Hello ladies. Last year I lost 37 lbs (which is still on my ticker.) But over the winter I gained back 10lbs. I know that the numbers show that I'm still 27lbs less than I was last year at this time but I feel just as fat as I did back then. People still comment on my weight loss but the 10lbs I've gained back have really depressed me, I can't even bring myself to change my ticker. Anyone else feel like they're just as fat as ever even after losing weight?

Whenever I have been on the gaining side of losing I have ALWAYS felt like a fat cow. The gaining back process is depressing, humiliating, and degrading. I HATE it, and have vowed to never go there (again). The only way to get over the humiliation is to get back on the wagon, and get the weight back off ASAP. The longer you feel depressed, the more likely you are to gain back every single pound plus more.

The way I see it is, you can keep feeling fat and miserable and do nothing, or get your a$$ in gear and work it off. It's not going to come off magically and the longer you put it off the harder it (and longer) it will be.

ETA: Wannabe, I guess my post did come off as pretty harsh...lol Sometimes when I post, I'm sitting here drinking a cup of coffee and tend to talk to people like I would talk to my best friend at the kitchen table. We don't usually sugar coat things...I forget that not everyone is like us straight shootin' farm girls...

*laffin'. Don't hold back, LoriBell, how do you really feel?

I have gained exactly 5 pounds. I am at 137, not 132, and I feel like a fat cow, the way I used to feel at 220. I feel it everywhere, so I know how you feel, wannabe. You have given yourself your own best advice. You have acknowledged that you are 27 pounds better off than you were before. Good for you. What counts is what you do next. Just do it. Don't sit wringing your hands about it. Just do it. Just do whatever it is you know works for you. It's spring. Move more, eat less. Do it and report back. (how's that for tough love?)

I wintered well too! To the tune of those same 10 pounds. Pooh!

My ticker isn't right either.

But with spring in the air and longer days, I'm back at it. Don't want to be 195 again. Yikes!

Just eating better has made me feel better and the pounds lost is an extra bonus!

I recommend updating your ticker. Yeah, it's depressing but it's honest and acknowleging that new number might finally get you motivated. If you leave it with showing your old success then it's even more depressing plus you have the whole "lying to myself" thing weighing you down.

You know what you have to do, and you know you can because you've done it before! And this time when you get to maintenance you'll be ready for how tricky it is. If this was easy we wouldn't all be here - but you can do it!

Ack, me too. Ticker shows 172... weighed in this a.m. at 178. Phhhhtttttt. PLUS I'm all bloaty & crap. Damn this perimenopause b.s. Ugh.

Good Advice, Vladadog. I took it. It is silly not to use all the tools, and a ticker is a visual tool. Besides, it is so much fun to slide it down!

I changed my ticker, thanks for the push. It certainly does not feel good. I know I'm feeling down right now but on the brighter side of things I have continued some very good practices that I learned when I first started on this lifestyle change.

- I still love to exercise and now that the weather is getting nicer I'm doing even more.
- Even if I'm being lazy about writing down calories I still calculate them in my head anyway.
- I still weight myself on Mondays and Thursdays like I always did - I'm not hiding from my self the fact that I'm gaining some weight.

All in all it's not so bad. I can conquer 10lbs, it will come off fast.

loribell, i echo your sentiments....yay for straight shooters!

wannabe. You just keep going at it. We have all lost then gained and some point in our weight loss journey. (the long timers). I gained a lovely 15 over the winter...that TOOK a year to get off nearly! So i understand the frustration.

it helped me see...i need a more proactive approach to this whole thing!

I'm with the winter gainers. Sigh. I thought that I hadn't gained much at all during my "time off" during winter, but then I put new batteries in my scale and my weight went up. I have been too depressed to change my ticker as well. I suppose that I will do that now as I am back in action.

I think that we just have to focus on how far we've come, not on our mistakes. Actually need to change my initial starting weight. I became active on 3FC after I had already lost quite a bit and I used the lower weight as my starting weight. It's as though I didn't want to acknowledge how heavy I had gotten. However, the progress is what's important!

I think I'm feeling especially fat because when I had lost 37lbs I had my pants taken in. Now they feel really tight like they used to feel back when I was at 215. It's amazing how I can feel like 190 and 215 feel exactly the same when they're not.

One thing I've noticed from reading and hearing others weight loss stories is that often the biggest struggles don't come from losing the weight. Generally we all can find a way to lose weight. Keeping it off and long term success is the hardest thing.

One of the challenges for all of us including myself is dealing with setbacks. This almost assuredly will not be the last time in your life that you gain back some weight that you lost. We can all do things to help prevent that but it happens! When it does happen the way that we all react to it is very important often critical to our success. Extreme guilt or beating ourselves up can lead to emotional eating, unhealthy habits, and extreme discouragement. But even if it may be hard we can change our internal dialogue and what we do when weight gain happens. Don't be too hard on yourself! Use this as motivation to get back on track.

I've been struggling with my own body issues too. Regardless of how you feel or might see yourself trust that the scale is showing your success. You've lost 25 pounds. 25 pounds! That is great.

I agree with Lori. Don't just sit around moping, do something now about it, we know you can

im with lori and michelle. you're already down 27 more than you were at your highest. i lost 35 a few years ago and then gained like 5 back and gave up. when i got back to my highest goal i was really wishing i had gotten back on track after regaining a few. just think about how you'll feel in 6 months if you step on that scale and you're right back where you started. you'll really be kicking yourself for not recommitting now!