So last year I was down in the 150s and well on my way to my pre baby body and then my daughter started having a bad time and it all went down hill. Now I am up to 178!!!! OMG! I feel so uncomfortable and all the nice size medium pants are so uncomfortable. Not to mention that I look horrible. I can't seem to get back on board and I know what I have to do. sigh. My daughter has special needs and she doesn't sleep well so I have low energy and can barely make it through the day. Tomorrow I want to get back on my treadmill and try and get my energy levels back up.

Why is it so hard this time?? I need a buddy to keep me somewhat accountable or atleast be there for me. So if any of you have a busy and taxing lifestyle and about as much weight to lose(50lbs) hit me up!
thanks

Hi Sun - so you've gained maybe 25 lbs. This can be remedied within a matter of months. I know I am 5'9''m and you are 5'1'', so 25lbs shows up more on you, but nevertheless - you can absolutely deal with this, and you can be back in the 150s sooner than you think. I also have about 50 (perhaps 60) lbs to lose, and we can do this! Support is the key.

I'm sure you don't look horrible, and I am sure that having a daughter can be draining (and rewarding!), but I bet you can still make progress with your weight loss goals.

You deserve support and encouragement, so here I am. I hope others join in too.

jessica hey thanks for the encouraging words! Thanks for joining me in the battle of the bulge...lol. My DD and I had a bad night but I am gonna get her papa to watch her for an hour so I can workout. What are you doing today?

Hi Sun! I'm right there with you, but I had gained much more weight than you did. Last year at this time I weighed 169. I ate my way up to 225! I, too, was like, "What the heck is wrong with me?" Being stressed will sometimes do that to people.

Here is what I reminded myself when I had to physically take care of my mother when she fractured both arms in a fall a few years back (both of her arms were in casts). I was on my way losing weight and exercising when this happened to her. As difficult, frustrating and tiring as it was to take care of every physical (and emotional) need for my mother and take care of my family and my needs at the same time, I reminded myself that if I didn't take care of myself by losing my weight and exercising, I would not be able to take care of my mom and kids. So I forced myself to get up early to work out and make the days meals ahead of time. During the 2 months she was in her casts, this way of thinking helped me to lose 15 pounds and get stronger physically and emotionally for her and myself. I could have easily chosen a different path and decided, "This is too hard to handle. I'm going to chuck my diet and exercise because there is too much pressure on me." The only thing that would have gotten me would be a fatter and weaker body...hardly what I needed to be able to take care of so many people, right? Thank God I chose the first path!

Here is another tidbit of advice that I hope will inspire you as it did me (and I have been guilty of forgetting this from time to time myself). I'm not the biggest Dr. Phil fan, but I remember watching one of his weight loss shows several years ago. Something he asked an overweight guest of his that really stuck out in my mind was, "Would you die for your children?" Of course the guest told him he would. Then Dr. Phil asked, "Then why won't you live for them?" That question blew me away! We do so much for our kids and family, but when we don't take care of ourselves we are really giving less to them.

I hope that helps you in some way.

I'm right there with you. I got down to my all-time low, 144 lbs (only 6 lbs above my then-goal), and felt so good. Then I got too relaxed and ate my way back to 178.

I tried a few times to regain my motivation and for a year I lost and gained the same 8 lbs. I guess I just didn't want it bad enough.

I'm back on track now and this time, something is different. The motivation is there. Why? Who knows?

What's helping me is visualizing fitting back into my smallest jeans.

On the upside, the first time I tried to lose weight, I was 221 lbs and went down to about 160. Then I gained and went to 210 and went down to 155. Then I gained to 190 and went to 144. So at least I'm not getting as fat each time I slip and I am getting to a lower number each time I succeed.

I hope that this time, however, is the last.

Good luck to you! It will be worth it when we get to our goals. Then we can post in the Maintainers forum!

Sandy Thanks for the encouraging words. Some of what you said really hit home I just am not finding the motivation this time. But I am gonna push through and when motivation decides to catch up I will be going somewhere I think depression is a big part of why I am not getting anywhere. BUt I am going to kick myself in the butt and keep going.

yoyomadness Thank you for the words of encouragement. I will see you in the maintainers section

Hi Sun! Sorry it took a little while to get back to you on this thread. I went to work today for a few hours to catch up on some stuff. It is Sunday, 5:00pm right now. Today, instead of dreaming about being skinner, I am going to post a few comments, go for a power walk, and then have a sensible dinner. Time is going to pass, and if I do a little bit each day, before I know it, I will see some real results.

Let's not feel sorry for ourselves or be our own worst enemies - let's stop the bulge in it's tracks! Cheers to you! What are you up to?

Low energy is no fun, but I find that exercise gives me energy even when I'm tired. Great news that you will go back on the treadmill. I'd like to lose a bit more than 50, so I hear where you are coming from. I think that taking the total goal seem so overwhelming so I like to break it down in small goals (5-10 pounds) to make it seem more achievable and reachable. I find it gets harder the older I get. The more I lose and gain, the harder it is to take off unfortunately. Do you lift weights? I find weights can totally reshape your body and help with raising your metabolism even when you are resting.