I'm regaining. I can feel it. My work pants are tight (granted they're a size 10 and I should wear a 12, but they've gotten tighter than the first time I squeezed into them). My stomach is bulgy. I've regained at least 10 pounds...maybe 15. It terrifies me. I've been binging again, eating whole pizzas by myself. I maintained for about 7 months by eating crap in regular portions and now my old eating habits are creeping back. I started drinking regular soda again. I haven't had a vegetable in probably a month. I just FEEL fatter. I don't have a scale around and I don't want to step on it--it's too hard. I just can't do it. 110 pounds of progress is unraveling.
I need to stop. How? I need to get a handle on this before I end up right back where I was.
I want to get to my original goal of 120. I don't think I can do it with Atkins again (it's way too restricting for my lifestyle now). My friends are all adorable little skinny things and it makes me feel disgusting.

I have the knowledge. I know about different diet plans. Calorie counting, Atkins, South Beach...I've researched and read about all of them. I know what to eat and what not to eat, I know my trigger foods. I did this for over a year. I just need the power back. I'm wasting hundreds of dollars on eating out. I also work at Olive Garden and sometimes the 50% off cheese ravioli and chicken & gnocchi is overpowering. A salad and some minestrone would be cheaper and healthier but it doesn't taste as good. I need to get out of this mindset.

I got a pair of nice running shoes for Christmas. I want to start running and being healthy again.

How about doing ONE small thing to reorient yourself in the right direction today? (e.g., stopping before you clean your plate, buying five healthy items at the grocery store, preparing a salad with home-made dressing, etc.). Each day, add one more healthy choice and remove one more unhealthy choice. This may help rebuild your confidence that you CAN turn things around.

Freelance

You can do it. Just take tiny steps to get back to where you were. Find a place to start.

Just take one step at a time. You can do it.

When the pain of what you're doing to yourself becomes greater then the pain of eating healthy again, you'll eat healthy.

I've been where you are, and in my experience the only thing that will get you back on track is finally facing the fact that you can *never* eat those foods and get to your goal.

I can't eat 'normal' portions (whatever that means) of pizza or pasta or chocolate or anything with carbs or sugar. If I do, it triggers the old addictions and the old emotional demons, and I just start the cycle all over again.

I was all the way down to 150 and started feeling like a normal person for the first time in my life, going out with friends and eating the way they did because hey, I'd lost a ton of weight, I fit in size 10 pants, I could eat a cheeseburger in front of people without feeling like they were judging me! Guess how long I fit into my size 10 pants?

I've finally had to face the fact that I can never do that. I can reach my goal through clean eating and exercise, but in order to *stay* there I have to eat clean forever. I'm not saying I can't have something on special occasions ever again, but I have to be aware that the small slice of cake is going to set off carb cravings that are really difficult to ignore, and it will be a daily battle to keep myself from backsliding.

Having said all that, I've been down to nearly a normal weight, and it felt fantastic. It's worth it to me to do this for the rest of my life if it means feeling like that forever.

Remember all the reasons why you want to lose the weight.

Remember all the hard work you put in to get to where you were (110 pounds lost!!).

Remember how empowered you felt when you made good choices.

Remember how unhappy you felt when you made bad choice after bad choice.

Remember that you, and only you, are in control. Don't let the food have control over you.

Remember that you are human; that you make mistakes, but that you know how to correct them so you can get back on track.

Remember that you've done it before and you'll do it again, and if you don't want to have to do it again, and again, and again, that you need to make life changes to avoid the yo-yo.

Wishing you continued success on your weight loss journey!

The only one in control of what you put in your mouth is you. Start making a plan and sticking to it. The Venetian Apricot chicken at OG is totally delish and definitely on plan.

The great thing about healthy eating, or a life style change, or whatever else you want to call your plan, is you can start it or restart it or get back on track at any point in time. I saw a post yesterday (and cannot remember which section, or who said it so I apologize to the original poster for not being able to give them credit) that mentioned you can even get back on track half way through a bag of potato chips. If you need to start with small changes, adding a vegetable or two with your meals, or reining in your portions...or if you need/want to make a big change all at once, make that decision, make a plan (it's always good to make a plan) and commit yourself to it. Maybe set some short term goal, make a plan for one meal, or one day or one week. Once you meet that goal, and are moving back in the right direction, extend that goal or set a second goal.

You've made such a tremendous progress so far. I've been there and regained it all plus some. From personal experience, it's the last thing you want to do. It's such a blow to the ego and self-esteem. Getting past the disappointment in myself has been one of my biggest challenges to getting back on track.

I agree, you've made amazing progress so far! =)

Linsy, my heart really goes out to you. I really hope you can get back on track soon. I know for me, I have to start by working out. If I can force myself to have an intense, sweaty workout....that will get my head on straight so that I can get back on plan. I also don't know about you, but unfortunately, I have a perfectionist mentality and a binge eating disorder. So...I'm either 100% on plan or I'm eating the house. I'm not able to be balanced, etc....but what I'm trying to say is that you need to figure out what works for you.

Also, what I always say on these types of posts, is that I just need one good day. You know what those are like right? Start by doing everything on your plan and really truly commit to staying on it no matter what happens. Don't think of the next day, the next month, or the next year. Just think about that one day and visualize how proud you'll feel when you wake up the next day. Then, once you can get that one day...you can get another, and so on.

If the food at work is tempting you, maybe you can make a commitment to yourself that you will bring food from home and gum and whatever it takes to keep you from going off track. Try to change the self talk that could be going on. Instead of thinking , wow, that gnocchi is so good and I"m powerless over it....say things like, I'm in control, not the gnocchi and it's not going to nourish my body the way I deserve to be nourished. I deserve healthy food that won't clog my arteries and make me feel regret as soon as I"m done.

You can do this....just figure out how to learn from all of your great experience.

I think everyone has great advice take small steps to get back on track. Caroline said it best! Don't eat the things that trigger relapses. and I believe that is how I am too. Just think about your hard work and everything you did to get here. You have it in you and you ARE worth it. Get back on track to feeling good about yourself.

This has been so true for me. I got within two lbs of my goal weight this summer and then my husband came home from a 6 month deployment and it all flew out the window. I went right back to my old ways. I knew what I was doing to myself... my pants were no longer fitting, my energy level was low, I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin... but I continued eating crap. I finally had enough and it "clicked" again. The crappy (delicious) food in excess was NOT worth how crappy it made me feel. I'm now almost 10 lbs heavier (it was more) but I feel SO much healthier now that I'm eating reasonable portions and healthier foods.

You've gotten great advice. I'd like to say that sometimes it's just easier to do it 100% - all or nothing. Get on plan 100% right now. If there is off plan junk in the house, get rid of it. I really feel for you working at OG because there are very few good choices to be made that sound better than the great pastas they have. But you did it before and you can do it again. I have to assume the holidays threw you off. Well, they're over. Get back on plan right away (love the idea that you can get back on plan in the middle of eating a bag of chips) and just do it. You know you'll feel better. You know you feel worse when you're off plan. Choose to feel good about one thing and then make it happen.

Lin

Hey Linsy,
Sorry to hear about your semi-derailment off the tracks, steer yourself back onto the track ASAP. Bottom line, I think you know what YOU have to do to get yourself back into your losing groove, just like the Nike slogan- Just Do It!
You will be happier once you re-start a clean routine!

Oh, wow.... I just posted a similar thread! I know exactly how you feel! I wish I had the answer!