For those who have lost and gained and are losing again (what I've learned)
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I've lost and gained a couple times in the past, usually gaining when life gets overwhelming and I don't take the time to care for myself. Most recently I was working out a lot but eating horribly (and far too much), and finally decided that if I was going to put in so much effort in the gym I needed to not sabotage myself with my nutrition. I logged back into MFP and weighed in and found that I'd gotten all the way back to my highest ever weight from the last time I'd used MFP (184lbs at 5'8", albeit with slightly different body composition this time, I'm sure).
This time around it was interesting because I was starting off feeling pretty physically fit and strong already, so it felt easier to just add the nutrition component vs starting with diet and exercise from ground zero. Have been logging for 70 days now and 18 pounds lost!
I definitely feel like I've learned a lot about fitness and my body this past year too. My first couple weight loss adventures I was doing almost nothing but cardio, eventually leading to a knee injury so I can't handle much running at all anymore. Now I feel like I'm the opposite - super eager to go lift weights or do circuit training with little desire to do any cardio, which is its own problem I guess.12 -
This post is awesome. So much truth and reality! @RelCanonical
At 44....I can say that I have spent 75% of my life on some form of a diet or a binge. Thank the Lord I have finally come to terms with who I am and how I am made. I know what makes me tick. That is at least some of the battle won. Now on to learning to live without walls of confinement. Just living life and enjoying it.
Thanks for your post.14 -
For anyone interested, I wrote out my story about when I was binge eating, and recovering from it, if you want something LONG and WORDY and maybe somewhat TRIGGERY. I put it in my blog just in case so people could decide more readily if they want to read: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/RelCanonical/view/my-binge-eating-story-97643513
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Updated before-and-after, now with face pics:
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Looking great! Are you officially in maintenance now?0
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Thank you for the update or I might have never seen this thread!
Sharing your insights makes me want to reflect on mine and take some time to write them down. Thank you!
In the past the losing wasn’t the hard part once I was mentally in that headspace. Maintenance was the challenge because I was either “dieting” or I wasn’t. And when I wasn’t, nothing was off limits - types of foods or quantities. What I am finding through my tracking using MFP is that I can still have the foods I want, just not in unlimited quantities. If I choose to eat high calorie, low nutrient foods, I will 1) be able to eat less food overall, and 2) most likely will still be hungry. Trade offs/priorities. I am happier when I am not hungry all the time, so eating nutrient dense foods is leaving me satiety.5 -
Some great insights here. Thank you. I was 180lb, lost over 40lb but then over a 3-4 year period I managed to hit 192lb (currently 187lb). Hopefully I can use some of your advice here and succeed properly this time!4
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Thank you for sharing your journey! I struggle with the same thing. I'll try follow your advice!1
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RelCanonical wrote: »Updated before-and-after, now with face pics:
Girl, you look great already! Good job
Wish I would have seen this thread before posting mine. I originally lost about 60lbs then gained almost half of it back. Having a hard time getting back on track, keep going up and down, back and forth
But yeah, is does help a lot to see others have gone through the same thing. The mind is the hardest thing to break, I think that's the main issue2 -
thank you for sharing2
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MelissaLu1216 wrote: »RelCanonical wrote: »Updated before-and-after, now with face pics:
Girl, you look great already! Good job
Wish I would have seen this thread before posting mine. I originally lost about 60lbs then gained almost half of it back. Having a hard time getting back on track, keep going up and down, back and forth
But yeah, is does help a lot to see others have gone through the same thing. The mind is the hardest thing to break, I think that's the main issue
The start of me getting better was recognizing that I'm often the reason I'm not getting where I want to be in life. I'm holding myself back, but the breakthrough was realizing that I didn't need to punish myself for holding myself back. I just needed to stop doing it and move on with life. Easier said than done, but I'm getting better at putting myself first more and not attacking myself as much when I think I've made a mistake.10 -
Digesting your advice & hoping to benefit from it.
