So, I go away for a month and I come back to learn I gained back all the weight I lost.

What the heck?!

Ok, so I did kind of slack off in June, and I did slack off in July when I spent 2 weeks at my grandparent's houses in Ontario, and then since I've been back I've been working 2 jobs and my mom is living with me while doing her summer job down here so cooking has been.. near impossible given that she brings half her house with her to my tiny 600 sq ft apartment.

And I might have gone to McPukes one too many times. And not drank enough water.

Crud. I guess I do know how it happened.

Ok. So, how the heck do you get back on the wagon when your butt is too fat, it seems, to lift yourself up again?

*sigh*

I fell off plan for a lot more than 2 months - I had lost over 40, but ended up putting back on over 30 (at least it wasn't everything I had lost!) But I just could not get started up again with calorie counting - I would try and last just a day or two at most, and mostly wouldn't even last a full day.

What has worked for me was trying a totally different plan. Somehow, that re-energized my commitment and I have been completely on plan for almost 3 months now (and extremely happy with the losses I have to show for it!). Maybe trying something new would work for you?

Hey Rainbow missed seeing you around!

You restart the same way you started before. One step at a time. One meal at a time.

Were there things about being on the wagon that you miss? Do you miss drinking enough water? Do you miss avoiding McPukes and choosing better foods?

When I fell off the proverbial wagon and gained back nearly 100 pounds, I remember restarting. I remember thinking to myself "I honestly miss eating healthier. I miss the way that feels. I miss walking. I miss feeling energetic." And so I started with little things that I missed, because why put off feeling better?

So. What do you miss? What do you know you can do today? Start there. After a couple of weeks it feels like... back to normal, healthy ways.

Start today. Do not give yourself until tomorrow. Just do a little something better. Eat better, go for a walk, take it from here. Anything you do today is better than nothing.
You already lost before, you can do it again. Don't be hard on yourself, just be healthier for yourself.

crap! hate when that happens! I used to go 2 or 3 weeks in summer eating poorly but not seeing any movement upwards on the scale, and somehow convinced myself that "wow, harry potter's magic wand clearly has made it possible for me to eat what i like with no consequences" bahahahha and then of course 3 weeks later my pants wouldn't fit ha!

Catching it early is the main thing, and as crappy as it is, it could ALWAYS be worse right?!

One foot in front of the other, one day after another, just like always ! onwards and upwards!

Hey RainbowGirl! So glad to see you back. And first off, I must say that I love your honesty about what went on while you were away. I think that's the best place to start. You're not fooling yourself and that leads me to believe that you'll get back on that wagon just fine...take up as many seats as you need sweetie. We can overlap our fat butts so we can ALL fit!

You know how? You just do. For one day. And then another. And then another. Until it's just habit again. And you make it happen TODAY and not tomorrow. And you don't give up because you slipped up. and and and...

Can you tell I just got back on the wagon 17 days ago? lol!!!

McPukes. Hilarious.

You did not unlearn everything you learned, you just need a "do over."

Good luck in your new journey.

Just start back on track. One solid meal at a time, one good decision at a time, start making those add up in your favor again and the weight WILL come back off. Promise

Well, today was a wash. I swear, there's something about the heat that makes me say "fuggetabout it" to the whole "plan."

As for what I miss? To be frank, not much. There really wasn't anything I was doing that I -REALLY- loved. While i was at my grandmothers, I did miss vegetables because she rarely eats them, but that's about it. Right now, I do miss having the time to make a nice big salad. The water I could totally live without - I hate it. I can't stand drinking 2.5 L (and that's not even all of what I'm supposed to drink!) every day and peeing every 20 minutes.

I really wish I could be like people who start a healthy living plan and fall in love, but i just am not wired that way. When I did that Fitness Fantasy 5 years ago for 3 months, everyone said I'd CRAVE going to the gym, I'd CRAVE being more active and yanno what? I didn't. After the 3 months were up and I won, I kept the weight off for about a year and then it slowly piled back on because I just didn't miss going to the gym, I didn't miss doing the activities.

Nothing I found has really ever made me fall in love with it; I've tried just about everything to. Walking, jogging, hiking, swimming, alpine walking, roller blading, biking, basketball, volleyball, tennis, kayaking, canoeing, Kinect games.. it's all fun, but nothing I'd want to do for ever and nothing I seem to have TIME for.

I think a lot of it, too, is that when you're this big, doing any of that stuff is EXHAUSTING, not even just in a work-out sense, but as an overall sense. It's like "ugh.. I have to do THIS again?" *sigh*

I think maybe that I'll focus more on the EATING and less on the exercise, at least for now, and maybe try an actual..plan.. rather than trying to come up with one myself. The calorie counting and meal planning is tiring - I should let someone else do it. I was looking at the 17 day diet book and most of the stuff in the recipes doesn't seem too exotic or outrageous. It's also cheap. Weight Watchers is good too, but I can't afford it.

I actually think that you have hit upon a good plan. If you're not happy with the way you were doing things, no wonder you don't want to go back to it.

I love the exercise part, and am grateful I do. But other people look at it like they do brushing their teeth. Who enjoys it? I don't know. But I know that I love how fresh and clean it makes my mouth feel, and I know that if I stay up really late and my mouth starts feeling disgusting, or I have eaten something like tuna or ranch, I really want to brush my teeth again. I don't know if that counts as "craving," but it's pretty motivational.

But you can do anything for 17 days, right? And if you start to love it, you can do another 17 days. (Probably - I'm not familiar with the plan.) And if you hate it, there's NO shortage of "meal plans" on the internet. It's hard, and it's exhausting, but then again, as you mentioned, so is being fat.

I'm fighting the time thing with you, though! Makes me inclined to anorexia, quite frankly... =) But I'm trying. I rely on things like protein bars (processed, yes, but quick) and plain fresh fruits and vegetables. But even just eating that is time-consuming.

But, at least for now, I'd rather go through the struggle than stay fat.

Hi there Rainbowgirl!

I have just managed to pull myself up by the bootstraps and get back in the groove after a dismal winter weight gain. I was actually inspired by that 17 Day Diet book, because I figured I could do anything for 17 days. I actually started a thread documenting my 17 days, why don't you join me there? I am not strictly following the plan in the book, but it did give me some ideas.

As far as the water, I have never really believed all the hype about drinking that much water. Yes, water is good for you, but not necessary to drink that much, IMHO. I have certainly had success in the past just drinking what I consider normal amounts of water - just a few glasses a day.

Same for the exercise. It is definitely good for you, but not absolutely necessary for weight-loss. As you said, why don't you start with concentrating on the eating, and maybe the rest will fall into place?

For what it's worth, I think this is one of the big myths of weight loss - that all you have to do is exercise a little and your body will want to exercise more.

For me, I did get to a point where I found myself wanting eagerly to use my body and move it around - but the bad news is, I had to lose about 75 pounds before that happened. When I was that overweight, exercise was just too damn hard, too damn uncomfortable, to ever be something I longed to do. I did it because I was committed to doing it, but I didn't crave it.

So, you might have to just grit through the exercise for a good long time before you find your body wanting to do it. Now, finally, I do. I get antsy. My body wants to move around. 50 pounds ago? Not so much.

i fell off the wagon too for about a month... back on track now...its so hard when you feel like you have undone all the good you did, but you just have to start again. it's part of life.

I like lovely's response. I have learned to enjoy some things like healthy cooking and being active but it was hardest for me in the beginning. So, don't underestimate the importance of surrounding yourself with the success you so want for yourself--and ultimately the support. Day by day. One step and then another. There is not a finish line--just a long path.