I did SB about 5 years ago and had great success. Unfortunately I let myself slip back into old habits and ended up gaining back a lot of the weight I had lost. Why do I find it so intimidating this time? I'm on day 5 of phase 1 and have lost a few pounds, but I feel like I'm working so hard to keep it up. Last time I did this it seemed easy.

Now that I've found this site I'm hopeful that things will start to feel less difficult.

I have also had to pick myself up and get back on the bandwagon a couple of times. The first time I did Phase 1 I was SO incredibly motivated. Each time I expect that motivation to magically appear and for it to be as easy, but it's not. I think that the novelty of trying a new program and seeing how much weight you lose how fast carries us through the first weeks of trying any new diet.

Acknowledge that it's hard, but remember it gets easier. One great lesson I learned from the Beck diet book is that we have "resistance" muscle and "give in" muscle (or something like that). "Resistance" muscle gets stronger the more you use it (i.e. passing up a cookie) and "give in" muscle also gets stronger the more you use it (i.e. eating the cookie). So the more you stay on plan the easier it gets.

Keep on truckin' and post here every day because you will get inspired and also inspire others.

Wow, thanks for that. I am determined to be successful at being healthy. That's what is motivating me. My husband has decided to change his eating habits as well which is a really big deal for him. That's also a big motivator, sticking with it so he will be motivated to stick with it.

resistance muscle and give in muscle love it might have to look into the beck book.

Welcome back lisa. I am a newbie, but I had gone on and off ATkins so many times, trying a zilliion different things that I get what your saying. Sometimes knowing we have to make this a lifestyle is overwhelming and instead of allowing it to just happen, we fight it kicking and screaming!

I am glad you have your husband doing it with you. Mine doesn't know it but he is about to as well! I am no longer giving in to feeding my family crap that they dont need, and that is not helping them but instead hurting them. Now that I am on a more balanced plan, I think it stands to say ... if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for them!

Ps. your one day ahead of me.

I love that I have found this site. I feel like it could be just the thing to help keep me motivated! I'm really looking forward to this now. I think it's terrific that we can help be that support and "push" for each other through this site. Thank you!

I have also done this before. Twice. And gone back to my old eating and gained back weight. But this time is very different for me thanks in large part to this amazing community

I can't even count the number of times I've restarted my weight loss. The important thing is to find support and motivation & you'll find plenty of that here. Good luck &

I think we have all started over a few times before finding our groove.

The important thing is that you are starting again, dedicated to it, and willing to work at it. Being here will help you lots because there are so many great people here willing to share advice and help you, and give you a kick in the butt if you need it

I just actually started P1 again this past Monday. I had gone off track for some months and gained back 7 lbs, but am down this week already, so it's motivating me even more and making me determined to keep with it till the end.

Well it's my day 10 of P1. I weighed myself 2 days ago and was thrilled, down 7lbs. So that was exactly the motivation I needed to continue on. My husband is down 10lbs too, very excited for him. I think with him eating healthy too it will be easier.

It's interesting cuz it was that way for me too. I did phase 1, then was doing phase 2, then losing, then started eating too many carbs and stalled so I went back to 1, but found it so much harder the second time around that I basically just did like a 1.5 phase. Where it was carb restricted BUT I did have more carbs than phase 1 allows. It helped.

Anytime I feel I went overboard I just stick to phase 1 for a few days.

I woke up this morning feeling a little disappointed. I havne't had any wieght loss in 2 days. Hope my mood improves tomorrow! It's Canada Day.

This will happen. Do NOT let it deter you. Nobody can lose weight every single day. It just isn't possible. Well, unless you were on a desert island and literally couldn't find one single thing to eat.

Trust me -- I know where you're coming from. The "I'm not losing" thing has derailed me from every diet attempt in the past eight years. "This isn't working. I'd better try something else." I have finally decided that I need to be logical and realize that no diet plan in the world will make me lose weight every day. (ETA: I'm not saying you're thinking of quitting SB -- far from it! You're doing very well. This is more about my experiences but I thought they might help someone...)

Particularly when you're past your first week, you may have lost all the water your body was holding onto (excess water, I mean -- obviously, the body naturally has a lot of water! :P ) and your weight loss will naturally slow down. For me, personally, after a week of any diet plan I "stall" for a week. But that's not technically a stall at all. I mean one week? What was I hoping for? To keep losing a pound a day until all 50 were gone? I certainly wasn't undereating by 3500 calories a day so I'm not sure what I expected to happen. I guess what I really was hoping for was a "miracle story" like the people who say they lost 15 or 20 pounds in the first week of (insert_plan_name_here). But that's not typical. Not in my experience of either doing an eating plan, or watching others do theirs.

Hang in there. Keep eating SB. I have tried them all -- and am back to SB because it is the only eating style that felt healthy, right and natural/normal to me. The only one. I'm back to focusing on health and am in it for the long haul, hopefully forever. Sorry to get longwinded but I know exactly where you're coming from. Don't be even a "little" bummed about not losing for two days. Be thrilled because you're doing so well sticking to plan and because you've already lost 10 pounds! 10! That's amazing. Good on you.

Happy Canada Day!

Totally agree with this. Also lots of healthy changes in your body chemistry even when you're not showing a loss. South Beach is a way of life that promotes good cardiovascular and anti-diabetes health, so try to think of this when the scales don't cooperate.

Thanks for the advice because the scales are still not cooperating! However, I do feel better and I'm still motivated. I love that I can chat with more experienced SBers here and keep motivated.