Fell of the Wagon and Can't Get Back On!

I'm in the exact same boat - last spring was phenomenal, then come summer I fell off. Any suggestions? I could use them too!

Remember that depression can take a hold of you and pull you down, You must keep it at bay and be dilligent in your efforts. Mentally prepare yourself every day to do what's right. You know what's right from wrong, so perhaps if you journal out why you are feeling this way when it starts to feel like this, it will help you get a hold of the "WHY".


also, here are a few tips that I found to work for me:
1. Make MFP your home page
2. Log in EVERYDAY, read the message boards... post.. Keep your mind actively thinking about it.
3. Don't try to change too much at once, Implement 1 change every week or so. Little tweeks over time seem to work best or at least better than butt load of change all at once
4. Always be honest. We al fall on our way to the top, be honest, no one is judging you here... we all support eachother
5. Keep trying new things until you find what works for you (It took me a while to find my plan and it works great for me but I wouldn't push it on anyone else)
6. Its easier to lift weights than the burdens of carrying weight.
7. take it one day at a time.
8. Have a cheat day or meal, where you eat what you want
9. Try to talk to yourself as if you are talking to your child or loved one. Often times the thing we need most is to be a better friend to ourselves.
10. Smile.

Great advice Apazman! I have just climbed back on the wagon myself after going through months of the self loathing and beating myself up each day for not following the regime. Ech night I would plan what I would do the next day and obviously I never achieved it and just felt a failure, but would plan again the next evening and so on and the cycle continued until I gave myself permission to have a break form not being able to stick to the diet and exercise. It gave me time to refocus what and where I wanted to be and re-evaluate my unrealistic goals. The wagon now seems much more comfortable! I hope you find your way back onto the wagon soon and give yourself some credit for trying to get back on when others have seen that wagin roll off the cliff!!

I l-o-v-e Apazman's advice...You can do it. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Get back on that horse and ride!

Look at your diet and where you live, you can help your energy levels a lot by eating things that will supplement whatever the weather is doing to you, cold, hot, dark and rainy, etc. Do a bit of research, make a fresh start, changing your diet will often be enough to kick start you and your weight loss.

Just start again. Don't think about it, just start. Say to yourself that tomorrow you are going to the gym and just go, not excuses. Set alarms, tell friends to nag you, whatever it takes. Usually the first step is the most difficult. And, once you do start, take it slow. Focus on making life changes rather using drastic measures to get an immediate result. If you make life changes it's harder to go back to what you were doing before.

Write out the reasons why you really want to lose weight. Write out what you don't like about your life and how you'd like it to be next year at this time. Jot down what you know it will take to get there, and what it will take to stay there. Make a decision to do things differently this time around... maybe slower, maybe less consuming of all your time, maybe with added measures to combat everyday life. When you truly examine why you gave up in the past, you'll be able to combat that when you are tempted. Think about what you say to yourself... and be aware of the fact that you are in control, you are able to do this, and you won't let things get in the way. However, be sure your changes are sustainable and go along with your long term goals. ie: You don't want to give up all your free time and have no time left for your spouse or kids, you don't want to get so determined that other folks in your life come secondary. Otherwise, you'll lose the weight, but possibly what you hold dearest too.

Once you are ready to begin:
Write out your top 10 minimums, daily priority list. Like you might list drinking 64 ounces of water a day. Maybe a minimum of 20 minutes of walking, you know what I mean.... things that you can and should go above, but the minimum effort you are committing yourself to. So when you are about to go to bed, you can look over it and see if you have missed anything.

You CAN get back on the wagon. It's just a matter of whether or not you WILL.

We all have different levels of success at this, and most of us do fall of the wagon a few times. The key to getting back on the wagon is to try not to think about all the months of hard work and dedication ahead of you. Just plan out some good choices for your next meal, and get started working out. Even if it's just a ten minute workout, it counts!

Thanks everyone - needed to read some encouraging words today. Got sick this week with a nasty sinus infection and didn't feel well enough to do much. It's a miracle I made it through work. After I finally kick the infection after a few more days on medicine, I'm getting back on track with a new elliptical we ordered! Something to look forward to, and kick start my cardio routine again.

Um.. in my experience you'll do it when you are good and ready. I don't really know what else to say. I was the same way for several months and then one day I just woke up and started all over again. Granted I'm only a little over a month in, but I've lost 22 lbs and going strong. For the first time I feel like this is a truly permanent change. You can't force it. When you are ready you'll know.

The best advice I can give is don't wait until tomorrow, or Sunday, or the 1st, or any other random time that you will pick to start because you will set yourself up for failure! Also, NEVER ever expect that your day will be perfect with eating and exercise. I was so guilty of making one bad choice for the day, saying the day was ruined, would pig out the rest of the day, and then say what is the point of working out and to top it all off say that I would just start "for real" on Sunday!!! By Tuesday I would be saying that I would just start on Sunday again!!! It is a horrible cycle to get in to!

Take everything one step at a time! If you had a great breakfast but splurged on some unexpected pizza for lunch, get back on track immediately and eat a good dinner and workout if you can. Don't beat yourself up over making a bad decision, it happens. Once you start trying to make as many good decisions in a day and not dwelling on the bad choices everything else will fall in place. I believe in you can have what you want in moderation. I could sit down and eat a whole pizza easily, but when you think about how you will feel after or how many hours you would have to workout to burn those calories off, it suddenly becomes less appealing.

Good luck and hope this helps!