The last 4 days I have completely lost my mind. I don't know what's wrong with me, but the drive and commitment have left me and I'm struggling so hard to get it back. I haven't been eating nearly as bad as I used to, but I'm definitely off plan. I need desperately to find my way before I start putting the weight back on AGAIN. I'm so tired of the cycle I've always been on of losing and gaining losing and gaining... I felt this was the time I was getting it right, and I still do, but I HAVE to turn it around before I completely lose control.

Just take a breath and think about how far you have come. You aren't going to give up now! I think many of us feel this often but you cannot stop now!

Think about that cycle you hate, of losing and gaining, losing and gaining. It's time to end it NOW. You have lost weight, do not let the cycle start again. This is just one moment, it won't ruin you. In an hour you can feel different, tomorrow you can wake up and feel different. This moment of saddness and frustration does not mean you have to give up and go back to an unhealthy lifestyle.

I am really sorry you are feeling like this - I know it's a horrible feeling. Just take a deep breath and remember what you are working for. Remember that it is not over in this second and you don't just go back to your former weight. You are on the path to a healthy you, we will not let you get lost in the woods! Focus on what is healthy for you - healthy foods, activity, etc. We are all here to support you. Take a walk, burn some cals and clear your head or do some yoga - don't even think about it as exercise - do it to relax you and remind you that it's going to be okay and you are in control. Tomorrow will be better and you will be another day closer to a healthier you!!

DON'T GIVE UP!!

sorry to hear that you feel like you're slipping, however you've noticed a problem before you've began regaining, and thats a great indication that YOU have changed! Dont be too hard on yourself, you can do this! Take one day at a time, revisit those goals you had when you first started out and as Steinanwine said, just breathe. Good luck to you!

Look how far you've come. 2 1/2 inches off your waist in a month is awesome! You know you can do this.

Yes, the process can get old. Part of being able to stick with it is finding recipes that are on plan that you enjoy. Figure out what treats you can have and make sure those are available.

On the plan I'm on, a limited amount of dark chocolate is allowed, so I make sure to keep some hidden in the back of the fridge (to help quell cravings). The hidden part is so I don't see it every time I open the fridge.

There are a couple of plans that actually have treat meals every so often, and state that the change is good for your metabolism. However, there are others that say it takes several days to recover from a meal off plan. ( If you are low carb, a cheat meal is suppose to have a negative impact.)

I was totally out of control last Sunday - someone made this amazing creamy soup and brought over these bread roles to go with it, which was a nice gesture, but I could not stop eating it..... like, it was so good, I was eating massive amounts. I haven't done that in a LONG time.

I find that particular food combinations REALLY set me off. What does your environment look like? Did something change, meaning: Do you suddenly have easy access to high calorie foods that you love?

Don't panic; pause and regroup.

1. What exactly Is your Plan? Is it too strict? Does it contain trigger foods? You know if you post a day or two's typical Plan menus here, people will offer advice.
2. You have to work at developing the attitude that this way of eating is just what you do. It doesn't matter a jot whether you feel motivated or not; if we had to feel motivated to breathe, some of us would just stop some days. Begin to teach yourself that, day in day out, this is how you eat. How you feel about it is not relevant.
3. Well done on catching yourself before you roll right back. Believe me - or you maybe know already - it is a Hck of a lot harder to re-lose what you've lost.
4. You are well over half way towards your first mini-goal - give yourself praise for that.
5. When I get like this, I give myself a couple of extra-strict days. I Don't mean I eat less, like some kind of punishment, but making a Very careful, written plan of what I'm Going to eat and what I Do eat. I'm pretty accountable anyway but it's worth having an extra strict couple of recording days.
6. I don't know about in the States but here in the UK there are lots of items - mugs, etc - carrying what looks like a Wartime government logo: "Keep calm and carry on"; it's the latest fashion and a bit naff - but in our case it's good advice. Don't panic or that may send you into a downward spiral. Keep calm; look at what you're eating; then just head down, carry on. It's the only way.

You've come this far, so if you've even managed to lose 5 lbs, you can manage 1 more, and 1 more, and 1 more and so on That is what I tell myself. Sometimes trying to think of the whole thing seems crazy, far off, depressing and makes you want to forget the whole thing, but when I approach it daily versus even weekly, it helps.

Also, what helps is for me to look at the pictures of people who have lost weight and look great! Honestly, that is my motivation! I IMMEDIATELY become energized and go workout or start sticking to my diet once I see how great they look and how they are normal people like me. I envision myself someday being someone other people trying to lose weight look to for inspiration because of my smoooking picture lol! Call it vain, but when I think of that, I immediately hop back on the horse.

I do expect to fall off sometimes...but also zigzagging calories can actually help, so I breathe and think of that and I also realize that YEARS of unhealthy eating lead me to this point, not one day or even one week...so I forget that bad day(s) and start again!

