I have successfully lost weight multiple times. And I am currently having some "maintenance success," though I have gained some back from my last successful loss period.
So, somehow, I think that I should still be in the mindset and habits that helped me lose weight in the first place. I still haven't given up the "I'm watching what I eat, but this one ____ won't hurt me long term, and will help me stay on plan," which was actually helpful when I was losing. It's still true, and has been true for me so many times. But it's not the "one" thing that's the problem. It's the one thing followed by the other thing followed by the other thing. The same is true with binges. Yes, I can still lose weight even if I succumb to a binge every now and then. But succombing to binges every night = recipe for rapid weight gain. Duh, right?
So, now, I just have to acknowledge that I am no longer "on my game." I have to adopt the very stringent habits that I always do in early weight loss.
I will count every freaking calorie. Because they all matter. If I get back to where I am so concerned about calories that I can very judiciously indulge without long-term consequence -- Yay for me! I think I will get there again. But I am not there.
So, I pledge to count calories for the next seven days and to remember that every calorie counts. The Reese's peanut butter cup that was in the freezer that I had forgotten about? That equals the calories of a healthy snack that will provide me nutrition and quell the ever-vigilant hunger. The Hershey's kisses on my coworker's desk? Sure, they're small. But they add up.
All calories count. I can do this, but in order to do it, I have to go back to my mindset of being hypervigilant of calories. It starts TODAY.