some of you may know that for the last month i have been carrying unexpected water weight (woke up 10lbs heavier one day)... docs dont know for sure what it is. i think it might be my copper T iud. they tried to remove it (THREE TIMES!) no luck. i have to have surgery on fri to have it removed...

so...

i went to the gym today like always...did my fav high impact aerobics class... trying to feel better as i am now up 14lbs ! I have been eating out of control, even stopping at 11pm last night to get ice cream and two chocolate bars... so i wanted to start fresh today... do two classes of aerobics and move ahead with my 'no binge' life...

well...

i managed to seriously sprain my ankle, to the point that i need xrays and maybe a cast for min 2 weeks!!!

i am terrified of putting all my weight back on... i have been scared to death of this exact thing happening... an injury to keep me from exercising (hard) to keep the weight off... so i start my 'no exercise' journey, already 14lbs heavier than i want... i am soooo scared right now... terrified to eat... to move... and i have two gorgeous boys to care for.

the irony of it all, if i had just stayed with my boy at camp yesterday i couldnt have binged last night or gone to gym today so none of this would have happened....

sorry, i guess i just needed to let this out and know that i can survive (and will survive this)...just not sure how i will survive it...without weighing more than i do right now... or going totally insane...

I maintained my weight loss for years without a lick of exercise - careful calorie management did the trick.

that is encouraging!!! can i ask your calorie range?

Sure. I lost weight at 1400-1600 calories a day, I maintain at 1800 calories a day + 1 weekly treat meal (restaurant dinner, glass of wine, split dessert).

I am very very careful with my eating though, I would say I am 95% on plan (that includes planning for indulgences - like a 100 calorie biscotti with my coffee every now and then). I don't binge, I don't eat junk, I don't eat fast food. I very very very rarely eat off plan.

glory - i read your incredible story. i could relate to sooo much of it! i did low fat and lost 100, but it all came back until i went healthy too!

i was doing well from dec until may when i had this 'speedbump' and now i am spiraling and need to rein it back in adn get back on plan your cal range of 1800 is about what i do ... therapist told me never to go below that... (binge eating issues)

thank you for letting me know that i might be able to maintain while i wait for my body to heal, with the KEY being my PLAN and sticking to it!!!

Kim, so very many to you. I'm so so sorry about the multitude of problems. I hope you finally get that darn thing out and you feel better. Because you're scared early in the gain, my money is on you not to gain fat. You know the water weight isn't fat.

thanks marie... i guess what i have to accept is that this weight is here to stay until i stop eating off plan... and with not being able to exercise much for the next couple of weeks, i'd better really watch it... and if it turns out to be water weight, that is a bonus and not something i can count on... thank you both for the encouraging words

Kim,

This is tough, but you can do it! I had some foot problems ~2 1/2 years ago and I was severly limited in my exercise for the month before my dr. could do my surgery, and couldn't exercise for... maybe 2 weeks? at all afterwards. Over a month of much, much less activity than I was used to, so I knew my diet had to be spot on, and I had to pay attention and eat a little less when I wasn't as hungry b/c of the lack of movement. And... I did it, without any weight gain. I figured out what exercise I could do (upper body weights etc) that wouldn't put pressure on my foot, and also tried to look at the positives of giving my body a rest, let it repair itself, etc. and keep a positive mental attitude. I think if anything the mental attitude of "it's gotta be the food, I can't use exercise to 'redeem' myself right now" really hit home. You can do it! Good luck and have a speedy recovery.

megan...and everyone else! you all give me such hope and courage that this challenge is just that... a challenge and not 'the end of the world' like it felt like yesterday. i am seeing this as a time to focus on food, set a new plan for the next few months and work hard on my back/abs/chinups... that saying is awesome megan "its gotta be the food" ... THANK YOU!!! i will be here a lot in the next little while to draw strength from you all... to feel my emotions and not surpress them... thank you

Kim- you will be okay. I herniated a disk in my back in April. My first serious injury that kept me from any exercise at all. Barely just moving enough to get to the bathroom for a couple weeks. My first thought was panic that I was going to wake up one morning 100 pounds heavier. You know what? I was okay. My appetite slowed down without the vigorous exercise I was doing and I just had to make a conscious decision not to 'pity snack.'
I actually lost a few pounds during the recovery. Go figure.

I was eating around 1500-1600 without moving around.

i am trying to stay positive... only eating when i am hungry and on plan... did manage to do some upper body/abs yesterday and today but i have been really hungry all day long (probably because it has only been a couple days since my last binge...so my body is 'expecting' more...) i just have to get through this 'detox' time... i know i can do this... especially with all your support!