Hello, I have been absent from 3fc for quite some time now. Back in 2010, I had hit 103 pounds lost (the first half by calorie counting and exercise, and the second half on Medifast). Over the years I regained almost all of that weight... 80+ pounds back on my body. It wasn't that I didn't try. I would have stints of working on re-losing or trying to halt the gains, but even when I lost 20 or 30 pounds again, it seemed impossible to keep it off and the weight kept coming right back.
Now I am finally facing this issue head on and am determined to lose a huge chunk of weight all over again. My lowest weight last time was 175 pounds; now I weigh 253. I am determined to lose it again, but this time keep it off forever.
Has anyone else had to re-lose after a massive loss and regain? I would like to hear your story and how you are losing again, maintaining, or plan to re-lose.
Lost 100, regained more than 80 and back on the way down the scale. I joined in 2005 and stopped posting February 10, 2011. I wonder why? I truly don't remember stopping, but long and short of it is this:
I weighed 228 at my lowest and was 28 lbs from my "goal" of 200. It took me two years to lose it. Then, it was over. It was like a switch flipped and I just stopped trying. I maintained for a short time and then slowly (though much more quickly than I should have) I gained it back. I came back at 306.
So...here we are. Welcome.
I'm using My Fitness Pal. Doing okay. I started in March and have lost 25 lbs. Now I just need to do that 3 or 4 more times.
I lost over 100lbs seven years ago doing a VLC diet (800-900 cal) in a medically supervised program (read: mystery shots). I wanted to stop when I got to 180 (from 305) but they wanted me to get down to 150 and would not give me a maintenance program. Over time I ate like a fool and stopped exercising; eventually gained almost all of it back (I officially weighed in this time at 299.8 but I am rounding it up to 300).
I have been using Medifast since mid-January and am down 56lbs. I had some issues after the first 3 months as my activity levels increased and I stopped losing. I switched from the 5&1 to the 4&2 plan which jump started my loss and I continue to lose slowly. I had some major family issues in June that stalled my progress, but I'm back at it. After getting below 250, I started running again (my primary motivator for losing, in addition to my closet full of cute clothes that I miss wearing) and added strength training. While the scale is moving slower, I'm fitting into smaller clothes. I started at a very tight 24 and now I'm a proper fit 20 with a dabble into 18s that don't quite fit yet.
What I'm doing different this time is planning for maintenance. Knowing how easy it is to fall into bad habits after the stoic losing behavior, I'm being deeply mindful of what strategy I need to employ once I reach my goal. I also know that my journey is going to take time. When I started on Medifast I wanted to lose it all immediately and plotted out the possibility of losing 130 in less than a year. I know now, that is not feasible and I am focusing on smaller goals and milestones.
Posting here and being accountable plays an important role in a successful weight loss journey. To borrow a phrase from AA - KEEP COMING BACK!!
In 2007, I went from about 240 to 160.
In 2012, I went from 278 to 202.
In 2014-2015, I went from 240 to 189.
In 2016-2017, I went from 263 to 143.
These are only the broad strokes. Whether the overall trend has been up or down, I have had blocks of regain and reloss over that entire period. My weight fluctuates badly.
I am currently at 153, with sizes in my closet ranging from size 4(!) to size 10, since women's clothing sizes are the worst at consistency, and because I need a bigger size when something is supposed to fit snugly around my very large arse.
Got no secrets or words of wisdom, and am just desperately hoping that I will never have to lose a large amount of weight again. The reality is that we just have to do the things that we know work. How that happens remains a mystery to me, despite a lifetime of struggling to find the "secret," only to realize that worked once was no longer working or would not work again.
We do have a group of regainers that we would love to have you join, Lyn (and, of course, Laura), if you are so inclined. I am glad to see you here again, though. Hopefully, this time will go smoothly.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,404
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
I am proud to say I have never regained.....NOT! The fact of the matter is, I have never had a big loss, so no regain. I go up and own the same 5 lbs over and over and over.
So he's my question. I see most of you have been members here at 3FC for a pretty long time. Did you continue to post during your times of regain? Or did you leave for a while, and then come back when you decided to start over? I am just curious. I don't know what it's going to take to get me to show a decent loss. I definitely do not want to lose it all, just to gain it back. I want to find a way to lose and keep it off forever. I am learning from reading other's posts, that you cannot slack off, not for a minute, or back it comes!
Same here. I went from about 235 down to 180 in 05/06. I got careless and slowly gained it back over the next few years. I went to the doctor this April and weighed in at 260. I almost crapped my pants. Highest weight ever for me. I did stop eating a lot of junk and dropped 10 pounds but I'm having a hard time losing anymore.
I did stop posting here after I gained. I felt like I wasn't worthy. I guess I felt like a jerk after talking about my weight loss, I didn't want to come back here to admit defeat.
Wannabe - You are right, you have to be vigilant all of the time. For some dumb reason I thought I had a handle on it, I think I just wanted to be normal, but little by little it creeped back on.
Carol - I have been a member for about 10 years now, crazily enough. I went through periods where I just wouldn't try, and that usually meant I stopped posting. I have also gone through periods where I thought I had it all in hand, and decided I didn't need to post. But, generally, my success seems to coincide with posting regularly. Even now, when I am struggling through a 12ish-pound regain, but mostly maintaining as I toggle back and forth between new lows followed by relatively small regains, I find that I can get tired of hearing myself whine when things are not going as well as I would like. I say the same things again and again and again and again, as though I will never learn. But it helps to post.
Losing the Regain after 100 pounds lost
I joined in 2005 and stopped posting February 10, 2011. I wonder why? I truly don't remember stopping, but long and short of it is this:
Welcome.
