Relapse recovery plan - what's yours?
kittybenn
Posts: 444 Member
Have you ever had a big relapse and recovered from it? Would love your suggestions, but here's my story and plan:
In June of this year I had lost 88 lbs in about two years, with another 30 to go. But I spent the summer on "vacation" from my plan, eating and drinking as much as I felt like. I knew that there was a day of reckoning waiting for me out there somewhere. It came on Sunday, when I got back home (we live on our boat in the summers) and found out I'd gained 22 lbs - in 10 weeks. I know, it doesn't seem humanly possible, but that's the reality.
Here's how I'm handling it:
* I weighed myself the morning after I arrived home, knowing the news would not be good.
* I got back on plan that day -- no "I'll get back on plan on Monday" (or on some future date that never comes). My plan is simple: maintain a calorie deficit. I don't follow a particular diet, such as keto.
* I returned to a smallish eating window, which has worked for me in the past. Call it intermittent fasting or whatever, but I know eating between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at least reduces the number of calories I take in. Some research shows it has other benefits. Who knows? Works for me.
* I stocked my kitchen with good and (mostly) healthy stuff to eat. I love smoothies and salads, so it's no problem for me to have those for lunch, with something more substantial for dinner. After the way I ate all summer, I'm actually craving fruits and veggies.
* I raised my calorie limits. I had previously been at 1200, and it was a struggle. I went up to 1400 and feel lots more comfortable and full there. It seems doable and livable. Also a psychological advantage feeling like I'm sticking to a calorie limit instead of blowing it every day.
* I include treats in those 1400 calories. For me, there's just nothing like two Trader Joe's dark peanut butter cups after dinner.
* I've stopped drinking (wine) during the week, but will have moderate amounts on weekends.
* I'm ramping the exercise back up -- in a sane way. I mostly walk and lift weights, but my walks have been shorter this week than they were in June. It's hot here in FL, so I've subscribed to Leslie Sansone's Your Daily Walk for a whopping $5 a month. It's awesome.
* Mornings are for putting myself first. I'm an early riser and my kids are grown, so that's possible for me. Realize it's not for everyone. In the mornings, I meditate for 10 minutes, read through my list of reasons why I wanted to lose weight in the first place and (loosely) plan what I'm going to eat for the day. Then I go outside and do some type of exercise.
Open to any and all thoughts about how to get back on track!
In June of this year I had lost 88 lbs in about two years, with another 30 to go. But I spent the summer on "vacation" from my plan, eating and drinking as much as I felt like. I knew that there was a day of reckoning waiting for me out there somewhere. It came on Sunday, when I got back home (we live on our boat in the summers) and found out I'd gained 22 lbs - in 10 weeks. I know, it doesn't seem humanly possible, but that's the reality.
Here's how I'm handling it:
* I weighed myself the morning after I arrived home, knowing the news would not be good.
* I got back on plan that day -- no "I'll get back on plan on Monday" (or on some future date that never comes). My plan is simple: maintain a calorie deficit. I don't follow a particular diet, such as keto.
* I returned to a smallish eating window, which has worked for me in the past. Call it intermittent fasting or whatever, but I know eating between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at least reduces the number of calories I take in. Some research shows it has other benefits. Who knows? Works for me.
* I stocked my kitchen with good and (mostly) healthy stuff to eat. I love smoothies and salads, so it's no problem for me to have those for lunch, with something more substantial for dinner. After the way I ate all summer, I'm actually craving fruits and veggies.
* I raised my calorie limits. I had previously been at 1200, and it was a struggle. I went up to 1400 and feel lots more comfortable and full there. It seems doable and livable. Also a psychological advantage feeling like I'm sticking to a calorie limit instead of blowing it every day.
* I include treats in those 1400 calories. For me, there's just nothing like two Trader Joe's dark peanut butter cups after dinner.
* I've stopped drinking (wine) during the week, but will have moderate amounts on weekends.
* I'm ramping the exercise back up -- in a sane way. I mostly walk and lift weights, but my walks have been shorter this week than they were in June. It's hot here in FL, so I've subscribed to Leslie Sansone's Your Daily Walk for a whopping $5 a month. It's awesome.
