[GirlieJayhawk]

So I lost 99 pounds and fell off the wagon a few months ago. I've gained 20 back and I know I need to get back on track but I feel like I'm OUT of motivation.

How do I get back on track???

[jenjenangel027]

Honestly the first step is truly wanting it your head has to be straight then its so much in food planning!!!!!

[Slashnl]

Commit to making it happen again. You did an amazing job the first time around, so you can do it again!!

Remember: Motivation only takes us as far as the start, Dedication is what takes us to goal!

[Underwater]

I'm in a really similar situation! Lost 110, gained 15 back. Here's what I'm doing - no eating out, lots of food planning, commitment to running 3x week & weights 2x week, and keeping junk food out of my house!

We can lose our regain together!

[ubergirl]

Bunch of regainers chiming in here. I lost 110 lbs and gained back 90 before I finally turned it around.

Here are some things to think over:

1. Has something changed in your life that is making it harder for you to stay on track (a big move, job change, or new stress) If so, tackle that NOW.

2. Are you being realistic about a weight that you can maintain for the long haul? I maintained in the 190s for over a year, but I could not keep my weight in the 180s, no matter how hard I tried-- looking back, I wish I had worked harder at maintaining a slightly higher weight... I've seen a lot of regainers who ran into trouble because in order to keep their weight where they wanted it they had to work so hard that they hit burn-out. That happened to me. I literally remember one day I was tired, and normally I always worked out at night, and I thought to myself, "you're so tired, why do you push yourself so hard?" and I skipped my workout, and then I didn't work out again for over a year... it is really hard to push yourself super hard all the time and sustain that over long periods of time. So, before you started regaining, do you feel like you were pushing yourself really hard? If so, rather than trying to go gangbusters you can try to find a middle ground.

20 pounds is not much. You could take a very moderate plan-- for example, lose 5 then maintain for a while, lose another 5, maintain for a while... etc.

We are all different so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but it was AWFUL for me to lose over a hundred pounds and maintain my loss for quite a while only to simply lose it and gain most of it back really fast... and I know in my case, the things I mentioned above all played into it: Stress (I moved and changed jobs) burn-out (I had too much on my plate and not enough mental energy left to focus on my weight) and trying to maintain a weight that was lower than my body seemed willing to go.

Good luck!

[Streudel]

This right here.

Slashnl said

Remember: Motivation only takes us as far as the start, Dedication is what takes us to goal!

Ok, I could just be talking out of my...well...you know...but it seems to me that the reason we regain is the same reason smokers and drinkers fall off the wagon after years of arresting their habits. We allow ourselves to believe there are circumstances under which we can return to old habits without consequences, or we tell ourselves in that moment that those consequences don't matter to us anymore.

Except they always do eventually.

I've lost and regained significant amounts of weight for the last 30 years. My last serious effort resulted in a loss of 70 lbs followed by a gain of 80. I went through a divorce, job position change, moved twice, had a major bout of depression, I could keep going but you get the point. So on top of all of those kicks in the teeth, I added gaining back all the weight I worked so hard to lose.

I didn't care at the time, but I did eventually.

Here comes the possible talking out of my rear end part: I have not gotten to goal and maintained for years, so this is just theory, but I believe what will make the difference this time is my belief that I can't go back to my old habits. Not even for a short time.

I couldn't smoke a cigarette and expect it to be only one cigarette, even though I've been quit for over ten years. If I had diabetes or a food allergy, I couldn't just say the heck with it because the consequences would be immediate. Just because the consequences of going off plan might take some time to catch up doesn't mean they're not coming.

I may make planned indulgences.

I may take planned rest days from exercise.

I might make mistakes with my plan.

I might have a fall back plan of healthy fast food nights when I'm too overwhelmed to cook.

The one thing I can't do is not have a plan. I can't just say " since my life is going to heck in a handbucket, I'm going to eat self-destructively ". I have to be dedicated to my health no matter what life throws at me, because flinging crap at you is what life does. Learn to duck.

[Mountain Mamma]

Disclaimer - I'm not in the 100 lb club but I'm dealing with my own re-gain and accompanying self-disgust. And I'm blown away by the comments from Slashli, Ubergirl and Struedel. Wow! Spot on! Lots to think about there.

[toastedsmoke]

I understand where you're coming from totally. I lost 120 lbs and regained back 40 after maintaining for about a year. It's disheartening and also the strange thing is that despite knowing what it takes to get back down, it's soooo hard to find the discipline to get back down but still I plug away.

There are 2 things to consider: 1.) could you be happy at your current weight and is it easy for you to maintain?, 2.) what went wrong for you for the regain and what has changed as you try to go back down? For me, I suppose if I have to stay at this weight I could be happy, but I also know maintaining a lower weight wasn't that hard for me either which is why I'm trying to get back lower. My regain was caused by choosing a hobby (baking) that involved my kryptonite (cake) and engaging in said hobby multiple times a day. So I hope if I get rid of that, I will do better next time, now that I know that just because I weigh less, I'm not "fixed."

Know that either way, you can do this. 20 lbs is an excellent place to call a halt to a bigger regain. There's a regain relosers group here that's pretty awesome and pretty active, so definitely join us, if you like. Well done on your achievement!! This regain in no way negates all you've accomplished. If you don't feel quite able to commit to relosing the regain yet, see if you can commit to maintaining the loss you have now till you're ready to take whatever next steps you choose.

[Bardess]

So much good advice here! I know another poster started this thread, but I want to thank each of you who have responded, for myself.

I sorta felt like I was in this field of my own, having lost a significant amount of weight and then gaining all but a few pounds back over time. I'm frustrated and ashamed and had no idea that while I found my first attempt at weight loss fairly smooth going, this time everything seems IMPOSSIBLE and that's apparently normal.

All of the things that I did to lose the weight 10 years ago are *not* working now. This seems like even more of a hurdle to get over than just starting a new diet or exercise plan or whatever. I feel a little lost, to be honest. I need to lose this weight. For my health, and the health of my family.