PS: I think 138 looks better on you than 130. Your arms look better to me at 138 (but maybe you're lifting weights now to have better muscle tone).
Her post isn't here for you to give your opinion on her body. Keep that to yourself, because her whole point would be lost if you cant.4 -
RelCanonical wrote: »
2. Just because I tell myself that weight loss won't solve my problems, doesn't mean I actually believe it. I need to believe it.
2.5. My body image and self-esteem issues will not be solved by weight loss. In fact, weight loss may make them temporarily worse.
2.5.5. It's the good habits that make me feel good, not the actual results (although the results help).
This spoke to my core.
This year I am the fattest I have ever been, but also the first year I wear crop tops outside of my house. I now feel like I have high enough self esteem to try and lose weight, because I realize weight isnt the problem. My mind is.
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Digesting your advice & hoping to benefit from it.
PS: I think 138 looks better on you than 130. Your arms look better to me at 138 (but maybe you're lifting weights now to have better muscle tone).
Her post isn't here for you to give your opinion on her body. Keep that to yourself, because her whole point would be lost if you cant.
I don’t think they meant it poorly, but I found it funny because the sleeve on the dress I’m wearing definitely disguises the shape of my arm. I would say my arm shape hasn’t changed much, I just got better at dressing lol. The power of clothing.5 -
I'm still loving this thread.1
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So much good advice here! Thank you for sharing your experience! Enjoy the journey and be healthy. Not making weight loss an obsession.1
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I'm right there with you. Lost 55 pounds from 2014 to 2016, gained back a little when I started maintaining, but then in 2018 my whole life was turned upside down at my job with too many changes to note, then two years of pandemic plus working amidst the pandemic in the schools this past year -- I really need to find another way to deal with stress than eating.
Now I'm only 11 pounds less than my highest weight ever recorded with plans (again) to get back down. I have noticed that I tend to do well for a week, two weeks or even a month and then something derails me and discourages me and then I just quit for a while. I've also noticed that I'm either all in (regarding eating well) or all out (buying a candy bar every time I stop for gas, eating chips with my lunches every day vs. eating well and logging). So it's like if I'm not logging, it's a free for all. I have to find a middle ground or I will never be able to maintain. I'm disappointed in myself because after I thought I had this all figured out and had taken a year and a half (even through two holiday seasons) to lose the 55 pounds (after dieting on and off all my life), I still gained back most of the weight and I still ate to deal with stress. Exercise helps but it does not undo eating too much of the wrong things. Through all of the stress I still exercised 4-5 times a week like always. So again, finding a middle ground, forgiving myself if I slip and just forging again is the key.
And also self care -- in all things so that it's not just all about the weight and the number. It's everything -- reading, doing something creative -- a holistic approach.5 -
By looking at your progress photos, with the exception of 2011, I can honestly say I thought you were still college age0
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While I have never been overweight, I have gone from sickly thin, to skinny fat, to fit a few times in my life. If you haven't heard the phrase "skinny fat" before, it means someone who appears to be thin, but they have a high body fat percentage. I had anorexia as a teen, and I was actually emaciated for awhile. I temporarily recovered in order to join the military. I had a kid and got out of the military. Then the post-partum weight caused another bout of anorexia. This time around I got skeletal-thin. My lowest BMI was 14.
That was about 16 years ago. Since then I've gone from skinny fat to fit over and over again. Something always seems to happen to throw me off of my routine. The latest thing was obviously Covid. I gained 10lbs and became flabby. Now I'm super close to my pre-covid fit self, but I hate this going back and forth business. I just really really want to stay at my goal and maintain it. I can't predict the future, but I can use tips and tricks that will help the routine stick. The biggest thing for me is finding a workout routine that I enjoy. I was shocked to find out from my personal trainer that I actually love doing strength training. I'm no longer intimidated by the machines and weights, and seeing the weight that I can lift increase is always good motivation.3
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