* Mornings are for putting myself first. I'm an early riser and my kids are grown, so that's possible for me. Realize it's not for everyone. In the mornings, I meditate for 10 minutes, read through my list of reasons why I wanted to lose weight in the first place and (loosely) plan what I'm going to eat for the day. Then I go outside and do some type of exercise.
Open to any and all thoughts about how to get back on track!
15
Replies
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Sounds like you have a good plan there. Good luck 😊2
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Good plan in my opinion. After my diet break I was not able to go back to 1200 either. I ended up at 1350 for a while and found it much easier. Also I raised my goal weight which had been unreasonable up to that point. At 62 years of age I was trying to get back to what I weighed at 16. Never happened, lol. I raised it ten pounds and finally hit goal and I'm maintaining. I know you will get there too!3
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Great plan!!1
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Same as always - try to eat and exercise in a way I can see myself going about life forever, not do anything specific for losing except setting the calorie goal lower.3
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Sounds like a workable plan. I'm in the same boat. Achieved my goal weight after losing 60 pounds and have been "vacationing" now for a little over a year and have put on 19 pounds. The frustrating part is when I first lost my weight I had the initial whoosh that most people experience, then a steady weight loss over a year. This time, no whoosh (which I realize is water weight) and I struggle hard to lose every ounce. I know most of it is my mental state at this time...I need to adopt your positive attitude!1
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cheryldumais wrote: »After my diet break I was not able to go back to 1200 either. I ended up at 1350 for a while and found it much easier.
Oh, that makes me feel so much better - thanks!1 -
Achieved my goal weight after losing 60 pounds and have been "vacationing" now for a little over a year and have put on 19 pounds. The frustrating part is when I first lost my weight I had the initial whoosh that most people experience, then a steady weight loss over a year. This time, no whoosh (which I realize is water weight) and I struggle hard to lose every ounce.
Oh man, at least you caught it at 19. Took me to 22, LOL! I am having a bit of a whoosh, so it's a psychological boost even though I know it doesn't really matter, and it's going to take me at least several months to get back to where I was before the summer. The positive attitude only comes from knowing I have two choices -- give up and regain all my weight and get to lose it all over again - or - get a grip now and move forward. When I joined MFP in 2016 I vowed that I would never stick my head in the sand and ignore a weight gain again. I almost just did, so feel like I've at least reversed that.
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You may find that the first few pounds come off easily, because they are water gain from more salt, etc. On my vacation this summer (12 week road trip) I thought I had gained 7 pounds when I got home. (I watched what I ate and continued to exercise, just not as consistently as I do at home, so the weight gain wasn't too bad, just more than I hoped.) I weighed myself 3 days later and had dropped 3 pounds of water weight. Since then I have lost 2 more pounds by careful monitoring and increased exercise. I agree though, it is hard to go back to careful eating and logging everything when you've had a break for a while.1
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spiriteagle99 wrote: »I agree though, it is hard to go back to careful eating and logging everything when you've had a break for a while.
Ya know, I actually got sick of overeating and overdrinking, but it was a full 10 weeks of doing that. I actually started looking forward to the good feeling you get when you're running your life in a fairly disciplined way!2 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »I agree though, it is hard to go back to careful eating and logging everything when you've had a break for a while.
Ya know, I actually got sick of overeating and overdrinking, but it was a full 10 weeks of doing that. I actually started looking forward to the good feeling you get when you're running your life in a fairly disciplined way!
I found out that it is possible to do that all the time!
Who knew?
Start making your plan for next summer, too.
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@cmriverside I long for the day when I'm doing that all the time! I KNOW I'm happier that way, but just screw up. Yes, a plan. I DID have one, but just kinda went nuts. One of the hilarious things on our little boat is that I do have a scale but there's no flat surface to put it on inside the cabin. When you lay it down on a wobbly cabin sole you get readings that keep changing - in a range of something like 10 lbs. It's crazy. I weigh in the a.m. with no clothes on, so it's not like I'm going to put it out on the dock. So I stopped weighing. Perhaps I need to go out on the dock naked next summer, LOL.2
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We used to live on our boat on the Chesapeake during summers. A few things...1) you feel like your on vacation for a full 3 months 2) it’s often too hot to cook on the boat and 3) our marina didn’t have an easy access grocery (but did have several bars). So yes, start planning for next summer!
Your plan sounds spot on!2 -
Your plans are spot on. I know you got this. Focus on what works for you the weight will come off.1
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