Hi everyone,

I came here this evening in hopes of some motivation. A year and a half ago, I lost 40 lbs which put me (for the first time in AGES) under 300....but today, I'm at my highest weight of 351 and I'm ashamed and embarrassed of myself. I feel defeated and not sure how to start again. I've never been big on "diets" but more on life style changes, cutting snacks/pop out and exercising. I need to get a plan in place that is realistic and achievable. I'm tired of feeling awful physically and mentally.

I'm going to commit to checking in daily with you all in hopes that the motivation will seep through my pores and get my @*** moving.

You all rock!

Hi Gigglesquirt! I know just where you are coming from! Last year I lost 80lbs and was so happy to just be in the 300's. Gained it all back and then some. You have made the 1st step by coming back to the board! I currently use My Fitness Pal and count calories. I am 3 weeks in and so far it has been working well for me. (although I have not weighed in, in 3 weeks) I can feel a HUGE difference though. Look forward to seeing you post more!

Welcome Giggle!
I call my plan a diet but it really is a lifestyle change. I grew up with diet meaning whatever you eat. Some people live on a diet of fast food...
Take baby steps and change your life. Be kind to yourself and give yourself a big learning curve.
Good luck! Ubee

Thanks so much for your encouragement. It really means a lot to me!

Baby steps are so important. Usually I cut calories so drastically that I can't stay on plan for more than a month. This time I'm not counting calories and just eating when I'm hungry/stopping when I'm satisfied. What a difference! I can stay this way for life.

Welcome, the 300+ chat thread is a good place to find support

I literally had the same thing happen to me a few years back. I lost 40lbs and got to 298 and then gained it all back + more and had to restart at 370. Yuck! I never thought I'd get under 300 again, but here I am. You CAN do this! The thing that has saved me this time around has been MyFitnessPal. I started just logging calories. I wasn't cutting anything back yet, but getting in to the habit of writing everything down helped. Plus it showed me how much I was overeating. I was the super obese person saying, "but I don't even eat that much." Uh yeah.. it adds up quick! Once I figured out my calories I began to add in exercise. My best advice is to take baby steps. I feel like easing in to changing your lifestyle is more attainable than trying to jump in all at once. That's what worked for me anyway.