UGH!!! Back when I joined here I had just started Fat Smash Diet...I didn't stick with that long because after being on here I realized I needed to change my eating habits completely for life!
I did that and I got really good at it, no eating junk..gave up sugar, no sodas, drinking 64oz of water a day. I was eating only fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy proteins and virtually no dairy. I was doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training a day. I lost 20lbs +several inches and I felt amazing and I looked amazing!
Then it happened. We went went on vacation for a week and stayed in a hotel for a week, every meal we ate out and I tried my best to make good healthy choices, I didn't work out for that week but I figured I would be ok and could start back up when I got home. We got home and construction began on our house re-doing all of our duct work and our central air system. I had ppl all through my house for a week so I didn't exercise then either..
Anyway here I am now, I have not weighed myself out of fear of seeing that I have gained it all back. I have worked out a total of 3 times since we got back from vacation the 2nd week of July! My eating is crap and I just feel like a horrible mess!
What did I do? Before I let myself get out of control I was preaching to everyone about how eating better and exercising had been the best thing I ever did for myself. I felt better, had more energy and self esteem. I slept better and I even looked forward to working out every day. I ended a 2 yr depression by doing all of that and now this!
WHAT can I do? I need something to kick me in the butt and get me going again. How can I get rid of this lazy brain and start all over? Has anyone been in my shoes and been able to start over and stick with it?
Yup - but it took me 2 years to start again. My advice is not magical and probably a little blunt - but it is to just do it. Just start again. Get straight back into it. I know, not that helpful, but it's just the only way to do it. That is my advice because I know how easy it is to slip back into old habits and before you know it, 2 years has slipped by and you're 11 pounds heavier (in my case). Now I've just got to the point where I re-lost those 11 pounds plus a couple more - imagine if I hadn't left it two years, I could be at my goal by now!
So basically...do it! Flick that switch in your brain and get to it! Exercise tomorrow! Make the choices you know are better for you!
I am right there with you. I had managed to lose 30 lbs. and had the same feelings of being so energetic, healthy and confident. Then just like with you, I moved, had visitors that wouldn't eat healthy stuff over for a few weeks, and my routine disappeared. It's been nearly a year now, and I just faced the scale for the first time not long ago. I gained all but about 5 lbs. back. I have no magic recipe for you, but I wanted you to know that you are not alone. Last time, I did Nutrisystem, so this time I have to learn how to do this while cooking and planning all of my meals by myself. Not easy, but I am sure will be worth it in the short and long run.
Yep. Now that I got the 40 pounds I gained in one year off of me, I've decided it was a blessing. Now I know, for sure, that I can never go back to "normal." My normal has been so warped by food engineering and marketing plus my own addictive personality, that eating normally means accepting a weight of 240 pounds.
Here's what works for me:
reading lots of books (I recommend The End of Overeating by David Kessler and the books by Judith Beck, but even books that aren't as useful as those two are good because they keep me thinking about my healthy lifestyle)
choosing a group here on 3FC where I post every single day
changing up my plan once in awhile, usually based on a book I've read -- something that keeps me amused and learning as I go along
exercising -- mostly motivated by its ability to improve my mood and sleep, but with other benefits as well
Here's hoping you find what you need to keep going!
consider yourself kicked. Right, now, you may have put on a bit of weight, and flab, but no biggie. Getting back to "normal" now is the key. Nobody's perfect, so don't beat yourself up. BUt DO get back to maintenance and a good diet. Like you say, you feel better. There is no downside. JUST DO IT
1. There is no such thing as "vacation" when dealing with weight, food choices, and physical activity choices.
2. Uproar in daily life is not a free pass.
3. Planning and strategizing is absolutely essential.
Your body does not care whether you call something vacation, disaster, renovation, or a birthday party. It simply does what it is supposed to do under the circumstances. Overeating and not exercising? Gain weight.
So when you decide on a vacation, part of your trip planning has to be where and what you will eat, and where and how you will get your activity in. What restaurants are nearby? What do they serve? Are there calorie counts online that you can look up and make a plan? Is there a gym nearby? A hotel fitness center? A pool? Are you going to go hiking, biking, walking?
And when you come home to construction, and the house is in an uproar, where and what will you eat? Where and how will you get your activity in?
You can't drop the ball because life situations have come along. Weight loss isn't what happens when everything is stable, and then gets forgotten when something comes up. Something is ALWAYS going to come up!
Good luck in getting back on track. Start now. Don't wait!
Since I started my new "lifestyle", we have been on vacation 4 times, We've got new AC & heating units, new flooring, a new roof, at least 3 harvest crews...(so we had men around working a lot). I've also experienced the death of a close friend, numerous overnight guests and spur of the moment road trips.
During all that...I managed to lose 193 pounds and have now kept it off for 15 1/2 months. Life happens. There will always be holidays, vacations, death, construction, guests. You just work through it. You can't start the down hill slide unless you KNOW you can stop before you get to the bottom. I guess what finally worked for me is to realize that everyday I blew it, was another day (or 2) of being fat. I was tired of making excuses.
Thanks guys!! That's just it, I kept telling myself that I wasn't making excuses I was just waiting for this or for that which really is just making excuses.
I have tried getting back into habit and that is what's bugging me the most, the more I jump up and exercise I don't get that feeling I had before that kept pushing me. I don't know how to get it back.
I just need to do it...I was able to quit smoking after 19 yrs and I never thought I could do that, it's been a little over 2 yrs. If I can kick that habit I have to be able to get back to the real me and get healthy again.
I have tried getting back into habit and that is what's bugging me the most, the more I jump up and exercise I don't get that feeling I had before that kept pushing me. I don't know how to get it back.
You are looking back through rose-colored glasses. Yes, last time there were days when you felt motivated and pumped and energetic, but there were days then, too, when you didn't want to get off your a** and cook a healthy dinner or work out, there were days when you resented the fact that you couldn't have an ice cream cone. You've forgotten those days because they were less interesting and less important than the days when you felt great.
So if you are waiting for a time when this will be easy "like last time", you're deluding yourself. Instead, you need to have faith that if you accept the occasional discomfort, then just like last time there will come a point when you feel energized and optimistic and proud again.
How would your marriage be if you were only a good wife when you were really feeling motivated to be a good wife, when your heart was totally 100% in it? What sort of reputation would you have at work if you only worked hard on the days when you were feeling ambitious and driven? This isn't any different, and that's ok. Trust that the gung-ho feeling will come back, but that it starts with going through the motions.
I just wanted to thank the original poster and all the people who responded, this thread has been helpful to me today. Today I am trying to make it through the day in a healthy way again after having been off track for many weeks now. The thing that stands out to me especially is trying to get back that feeling, and flip the switch in your brain so things click and feel right again, to start again. It really helps me to read all this and see that others have lost, regained, and then lost what they regained again. Even though I think my regain was probably more pounds in less time than others, just knowing that I am not alone and that others have made it through is really helpful.
Just wanted to say thank you for posting this. All the responses have really helped to motivate me because I have done the same thing as you many times over.
What happened ?
