Thanks Meg! Believe me I am getting a lot out of posting to each key. Nothing like figuring out what you really think by writing it down.

A maintenance tune-up! I look forward to the day when I will need a tune-up. Right now I'm just figuring things out.

I need to read this chapter over and over and over .... I always have in the back of my mind that I can lose ... a few pounds don't matter. But when I read that one fellow calmly accepts that it could take 8-10 weeks to un-lapse ... I was shocked.
Although, in the grand scheme of things, 8 weeks isn't much. It's 8 weeks I could have spent being slimly fit.

I'm stuck in here somewhere. I weigh almost every day and although I dislike a couple of pound gain, I can rationalize it. Rationalizing is not the same as nipping it in the bud.

I just read that over and it all sounds decidedly schizophrenic. Or like a spoiled kid. "I wanna do what I wanna do" with no sense of the consequences. But when faced with the consequences, I stomp my feet.

I'm so embarrassed. I was reading through this last night and realised that I had posted here almost 5 years ago, talking about relapses - but I never got back to goal. It's only been in the last few months after after a significant further weight gain that I'm now on the way back down. Still, I've made progress so far and am over the halfway mark with losing the regain. I hope I can get this right next time and keep that line much firmer.

Welcome back, Lora! Congratulations of getting rid of half of the regain already. We'd love to have you stick around and give you a hand getting rid of the rest. And then staying at goal!

Thanks Meg! I'd love to stick around - I honestly don't know why I stopped posting before but I stayed away from the UK WW forums for a while too. I guess I wasn't doing well and chose not to face up to it until I got to the stage where my health and fitness was starting to suffer. So I really want to do this and keep it up this time.

Hey Meg,
I'm just starting and not even close to being a maintainer but the posts you have done on the keys from TFL are great. They actually have helped me look forward to being in maintainers even though it's a long way off. My husband and I have made adjustments to our routine and planned ahead for what we will do as maintainers.

Thank you very much!!

I don't know if this thread is still on but I feel like I must write somewhere.
I've relapsed big time and am very angry at myself. i gained more then 10 pounds in one month with binging. It's gone out of control. I just can't stop. I don't care about anything anymore, whilst before I was living a very healthy lifestyle but now all I crave is chocolate. I think I'm addicted to carbs.
It all began right after we moved to a new nicer appartment, but with nicer come also bigger expenses and I'm constantly worried that we won't be able to pay it, and I constantly wrry about anything, usually aboust very stupid uninportant things and that is when i use food as a distraction from those thoughts. My life has completely changed and it all happened overnight right after I reached my goal weight so I did't have the time to adjust even in my old appartment but in this appartment I can't eat normally, only binge. It's kin of a habbit, even my mom started acting like that.
I have also exams going on right now and so many things that sometimes I feel like i'm going to explode. Communication in my family doesn't exist. and that's what bothers me. when i'm alone i really crave to talk to them, just som normal conversation or to joke around, but instead all we do is yell at each other and argue about stupid things and that is what gets me depressed. i wanted to move away but i can't afford another room to pay. and here i'm always lonely, my best friend was living next to me before and we always went out together for a walk or chat or just hung around, but now i don't have anyone even to talk to, and therefore i binge. i know my triggers but I just don't care anymore. but I want it to stop. it's like there are two different persons fighting insiede of me, it's exhausting, sometimes i can't even think clearly.
I just keep telling myself that tomorrow is a new day and things will get better, but when??? when i gain everything back apparently. aaaargh i'm just so angry and p'issed at myself but it seems like it doesn't help. nothing seems to help anymore. no matter what i do. I wanted to wait before i should start losing again, to clear my head and feelings so I can lose weight without pressure and stress but i just can't stand teh look in the mirror. it has to be now or never. i don't know how to stop that kind of thinking. i'm also a huge perfectionst and if things don't go my way i get really angry. i always thought that when i lose weight everything would be just perfect, my life would be normal but that never happened and this time around i'm worried that it will happen again. i just can't accept myself. no matter how i look. the worst is that i keep comparing myself to other girls even topmodels, which is normal that i will never look like them but no, i compere myself to them and then i'm dissapointed because i don't look so good. it's frustrating.
I am really sorry for such a long post but I had to let it out somewhere.
I would really like to congratulate to all of you who got back in the saddle, you girls are truly an inspiration. I copied your posts so I can read them all the time. thank you!

sunshine, I feel your frustration and upset. Posting was a great step towards pulling yourself out of the downward spiral! I recently put on almost 10 pounds and was able to stop the binging ... you can too!!!!! One of the best things you can do is visit here and post often These chicks are awwwweeeeesssoooommme!

I relapsed once more, having stopped counting any of my intake or exercising for several months. Illness contributed to it not being at the forefront of my mind as I had chronic pain for a while, but nonetheless I let things drift for too long.

But there's one positive thing to come out of this. When I relapsed last time it wasn't for months, it was for years and I got up to an obese BMI, regaining all but 5lb of my original heaviest weight. This time I went 10lb into the overweight category before I decided enough was enough, so that's a big difference right there. I am losing weight again and 4lb went the first week, so that's a big chunk already. I know I feel comfortable a few lbs below my max healthy BMI so I'll aim for another 10.

So I feel it's progress I addressed the problem much sooner and hopefully, another time a lapse happens it will not turn into a full relapse.

lora m, congratulations on losing the regained weight. I understand the regaining pitfalls, I did it, too. I was maintaining but got lazy, careless or ? and regained 19 pounds. I couldn't believe I was doing that but couldn't seem to stop it. I took control back the first of the year and am now just slightly over goal. I am still working on the last few pounds. Meg is so right when she reminds us that losing isn't the hardest part keeping it off is tough.