TooManyDimples - I hope you are feeling better today. Everyone laid out some good advice here. Remember we are all in this together. Everyone of us knows what its like to fail and succeed, we all understand the temptations. But YOU are in control. This is a new day. Make wise decisions. You are stronger than food, you are more than food. To reinforce control, write down what you eat, count the calories and remember every healthy decision is a step in the right direction. You can definitely do this, you are a new person, keep going, keep going! Don't give up! I will be thinking healthy, happy thoughts for you all day.

You have gotten great advice from everyone! I wanted to bold this statement in particular, because it is SO me! I've been posting this a lot lately, because I think it is just such a revelation for me.

I was going along on my plan hunky dory, no problem, why didn't I do this before, weight loss is not so hard, I'm satisfied with the delicious healthy foods I've been eating, etc, etc, etc. Then Thanksgiving, and I'm telling you, I didn't even go that far off (nowhere near what I might have had before), but the next day I was quite cravy. It took a good couple days back on plan perfectly before I started to feel like, okay, yeah, this is doable, just like I thought. Well, to make sure I had tested the theory thoroughly (), I indulged in a piece of my daughter's bday cake at her sleepover party. The next day, all tired from the lack of sleep, in veg mode, and "hung over" from the cake, I was climbing the WALLS wanting to just devour everything in the kitchen. It was a whole day of "I want it" "Well you're not going to HAVE it" "But maybe just this one day to pig out" "But one day has ALWAYS turned into 2 for you" "NO, I promise it won't this time" blah blah blah blah blah.

I woke up the next day fiercely determined to get back to it, knowing what I already learned from Thanksgiving. That if I struggle through it, I'll be back to my new "normal" soon. I ate perfectly on Monday (my crazy day was this Sunday), Tuesday was easier, and now here on Wednesday I don't feel any motivation to stray at all.

I wanted to add that I do not eat low carb, but I am learning what foods set me off. Apparently rich, buttery, and super sugary things are on the list. There is no way in heck I could get down to goal feeling the way I did on Sunday, my will power only goes so far. But now even if I want a splurge, I simply know that it's going to be a good couple days to get back under control, and I can decide from there if it's worth it.

Sorry to anyone whose already read this from me recently, but I really believe this knowledge is going to be the difference for me this time.

Why do you think you lost motivation? Did something happen? What do you think it will take to get back the mindset to being as healthy as you can be?

You hit a speed bump (and I've done that too, many times) but you don't need to let it turn into a road block. You can continue on and make progress and let that process be a reward for further positive changes.

You have gotten great advice so I just wanted to offer you a and let you know I am rooting for you! You CAN do this!

I've woken up each day fully intent on counting my calories, and by lunch time I've just decided not to. I've been eating the regular dinners I'd be eating anyway, but I've been eating bigger portions. I've had too many snacks, even if they are healthier things. I just haven't been counting at all. It hasn't been that bad because the house is filled with healthy food, but I've definitely been killing the peanut butter, I've had more bread in the last few days then I've had in probably a month, and that bag of chocolate chips that was around for baking was mostly gone before I finally made myself throw the rest away last night.

I really don't know what my problem is. I feel like this always happens though. I've reached a new low weight. I haven't seen 235 in a long time, my husband is gushing about how great I look and says something along the lines of, "I'm loving this new body, keep it up." And for some reason that's when I start going backwards. I don't know if that has a negative effect on me and I feel like the pressure is too much and it's just easier to be fat.

I wish I would have woken up today and been right back where I want to be, but I'm not. I'm definitely going to try once again to do it right today and I'm definitely hoping I can get through the day. Getting through one day is obviously the first step.

Good luck girl... you can do it... don't give up!

Hope you can get back on track. If foods like peanut butter and bread are hard for you right now maybe you shouldn't have them around. They may be trigger foods. Glad you threw out the Chocolate Chips.

I totally understand the craving and it seems that if I go off course it takes 2-3 days of on plan eating before I start to be comfortable with myself again. I'm not counting calories but the structure of my plan is important to my comfort level and feeling like I'm doing it right is as much a part of my motivation as downward movement on the scale is.

We are creatures of habit and my old habits got me where I was when I started this journey. I know I have tweaked my plan and will need to continue tweaking it to keep the weight coming off as I get closer to my goal.

Commit to three clean days and see how you feel when you are finished. White Knucle It If You Have To Until You've Been Eating Clean and Following Your Plan for Three Days. Like Matt said this is a bump in the road don't let it become a road block as you've worked hard to get here.

I've read over all the responses a couple times now. Thanks for the support everyone, I'm doing better now. I went ahead and planned out all my meals and snacks like I usually do and so far through lunch I've done everything right. Hopefully I can stay focused for the next few days and that will get me back on track.

I'm so thankful to have this site and so much support from people who understand. =}