigh around 130-132 pounds!

    I don’t know why it’s happening! I try to eat as healthy as possible. If I know I need to eat more of something, I try my best to do it! I feel like a failure that this happened!
  • Beaudom91
    Beaudom91 Posts: 54 Member
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    I've never "failed". I lost the weight 10 years ago and gained some of it back do to pregnancy and lost that weight both Times
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    rcadogs wrote: »
    This is happening to me recently. At one point, I was around 125 pounds. Then after my family and I moved from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, I gained weight back! Now I weigh around 130-132 pounds!

    I don’t know why it’s happening! I try to eat as healthy as possible. If I know I need to eat more of something, I try my best to do it! I feel like a failure that this happened!

    5 Lbs? Hell, I put on 8-10 Lbs every winter and take it off every spring when my cycling season starts. I don't consider that "failing"
  • craziedazie
    craziedazie Posts: 185 Member
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    CryoSneasel wrote: »
    I have "given up" many times. I can't even count them... Every time it is because I cheat on a day, then all of the sudden it turns into 2 days...then 3... until it lasts for over a month...

    Same
  • sandy_taylor13
    sandy_taylor13 Posts: 194 Member
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    I'd say about 8 times. Usually it is just 20-30 lbs, this last time it was 50. But I got it all off, and I have a new way of thinking and I will continue to log. Every time I have gained it was because I stopped logging. So this time I will continue to log and not stop on my exercising. It is still staying off for good this time!!!
  • dottyrainesimon
    dottyrainesimon Posts: 17 Member
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    jaz090202 wrote: »
    It's mentally exhausting. I loss 12lbs and.gained 6 back. So I am starting again. I know I am to blame. I just have to realize that I can't splurge all weekend. I can't go to the bar for hours with friends, bc I'm not gonna order a Michelob Ulta..
    just wanted to vent

    I've lost 70lbs twice in the past 20 yrs. I lost it to look good an that was the wrong approach for me. I'm losing again now for my health an well being. 3rd times the charm!
  • sdolan91
    sdolan91 Posts: 250 Member
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    this is my third time, i'm 26. hope i can keep it off.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    I didn't fail so much as I gave up. Due to stress
    and depression. Which in and of itself is a failure of sorts but not the same as a swing and a miss fail...

    I'm on round 2 or 3 now. It is all about my mindset and effort, really.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
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    I don't keep track, but probably the last time I was really serious about it was like 15 years ago
  • ckh825
    ckh825 Posts: 23 Member
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    At my heaviest I was close to 400lbs, I was tired of being overweight, joined MFP, got a treadmill, and went to work. About 2 years later I was down to 250. Life hit me hard, I got a divorce, met a new guy, got married, next thing I know I am back at 330/350. So here I am again, but that does not include all the times when I was younger, joining the gym to never go, trying to talk myself into walking 5 days a week, just to quit a few weeks later. So no matter how many times you gain some of or even all of the weight back, you got to just get back up and get back on it.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,992 Member
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    Technically, once. There was the initial "OMG, I'm fat, I need to do something about it" process, which was first food, then fitness, then combining the two, and I was making slow but steady progress and feeling good.

    Then I (badly) broke my leg and my life was turned upside down for the better part of a year. During that time I knew I could control the weight by controlling my eating, but dang it, I didn't want to. I was stressed enough as it was, and food was one thing I could enjoy...plus, eating out/delivery was a hell of a lot easier when I was on crutches and back to work. I put on 10 of the 18 pounds I had lost.

    Now I'm back at it, and I'm quite okay with my choices over the past year. Sure, it kinda sucks, but restricting my eating on top of everything else I was dealing with and giving myself grief about would probably just have pushed me over the edge.

    There are days I'm frustrated with feeling like I'm practically "starting over" but it's easier this time around and my fitness actually came back a LOT faster than trying to get (re)fit in the first place. The now Franken-leg has it's own issues, and is slow going, but it's making progress as well, so I'm okay with where I'm at. I'm back to training like a crazy lady, and this race season is looking a whole lot better than last year....
  • JoAnna4731
    JoAnna4731 Posts: 115 Member
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    I don't like to look at it as failing. This is my third weight loss journey in 27 years of adulthood, after packing on 45 pounds over two decades. The pounds crept up each time because, well . . . life happens. But it was all great things, so I can't look at it as a failure. I went back to professional school in my thirties, and it was intense and amazing and it required a singular focus at the time, and that did not include my weight. Six years later, I had my son, which was intense and amazing and it required a singular focus at the time, which did not include my weight.

    I have made a job change that allows me the time I need to focus on me for the first time in a very, very long time, and now I can focus on my weight. I know I can do this, as I did it successfully twice before.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
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    Twice that I actually count (because I don't count backsliding breaks when I'm still active on MFP for example - those regains have all been less than 25% of my total loss). I have 2 kids. Do the math... LOL
  • julie19892013
    julie19892013 Posts: 6 Member
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    Lost 20, gained 10, lost 5 currently.. trying to lose 20. Current weight 130 goal weight 115. 15 more pounds to go!!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    30 years of yo-yo’ing
    Back in 2012 lost 70
    Back in 2013 gained 70
    2015-2017 lost 75, maintaining so far....
  • rayzerwolf
    rayzerwolf Posts: 203 Member
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    Twice, first time I lost 75 pounds(started around 220) then over 3 years gained 57 pounds. Now I am down to 174
    hoping to get somewhere between 150 and 155
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    jaz090202 wrote: »
    It's mentally exhausting. I loss 12lbs and.gained 6 back. So I am starting again. I know I am to blame. I just have to realize that I can't splurge all weekend. I can't go to the bar for hours with friends, bc I'm not gonna order a Michelob Ulta..
    just wanted to vent

    Figuring out how to maintain long term is a process, for sure. Sounds like you are in the process of finding your way. For one thing, you're taking matters back in hand before you have re-gained all your lost weight and then some. Keep track of your personal data. You can figure out how many excess calories your weekend splurge has involved and plan accordingly. I personally find light beers pretty discouraging, too :)

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