[healthyme05]

So...
I got off track at the end of April and allll throughout May. Finals in school were atrocious and caused me to stop paying attention to other aspects of life like eating well and exercising. During that time I gained 9 pounds (from 141 to 150).

I was able to get back on track June 2. My motivating factors?

I was and still am so close to my goal.
I am finally enjoying my body.
I am no longer as self-conscious about myself.
I feel better in general. Health wise I know my body is happy. Mentally, I'm more pleased with myself. Socially, I'm more open.

So my question to you is...how many times have you gotten off track? How much did you gain back? How long did you stay off track? And ultimately, what got you going again?

[WastedThermos]

I'm sure this is the... 102938102 time I've started again, but most recently my initial motivating factor was that my "skinny" pants didn't really fit anymore. Believe me, I tried to tell myself it was because they had just come out of the dryer. So I wore them around for a little while and I could barely breathe. Then I thought..."Well, maybe I'm just retaining water.." but my TOM came and went and the jeans were still too uncomfortable to wear. So, I finally broke down and weighed myself and to my shock and horror I was up to 222, meaning I'd gained about 10lbs since the last time I weighed and 20lbs since October. I knew my eating had been pretty out of control, but I felt like if I avoided the scale I wouldn't gain weight.
I know, totally.. ridiculous.

Anyway, now that I've gotten back on track my motivating factors are not just the skinny jeans and seeing the scale go back down.. but wanting to be able to jog 5k again, wanting to not feel guilty everyday for my crazy food behavior, and wanting to start my 21st year on the right foot.

Part of my excuses for bad food behavior the past few months is because of not wanting to deal with the stress of relationships, friendships, money, and school. It is easier during the summer for me to get started and stay on a plan because I have more time and flexibility.

[Daisy Boo]

i have always been weight/size focussed since i can remember. in my teenage years i played dangerously with not eating and over exercising. i can't believe how thin i was when i look back at pictures.

anyway, in 2001 i went from 95kg to 75kg within about 7 months. it was a complete lifestyle change that happened when i moved from my home town to the big city and lived with my parents again. i didn't drink (which was a nightly occurance before), i ate what the family ate and i exercised for 25 minutes while watching Neighbours every week night. the weight fell off before i knew it.

then, i moved out with some friends and eventually became complacent. i stopped exercising, i ate what i wanted, and i began drinking socially more.

then i met my current partner. unfortunately, i have gained back that 20kg and then another 10kg since being with him. we enjoy our creature comforts and our food, etc, and it has just gotten out of control. i was essentially vegetarian before going out with him, but he is what i would call carnivore. he eats no vegetables (except root vegies). so i ate more red meat, sausages, he is the bbq king.

anyway, i am now coming towards 30 years and i don't want to be unhealthy and overweight when i hit 30. i want to have a baby when i am 30 and to do that, i want to be in the best condition i can be. i want to want to go out and socialise in public and not go through the constant "nothing fits" routine before a night out.

i figured it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and take control of my life. i may not be able to control other things, but my body, i can.

[FaeReverie]

I was doing really well here before.. I lost 25 lbs within 3 months! Then I couldn't afford my Curves membership anymore, and I had switched to a new job that wasn't Wendys.. but instead a cooking job in a resteraunt, so I was eating constantly. Before I knew it, my weight had gone right back up.. instead of having gone down 2 pants sizes before my boyfriend got off his ship, I looked exactly the same.

I recently moved in with my boyfriend, who is insanely thin, and we live 5 minutes away from the beach. There's pretty much my reasoning there.. hehe.

[WastedThermos]

Living/eating with guys is one of my excuses too.. I have 2 male roommates who are really thin and eat constantly.. red meat, cheese, desserts, ice cream and no veggies. They always want to make late-night food runs and it was easy for me to just go along. My other roommate, a female, (yes.. i have three roommates) is kind of a booze-hound. She drinks almost every night and so it is easy to always have someone to drink with. Lately though, I've just been trying to keep to myself when all those vices are around. I read somewhere that Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas who has a GREAT body has a hard time not wanting to keep up with all the guys when they are on tour because she can't eat the same way they do and stay fit. I'm no Fergie, but I think the same thing is true for me too.


Then, the kinda-bf came along and while he's not thin, he loses weight and gains muscle really quickly. We've both been working out like crazy and that seems to be enough for him to get thin without having to change his eating habits very much. Too bad that doesn't work for me.

[spillthebeans]

Lizzie, welcome back.

Some Mondays, I feel like I'm always trying again, or starting over.

It's like I'm constantly starting...but at least it's that, and I'm not giving up.

My food is really sucking, and I noticed that I've gaine ten pounds. Yikes, I also think it's a combo of finals, and school cutting into my workouts. But hey, enough with the excuses right?

I'm right there with ya ladies! Starting again....here I go again.