Hi peeps! I have been struggling to lose (and keep off) the same 20 lbs for the last 20 years. I lose 10, gain 15, lose 5 gain 2 and it is just so frustrating.

I KNOW that I feel the best and am the happiest at my goal weight so WHY do I let food derail me? I manage everything else in my life great! Why can't I do this one thing, maybe the most important thing?

Over the last several years my blood pressure has increased until the point of almost needing medication. I want to reverse that and avoid them as long as possible. Other than health I want to look good in clothing and stay looking younger as I am now middle aged.

I am determined that this time I will succeed. I see so many people losing massive amounts of weight and think, all I have is 20... TWENTY!

So why is it so hard? If anyone is feeling this same way, I would love some support and to offer some as well!

I think you put a lot of stress on yourself over these 20 pounds, this time take a different approach because it seems that all other ways have led to you putting back on again.

Do you have kids? Are they rather healthy eaters? What about your other half? Many people lose weight, hit their target and then slowly gain again because they start to slip into the food habits of the people around them.

20 pounds is actually quite a lot when you think about it, so don't force yourself to lose it in a month or two. Maybe start at trying to lose 1lb a week, but to be able to do that, you need to be aware of what you are consuming. Have you ever tried my fitness pal app? this is a great way to first find out what an average day consists of normally, then drop your calories by 1 or 2 hundred and see if you start to see results. What kind of exercise do you do weekly? do you attend any fitness classes or anything like that?

Maintaining weight and even losing weight is all about listening to your body. Some people can lose weight without exercise, while others must have a high level of fitness daily. You need to find out what it is that makes your body gain and whether it is just bad diet.

I know that I can't have pasta, I can have the calories for it, but instantly gain. Its just I know that my body holds onto pasta, and bread, but not rice.

Start looking at what you eat and see if there are things you can change out. for example.... when I made a sandwich I used to put butter/ spread on the bread as well as a ranch type sauce. But when I stopped using butter, it never made any difference because the sauce was sufficient. I was just wasting the calories by adding spread. I now use baby size of wholemeal bread instead of a normal sized slice, everything fits on it the same way, just less calories.

I hope some of this helps.

xx

Scotsgal,
Thank you for your encouragement!! I do have kids who are very picky eaters and a hubby who absolutely will not diet with me, so I am pretty much on my own in the house. It certainly is hard to make things that they will eat but not take part. I think I am just going to have to buckle down and do it.

I am bad about just grabbing something and putting it in my mouth without really thinking about it as well.

Today I am starting the Dukan diet, and am determined to stay on it!!

Good luck with your weight loss! 36 lbs is amazing!!!!!!!

Punky30 - I hear you on having a hubby who doesn't want to diet. The trick I've learned is to make one meal, but tweak the way I eat mine vs how he eats his. For example, when we have burritos, his are in flour tortillas, but mine are lettuce wraps. Or when we have pasta, he has regular noodles, and I have zucchini noodles. Or sometimes I just take less of the main dish, whatever it is, and add an extra serving of veggies to my plate.

Blicca,
Agree.. meal planning is going to be super important in this process so I have options on hand.. thanks for the encouragement. Congrats on your weight loss!!

Thanks And I hope you find a way to work around it, and I hope that while your husband and kids may not take part, they at least appreciate your efforts.