So I started at a weight of 184 and had lost down to 179 as of last thursday, but now I've hit a barrier and actually gained a couple of lbs back. Any suggestions on how I can get back on the weight loss wagon?

Should I:
1. excersise more(only been hitting the gym about twice a week because it's all I seem to have time for)
2. change my eating habits back to the veggies lunch with just a small turkey sandwich that I was eating before
3. drink more water(which I'm working on doing now..may be up to 4 or 5 glasses daily)
4. all of the above?

I'm kind of lost here. Please help me get back on track!

Yes, all of the above. If you were losing consistiently through those methods, then by all means get back to it.

But maybe you'd also like to examine what pulled you OFF track to begin with. Were you not eating enough tasty foods? Not enough variety? Were you not planning ahead and had to eat whatever was available and made poor choices? These are all things that you need to look at.

I would also consider making exercise a TOP priority. Make time for it - no matter what. No ifs ands or buts about it. If you can't get to the gym, then take a walk, ride a bike, pop in an exercise DVD.

We all stray from time to time. The key is to make those times few and far between and to GET RIGHT BACK ON TRACK. You'll be so happy that you did.

All of the above.

And try to work your way up to a minimum of 8 cups of water per day. You'll be amazed how it flushes fat and toxins out. Do you drink caffeine in large doses?

Don't give up and stay positive! I know how hard it is, but that's why we're all here: constant support!

I don't generally drink a lot of caffeine anymore. I barely drink any sodas and if I do it's normally Sprite, and I absolutely HATE coffee. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is tough though.

Hey bnorah!

Can you guess my answer?

Yep, all of the above. But see if you can come up with an alternative now and then to the turkey at lunch--unless you really love it! Maybe have tuna or chicken breast once in a while?

Re: the water. It's not hard to drink 8 8-ounce glasses if you approach it as a glass of water every hour you're up. Of course, you may forget and skip some, but just get in the habit of drinking on the hour, say. 8 ounces isn't a tall glass--just a short one. Half a cup.

Re: the exercise. I was told that to support weight loss, the minimum is 4 days a week. I used to go 5 or 6--not so much now that I'm maintaining.

You can start losing again! Take heart!

Jay

Drinking water is important, but I'm not sure it helps flush out fat. It certainly keeps you hydrated!

As for the original question, most of us need to wrap our minds around the fact that we can't lose the weight and go back to our old habits. So, you need to do things you can do long term (that's why Robin's questions are good ones). Otherwise, you're just going to keep falling off plan. So, while you may need to cut calories at lunch, if you get bored of the same thing everyday, you won't stick to it. And you will need to keep exercising regularly, but it doesn't have to be at the gym. The challenge is figuring out what works for you.

We're here to help!

Actually it does. Our bodies are 70% water and our bodies will try to hold on to it like crazy, esp. when it thinks it's not getting enough (= water retention and bloating). Water primes the body for fat loss. Water gets bodily functions going, the kidneys have to function with water and when they can't, they rely on the liver. If the liver (which turns fat into energy) gets overloaded from its regular duties, it metabolizes less fat and again our bodies hold onto fat and fluid retention.

Also, I've read that drinking ice cold water helps as the body has to heat it up thus revving up the metabolism. YAY!!

There are lots of articles on this and I hope you find some encouragement to drink some more!! I looooooooove water!!

I don't want to hijack the thread from bnorah's questions and concerns, but just wanted to respond regarding water. There's no doubt water comprises the majority of our bodies and is very important. We do need water (from wherever we get it).

When you look on the internet, there certainly a lot of sites that claim water flushes fat -- but when I look at information from biochemists and doctors, they indicate (pretty emphatically) that water doesn't flush fat from the body. Now, I'm not a biochemist and readily admit I don't understand the process well but am always looking to learn. So, if you are aware of good research (not just claims) that shows how it water does flush fat, I would love to see it.

The information I have is from several places and I learned this in college when I had to take all the anatomy and physiology classes I needed for my degree. I am going to place my bet that those books are accurate.

When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, your body turns to fat for energy. Body fat is broken down through a series of complex metabolic processes. It just makes sense from that standpoint that if you drink more water, that waste or fat will be excreted.

I just can't believe that all those resources are wrong but I'm going to ask around because you have my interest piqued to find the latest information. Luckily I work in the health field and have access to hundreds of docs. It'll be interesting to see what they say...

I don't like water, didn't make any particular effort to drink any while I was losing weight - didn't seem to stop me from losing 70+ lbs and keeping it off for over 2.5 years. Just never got on the big water bandwagon and from personal experience, I didn't need it.

aymster -- I'd be curious to hear what you learn, too! When I did an internet search yesterday none of the emphatic biochemists went into any detail, which was frustrating. I might quiz our biochemist on campus when I get the chance, too.

I'm sure water is important to our bodies' many functions (though perhaps not in the quantities sometimes recommended), but HOW is beyond me.

I wonder if some of this is in the details of the language used. That is, water is necessary for the liver to do its job, etc... but then do some people take it and make a bigger claim about flushing fat that makes it sound like it plays a different role than it really does...

Glory -- I'm not on the water bandwagon either, but both of us do get plenty of liquid in our diet (we must or we would be dead), so that's not to say water isn't important. In fact, your whole diet of eating non-processed foods might give your more hydration than many people who eat more processed foods...

Hey folks! We've gotten off topic here. The original poster was asking about her four steps to help get back on the weight loss path, not about water alone.

It might be a good idea to discuss the water question in PMs to each other? Or, you could start a separate thread.

Cheers,
Jay

Jay -- Sorry, yeah, I was thinking we should start a new thread or something...

So... Getting Back on Track (as the title says...)

bnorah, it's been a week or so, how are things going now?? Do you feel you've been able to make any progress? Use any of the ideas? Is it helping or do you still feel lost?

Not exactly. But somehow I've dropped another 4 lbs somewhere along the way. I have been kind of stressed out lately over some personal issues, so that might have been a factor in the weight loss. My grandmom lost about 20 lbs after having a stroke because she was worried about losing her independence. She's not able to do a lot for herself now because of it.

So tomorrow basically starts a new week for me. I didn't count today due to it being a holiday. But I'll be able to start hitting the gym again as of tomorrow. Wish me luck, and maybe I can tackle this whole water increase thing.

Good luck! and congrats on the weight loss! Sometimes our bodies seem to hold onto the weight for a while and then *whoosh* ...