I am tired of dwelling on the past and my weight.. Its not going to just magically change back how it was.

I lost a lot of weight a few years ago.. I have pictures and I looked SO happy. But I gained all of it back plus some.

When I see the pictures I get so ANGRY with myself.. the fact that I spent all the time and made all the effort.. and for what? Just to let it all go?

I think of all the time I wasted... I could have been to my goal size this whole time but all I did was mess it up.

When I get on the scale and see it barely move its hard not to just scream and say I quit.. but I know I can do it.. I have done it before.

I am just so frustrated!

I completely understand your frustration. I used to be slim in High School and put on a lot of weight when I was 18, which I promptly lost, but managed to gain it back and more over university. I too feel angry and disappointed with myself that I didn't keep up my hard work and that I had to start losing again with such a high weight, but you're right, you can't dwell on the past.

If you don't make those healthy changes now, what will you be doing for the next week, month, year? Feeling unhappy with yourself for not trying to lose weight? Ignoring the scale and maybe even putting on more weight? By doing nothing you're only going to make yourself more unhappy in the future...

As for being frustrated with the scale, if you are eating heathfully and exercising, you are doing your body the world of good. Yes, as we're here trying to lose weight, we want to see the numbers change as quickly as possible, but that's just setting yourself up for disappointment. If you are doing the right things, the scale will follow, it has to

Try not to lose heart when you slip up or when you see those old pictures of yourself, or when the scale won't budge, think about how far you've come to change your habits, think about all the positive rewards you are going to reap from being healthful and don't dwell on the negative. Whenever I feel a bit frustrated or de-motivated, I write a list of the things I hate about being overweight and all the reasons I want to be fitter and slimmer and it usually helps me regain focus

ps, I must have about 15 of those lists

Disgruntled - Its pretty embarrassing for me too.. my family saw how great I did then gradually I was back to where I started.

going2Bhealthy - you hit the nail on the head! And I am doing good now! I did LA weightloss before. I understand it.. know how it works and its second nature when I am actually trying. So that is what I have been doing AND I saw a change on the scale this morning.. so happy!

Thanks for the replies and advice guys.. GREAT idea about the list. I think I might do that right now!

I'm frustrated with myself too but each day I wake up determined to do better and be healthier and I really believe all of us will achieve our goals! It's going to happen for us! And this time we will keep the weight off! Don't give up!

Oh i'm in the same boat! I was always skinny (used to think I was fat when I was skinny lol in highschool) Then after highschool my body changed and I gained weight to about 160 from being 140 and I thought that was big! Then my second year of college lost it all but then after college came the weight right back on!

Now here I am thinking I was only 180 when I finally stepped on a scale it was 205! I guess I can't really say I was surprized but I never thought I'd get up into the 200's and well here I am. I look horried in pictures so I refuse to post any of myself anywhere unless it's my skinny pictures haha.

I've been heavy most of my life. Since I was like 7 with a brief break my freshman and sophomore years of high school (learned how to jog in mandatory freshman gym combined with lots of horsey chores and business). I was 200 when I graduated high school and when I was 20, I randomly weighed myself before going out of town for a last trip before school started again and was SHOCKED that it was 240. SHOCKED. I just completely changed everything (calorie counted, learned all about working out), while eating out of dorm cafe, and was 180 in about 8 months. I could have spent my 20's thin and fit. Instead through crushing depression, a med that packed on 30 pounds in 2 months (shock!) and moving back home (where I felt weird doing a lot of my own random exercise habits) it all came back. I COULD HAVE SPENT MY 20's THIN AND FIT! But I'll be 28 in April and I'll have spent 7 years fat again. OH WELL. Just like your title I have to forget that. I have to not think that the weight I've lost so far will put me back at my former HW and then I'll have to lose the same pounds again. The good news this time is that my life has changed several times, even after I started weight loss. This time I will have to pay attention to how changing my environment and routines can affect my weight loss. The past is the past and I only have today. Or really, right now is all I've got.

The GOOD NEWS is that I KNOW what works for me and I'm really excited that I started right into lifting heavy weights again (while also adding kettlebells). My body is transforming so much faster (weight is slower, but fat loss is faster). Before I lifted rather light weights (temp. fatigue in 12-15 reps) and starting right off with heavy weights is so gratifying! We HAVE done this before and all that really means is that we can do it again. And learn more about ourselves in the process, to hopefully prevent another gain.

Be kinder to yourself! Trust me, regrets don't help. I have a LOT of health problems that could have been avoided had I known I had Celiac Disease a lot earlier. I spent years in severe pain, losing motor function etc. But I can't live every day looking backwards. I did the best I could then coping with everything else going on around me. I'm sure you all did too. Sometimes things happen. Forgive yourself! You did the best you could in your life with the information and the tools you had available to you at the time!

i know how you feel... in high school i lost about 40 pounds and was the thinnest and happiest i had ever been up until that point. it just seemed like only good things happened to me when i was thinner. i had an awesome boyfriend, i was doing good in school, and was generally happy. i am happy now but i went way down hill and have been climbing uphill ever since 2001. it took me a while to stop living in the past, but i'm glad that phase of my life is over. it's better to let it go. i'm happy where i am now because i have grown and matured a lot in that time.

Short I know how you feel and reading your thread just made me wanna cry too. We are here for you. You've done it before, lets do it again. You CAN do it, knowing that is half the battle.

Thanks guys! THIS is the reason I joined this forum. There are so many people here that understand and can relate.

I did good today and I am getting back into the exercise groove.

We can do this! And this time KEEP it that way!

ive been there.. i loss my first 40 and gained it right back .. I blame it on being too cocky. But you know what the second time around i knew what to look forward to. You just have to have patience with your self lol sometimes its easy said than done.. but just have faith weve all been there you can do it..