Sometimes I wonder if I can even get to goal. I know that I have lost a lot of weight and have started to get healthy (for that I am thankful)I am not perfect and my journey has been full of ups and downs, but lately I've been questioning myself a lot more. Maybe because onderland is a much closer reality then it was when I started, or maybe I am putting to much pressure on myself to lose the most weight I can before I head back to the states in 6 weeks. Whatever the reason I find myself sabotaging myself.

I've gone crazy on the calories lately. I'm trying for between 1600-1750/ day, but find at night I'm starving (yet this is 90% in my head). I have gotten into the bad routine of coming home from work and snacking. I've contemplated saving some calories for this period of the day so I won't go over my calorie allotment, but I don't really want to continue on into this negative behavior of night time eating.

I feel that I can do so well losing steadily and then in no time the weight is back on. I've been struggling at 219 since April. I will go down to 215 then go back up, go down to 217, then back up, it is ridiculous the amount of yo-yoing I am doing. I don't know how to get over this hurdle. I am confused on if I need to change my calories (I'm still new to calorie counting), if it is all in my head and I am just sabotaging myself, or about a million other reason.

I feel like I should be upset with myself for not being happy with the weight I have lost. I feel that I am being ungrateful for what I have accomplished and that I am just focusing on the negative. I think that I've started to become obsessive and want quick results. I don't know if this post has a point, more like I just wanted to be accountable and to get support. I welcome any ideas and opinions!

That's so funny. I am having the same problem. I lost almost 50 lbs and I go back and forth btw 232-235. It gets really depressing when you can't break that number.

My kickboxing teacher (its a class at the gym) keeps saying- it's a fight to the finish. You don't give up, you don't show mercy. It's you or it's them. It's you or the fat. Only one of you can be left standing and you will be damned if it's going to be the fat!

I'm sure other ladies are going to post about the eating thing, I'm still having trouble so i can't help you there. But i really like what the kickboxing girl says... this is a fight. Every day now I am waking up and telling myself. No mercy. It's me of the fat, which one am I going to let win today? it's making it a little easier to control myself when i want that late night bowl of ice cream!

Don't go home after work??

If you feel you are truly hungry, then I would change my daily eating plan to include a snack or a meal at that time. However if you feel it's just "head hunger", break the habit by breaking your routine.

Up as much as two-four pounds isn't really "yo-yo-ing" but can be merely the fluctuation of normal body weight due to sodium, solid waste, food that you've eaten that is just sitting in your tummy being digested, TOM, etc.

My weight goes up and down as much as 4-6 lbs in 7 days. I look for overall trends. I weigh 25 lbs less than I did in December even with the weird bouncing. I weigh every day and track it, that way I see trends.

If I'm super starving in the evening, I eat. period. I try to eat healthy nutrition dense food but try to honor what my body is telling me. An apple sliced dipped in 2 tbs peanut butter is healthy, as is a glass of skim milk and 10 almonds or an orange with string cheese.

My calories are pretty high as I'm still at 248 and am comfortable losing 1.25 lbs a week. I eat 1980 calories a day-give or take a few. I eat a 350 calorie breakfast+250 calorie snack+350 calorie lunch+250 calorie snack+ 600 calorie dinner+190 calorie snack before bed.

The bigger dinner leaves me satisfied and you can really get a lot for 600 calories if you plan it right. I usually have one of my huge salads, a piece of lean meat (chicken or really lean beef) broiled, steamed veggies, sometime a piece of bread and butter even.

I save my snack for if I feel hungry after dinner if not I might skip it, it's only 190-200 calories, or I'll save it for before bed. I hate going to bed on a growly tummy.

Similar to what caryesings says, I broke my bad-time-of-day eating habit by planning a healthy and filling snack before that time of day. For me it was when I got home from work, which is early afternoon. I started making sure I had a snack on the way home in the car so I wasn't hungry when I reached the house. Seven months later I almost forgot I used to need to do that. Habit broken!

Does the snack for the drive home really work for you? One of my big problems is that I binge when I get home. If I've only had 800 calories for the day I get excited thinking about how much more I had for the rest of the day and then I binge the second I get in the house or when I'm making my food! It's crazy!

Meagan, I have to wonder if you go off the wagon every time you see a new low? That happens to me now, but not so much when I weighed weekly. (While I was losing)

Over the last year since I have been maintaining I try to always plan ahead for "eating events". I'll go back to 1200-1500 calories/day a few days before the event. This way I'll be a little under goal and I can eat what I want (Within reason)...and not have to worry. ANYWAY......There have been a few times in there when I have seen a really low number, (for me). One time I weighed in at 136, and it was still 2 or 3 days before the party. I totally lost it. I ate the entire day. I was back up to 140 the next day. It's like that low number really scared me, it was uncharted territory. Is that how you feel?

The only way I know to avoid the self sabotage is to quit weighing so often. If you go to weekly or monthly weighing I found it easier to stay on track, because it's so exciting to see how well you did over the week. I tend not to "cheat" if I don't know what's going on with the scale. If I have a few great days I don't want to blow it before weigh day. KWIM?

Yes, it worked great for me, but I've never really been a binger. I would get ravenous and then go snack crazy, which isn't good, but nothing I would call a "binge". So I don't know if it would work or not, but it's sure worth a try.

Love this!
I am in the same boat here. It is so frustrating. I can do anything else I put my mind to, but it is like I tune out the smart voice or eat fast enough before I realize what I am doing or before I can talk myself out of it.
It IS a fight, it is a fight with myself, one I am not sure how to win.
You are most definitely not alone!

Thank you everyone. I know you are all right and that I need to not worry so much, that it could be normal fluctuations and that I shouldn't jump off the wagon when I see a new low!

I will take the suggestions that were given, allowing for a nice healthy dense snack when I come home from work (which is around 7:30 at night) and trying to break out of my routine.

I'm glad I have the support of all you ladies, because honestly I think the issues are more mental then anything and it is good to discuss the crazy feelings I have!

I'd be ravenous when I got home if it was 7:30 at night, too! My husband tries to have dinner ready for me when I get home, around 6. If he doesn't, I know i have to have a snack, or I'll just pig out all evening. I MUST eat after work.

So I keep string cheese, cottage cheese, fruit, and toasted pecans on hand for a healthy snack after work on those days dinner isn't ready.