Hello lovely people

I have been with you all in spirit over the last few months, and now, here I am, back in type as well!

Having lost over 40 lbs, I decided, a few months back, to take a break, with the aim of maintaining my weight until January......I knew that the changes in my 'life circumstances' would make it an uphill struggle to continue to shed pounds, but I didn't want to undo all the healthy habits, and hard work....

So, I plucked up the courage to get on the scales last week.....and to my amazement, I had gained a measly 3lbs since end of October. Interestingly, I had been feeling like I had gained a whole lot more - clothes were definitely getting tighter.

I am now back into the healthy eating regime, and lost 4lbs last week. Am frustrated on the exercise front, since I have a nasty, long-lasting cold, and have to wait until that passes until I get to the gym (.....sounds like an excuse, but I had a really bad bronchitis and long-lasting post-viral/ME illness a few years ago, and have learned many lessons about not pushing your body too far when ill.....). So I am walking (slowly!) 30 mins every day.....

I'd be interesting in hearing other peoples experiences of 'taking a break'. For me, it has been really positive - I feel that it bodes well for maintaining that I only gained a few pounds, that I am back on track when I said I would be, and that I had a great few months without beating myself up about weightloss.

Have to confess, that I have been lurking here a lot during the last few months - I think it definitely helped with the maintenance!

I took a break right before Thanksgiving but it wasn't planned. I didn't eat very well at all and exercised only sporadically. I had basically lost a bit of motivation. I was scared that I would never get the motivation back. Well I ended up gaining 12 lbs which I thought was low compared to how bad my eating was. As of today, I have lost those 12 lbs and am reading to keep going down. I have also regained my motivation and I am probably going stronger, in both the food and exercise departments, than I ever have.

Even though I felt kind of angry with myself for gaining weight and having to work hard to lose the weight yet again. I do think it is good though because I am more motivated right now.

Good Girl! Glad your able to get back your motivation. I knew I was going to slip up on Thanksgiving and X-mas so let go of the guilt for then. It is hard to get back in stide now but after a couple weeks of sneaking snacks in between meals I finally got a grip on it again this last week. Thank goodness the holidays are over.

Good for you, Claire!

I, too, took a break from some time in November to December 31. I didn't fare as well as you, however, but I was pleased that I exercised every day except for Christmas. I gained more than I wanted to, but not as much as I have in the past during the holidays. And it pointed out some areas I need to work on, like stress eating. I thought I'd broken myself of that, but it reappeared. I realized I have to be ever vigilant.

Thanks for your replies, guys....

Nelie - its fantastic that you are back at it, with more motivation than ever.....don't give yourself a hard time, just feel proud that you have picked yourself up, and are ploughing on.

Pam - glad to know that you're back in your stride. You are doing so so so well!!! Sometimes I think being around the halfway mark is really tough psychologically.....

Sheila - I really know what you mean about the stress eating - well mine is more comfort eating, really. When life gets really tough, its hard to find the strength and energy to stay away from those old habits.....

welcome back. Glad to see your maintaining went well for hte most part and that you learned while doing it.

I've been stuck here since aug. but I will admit it's my fault for not moving on. I think I'm psychologically stuck around 260. I don't know if it's fear of the "unknown" or what. some days I have great motivation only to have it blown away the next day by my boredom eating.