I started my weight loss journey around November 2011. I went from 300 lbs to 206 lbs by Mid April 2012. My birthday happened in May, so I gave myself a little break. Afterwards I had some problems in my life that stressed me out, so I gave myself ANOTHER break... ugh. Now it's halfway through June (a month and a half later) and from binging on sweets, fried foods and beer, I've managed to gain back about 15 pounds. I'm now back at 221 and so depressed! (which of course makes me want to eat EVEN more!) Ugh, I just do not know how to get back on this horse. If anybody has some advice, I could REALLY use it! I just wish I had the same motivation I had before.


Thank you in advance!

Stop taking breaks. Really.

First, what are you giving yourself a break from? If you are on a plan that needs "breaks," "cheat days" or "days off" you might be on the wrong plan.

What else did you "take a break" from? Did you stop brushing your teeth during that time? Take a break from combing your hair, doing your housekeeping, putting gas in your car, keeping good track of your spending, taking care your pets/kids/significant other?

Make a commitment to yourself and stick with it. Motivation will come and go, but a commitment will pull you through those times when your depressed feelings are telling you "why bother, eat more, drink more."

Think about what you're trying to achieve and why. Picture yourself as you were - do you want to go back there? Then picture yourself and how you felt at the weight you got down to and where you ultimately want to end up and think about how it would feel. That's what I do, anyway.

Also, as seagirl said, stop taking breaks. Work on changing your lifestyle rather than doing a strict diet where you feel you need breaks. We all have off days, but the secret is to just keep at it.

You've done brilliantly so far - keep it up!

I agree with seagirl & Elliemar about not taking breaks! You need to change your whole way of thinking about food for good. Easier said than done, I know!

Oh absolutely - it's taken me more years than I care to think about to change my attitudes, habits etc and to actually get there and I truly believe that this time is different because of it. I'm in the best shape I've been in since my 20's (in my 40's now) and although it's been a hard road, it took not giving up to make the difference between success and yet another fail

You are weigh 70 pounds less than you did in November 2011. That is not even a year ago. Be proud of yourself. Don't shame yourself because you have accomplished a great deal. This is a setback. Life has set backs, eating healthy is a lifetime commitment, so there are bound to see set backs. But here you are recognizing that you need help.

No more breaks. Try to re-frame your thinking and not see food as a reward, comfort, punishment. Food is our fuel. It is very hard to change your mindset. I am definitely training myself out of some of my old bad habits. I keep a journal where I write about my challenges etc... I have a good friend who is losing weight too and we chat sometimes. Some people seek out counseling.

There are supports out there you can access. I just suggest to start tracking everything you eat again. Start with the next meal.

If agree witht he others----particularly the comments made by seagirl. To lose as much weight as you have in a relatively short period of time, is a great feat, but it makes me believe that your plan must have been very strict. Sometimes, the plan that worked for us at one time doesn't work for us any more (mentally, that is). You could try another plan or another way of going about your plan. Example: If you were eating 1200 calories a day, why not just calculate th calories for your maintenance goal weight and eat at that level? That will allow you more food and, possibly, decrease the episodes of overeating.

This!

Go to the Goals section...look at the pics, read the stories, and visualize YOU posting like that when you hit YOUR goal and giving people like me inspiration to show that it CAN be done. You are MORE than halfway to your goal...you KNOW how to do it, you've proven to yourself you CAN do it. now DO IT GIRL!!!

You did a great job, but I'd say get rid of all clothes that are too big and don't take breaks that last 6 weeks. If you have to take a break, take a break for one meal. Not even a day. Then realize that this is not a finite process. this is forever. Taking breaks because you feel like it will just mess you up every time. Anyone - no mater how thin or healthy - can have an off plan day. Just stop at that one meal (or day) and then get back to healthy. The way we ate when we were fat is what got us fat. It's as simple as that. To get thin and healthy, that HAS to change. Not for a while, but for the rest of our lives. Once we realize that, and realize it isn't punishment or a prison sentence, we can move forward and make better choices.

Lin

You have to fight through this. I lost a lot of weight - twice - and gained it back. No matter how depressed you are about gaining back 15 pounds, you will feel a hundred times worse if you gain it all back.

Start tomorrow morning. Do whatever you were doing that worked, whether it was exercise, cutting calories, etc. even if it isn't to lose weight but just to maintain.

Thank you all for the comments! I didn't expect for so many people to give me such wonderful advice so soon. Reading through this has definitely helped me! I'm going to take everyone's advice starting now! Going back to my plan (maybe tweaking it a little to make it more bearable) and starting to write down what I eat every meal again to keep record. I can't wait until the time that I am posting on that goal board! Hehe. Thank you all again SOOOO much!