I did so great in the beginning... now not so much

I am in the same spot as you! Its really hard for me to eat under my calorie goal, mfp has it at 1230 calories per day, I think I might try to change my goal from 2lbs a week to 1 and see if that helps me. Maybe we just need to take baby steps to get back on track. We have been eating out and eating fast food way to much too. Hopefully we can both get back at it!

I have done this more times than I'd like to admit ... but I think, like BGabbart said, the fact that you recognize the fact that you're slipping and you CARE that that's happening, that's a good step already. Drinking lots of water is certainly key from my experience and from what others have told me. Its okay to give into those sweets cravings every now and then (Lord knows I do!) but you don't want to do it an excessive amount. Moderation/portion control will help. Once you get over the big bump to get back in the game, it gets a little easier. You'll get lots of support here, as you know, so best wishes to you!!

I was in your same situation last year. I did not start MFP until this year, but last year my husband and I were in the process of changing our lives forever. We consider this a life long journey and took it slow.

In Jan 2010 we started with cutting some of our food down to smaller quantities and bringing exercise into our daily life. We decided that we would not eliminate the foods we loved, but eat them in smaller quantities. I lost 75 lbs and he lost 130lbs before our wedding in Oct 2010. After the wedding we got some what lazy and had fallen off the wagon. We decided to start back up in Jan. 2011 after finding this site. I had gained about 7 lbs in the 3 months from the wedding and he had gained about 5lbs. Now we have lost 128 and 234 lbs.

My best suggestion is to gradually start your program andf you may need to adjust your goals until you start getting into a daily or weekly routine. Have faith that you can do this and that your MFP friends will be there to support you along the way.

Right now I am in a plataeu and it is very frustrating, but i am not gaining and I have come so far that I will never let me self get back to where I started even if I have to log my food and exercise forever.

Ohhhhh yeah, I did!

5'4", 237, end of sophomore year. The first love of my life cheated and dumped me (and the fat jokes grew more and more in number). He had turned into an a-hole. I realized that inspite of how nice it was in my home town, there was more out there for me. I wanted to join the Air Force.

I met up with the recruiter at 189. Of course, I was told to lose more weight. I got down to 162 no problem, but it was not coming off, not after a month of hard-core diet and excercise.

But I was desperate.

The recruiter would simply NOT let me in until I was down to 155. Over 2 months later with no mistakes: no progress. It's not like I had a time limit you might say, but jobs were growing scant in town, and the place I worked at were laying people off left and right. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

I grew frantic. I gave myself no more than 1,000 calories a day. Some days, only 800. I excercised every day for at least 2 hours with Tae-Bo, various dance, push-ups, sit-ups, walking, jogging, running, until all I could do is lay on the floor and almost pass out from exhaustion and lack of nutrients. I drank coffee and ate sugar-free chocolate in excessive amounts for their laxative effect. I had circles under my eyes and my boyfriend would comment on how bony I was.

The recruiter was pleased, but he didn't know what it took.

I went through a military physical after a day-and-a-half of starvation. I wouldn't even drink water for fear of tipping the scale too much.

Basic training hit me hard. I had been weakened, and strength training took all I possessed in my body and mind. I gained several pounds of muscle.

Since then, thanks to previous actions, I've gained some back. Partly due to the starvation, but also because I fell off the wagon. Now, here I am. No more risk of job loss.

I'm free to be healthy.

Congratulation on your weight loss of 20 lbs and keeping it off. That is a big deal within itself. You know there are so many people in your position that allow the chaos of life to interrupt the importance of health in their life.
Getting back into it is a mindset you must create and you are on the right track by reaching out via this forum. Logging is import from a tracking stand point but not as important as understand the overall healthiness or unhealthiness of what you are eating. Log those sweets/junk foods when you eat it so you are knowledgeable of how it affects you.
Exercise is important and every little bit counts, if you are doing a little then work it up from there.
It seems like you are a strong willed person and are willing to put in the work to loss and control the weight. Put it into action and feel the success.

I have found it helpful to keep a food log. I write down the night before what I plan to eat the following day and a time frame in which to do it. I try to eat at the same time each day, 3 meals, nothing in between. Also, I prep it ahead of time. For example, I cut a head of romaine and put it in a ziploc, then I cut a bunch of veggies and put it in a ziploc, then I grill some chicken and put it in a ziploc. I only keep the things I am going to eat: oats, yogurt, some fresh fruit, some frozen fruits and veggies. When it's time to eat, I refer to the list, eat, then forget about it until the next time. Cravings and hunger, yes I feel those and they are uncomfortable, but I will not starve, it's really about retraining your body and your mind. YOU can do this.

I weight train first thing after breakfast so I have no excuse to not have time during the day, plus it makes me feel better and get my day started with some pump! I do my cardio in the evening before bed, thats just my preference. But as far as food, what helps me is food planning and prep. I eat 5-6 meals a day and I never feel hungry. My meals are all planned out on Sundays. I sit down and figure out what I want to eat all week (which isnt hard because I eat alot of the same basic foods), then I go buy the groceries I need and spend a few hours dedicated to cooking and storing my foods. I keep my list of meals on my fridge. I also set an alarm on my phone that tells me about the time I need to eat. I try to plan my daily activities around my meal times so I dont slip up and try to stop for something on the road. It can get tedious, but it helps me tremendously. I have ADD so I have to organize or I slip up easily. I also drink as much water as possible or unsweetened tea. If I crave sweets, I eat sugar-free jello, no sugar and only 10 calories Focus more on the nutrients your body needs from the foods and what nutrients are in the foods you are eating because that is more important than trying to lose weight by low calorie intake. I consume about 1500 calories a day, all clean eating and I see myself losing inches consistently. I do sometimes struggle on the weekends, especially when friends invite us to dinner. If you slip up get back on that wagon!! You have to set your determination adn only you can do that. Only you can push yourself and only you really know what you are actually eating and how much you exercise. Its a lifestyle change. Congrats on losing the 20 lbs!! I have lost about the same but am kind of lingering on the scales now. Just losing inches though, which matters more to me than what a scale says anyways!! Hope this helps some