Why? Why can’t i get back/stay on track?

I'm nowhere near your age but I definitely understand going back and forth like crazy. I've found the most critical thing is becoming more conscious of our thought patterns and their association with our motivational drives, emotions, and attention.

So much goes into the word we call 'habit'. Whenever we eat food to address an emotional state, or eat in response to some triggering thought or stimulus (i.e, driving by McDonald's on the way home), we're training ourselves to repeat that pattern of behavior, the same as you would train a dog. Learning to disassociate from my train of thought and its associated emotions (or learning to suddenly interrupt that chain of thought) allows me to put my attention elsewhere. When my attention is no longer directed at food, I feel no desire or temptations towards it (well, until it intrudes on my attention again - but then its back to step one )

Good luck getting focused with this.

Edit: You say you're a strong women and I believe you. But I honestly don't think this is a matter of 'strength' or 'willpower'. Desires are a part of us - the harder we fight, the harder they fight back. The more attention we give them, the less we can let go. The more we relax... so do they.

I'm 28 and I'm the same. I had my daughter and have been yoyoing with weight since 2010. I got to a great weight earlier this year of 9st 10 (i'm only 5 ft 1) and I literally piled it ALL (I'm now 11st 2) back on in like 3 months?! I'm getting better but I suffer with anxiety and I notice that AS SOON as I start to feel anxious I reach for something to snack on or eat. If I feel stressed, overwhelmed etc it triggers the eating, but I know that now, so I can look at these situations where I over eat objectively... It is definitely mind over matter for me but also not depriving myself entirely because I know that's when I'll eat too much! Cut out things little and often, slow progress is still progress!! Don't beat yourself up.

Your story is just like mine- except I'm 40.

I lost 50 lbs doing CICO, and maintained a good weight for six years and then it slowly crept back up. Not to the same high, but too high. I literally struggled for three years trying to get motivated to get back down again- I'd say I need to lose 20 lbs.

Anyways, I finally figured out why. I am addicted to sugar. I tried Keto just because it's all the rage at work- i'm not a believer in gimmicks but i saw coworkers lose weight on it so i figured i would try. My belief is that Keto works because you are cutting calories. I'm netting less than 1200 on most days. But the REAL benefit of eating low carb is that it tackles that addiction to sugars and carbs. I feel free of food cravings. It's so goddamned liberating!!!!

I don't know if this is your situation, but it is mine. I am a food addict.

Now i eat less than 50 net carbs a day.

I don't intend to do this for the rest of my life, but until i lose 20 lbs I am sticking to it. I have done 2 weeks and lost 6 lbs.

I mean this is the most helpful, least condescending way, you may need professional help. Sometimes, its not just "overeating just because" sometimes it's a symptom of another issue. It may not be but if this is a constant battle it could potentially be something more. Either way it's worth having the conversation with your doctor. Best of luck, were in this together.

The first step is awareness. Now you're tracking exactly the what you're putting in your body, you're aware and therefore have the power to change.

You can do this! I used to be a serial emotional eater. I learnt to stop feeding the emotional hunger with physical food and started to nourish my emotional needs instead.

I'm 68, and I started this journey back in 2012, when I needed to have a heart stent put in for a clogged artery. Never had a heart attack, my heart is still strong, but it was definitely enough to put me into a frenzy. So I started logging foods, lost 58 pounds and hit my goal two years ago. Relaxed a bit, gained back 20 and realized that, for me, logging is a way of life. No logging means weight gained. And I will NOT go back to being obese, nope, ain't goin' there. So I found MFP (my old site, Calorie Count had closed down) and started back in to logging everything I ate and all exercise. I hit goal again in April, went on maintenance for the summer, and now I'm back into loss mode, decided that while I'm within the normal weight range for my height, I don't have much wiggle room. This is a life style change, not a diet... I refuse to give up the foods that I love (CHOCOLATE) so I have to hold myself accountable. And logging does it for me. You just have to get your heart (and head) around it, realize that today's lifestyles are not all that good for our health (just look at the obesity rates throughout the world!) and decide if you're going to do what needs to be done to stay healthy, or let yourself slip back into not liking your own body. It's work! It isn't easy! But you CAN do this again, you did it once, so you know it's possible. I wish you the best on your journey, just stay strong and remember that this is life. You're going to slip up here and there, but as they say, just get back on that horse and RIDE! If you'd like to add me for support, feel free to do so. That goes for anyone here, K?