Hi everyone!

I'm 22 and live in the South.

I decided to lose weight for a lot of reasons. For the first time in my life, my weight just isn't affecting my vanity. My blood pressure and heart rate has gone up. I was diagnosed with lymphedema which can be blamed on the weight. I gained a massive amount of weight in a short time due to depression/loss issues.

But I'm serious about getting it off. So I thought I would join this site for support. Which I need. The holidays completely threw me off. Here's how my weight was doing...and how it is now:

November 1st: 302
November 29th: 286.5
December 14th: 284
December 21st: 282
December 24th: 280
December 29th: 284
January 5th: 286.5

I'm really upset with myself that I basically undid the work I did, and I'm back where I started like a month and a half ago.

So I'm trying my best to make things right again.

Thanks for reading, sorry this was so long.

It's okay if you gained lbs back. We all do! I started my dieting and exercising (not much exercising at the time) on December 18th. What was I thinking?! I went on rampage Christmas Eve and Christmas Day gaining mostly of what I had lost.. so on December 28th I was like -- forget that I'm for real now! lol
Sure enough I have been. And I feel like you are in the same boat. Don't be down on yourself.. just get back to it. We all hit bumps on the road -- it's just a matter of whether or not we are going the right speed and not swerving off course.

Chin up hun. We got this!

Welcome! We are all stuggling with lapses and basically a rough December. You have already made good progress. just don't quit! That way, you are not trying, you are doing, and it will last. Good luck with all your goals!

Welcome Garland! Don't fret too much about slipping up and gaining back a few pounds here and there. It's the long haul that really matters and by not giving up you show you're in it for the long haul.

I weight daily and I can assure you the scale jumps around a lot day to day - sometimes you know why (pizza the night before, too much salt, time of month (TOM)) and sometimes you've been really on track and it still goes up (or you've been way off plan and it goes down!). I plot my daily weigh ins on a little graph at skinnyr (http://www.skinnyr.com/) and it really helps me to see that the line is going down despite the spikes all over the place.

You may have gained back a couple pounds over the holidays but you lost over 15 pounds the month before. Focus on *that* excellent accomplishment and look toward the future!

welcome to the group, I'm new here as well... Try not to beat yourself up about your end of year gain, though I know that's a lot easier said than done!

Hello, Garland--fellow southerner here.

The holidays throw a lot of people off. You are already ahead of the game, though, because although you got thrown off for a little while, you stopped the fall and re-committed to losing before you'd gained back much weight. That's very tough to do and shows resolve of steel.

I'm sorry for your loss; that always makes a holiday even more difficult. Here's to a new year with happier times and a healthier you.

Thanks for the replies guys. Every one of them made me feel better and more determined.

Hello Garland! Fan of Judy, or another type of Garland?

I have gained after trying dieting so many times I have lost count. But this year's the one! It's all coming off, and we're in it together!

Garland it's okay that you have gained some weight back....It seems like most everyone did over the Christmas holiday but the great thing is that "What you did yesterday can be undone today" at least as far as dieting goes!!! I messed up over Xmas too but it gave me so much motivation. I look at the scale as "the most popular girl in high school" and everytime that i want to eat something bad or not work out...I think about when it's time for my weigh-in lol I don't want the scale to laugh and mock me. If that makes sense? Any how, you can do it!!!!

It's ok if you gained a few pounds just don't get discuraged. Every one gains around the holidays. Just stay dtermined and good luck.