Help !! Since last October I have lost 21lbs, I was down 28lb but have put back on 7lbs during a family crisis. I am personally amazed it stopped at just +7. My problem is now that 2 months down the line, the crisis is no longer a crisis, but still takes a lot of my time & I am finding it really hard to get back into the WW points. I am following the old system, not pure points & should be eating 24 points a day. I start off every morning with great intentions to journal & point everything I eat & do great during the day, but at tea time - usually a big rush, I've slipped up.

Any advice for someone whos determind to get back on the wagon ??

Carol
229/208/145

On day 1 pick on aspect you feel you can do 100% (say drinking water) and do it. Each day add 1 more aspect of the program that you think you can do 100% along with the previous day's aspect. By the end of 7 days you'll be back on program 100%.

During this week you aren't concerned about gaining or losing just taking 1 day, 1 step at a time.

Carol,
I have to agree with Kelly. Baby step it!!!! Start off with something that you know that you can do. If its tough, do it again the next day. Just concentrate on that one thing. Add the next when you feel you can handle it --- that includes around tea time!!!! It may take longer than a week, but this weight didn't come on in a week, so take the time you need to pull yourself together.

Let us know how it all goes!

The woman who moves mountains begins with but a single stone!

kmy

I've been an on-and-offer too much in the past few years as well, and I'm trying the baby steps approach. I've made a list of the things I have to work on and am slogging through it one item at a time -- the first was simply planning meals and eating three meals a day (I'm an all-day eater). At first, I set a time limit (one thing per week) and then realized that didn't work for me, so I'm just doing Item 3 until it's a habit.

Hope this works for you Good luck.

I had some crises lately as well, and found the pounds creeping up on me. It's been a huge struggle to fight stress, and fight my weight at the same time. I finally decided to accept that I've gained a bit, and tell myself that it was OK- I did my best during a stressfull time. Things are a little less crazy now, and I'm back on program.

You can do it! Give yourself a pat on the back for your overall success, and move on to achieve your goals. 21 pounds is fantastic! Don't let a little setback turn into a big one. Take a baby step today, and pretty soon you'll be taking giant steps!

The baby steps suggested above will certainly get you back to your winning ways. Don't give up - don't get discouraged. You can do it, and we are all here to help you. Best of luck to you.

Hi,

It is very hard during times of extreme stress to stay completely OP. But it is possible to maintain the losses you've had up to the point where your life had the extra stress added. Or to keep the gain to a small amount. Or even to lose a little more.

I've been facing that kind of stress since 1997. My life has had waves of extremely stressful times, with some calm in between the storms. I lost 50 pounds, regained about 20, and lost half of that gain again. My life has just been hit with a bunch of stressful stuff yet again and I'm determined to at least maintain that total of 40 pound loss.

I did it by doing what the folks who posted above suggested. I did whatever baby steps I could manage at any one time. Sometimes I was completely OP. But, for example, if I could not get the time to journal, I didn't let it all go out the window. I could still make good food choices and check the portion sizes of what I was eating. I could drink the water. Those things didn't take a lot of extra time. I made sure to keep coming to the boards, since I'm an At Home member and these are my meeting. (I had to learn how to do this without formal WW meetings because I couldn't spend the money on meeting fees when my husband had been "downsized" in corporate "adjustments" (as they so euphemistically put it), as he has four times since 1997.

Another thing that is important is to be kind to yourself. Don't let negative thoughts caused by making mistakes or not being able to be completely OP get to you. Forgive yourself for being human and move on. Just make the best choice you can make at any one moment and keep going. Also, don't be in too much of a hurry to get to goal. Sometimes success is just hanging on. You will get there and you will get through this time of crisis. Good luck!

Lin

Thanks for all the support. I think baby steps is definately the way I need to go. I know I can drink the water so that shall be tomorrows challenge. Completing that should give me a buzz, hopefully enough to journal for a full day on Monday & then if I can keep that up for a few days I'll even try sticking to the right numbers of points for my weight.

I know this is going to be a long journey, but I am in it for the ride. What keeps getting me down is the fact that if I hadn't had a set back at the end of march I could be down about 35lbs by now - but we can all dream - it's making it happen that makes us special.

Thanks

Carol

I've been away from reading/posting on 3FC for a long time and also from WW. I'm contemplating going back on Wednesday (I, too, didn't really do very well with the points and was following an old program). At any rate, I really like the suggestion of taking baby steps and doing one thing new each day until getting back on program. Thanks for the suggestion. Good luck to all of you. I'm hoping I can get back on track and get the rest of my weight off as well. I have kept 34 pounds off, but unfortunately I put back on about 8 pounds. Together we can reach our goals!

I am glad to have found this thread, as I give up every time I lapse. I have never heard of the baby steps, even thru 10 years on and off WW. I shall certainly be trying them, starting with the water. Here's wishing " Good Luck" to us all!!

i've lost touch with the great habits that i learned at WW too. little by little, the bad ways have crept back in. thanks for the good suggestions on how to stop the avalanche and get started again.....

now, who ate all my kettle korn?????

Hi Carol,
I have just started on the plan(again) today also. I have been totally lapsed in the WW plan, although I have found it to be the easiest plan to stick to, and honey I have done them all, as I am sure many of us have. I am a firm believer in baby steps, and my goal today is to get through the day and journal everything I eat. I am bad about starting off journaling in the morning and then letting it fall by the way side, and by the end of the day feeling guilty for doing so. Once I accomplish journaling and get back into that habit, then I will move on to my next goal(drinking water). If you want to talk, you can email me, PM me, or catch me on Yahoo Messenger and or AOL IM. Stay strong..you really CAN do it! =)

TrayWae

I've been off and on for the last two years, but really like the WW program and find it easy to jump right back in the saddle after a slip up.

Please be kind to yourself. One thing I've done is go to a bookstore and peruse the books on weight loss. I've also come to this site often and read success stories. The WW magazine is great for inspiring stories, too.

One baby step at a time, as others above have said — and be nice to yourself. You deserve success!

I sure know how you feel about eating during a family crisis!! Two years ago when my father passed away suddenly, I ate back the 20 pounds I had lost in very short order. Then I lost 40 and managed to eat them back on last May when my father in law was killed suddenly in a road construction accident. I am now working on getting this stress eating under control.

I like Kelly's idea about doing one thing at a time. For me the whole concept of getting it all together at the same time is a bit un nerving. I started back to weight watchers on 4/17/2001 and I love the program. For me a lot of it is the freedom to eat more protein if I want to, instead of being restricted to a certain number of exchanges. Of course, I realize, too that at my weight I get more points than a lot of people.

As my daughter keeps saying about her Geometry, Rome wasn't built in a day. I didn't put all this weight on overnight and it won't all come off overnight. Hang in there!!!

Elaine

297/281/145 WW since 4/17/2001