Do you find that you tend to go in cycles with your weightloss moods? I've just gone through 3 weeks of diet honeymoon. Everything felt effortless. I wasn't tempted to go off-plan. I felt powerful and in control and extremely optimistic. For the past two days, I've been feeling the pressure. I'm tempted to "just have one treat." Afterall, I've been strictly on-plan for 3 weeks, right? Ugh! I have to keep reminding myself that this thinking has obviously never worked well for me in the past. A few weeks ago, I reached my highest weight. I'm starting to realize just how far I have to go to get healthy and fit again. I'm definitely not throwing in the towel and I'm determined to change my life this time and for good! I'm just hoping that I fall in love with my plan again and that I do so soon. Do you go through peaks and valleys with your mood? Am I likely to fall in love and have a honeymoon span again?

I'm the same way....sort of. I have the rare magical days when I'm not tempted at all and feel like how I think a normal person feels about food. Then, I can have weeks where I'm in control and very focused on my goal and I can resist temptations or maybe have a little treat here in there without it derailing me. However, there are more times (it seems) when I'm white knuckling it at night and trying to negotiate with myself so I can make it until the morning without a binge. I feel your pain!

I think the most important thing in a weight loss plan is being able to maintain it long term, so I'm not a big fan of diets that severely restrict calories or cut out entire food groups (though I know a lot of these plans do work really for some people and that some people mustn't eat some things). I love WW because nothing is out of bounds (but are still foods I've learnt I must avoid or they trigger a binge). If not being able to have a treat threatens to sabotage your work so far then I'd have the treat, just choose wisely, factor it into your calories and above all, enjoy it. I have a treat every day, not because I've been good, but because I know I need that to live a normal life LOL. Just small things, like maybe a small snack bar or a mini tub of ice cream or a cup cake (whatever fits into my points). But, yes I think everyone fluctuates and has a honeymoon phase, where we love losing and love exercising. I guess the trick is being able to get past that and keep going. Good luck and congratulations on your weight loss so far!

(bolding mine)
I think this is so important. Treats are a good thing and in moderation (whatever moderation is for each person), they don't hurt anything. Who wants to go the rest of their life without a treat now and then?

As for the OP's question - there are definitely honeymoon periods! Right now, I'm in one. Things are going well, I'm losing, eating well, exercising, et cetera. But during the summer? Totally different story. It was such a struggle to make progress. I'd be surprised if people said they didn't have these phases.

I definitely go through peaks and valleys in terms of enthusiasm/motivation with EVERYTHING in my life, and that includes my weight loss commitment! What helped me in that department was not looking to my feelings to tell me how I was going to do that day. I made eating healthy something I just DID, no matter how I felt about it. It's made a world of difference and kept me on track for almost an entire *year*, something that has NEVER happened before! I second the idea about treats/snacks, too, although I'm working on teaching myself that they aren't "special", but just regular food that I'm fitting into my calories on that day. I only have them once or twice a week because while my calories might be on track that day, my nutrition suffers, and I want to be healthier as well as thinner. Taking away the label of "special" makes me less likely to overindulge. Mind games, but it works!

I don't know what to tell you, Rhonda! The honeymoon comes and goes, for sure. When you fit into some pants you haven't worn in ages, that awesome mood bump can last for days. But can just as easily go the other way, if you see a picture or something where you look awful, you can be miserable for days. UGH why are we so complicated ha ha

the best change I ever made about losing weight was to look at it like cleaning the toilet LOL

It's not glamourous
it's not fun, but I always do it.
I never skip it for more than a day
I don't talk about it, but everyone knows I do it
I do it to make life nicer
I do it to make my hubby's life nicer
I do it for health reasons
It can be gross, annoying, time consuming, but ultimately the end result was worth it

Absolutely!!!!
The first six months were a breeze! The last six months have been a disaster!
There were also waves of a couple weeks here and there when I "honeymooned."

All - thanks for the feedback. It's good to know that this is normal. I haven't figured out how to have the occasional treat yet. I'm still a bit scared that I'll start a binge. I may need to get myself into a better mental state before I try that. Trazey, I loved your dirty toilet comparison!

Congratulations on your weight loss Rhonda!

I think everyone goes through times when enthusiasm for weight loss and maintenance ebbs and flows.

I think that you should definitely treat yourself to something but make it non food related. The food related treats are a slippery slope for many of us. Maybe something like a bracelet with a meaningful charm for every 10 lbs lost?

I, too, loved Trazey's dirty toilet analogy. I would so much rather go through the disgustingness of cleaning a dirty toilet than I would go through the disgustingness of smelling and seeing a dirty toilet all the time. I am, in fact, printing out the analogy--with a few personal adjustments--and putting it where I can see it in my office as I face tomorrow's "treat day."

Really, office party planning people? You don't think dealing with trick-or-treating (two days in a row for my kids =/) is torture enough? You want to subject me to an all-day sugar extravaganza at the office as well? It's on, Halloween sugar nightmare. I am going to will this into a "honeymoon" day. I will not indulge in the sugar tonight or tomorrow because I am the type of person who understands that the long-term health benefits of avoiding sugar FAR outweigh the short-term benefits of indulging in it. Right? Does it work that way? We definitely shall see.

I absolutely have periods of time when the diet mojo is on and others where staying the course is more challenging. It's one of the reasons I've been working on this for five years, now. When I'm feeling good I'll keep a deficit and lose, when I'm feeling blah I'll focus on maintaining, instead. That way I'm always losing or maintaining, but never throw in the towel or go without accountability. It's one of the things I credit with my success in keeping regains at bay - never give up, never let it slide. But it's absolutely okay to adjust upward to maintenance if losing is just taking too much mental energy. But eating without accountability, to the point of regain, is never an option

Just as an example, in case it helps - Today I've had my normal coffee with heavy whipping cream, an ounce of almonds, half a rotisserie chicken, and an ounce and a half or so of cheese. All perfectly on plan foods.

I wanted something sweet, so I'm also eating 34 glorious grams of imported dark chocolate (Cafe-Tasse Noir, it's FABULOUS!). Also on plan and accounted for in calories and carbs. I stay on track and stay sane, all at once.

Dinner will be jicama, a salad, and some rib eye steak. Maybe a homemade bubble tea, too. Still on plan. My calories will be in range, my carbs will be in range, I'm not at all diet-y and yet still am managing nutrition/deficit/taste all at once. It's doable, even when the diet mojo is low (mine definitely is right now, I've had to tighten back down because my weight slipped two pounds above my acceptable maintenance range when I got sick). The key is correcting when needed without driving yourself nuts. For me, my normal plan with an allowance for little luxuries like quality chocolate and cheese is the ticket!