Well, it happened. In spite of my best intentions, I went off the rails over Thanksgiving at my bf's sister's house in Arizona, and haven't gotten back on track quite yet. Actually, the wagon lost its wheel even before that trip to Arizona - when I went back to San Diego, where I live with my bf, things fell apart. I stopped posting my calories on my Livestrong account, I went to the gym only sporadically, and I re-added junk food to my diet.

The only good thing is that I must not have overdone it too badly, because I haven't really gained weight. But I need to get back into it, and it just seems so difficult.

So, what to do? How did the fellow rail-jumpers get back on track? More importantly, how do you stay on track?

1. Decide that you are getting on track right this minute.

2. Make a commitment that feels reasonable to you...that you'll stay on plan for 1 week, for example, or even 1 day, or one meal if you're really struggling.

3. Honor that commitment.

Repeat 2 and 3 as many times as necessary.

For me it was all about making a commitment and then sticking to it like glue. And if I had a little blip where I didn't stick to the commitment? I just re-made it, and started again, immediately. No blame, no shame, no self-berating...just a new commitment to myself and to sticking to my plan.

It sometimes helps to consider where things fell apart and why. Did you eat too much at Thanksgiving and fall into a "Well, already screwed up, might as well eat more" trap? Did you eat foods that generally trigger you to eat more, like a lot of refined carbs that set you up for blood sugar spikes and valleys? Did you not have a concrete plan on how to handle eating in different circumstances? If you can figure out what happened, you can possibly try to prevent the same thing from occurring sometime down the road.

The most important thing, though, is to re-commit, starting today. So go forth and get back on track!

Yeah the worst thing that ever happened to me the first time that I lost a lot of weight was that I had a bad holiday week where I didn't exercise and really pigged out....and didn't gain a pound.

That led to me gradually exercising less and eating more and the gain eventually started to come quickly.

The message I learned (both losing and gaining) is to not pay too much attention to the scale and focus on the right habits and everything will eventually even out as it should (if you want to lose)

How much do you want this (weight loss)?

If you really want it, it has to be top priority. If it's not, it won't happen. You'll be kind of on the plan, and kind of off, and feel frustration and not meet goals. At least, that's been my experience.

It wasn't until I made health and weight loss the most important thing that it happened for me. If it's not top priority, anything and everything gets in the way - holidays, trips, job stress, friends, new relationships, moves, celebrations, disappointments, emergencies, and on and on - they can all interfere if you let them.

So, is this #1?

Jillian, after I wrote my post, I thought "I'd better go back and soften that - that sounds too harsh". But, I reread it, and realized it is 100% true - at least for me - and I'm not going to change it. I really do want to save you all the time, lost opportunties and frustration I experienced before I figured this out.

There may be others who say - oh no, this isn't my TOP priority. That would be my children, my husband, my job, my faith, etc. Those are indeed very very important and can be the most meaningful in our lives. But when it comes to action priorities - how we lead our everyday lives - health needs to be #1 or it won't happen. I'm sticking to that opinion.

And, being healthy doesn't interfere with taking care of others or doing our jobs (or letting God guide us). In fact, it makes those things easier, by giving us calm and the strength to accomplish what we need to and be there for our loved ones. Any challenge in our everyday lives can be worked into our health/fitness and eating plans - any!

I do want it, but it is hard to stay focused over the long haul. I don't really feel fat anymore, although I haven't lost a ton of weight, mainly because I seem to have packed on muscle and I am not nearly as flabby as I was. When I feel "fat" I go nuts, then when I don't feel fat, but I am still not anywhere near my goal, which is my situation now, it is hard for me for some reason. I relax, and before I know it, I am "fat" again, and the cycle starts anew. I just don't really know yet how to bust through it - when I start feeling good about myself, like I do now, I need to keep going, and not relax and I really don't mentally know how to do that. So, that is my pattern, and it seems to be repeating again.

But I know what you are saying. I have to put my health first in my life and not let distractions derail me. Maybe I should join a support group when I get back home to San Diego. Because, for me, it is purely psychological.

There are so many pitfalls in this journey - and I've fallen into a bunch of them.

One of them is the "I don't have a LOT of weight to lose, so what's the hurry? I can do this anytime (like later!)" pitfall. That's an easy one to fall into.

Then there is the "Little bit of success" pitfall. This was a big one for me. As soon as I lost 5 pounds, I'd think "Gee, this isn't all that hard. I don't have to work at this" pitfall. When in reality, it is hard to be consistent in eating healthy and exercising.

For me, the exercising part is the hardest. I envy you your fitness. I could learn a lot about how to achieve that from you!

I lost control on my birthday yesterday. I ate ice cream, on top of 2 'huge' pieces of chocolate cake, on top of chips with the dip, and a candy bar. What kind of birthday is that?
Reading this thread has inspired me. My birthday was yesterday, but today is a new day. Let's keep chugging along. I let my health go, and my sanity go, all for one day of privilege, and it wasn't worth it. Maybe next year, I'll reward myself for being a year healthier rather than gorge myself for being older.
We can get back on track!

Aw, thanks, Peaches. I envy you your commitment and ability to attain your goal. 113 lbs - that is like WOW!

I actually am pretty solid, underneath all the flab. I tend to get muscular and strong, but I have a hard time running because I am kinda squatty, have flat feet and short little legs. However, I am finding out that nothing burns calories like running, and I mean nothing comes close (I have a bodybugg, so I track it). So, I am trying to push myself to run now, even though I hate it and I suck at it.

So today, I was 50% on track. My calorie burn was around 2,300, because I went to the gym. But I ate candied popcorn and about four chocolates out of a box of chocolates, along with some (whole grain) bread and butter, so I am still not there yet. Not totally back on track.

I will do better tomorrow. I have to get back under control.

Oh, and hereigoagain - you are doing fine! One day isn't bad, that is pretty easy to recover from, and you have an excuse - it was your birthday. You should have no trouble getting back on track. Hang in there!

I agree with Amanda

You can do this and we are here to cheer you onward