It seems like holidays and big events in my life keep getting in the way of my new lifestyle. I've been here before. I lose 10-15lbs, something comes up (vacation, holidays, visits from friends and family), and before I know it I've gained it all back. I then decide to get back in gear and lose the 10-15lbs again and oh wait, something else comes up and there it all goes again.

The bad habits keep returning to me when I exceed three or so days off plan. I lose all will power. Plus, I think "Hey, I've lost 10lbs and I don't look so bad". Of course, my bad habits come back to me slowly. I think to myself, "It will be okay if I have this "one" burger and fries". But before I know it, I'm eating out all the time and just not caring about what I eat and what it will do to my body. I just don't know how to get out of this viscous loop.

Right now, I'm doing great. I have the right mind set and I'm ready to finally get there! However, I know I've felt this way before. My family is coming down for a visit in 3 weeks and staying for about 5 days. I know they want me to take them out to the best restaurants in town and I want to have fun and enjoy myself and I think I should. Life happens and I believe it is okay to splurge once in awhile. The problem is that I'm afraid I will let my guard down and go through the whole cycle again since I tend to do this.

So, my questions: How do you deal with this? How do you get back on track before you gain everything you've lost?

I have done this so many times. I actually just changed my ticker for this very reason. My high weight was 215, but once I got down to about 180 I have played around in the same weight range of 165-180 for about 5 years now. I changed my ticker to show my most recent weight loss efforts, re-starting at 184 at the beginning of this year.

All that is to say that I have been down this road before. My husband even asked me, "What is different this time?" I'm not sure. I want this time to be different. I hope that it is.

I don't have answers, but wanted to share that I have the same struggles. I really believe that one thing that needs to be different for me is stopping the cycle of making food the focal point for celebrations.

Looking forward to other responses.

I used to be the same way, and to some extent i still am. Its hard.

what I do whenever something come up, or i feel my willpower slipping, I go to the mall or Target to look at the clothes. When i see these cute clothes for summer, and bathing suits are just coming out (yikes!) it makes me remember why im on my diet, that i want to wear these cute clothes, and it keeps me on track.

hope this kinda helps you!

It's great to know that others are out there struggling with the same issues. I love the shopping idea! I've also thought about writing myself a note/list of reasons why I'm doing this and then maybe when I feel myself slipping I can read it and remember why.

Some other ideas (just brain storming now):

*Try on some "skinny" clothes, ones that I use to wear in high school or the sizes I would like to be in
*Making sure I don't ignore 3FC (keep posting and keeping track of weight with the daily weigh-ins, even when I slip and gain a few lbs)
*Look at pictures of myself when I was at goal weight or people at my goal weight
*Keep in touch with my support system (i.e., my mom who is also trying to lose weight)

These are just a few I've come up with. Hopefully, more people can help me add to my list!

There will always be holidays, stress, big occasions in our lives so we need to learn to stay on our plan without deviating during them. There is no reason these occasions have to lead to weight gain unless we allow it.

Don't see the event as a food event.

I started losing weight in September and between now and then I: went on a work trip to Tampa Florida where we stayed at an all-inclusive resort (read: all the bad food I could eat if I wanted), a cruise to Mexico, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and two family birthdays.

All the while, I have only had about three weeks where I didn't lose something.

I do struggle...but you HAVE to change the way you view these events.

For instance, when it was time for my cruise, instead of dreaming about all the food I would eat, I thought about all the fun things I would do (spa, casino, mini golf on the top deck, etc). Even though everyone I traveled with indulged in too many meals and awful foods, I ate grilled fish and fresh fruit from the bufett and at dinner I asked for a diabetic menu (because those items are lower carb and higher protien and sugar free) and they acommodated me with no issues.

On the work trip, I packed some meal bars for lunches so I only had to worry about dinners (breakfast was my usual...one egg and oatmeal).

For Christmas...I knew it would be a dessert fest. Instead, I looked forward to playing with my cousins and my family. When the desserts came out, I took the kids to the living room for a game of Wii boxing. I ate all the food goodies, but instead of the HUGE platters my family eats off for the holidays, I got a normal sized plate and only ate that.

You will always be struggling with food and weight if you continue to look at these "big events" as food events. It isn't about doing good in-between these events. Your life is made up of these sorts of events. Live your life. Just rethink it so that your life doesn't revolve around food. Find something else to be excited about and enjoy.

I definitely agree. I think it's all about having the right mind set, not letting food consume your whole life. I'm just not there yet, and before I get there, life happens and I screw it up. How do you not allow it? I don't think it's bad to go out to eat every now and then, but little slips for me become deadly falls. I could avoid eating out (which I do) until I have enough will power to deal with it, but I won't be there when my family comes to visit. I can't tell them, "Sorry I will not take you out to eat because I'm not strong enough to see all that yummy food without eating it and completely falling off plan". That's obviously selfish, rude, and something you just don't do. So, I would love to hear ways in which people deal with this awful issue.

Anticipate the "slip up" opportunities. Plan for them and make other arrangements.

If you must go eat with your family, pick a restaurant, go online and find a low calorie item. Don't even look at the menu...just order that. We eat our 2-3 times a week and that has worked for me.

And don't allow slip ups as an excuse. Everything is a conscious choice. You are not having food shoved down your throat. No one is forcing you to at a cookie at gunpoint. You are making choices. If you can actively choose something bad, you can just as easily choose something good.

Don't give yourself the excuse. Take control of your weight loss and your body.

Also, with eating out...if they get an appetizer, ask for your salad when the app comes. Or plan for it. When we go to chilis....my husband wants salsa and chips. I don't want the chips, but I eat melba toast with dinner for my carb...so I'll bring my melba and eat my four melba toasts dipped in the salsa. Not 100% on program for me...but its better than gorging on chips and salsa.

Its about planning and making better choices.

And don't be afraid to be picky when eating out. We go to a chinese buffet and I ask for some steamed veggies and chicken. Its not on the buffet, but I can eat my plate and enjoy. I do still make mistakes (like last night...we went to a seafood buffet and I was planning on eating the grilled fish, but it was nasty. So I took the fried shrimp and peeled off the batter. Then I made a choice to eat a scoop of ice cream for dessert. I do regret that, but I see it as a poor choice, not a slip-up because we ate out. Take control.

Razorbackbritt: I completely agree. I just need to get there! It's so hard. However, I'm going to try and think about this trip as fun like you said and that it is not about the food. I don't get to see them as much as I would like and it is the gift of them coming and of us being together and having fun!

If I say this enough, I hope I start believing it!

"The FUN, not the food."

It is hard. A lady on my diet sub-forum says that self-control is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets, and the easier it is to use.

She says saying no gets easier every time. Being picky eating out gets easier every time.

I had to be really hard on myself and my thinking. If I sound harsh its because thats how I talk to myself about these things. There is no room for me to be in the middle. Gotta be tough and strong.

You can do it!

Razorbackbritt: I can do that about once a week. My husband likes to go out occasionally, so I plan ahead of time too. Unfortunately, my family eats out constantly and all I've heard from them is how excited they are to come down and eat. They are obviously a bad influence on me My hope is this time I can fight through it! Hopefully with everyone's help, I can get through this! Talking to you all gives me inspiration and motivation.

"Self-control is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets, and the easier it is to use."

I love that!