Starting Over.....again
 

Well, I have been on the weight loss wagon, then off, then on again, then back off...for what seems like my entire life. Now that I am over 30 it is much harder to lost than it was in my 20's. I will lose 5-8 lbs and be doing great, then I will have a little splurge on a weekend and it turns into a weekend binge-fest! Or I will do great all day then blow it when I get home from work. I just can't seem to stick with it. I am not following any specific plan, just eating healthy. I have tried just about every plan in the book and have not found anything I can stick to for any length of time. The closest I came was about 8 years ago I lost almost 50 lbs on South Beach, but now I am trying to stay vegetarian (but I fall off that wagon too at times) so it is hard to cut out grains AND meat!

I just need some encouragement to get back on the wagon for good this time, and to get me through the upcoming weekend. Any advice?

Welcome Back! I am a re-starter myself, with the same trouble congratulating myself with bad food choices. I am back on South Beach, and on day 25.

What has changed for me this time is that I am allowed to make mistakes. Before I was so rigid I was setting myself up to fail. If I have a bite of a 'forbidden' ingredient, it is not the end of the world. Before, one bite was a whole cake was goodbye eating better! I had to mentally get in a place where I understood this was a LIFE change, not just a quick fix way to lose the weight I have wanted to lose my whole life.

So far, so good. :)

Check out all the South Beach cookbooks if you haven't already, there are a lot of good vegetarian recipes. This website is also FANTASTIC for fellow posters recipes and ideas. That was HUGE for me. I need to be armed with plenty of choices and variety in my food.

Good luck on your journey! The chicks have been great in keeping me motivated as well!

Making Mistakes
 

I think it's true that one must allow one self to make mistakes while trying to maintain a certain diet plan. Being a little more open and less rigid would help one to stay on task in the long run.

Good luck starting again...we all try our very best but sometimes life gets in the way. Each day is a new start and by starting this thread it sounds like you're moving in the right direction.

We had a poll here once and a large number of successful losers have lost and gained before. Does Anne Fletcher mention that in her book too?

I figure it's like trial runs. Each time I learn something new that will help me get slender and stay there.

This is going to sound strange coming from a vegetarian, but there is nothing wrong with eatting a piece of lean boneless skinless chicken with all the fat cut off of it. Some steamed veggies and a glass of water for dinner. In my book thats a very healthy dinner.

Just because you live a vegetarian diet does not mean you are going to be eatting healthy or are living a healthy lifestyle. For years I was not eatting meat, and was 274lb. My diet consisted of left over cheese pizza for breakfast, mac & cheese for lunch, pasta & mozz cheese for dinner with a slice of garlic bread, and a huge nighty bowl of ice cream. (Eek thats really embarassing to say and disgusts me to even look at!). All was completly 100% vegetarian.

You have to WANT to live a vegetarian lifestyle, not just because you think it is healthy, because as you can see that is not always the case. You say you fall off from eatting vegetarian, there is nothing wrong with that. Some people like there meat, MOST americans love there meat, and there is nothing wrong with that. You don't need to eat a huge steak and potatoes. Or a big greesy burger and fries. You can have a piece of chicken or some other healthy choice (I dont know, I dont eat it, I'm sure there is something lol).

Welcome back & good luck!

Btw, vegetarians can eat grains :dizzy:

Thanks everyone for the support, it is just what I needed to hear. So far I am on plan today and feeling really good about it!

As far as being vegetarian, my reasons are both health and philosophical. I am an animal lover and when I stop and think about what meat is and where it comes from, I have a hard time even looking at it. Somehow the "binge center" of my brain bypasses this at times and I end up eating a pound or two or Sesame Chicken or a Big Mac, then feeling like poop about it (physically and mentally). My hubby is a meat and potatoes guy which does not help, and there are few vegetarians in N Texas for support, so I do occasionally slip up. But, I feel better when I am eating plant foods, so it is really something I want to stick with.

Again, thanks everyone!

glad you're feeling better, and I totally relate to your weight loss wagon -- in fact my back end has worn a groove on the seat of one of those calistogas...

I'm finding it harder in my 40s, I know I have to be more serious about it now.

I have noticed with all the time I've been working on it, I have changed my body, mindset and many habits (I'm sure you have too), so we have to give ourselves credit for that.

We lived in Dallas for all of 2008 before moving out to Portland, and my husband is a very strict lifelong vegetarian, so we got to know all the veggie spots... have you been to Spiral Diner in FW? Not the healthiest food at all, but it's all vegan, and sooooo good... your meat and potatoes husband could definitely find something to eat there. Plus they have a ton of fliers and other info about the vegetarian groups in the area. If you're looking for veggie support, that'd be a good place to ask! :)

Im with you girly. I just started my new eating plan and it seems to be going great. I eat egg beaters and turkey bacon for breakfast and meat and veggies for lunch and dinner. I am not hungry at all. But for the first 3 days I was hungry because i was eating significally less. What helps me is talking myself through something. My whole mind set seems to be different now. I think, well people can survive off of water and something small to eat, then why was i eating like 2500 calories a day. Its so unhealthy and yet very unattractive seeing myself gain weight. Im not one to support diet pills but i talked to my dr about them and she prescribed a safe one to help me with my diet and excersize. I talk phetermine but you HAVE to combine it with diet and excersize you cant just take them to lose weight. I hope maybe that helped a little. pm me if u need anything

Hi there! I am on and off the my hole life so I do understand. In the last year I have sucseeded to lose some - around 28 pounds and that is the top that I ever did. And when people started to notice I have started to gain it back so now I am at the almoust same number - I gain back around 20 back. SO!

This time I have decided to start again but for the last time and with small steps! I am starting tomrrow so I hope will give each other a support.
I will write a comment that I have read here - good one - It said that lady has realised that SHE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE OBESE if she does not want to. Like other things in life - if you dont whant you dont do it.

That was the key message for me because I allways thought thats someting that is given to me by GOD or whoever and that can not be changed. And I can. Do you know that? You can change it if you whant? Like the T-shirt that you dont like. Just realised and change it.

Sorry for the spelling, i am not a native speaker...

Hey! Congrats for getting back on the wagon. One of the ways that helped me stick to my "plan" was the mental decision that this wasn't going to be a "diet". This was going to be a lifestyle change. Also, I didn't eliminate the things I loved out of my diet, I just learned how to seriously moderate them. This helps me not fall off the wagon because I know if I want something, I can have it:)

Wow, everyone, thanks for the support! You all are great! I think this is just the place for me to stay with it this time. I started WW at home and I love it, it is almost like a game for me to look up points and plan the following day. I have been successful with WW before but got tired of all the writing and carring around that stupid slider point thingy. This computer version is fun, so I am sure I can stick with it better!

I love that thought that you can just decide to change something and do it. It is so true.

Next weekend will be a huge challenge for me. We are spending the weekend at the Indy car races and we have an RV spot and tickets in a suite where food is provided. They have lots of tempting goodies and the best COOKIES I have ever seen (white chocolate and macadamia...mmmm...). I got a new laptop so I can track my points at the track (no pun intended) to keep me honest! Wish me luck!

Hi Hello Nurse,
I am also a vegeterian. Goodluck! I am learning not to beat myself up over slip ups.I just lost 11 lbs,and put 2.8 back on.In the past I would of just kept eating for weeks. Now,I got right back on the wagon.I realize I am not going to be perfect. I just have to be persistant.