Okay, folks, I've been healthy and successful AND reasonable AND realistic for almost exactly a year, I've lost a nice chunk of weight (hard to say how much, really, but it's between sixty and seventy pounds) and now all of a sudden I'm just losing it.

I'm sure it's a physiological thing, at least in part (and emotional/mental in part, I come from a long line of repressers...).

So it started last weekend with fondue, then I was good for the week more or less, then this weekend with football games and parties and birthdays and crap, and now today with the junk in the teachers lounge... I just haven't been able to say no, and I actually feel bad but still want the junk.

Blood sugar spikes are one possibility--what else could be at work here?

And how do you junk food lovers get back on board once you've fallen off? Do you have a routine? A go-to food plan? Any one-day fasters out there (not that I'd do it--can't think of anything I'm LESS likely to try, but I'm curious...)?

I'm going to start by taking a nice long walk, but what else should I try?

First thing, breathe, forgive yourself and start the process to set yourself up for success. (Note: I don't know where you are, but if you're about to celebrate the Thanksgiving holidays, continue cutting yourself some slack over the holidays. Focus on maintenance, not loss over the holidays!!)

Step 1 - get rid of junk food. Clean the house, your car, the office, top to bottom, side to side. If you have change handy for vending machines, get rid of it.

Step 2 - Start planning for tonight/tomorrow. Go online, find a yummy healthy recipe. Pick what you want for lunch/snacks. Make a list. Go to the store, buy only what's on your list.

Step 3 - Eat what you've planned.

Step 4 - Make a doable exercise goal - 3 times this week.

Step 5 - Plan a reward, if you stick to your goals for one week (food/exercise/sleep/water), treat yourself to something nice (not food related). A new sweater you've been eyeing, a massage. Make it something worthwhile. If you're low on funds, there is still something pampering you can do - self pedicure with those little toe separators while watching Pretty Woman.

Step 6 - Drag out your big pants and before pictures. Try on big pants, jump around, laugh when they fall off. Marvel over before pictures, post a few on the frig.

Step 7 - Find a goal item - like a swimsuit or pretty pair of panties or something you WANT to wear that just doesn't quite fit. Hang it where you can see it.

Step 8 - Read the success stories on 3 Fat Chicks. Read what posters have written, look at the pictures. Write your success story for up to this point, focus on the positives.

Step 9 - Honestly and seriously evaluate your eating plan - is it too restrictive and punishing? Are you rebelling against it because it doesn't make you happy? Make small adjustments to keep yourself happy. Maybe you need peanut butter or a small piece of chocolate every day.

Step 10 - Don't beat yourself up, don't dwell on a bad food decision. If it's done, it's done. Don't let a bad week turn into a bad month or a bad year. You are truly at a dangerous spot - a lot of people succeed in the short term but can't stick with their new healthy habits. This is the moment, right now, where you need to be strong. Do you want to be healthier, more slender, happier? What do you want your life to be like 1 year from today, 6 months from today?

Amen Glory ... and I would add:

1. Dig out the "Relapse" sticky here at Maintainers and give it a skim; lots of good advice there.

2. Remember that we are on the cusp of the Mega Stress Season. If you are anywhere in the western world it's bound to get to you. If you're in the U.S., treat yourself with gentle and loving kindness.

3. In addition to buying what's on your list, make sure you have clean foods you really really really like around so that everytime you eat something, you really enjoy it.

4. Check in here every. If it's a bad day, check in here every hour.

You have accomplished SOOOOOOOOOOOO much. You can do this.

I know you were replying to luvmypup, but I'm bookmarking this thread. I'm sure that great advice will come in more than handy during the coming weeks for me.

Glory has some good suggestions, and it is very wise to listen to anything Robin has to say. In additions, a couple of things that work for me:

1) Make a commitment to yourself and keep it. Start small, one portion, one snack, one walk, one decision. Whatever you do, keep it, so make sure it is small. Then make another commitment, maybe a little bigger, a day, a meal, whatever it is. Get a couple victories and keep going.

2) For the long term, as much as I think whole foods are the way to go, the reality is with my personality, I need to eat a little junk now and then to keep myself from bingeing. The standard advice that removing junk from my life would remove all the cravings does not work for me like it does for some many others. After so many years of this I still salivate any time I even think of my trigger foods. So I work a little junk in. Having said that, there are foods I cannot touch in any amount without starting a binge, and I know not to touch those without expecting consequences. But if I keep some potato chips around (resistable), I can have a handful (measured out of course), and put the rest away, and it somehow keeps me from falling face first into a vat of cheetos (irresistable). In the short term I agree with Glory to clean it up as much as possible to eliminate any triggers you are running into, but in the longer term you might want to do some very careful experimentation.

Finally it is hard to do a serious amount of damage in a couple weeks. Rember that and don't panic. A couple of weeks is one thing, a couple months is something else. You have time to stop the train. It is going to be OK.

Anne

Wow, thank you so much for the responses, ladies. I really needed to get that off my chest, and my daily world is full of wonderful, giving, fantastic people who are sabateurs or just not close enough to talk about this with. So thank you Glory, Joy of Six, Anne, and Airgrll.

I'm actually printing out this thread and sticking it in my calendar.

I know I'll be okay. At home I'm good, my house is "clean" and I've genuinely lost my taste for drive-ins (except for taco bell, but there's always the chicken soft taco if I'm actually hungry...), but losing my mind at work had me panicked yesterday--and at parties and going out, well, I need to work some better strategies, I think I'm discovering. I'm single and if I skip my friends, I skip my life, so hermit-ing is not an option even for a few weeks.

I'm still down a pound or two every time I step on the "official" scale--so even though I know that it's actually up two down one up one or something like that, I haven't thrown off the trend. Just gotta get a grip on the day to day stuff or the trend's going to change, and my life has changed enough with the weight I've lost that it's sort of scary to think of going back...

Thanks again. When I get a second I'll post my plans for a few days.

There are some holiday strategies over in the Maintainers forum if you need some more ideas for party situations. I found them useful. As for work, it is the hardest place for me. Getting through with no unplanned eating is always an accomplishment.

Anne

I know what you mean about being scared of gaining it all back. I'm terrified. But, I think the fear helps me from getting complacent, which means I stay more in control of what I'm eating!

There's some great advice on this thread. I'll just add this. You've been amazingly successful so far. You know what works for you. It may help to go back to the habits that got you there. For instance, I write down everything I eat. If I ever stop that practice and want to "get back on track" I would go back to writing everything down.

This has been a really helpful thread!

Update--

I'm still hanging around here, lurking. I decided I was starting to obsess. So I'm trying to only think about the food I'm eating when I need to--When I plan it and pack it, and when I eat it. Hence, no "daily menu" posts--I already keep track as I plan it.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice and support.

I was wondering about you. Glad you're still lurking around.