Hello! I am trying to lose weight, but the problem that I have noticed is that when i am doing really well, doing my program, losing weight and feeling good about myself, i go off wagon. Then I gain weight, switch my program, and the cycle starts all over again. I decided to try Body for life, which i think would be really good for me. But i have thought long and hard on this, and well, I feel as though I am sabotaging my own weight loss. Why would I do that? I want to lose the weight. Very much so. I am not asking for any one to tell me what my problem is, but well if someone has experienced this, maybe tell me how you figured out the cause. (please dont tell me to go to therapy, that is not an option.) I would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer, thanks!

I used to do that too - start and stop, start and stop. I wasn't really sabotoging my weight loss, I just kept picking plans that were unrealistic for me/my lifestyle. I either didn't like the food, didn't eat enough, worked out too much, was too constrained with food options so I couldn't enjoy dinners out with friends/family - the motivation that got me to start the diet just couldn't withstand the reality.

This time, I came up with a way of eating of my own devising, carefully planned to be a long term approach. Lots of good, healthy foods, plenty of calories, a reasonable amount of exercise, options for eating out, no offlimits food (except for soda, packaged baked goods and fast food). I was so much happier and have managed to stick with it for over 2 years!

Is change in general scary for you? I am not a person to just throw caution to the wind. For me to change I had to think everything through for a couple months. It' not that I didn't want to lose weight, I just was very comfortable with my old habits. I had to pick one or two things to change each week. I can't do overwhelming. I did water, then 6 servings of veg and fruit, then lowering calories, then reducing sugar, etc. I'm not saying that is your problem, just my experience. On the bright side, once I had these new habits it is easier to keep them than change again.

What's your belief system? Deep down, do you think you will always be fat no matter what you do? I heard a talk last month and this statement resonated with me:
Your willpower will ALWAYS be trumped by your beliefs.
So what's a fat woman to do?
Change your belief system. Seriously, look yourself in the eye at least once a day and say "I deserve to be slender and healthy" and then make the choices which will allign with that statement. Don't expect to be perfect on the journey because NOBODY is. Do expect to learn some scary things about yourself (I'll give up lots of foods, but NOT dark chocolate! ).
You may learn that you are an emotional eater who uses food to avoid handling/recognizing strong emotion.
You may learn that you have hidden food sensitivities and trigger foods that will always send you off-plan.
You may learn that your health improves overall as you shed weight (mine sure did!).
Lastly, you may learn that you are a valued, special person who deserves to live a long, healthy, slender life. Go make it happen!

Like Glory87, "start and stop, start and stop. I wasn't really sabotoging my weight loss, I just kept picking plans that were unrealistic for me/my lifestyle." I pretty much have done that all my life. I've lost & gained 25-30 pounds over & over. Lose it, gain it, get frustrated, don't care, hate being fat, care again, lose it, gain it, etc.

I have finally figured out what works for me - a SELF DEVISED PLAN. Not some "miracle cure" or "wonderous exercise machine" you see on an informercial. Not some pill, not somebody else's plan. See, there are so many diets & diet aids out there. And we've all heard the mantra "We don't fail at diets; diets fail us!" (Yeah, right, whatever!) Bottom line is that you won't stick to a diet that requires you to give up your favorite food. And you won't stick to an exercise program that requires you to do something you hate. Therefore, if you love carbs & couldn't care less for meat, then it would be detrimental for you to try Atkins or South Beach diet. Likewise, if you love the outdoors & get bored doing treadmill exercise, you won't last long trying to complete 30-45 minutes a day on a treadmill.

YOU HAVE TO FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Take into account what foods you REALLY love, what you can eat occasionally, what you can give up completely. Then focus on the healthiest of those foods. As for exercise, try different things; you're bound to find something you really enjoy doing, something that challenges you and helps you get moving.

And remember - it may take a few tries before you find exactly what works for you. We're all different. Different strokes for different folks. Or as I like to say, "different diets for different dieters."

What exactly do you do to sabotage your efforts? Make a list to start.