My first time posting before & *during* pics 60lbs lost

Great job! Keep it up - don't allow yourself to get discouraged. Forget that you gained a few - just remember how much you've lost, and focus on today!

I was where you are - 260 lbs, for several years. 245 for several more after that. 2 years ago I was 145. I went through some changes and upheaval, fell off the wagon, and gained some back, but I know I can do it again.

It took me a year and a half to go from 245 to 145. Just imagine - keep steady and 18 mos from now, you could be 160! At least for me, the way to do it isn't to think about the end goal (too far away!), it's to think about each day - each time you get to log your weight and it's a pound lower, it's a reward all on it's own. It's 1lb less than yesterday.

When you want to go for a large loss, which takes time to do it right, I find that it's easier if you get into a system/routine/habit where you can "zone out" - almost on auto pilot. Just like brushing your teeth - you don't really think about it, you just do it the same way every day - the way that works best for you. Do the same with each meal - generally you'll discover that you have 1-2 breakfasts, ~5 lunches, a few dinners, and 1-2 dessert options, etc... that you like best and work best for you when losing. Same for workouts. So, make it a routine habit - do it the same style every day, selecting from your standby pen of favorites, one day at a time.

In that mode, I find that even though I'm only focusing on today or tomorrow, the months/pounds fly by faster than I ever thought possible - because I'm paying attention to other things rather than my diet/exercise, since I know that if I just keep going the way I am - everything will be good. It's just my life - what I do every day.

And for the love of God: If there is a part of your routine that you absolutely dread every day - where it takes all of your focus and energy just to force yourself into it / through it each and every day, or that you have to bend over backwards to accommodate - FIND ANOTHER WAY. With a long term large loss, I found that this was the only way - because it will mess with your ability to be content in your zone/routine. Ignore anyone that implies that this is "lazy" and that you should just muscle through it - or that tells you they've done it and it's really not that hard (making you feel like you're a total ***** - I never understood why people think this is helpful).

For anyone that is at 200+, it's a completely different world. Everything is more difficult and must be sustained for a much longer period of time to be successful. Someone who needs to lose 5, 10, or even 20 lbs. can more easily "bite the bullet" and force themselves to tolerate something they hate for a month or two before transitioning back to maintenance. It's entirely different when healthy eating and (especially) exercise are already MUCH more difficult each day for someone at 200+, but when you are looking down the barrel of doing it every day for 1, 2, or more YEARS - you're doomed. Nobody has that kind of fortitude - not even f-ing Superman.

What almost never seems to get said or understood, but really needs to in the world of weight loss, is that if you are starting at 200+ you just can't diet/exercise like someone who is starting at under 200 lbs. I know it's not optimal, but I didn't exercise AT ALL until I was below 200lbs - it was so horrendously difficult that if I tried to force myself to do it it tanked my whole effort. I never would have gotten below 200 if I had, because I would have given up. You have to do what you can do every day - like brushing your teeth. Even if it's small things - they are things that you weren't doing before, right? And you can always add more at any time. All the gyms, weights, running shoes, and celery in the world are not going to disappear tomorrow.

Once I was under 200 I started walking, then eventually working on the Couch to 5K program, then trying weight routines and gym memberships. And, sure, when I didn't exercise there were lots of under 200 folks that looked down on me for that or thought I was weak willed - but nobody was criticizing when I got down to 145. Suddenly they were all asking me for tips.

Nobody would dream of asking someone who's 5'4 to repair a ceiling fan without a ladder, and then criticize them because they can't do it the same way as someone that is 6'7. You are who you are. You can't approach weight loss like someone who's 160lbs. You can't expect it of yourself, and if anyone else expects it of you (especially if they have never been there), you can tell them to piss off. And trust me it will happen - because they can't understand what's it's like or how much strength it really takes unless they are willing to wake up every morning, take a Unisom, and strap on 60+lbs worth of ankle / arm / backpack weights before proceeding with their day. And I know, from experience, that it truly is that much different.

And even I can only imagine how much strength and fortitude it has taken to come as far as you have. Congratulate yourself for that, and recognize that it means you are an extraordinarily strong person that can do anything you put your mind to.

*stepping down from soapbox*