I am restarting my weight loss journey again! I have restarted so many times i couldn't even begin to count...Each time I try something new. I have tried South Beach, Weight Watchers, Weight loss pills and many more. For the past year I have been on a "low-carb, no sugar, high protein" diet or lifestyle shall I say. I am constantly falling off the wagon because of holidays or special events that evolve around food. I just celebrated my birthday and told myself that I was going to give myself the gift of success..

What are some of your experiences with the ups and downs of trying to lose weight? I know this is a basic question but I am interested in what has worked for others.

For me, it has been all about learning what I can live without and that which I simply cannot that might break the whole diet/new lifestyle apart if I try to give it up.

The biggest breakthrough for me was noticing that I was eating dinner very late at night without feeling hungry. So I dropped that meal, felt reasonably OK and started to lose weight....what is known as intermittant fasting.

Once I started to lose weight, I thought "hey, what about the other meals I am eating?". So instead of a fried breakfast and a sandwich lunch with cake and chips, I started to eat salads which I now really enjoy. Not a particular hassle for me, but big weight loss followed.

But I do have a red line. I love craft beers. And I still drink those (at 200 calories a pop). I cannot drop them as that would bust my whole weight loss effort. So I try to live with these as part of my diet.

So you need to find what works for you. That's been the biggest lesson for me.

You have done so many diets that you should have a pretty good idea by now.

I definitely agree you need to find what works for you, and what you can live with.

I know my weaknesses food wise, and I'm far from perfect, but I've learnt so much about how I, personally can stay in control of what I eat.

I don't know if I'll do it forever, but calorie counting has been really helpful in my learning my how to eat in a reasonable way. I can have any food, but the choice as to whether it's worth it comes down to me, and often, weighing up the consequences, it's not worth it. I think that's been key for me, not just following a diet plan, or restricting foods, or counting points (all of which I tried half-heartedly, with no real aim, at some point), but actually thinking about what I want to eat, and why I want to eat it and whether I should. I'm learning to look far more objectively at my life, and health and diet. I feel like I'm making a choice, rather than my diet depriving me of something I want.

I'm not always successful... I started last year and then fell back into some old habits for a while, but I think that was the first time I'd really been completely serious about weight loss, the first time it had actually been more important to me than food. Since I got back on plan, I guess I don't really feel like I'm restarting anything, more like picking up where I left off.

I've cut out milk, potatoes, rice, most sweets, and bread. I'm not being really strict and am losing an average of one pound a week. I do cheat once in a while. Those weeks I lose less.

I feel the same way. I have "started" about 5 times. Each time feeling different than the last. This is the longest I've stuck with it. Although there are days I really just want to give up, I look for motivation and remember what I want and what my goals are and remember why I'm starting this weight loss journey again.

I have fallen off the wagon several times too. I lost 88 lbs 5 years ago and gained all but 20lbs back. It took 5 years to regain the weight, which is pretty good considering that I went back to my old eating habits AND stopped exercising completely. It is a bit depressing that I did all that hard work and have to start over again, but at the same time I am motivated because I know that if I continue to exercise and eat right (actively try to maintain my loss) I should be able to keep it off.

Anywho... what worked for me in the past has been a combo lower carb, calorie counting mix and this is what I am doing now. I limit my carb intake but not drastically. I still eat fruit, whole wheat bread, and a treat here and there. I also count calories (usually about 1400 - 1700 a day). I think the key for me is that no food is off limits as long as it is within my carb/calorie limit. I do not like feeling deprived. I rebel. HARD. This is a lifestyle change and deprivation is not a state I want to live in permanently.

I won't lie, at some point I will stop logging my calories. It gets monotonous and irritating after a while (to me), but as terichelle said above, calorie counting is a great way to learn how to eat reasonably. Once I am comfortable with portions and calorie content again, I'll stop logging.

As for exercise, I do as much as I can handle. If it's a 20 min day I do 20 min. If I feel I can go 30 or 40+ min I do. I alternate between cardio and weight training every other day. The key to exercise for me is options. I have been back at it for the past month and on average I pop in a different workout vid almost every time I do cardio.

In the end, find what works for you and work it
Good luck

I just restarted this morning.

I spent the entire weekend eating not necessarily unhealthy foods, but I know I could have made healthier choices. I had packed my lunch last night for today but repacked it when I took a second look and realized I didn't have any fruits or vegetables.

