I'm an on and off 3FCer who lost a lot of weight and then gained a lot back, then lost a little then gained it back, then lost a little again, then gained it back...etc. ad infinitum
But, I realized that I am actually better off now, by a lot, and that I'm not really RESTARTING but just continuing to work on a process.
The first time I joined 3FC I weighed about 300lbs, I was horribly out of shape, and I was completely discouraged. For the previous ten years, I had gone UP in weight every single year. I did not think it was possible to lose weight, and I had considered weight loss surgery even though I was pretty sure it wasn't right for me. I would have gone through with it if my insurance hadn't turned it down.
So, now, almost 4 years later, I've struggled to maintain 25% of that loss, sometimes (now) trending upward for several months at a time.
But then, I realized that in reality, I've been mostly maintaining in the low 260s, almost 40 lbs below my highest weight. I've gotten up here (mid 270s) two or three times and each time I've managed to ratchet it down and lost the 15 lbs and get back to 260.
Now, obviously, that's not great. I'd much rather be down in the 180s, in a size 12, running 4 miles a week, like I was back in 2010 and 2011.
On the other hand, for health reasons, losing and maintaining a ten per cent loss is considered a really good thing.
So, today, I'm patting myself on the back for weighing less in 2013 than I did in 2009.