For the past several months i've completely let myself go I'm extremely depressed and saddened that i've lost such control. I had stomach surgery back in May and gained all 15 lbs. i struggled to lose since last Dec. I'm back up to 212 and feel SO gross. I cancelled my ww membership because i can't really afford to pay $40/mo and not go, not to mention i pay $30/mo for the gym and don't go. I want to know where my motivation went, it's hard because i live with someone that eats what he wants. Not that it's an excuse but it's easier to eat unhealthy. The other thing is i've been having alcohol more than i have in the past and need to cut that down only to Saturday again.

I just don't know what to do anymore can't beleive i'm back in the 200's. I feel like i spend SO much time thinking of a diet that would work instead of just doing something healthy. I don't make all around bad choices but nothing seems to work for me at this point in my life.

Help please!!!

I am so sorry you are miserable right now. Please don't give up. I know this is a hard time of year but I would argue any time is hard when you have to say no to something you want to eat or drink.

Cutting out/down the alcohol will be a great start. I think people don't realize how many calories that adds on and I am personally a big snacker when I drink.

Can you start by focusing on portion control/calories? That way if you want the item for the holidays you can allow it if it fits in your day - just not overdo it? And that includes accountability on the alcohol. Put a sticky on each bottle of beer that tells you exactly how many calories you will be drinking if you have it.

You have gained some weight back - but not all of it. You know you can do this because you have done it before. You know how to make healthy decisions and benefit from them. Don't forget that!

That's just it!! I feel like i've forgotten how to do what i did before to lose it the first time

if you still have your gym membership (that's actually a great price), you might want to start there. or start exercising at home, or add activity to your daily routine. start replacing snacks, have fruit around, add veggies to your meals.

don't get hung up on the idea of a miracle diet, that if you only found it and followed it everything would fall into place and the lbs would melt off, think more in terms of changing your outlook and habits in regards to the food around you and your activity level.

I wouldn't let a backslide deflate you too much, it happens to many of us (including me).

So fair enough - what worked before may not work now or you need a little tweak. That is the great thing about this community; there is a lot of motivational ideas and options.

I know you are totally in a funk right now, but don't give up. Try and figure out what you would like to try today as your first step.

One year from now you'll be glad you started today, that's what someone told me once...

You don't need to spend a dime to lose weight. Counting calories is FREE and since you have Internet access you could use one of many free calorie trackers!

Today is a great day to start...you burn more calorie in the winter! You can do this. Believe in yourself.

I have been where you are. I few years ago I went back to WW (regained lifetime member) and weighed 207 pounds. I lost about 20 pounds and then....went off track. It is hard for me to describe it because I just couldn't get started to get back on track. By the time I really went back last year I was back at 205.4. In some ways that was discouraging, of course. But, I also knew I couldn't go back. I will say it has been different since then and I've stuck with it.

I wish I could say what was different this time. I guess part of it was that I felt that I really wanted to lose weight more than I wanted to have yummy food, more than I wanted to eat out, more than I wanted to socialize, more than I wanted to just not bother. Being honest, that wasn't always the case in the past. I do think that it helps to really think about and work out what weight loss methods work best for you. We all aren't the same. I do best with some group support so I still do WW (if I didn't have a long history there I think I might try TOPS though for a lot less money). But, I also like to keep track of calories so I found a way to track calories online for free. What is important I think is to really focus on what your reasons are to lose weight and really do what works for you and to not expect perfection.

I know so well how you are feeling. The only thing you can do now is turn it around. Review the things that made you succeed before, and just do it. I am a big believer in THREE DAYS of toughing it out. That's about how long it takes to rebuild confidence and start believing in yourself again. It gets easier.

Well, you've already listed one thing you know should help - cutting back on the alcohol. So that might be a good thing to start with.

Swift, radical changes to their eating and activity regimes work seem to be necessary for some people to make sustained changes. But they're not necessary for everyone - some people have lost 100+ lbs. by starting with little changes and building up. Even if you feel like you can't commit to a specific program or even bring yourself to do all the things you were doing before, you can still focus on making small changes and making the best choices from your available options. You probably won't lose as quickly, but you'd still be helping yourself out.

Lori Bell, is one of the people here who keeps me on track. A wise woman.

That being said, now that I"m back in maintenance mode, I've had to redefine normal.

AS a person with weight issues, my normal is going to have to be for the rest of my life, monitoring food intake, and making sure I exercise on a regular basis.

Yes, I can treat myself now and then, but, I have to make sure it's worth it.

I had to make a mindful choice, that I cannot always eat all I want, and I have to choose my food, and I have to exercise, but mostly, I needed to quit fighting it and making it so hard and I needed to get out of my own way.

I agree completely! To the OP, I felt like you do for almost six years. I really thought to myself that my days of being a normal weight were over for good. I just could not find the motivation to eat right and exercise because I had failed so many times in the past. Somehow, in June, though, I decided I had to do something (probably in response to moving up a clothing size). I started with something I would consider radical (the 17-day diet). I knew it wouldn't be longterm, but I needed the jumpstart. I last a week rather than 17 days , but just losing those few pounds and sticking to it for even that week made me realize that I could start taking care of myself again. Here, I am in November, and I am a size 8!! Everytime I think about it, I can hardly believe it. I never REALLY thought I would be this successful. Just start! You don't have to be perfect---I wasn't. I haven't even weighed myself once during this process because I didn't want to feel discouraged or pressured either way, and I've still lost a ton of weight (see my ticker, which indicates clothing sizes I've gone down).



Again, I agree! I credit a big part of my success this time around to accepting MY limitations. I stopped throwing an inner temper tantrum about the fact that "everybody else" could eat "whatever they want" and I can't. Not only was that untrue, but even if it was true, I realized, so what? I can't do that. I have a brain that encourages me to pig out on high fat, sweet treats. That's not going to change, so I need to find strategies to deal with it. We cannot compare ourselves to others. We can get advice and help, but ultimately, we must find what works for us.

heyy !! i am struggling with feeling the same way as yuu. i live with people who do not watch wha they eat at all && there iis always pizza && snacks all overr the place && itz so easy to cheat because noone has any regard for the fact that i can't eat those things. && allthough i know itz not anyones problem that I'm overweight or on a diet it pisses mii off. i hate when people downgrade wha I'm doing like itz so easy && anyone could do it. Itz a struggle for mii !! I'm dessperatly trying to get into the groove of things. I'm here for yuu if yuu need support <3

The alcohol also acts as a little devil on my shoulder when it comes to making poor food choices. A glass of wine with dinner, and all of a sudden the idea of having dessert doesn't seem so bad. Just last night, I was a bit tipsy and it led to a late night 7-11 run! No no no. So I would start there

I am also a WW member, and I have struggled to stay on plan the past couple of months. I decided to try "simply filling" instead of the regular points plus, and that seems to be the change I needed. You don't have to track every little thing you eat, just non-power foods. Not only does this give you a way to eat healthy without having to get super OCD, but it kinda makes you think twice about eating stuff not on the power list. I end up eating a lot of lean protein, fruits and veggies. It's very satisfying, too. Just thought I'd throw that in there!