Sometimes I feel like I am restarting EVERY day! LOL, I always feel like I could have done better come the end of the day, but I just keep going, thats all we can do

I think I have started 4 million times.... but I will be starting the 5millionth time after my Alabama trip..... I guess it is ok as along as I keep trying...

I start over every few weeks or so. In fact, I did this morning. But I don't get discouraged. I know that a few days off doesn't automatically undo what I've accomplished. If I miss a swim, I get back in the pool as soon as I can. If I cheat, I make sure I'm back on plan at the next meal.

Everyone has off days. Don't look at it as failure.

I want to chime in here and say that like ianG realizing that I DONT need to eat every few hours has been life changing for me. This realization happened last fall and for the first time in years I felt like losing weight for real and for good was finally gonna happen. It has been slow but I have only been going down not up since then. I don't follow any of the IF plans, I just eat one meal and a snack or 2 meals and a snack, depending on my hunger. I still count calories and try to make healthy choices.


Best of luck and I hope u figure out what is right for you!

^^This. Even though I am just starting this journey, I have learned and a bad eating day doesn't mean that you have ruined everything and should give up for a while then start over. You miss this gym one day, go the next. You have fast food for dinner because you a short on time, means you have kick a$$ healthy meals the next day. Every single day isn't going to be perfect and you need to learn to roll with the punches. Try to make the best possible choices whenever you can and be proud of each good choice you make, but don't punish yourself for bad ones.

Example: Yesterday for lunch the soup special was cheddar broccoli soup. Made with full fat cheese and cream. SO rich, and SO delicious, I couldn't resist. A bowl was probably upwards of 500+ cals, and totally screwed up my calories for the day. So I did an extra 20 minutes on the elliptical. I didn't need that soup, but I wanted it, had it, enjoyed it, didn't feel guilty and then worked my butt off to make up for it.

Also, IMO, "diets" are just going to set you up to fail, as there is always the promise of getting to the end of a "diet", but it seems that as soon as you stop "dieting" you stop losing weight, and then have to start over again (and repeat). Instead, change the way you eat forever. Make things you like, things you can cook and things you can afford.

You will find the right "thing" for you Just keep at it. Good luck!

I have had a really great week! I am setting mini goals rather than big goals which I am unlikely to accomplish without falling off the wagon.

I have found that if I set myself up at the beginning of the week with food that is quick and easy to grab and go..I am less likly to make an unhealthy choice. I have also started to photo journal everything that I consume. It is a great way to monitor what I am eating. I can look back and count the amount of each food group I ate for the day.. I highly recommend it to those who don't do we'll with writing everything down.

Having joined this forum has been a huge motivator. Thank you for all of your support and advice!

Yes I am restarting again today after a 2-day binge. Really it doesn't matter if i'm restarting or just getting back on plan, but i'm going to think of it as a fresh start because that usually gives me more motivation (and because i gained back most of the weight i lost). It sucks that i kind of threw away the last 2 months. But i'm going to think of that as a learning period, where i was experimenting with what works and what doesn't. Now i know, and i'm ready to tackle my diet for real this time.

Excellent! Glad to hear this! Slow and steady wins the race.

IanG has really hit the nail square on the head here. If you read over the posts from people who have been able to maintain a significant weight loss, I think you'll find that most, if not all, of them have designed their own plan...taking from here and there what works best for them and designing a way to lose and maintain weight that they can live with.

Discover the things that you feel like you can do without - maybe not forever, but for the most part - and work on that. And it doesn't necessarily have to be food.

I discovered that I can live without drinking nightly glasses of wine & the snacking that goes along with it. I didn't say I gave up wine forever, just most nights. I've decided it's for special occasions only; the extra daily calories just weren't worth it, and probably accounted for most of my weight gain over the last two years.

I discovered that I can live without eating while watching tv, or reading. I discovered that I can really enjoy my food more when all I do is EAT. I know you hear that all the time in various *diet plans* but it does have validity. It's one of the things that works for me. Big time.

I discovered that I cannot give up any food (or drink) entirely. There is nothing off-limits for me. Ever.

I discovered that I can give up the guilt that goes with eating any particular food. That's because I've discovered there is no such thing as bad food. Maybe some is more nutritious than others, but none is bad, in my book.

Wishing you much success!