This time....
 

Well, I've been away for awhile, my weight is not currently what my little avatar thingy states, but I'm currently too lazy and/or depressed to change it, let's just say it's a bit above 195 and a smaller amount below 220, maybe I'll change it eventually.
I have to do this, I have, it's about 95% for my health and the other five so I can have more choices on clearance racks.
In the past few years I've been in a pretty vicious cycle of losing fifteen to twenty pounds and then some minor or maybe sorta major hardship happens and then I'm back to stuffing my face.
I'm sure that a lot of people, if not most, on here know what I'm going through and I remember that coming on here was one of my saving graces from eating everything in sight and wallowing in my depression, I love it on here.
My problem is not at all that I don't know what I should be eating or what I should be doing to exercise, it is purely keeping up with it, getting past the rough times and being able to get over a food addiction.
The number one thing that I need to use as a mantra or whatever is how great I feel when I am eating properly and exercising regularly, mentally, physically and emotionally, and how miserable I am when all I do is sit at home eating and watching T.V.
Okay, so, I'm gonna do it!

You know this used to be my story too, but something changed in me. The last two years have probably been the most stressful in my life. A lot of things that are just out of my control. Something about being able to control my weight through calorie counting and exercise provided a lot of comfort for me and allowed me to be able to handle all that's happening differently. The exercise I think was a key factor. I think it's been such a stress release that I don't necessarily need to turn to food all the time. I still struggle, I probably always will, but it's different now and I'm usually in control, I'd say a good 90% of the time. Good luck to you, I hope you find something that works for you.

I always do good for awhile and then something happens that ruins my momentum. I am hoping that this time I can stick with it. I had never been as heavy as I was when I started and I have never stuck it out for as long. I hope you can find success.

Best wishes,
Stacy

This was nice to read.

I agree that diet and exercise can actually be tools to GET US through tough times. Most of us are so backwards on how to handle stress. We turn to food which makes us feel sluggish and often turns on the self-loathing. Exercise releases feel good endorphins and increases oxygen to the brain making us feel amazing. It's a natural stress release. So why on earth do we seem genetically pre-dispositioned to turning to food instead?

I combatted this bizarre pattern by getting really curious about where I'd be in on year's time if I simply did not give up. I've been on plan each and every day for 11 months now and I've lost more than double any weight loss success I've ever had in the past. I finally discovered patience. I know weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise...but I think it is 100% patience!

it sounds like you've put your finger on a major problem for yourself: getting past the rough times and being able to get over a food addiction.

maybe one approach you might think of taking is how you'd want to handle these things when they come up.

instead of turning to food when x happens, I'll:
1) call a friend
2) meditate
3) knit or whatever hobby
4) talk to a family member
5) exercise
6) take a walk
7) go to the movies/rent a movie

if you don't want to go the therapy route and you really feel you're addicted to food, you could go to the bookstore and/or library and read some of the books out there. There are some threads that have come up here with lists of books people recommend (kaplods has written really informative posts about a bunch of them).