Hi everyone i havent been online for almost 7 months.. in that 7 months i ended up gaining weight.. when i first started here i was 175 lbs and wanting to loose 30 lbs by my 21st birthday.. well my 21st birthday is.. 9 days away.. and i weighed myself a month ago at a friends and it was up to 185.. well i know i weigh a little more because i feel horrible.. i am having bad mood swings and its taking a toll on my relationship.. but i have gone thru a few stressful things such as job loss family problems and relationship things which we are working on.. slowly but surely... i want to loose weight and at least weigh 140 not much so i can feel good and wear old clothes.. not sweats and baggy shirts.. can you help me and tell me how u started? im a bad sweets eater like cookies r my weekness.. any advice will help..

Aww... I'm sorry you've been through so much! *hug* Hang in there! It sounds like you've been so preoccupied, you didn't have the time to really think about yourself and your weight. I'm sure the other 3FCers can help you out I've only been in the game for a few years or so, and only on 3FC for about 1.5 months, but my tip: it might help if you bought a scale. It has a way of clarifying things that are going on with your body. It was a good resource to me, as I think it might be for you as well. You'll notice daily fluctuations, what makes you gain weight, what makes you lose weight, and how much.

Put the past behind you and start over, you know you can do it.

Sorry you going through a rough patch right now. I hope things get better for you.

Since you said you have a problem with sweets, my tip for you is to follow some sort of high-protein diet. More protein in your diet will not only help fight off cravings for all kinds of carbs, but it literally will kill your sweet tooth within 3-4 days of being on it. I have not touched sweets in the almost 3 1/2 months I've been following a low-carb diet (I switch them up to keep from getting bored). And I used to live on sweets morning, noon and night.

Good luck to you!

I can completely relate.. I started in June.. Went on vacation in July.. And just came back to the forum last week. I found out I had gained the 5 pounds I had lost back plus 7 more! I was horrified! But the good thing is that we're back and ready to really work this time! I am a huuuge sweets eater too.. So I haven't completely deprived myself.. The holiday Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses are out so I save myself one for every night! I have been super tempted all week by people bringing donuts into work and my fiance eating snack cakes in front of me and we have junk food everywhere.. But I am taking the calorie counting aproach this time and every time I want the girl scout cookies we have laying out or the debbie cakes I go to the calorie counter app on my Ipad and see what the damage would be. Believe me, seeing that if you eat 4 thin mint cookies that it would be 160 calories, 72 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat (5g of which are saturated) it just is not worth it. I just think to myself I would have to do an extra half an our on the elliptical just to burn those 4 measly cookies off. That's a whole lot of work for something that tastes good for about 2 minutes. Haha! You just have to find what works for you! Here's to finally having weight loss success!

I know exactly how you feel. I've gained lots since being at college-going through lots of changes, stress, and everything.
However, even though I've been falling of the wagon drinking LOTS of water helps me and trying to eat protein when I can. Also, try taking up yoga classes or finding something to help with stress. Little steps. That is what I'm trying to do....

Hang in there-I'm in the same boat. It can be SO frustrating but you know what? You will get through it.

Thank you every one i can use all the support i can get i dont get to much over here thats why i come here everyones so positive i love it. i have a digital scale but it needs a battery so i will buy one on friday. but in the mean time i may start a food journal so i can see what i eat and drink during they day. today i didnt do so good :| but not as bad as i usually would eat. i have a little problem drinking water.. i love sodas! lol its like i crave it and go crazy without at least one a day but im gonna try green tea again. and i know i need to drink water how can i make it taste better without adding cool aid or anything sweat?! lol what workouts do you do and how long do you work out for in the beggining of your workouts? i get out of breath fast.. hurts when i run just the umm chub bouncing i guess lol im only 5 foot and weigh i think 190.. :| so the weight on my frame is hard in a way to do things but i can lift alot of weight with no problem i love weights but i wanna loose weight not gain all kinds of muscle and not inches i know?

You may want to read South Beach Supercharged. Most libraries have a copy. It is a great program to eliminate sweets cravings and it has some exercise guidelines as well.

Try water aerobics if it's available through a gym or parks and rec in your area. It takes the pressure off everything. Also dried fruits are chewy and sweet and might be a good substitute for the cookies. Good Luck. This is my first time trying online support. Seems like it could be a lot of help.

I think your journal will really help you pinpoint what is going on with your eating. This is what I do. Do it with a positive thought process, the journal is not about perfection, it is about discovering answers for yourself. For instance, I entered all of my foods last week, even the binges and walked each day and wrote in my journal. I binged nearly every day, but I got back into the habit of writing, weighing myself and logging foods. To me, that was success! I didn't let the binges take on more importance than my walking and logging. Now I feel ready to be 100% on plan this week! Good luck and hope you find your mojo again.

Before you eat a cookie, take just one minute of time to think if you want the cookie more than you want to be 140 lbs. If you want the cookie more, then eat it.