I had my usual weigh-in this morning. I knew that I had not been on plan this month, and that I had gained back some of the weight I had lost; I didn't realize how much. My poor choices have resulted in a 20 pound gain. I am so ashamed of myself. I feel like a failure and a fraud.

You are definitely not a failure or a fraud, so please don't think of yourself as one. Everyone is going to have bad and good times during their journey. This is just a speed bump. Don't allow it to discourage you. Allow it to motivate you to get back on track and try harder. Look at your signature. "If you believe it, you will achieve it?" Do you believe you can do this? I'm sure you do!

Peggy,
Let go of that shame! It is not like you hurt someone or kicked a dog. OK, you gained 20 pounds but you are still 45 pounds below your starting weight. I have found that feelings of shame and failure only lead to more shame and failure.

Just get back on plan and keep going. The only way you can fail is to quit. You can do this!

It's not shameful to be human. It happens. Don't give up. It just means it will take a little longer to your goal is all.

I went through that last winter myself, gaining back about 25 pounds. The real danger is looking away or living in denial so it can escalate further! The key is realizing what happened as you have done, so you can dust yourself off and get back on track.

This is only a setback, it doesn't make you a failure or a fraud.

Please forgive yourself. No sense looking back and beating yourself up. Move forward in a healthful manner and that weight WILL come off again.

Take care now.

If you lost that weight once, you can lose it again. Losing weight is a three steps forward, two steps back kind of process for so many people, and I wouldn't call any of them failures or frauds - this is how it goes. You've lost so much weight already, I wish I had lost that much.

It would probably be good to examine why you went off plan, though - was it stress? vacation? boredom? etc.

Peggy, in the 100lb Club we have a Regainers check-in, for those of us who have fallen off the wagon. We'd be happy to have you join us.

Think about how much nicer it is to be where you are now than when you first started!

You got it off once and you can do it again! Keep your head up and jump right back in

I regained 20lbs back in March/April, by going way off plan. When I finally decided to weigh myself again, I thought "Wow this really sucks.".

Then I restocked my fridge and cupboards with diet friendly foods, starting walking again, and now I'm back to where I was, only stronger this time.

Trust me, it gets easier and easier to get back on that horse! It may seem like the end of the world right now, but it isn't. Overall, you've lost a lot, and if you were to chart your weight you'd see a downward trend. But you have to keep going to see that trend!

big hugs to you! it's in the past now; so now focus on the present and making changes again. You'll get back there before you know it!

Forget about it completely and go back to losing! I gained 60 pounds back once because I looked at the scale and had gained 10 and thought it was all pointless. I look back on that and see it as a learning experience. Next time that happens, I'll just pick myself back up. Think about it rationally and not emotionally. No point in giving up. You already know you can do it. We all believe in you.

Hi Peggy!

Congratulations on your success in losing so much weight. Congratulations on your commitment to yourself. Congratulations on re-evaluating what's going on in your life and committing to find a way to resolve whatever issue(s) has caused you to go backwards. And most importantly - congratulations on not giving up! Setbacks are really hard (and yes, even humiliating to a degree), but they are a part of this. Take a deep breath. Reset your ticker. Look at the success you've had. And conquer!

Peggy, don't beat yourself up about it. I've been there. Last time I worked on losing weight I got down to 235, which was a 40 pound loss. I lost track for months and gained it all back plus an extra 5, putting me at 280. You caught yourself before going that far, so I am proud of you for that! You're back and working on it and I'm proud of you. Don't be ashamed or angry. Just start over.