So, I joined 3fc in January2013 at 200 lbs with plans to lose 50 lbs. I was motivated and excited... I participated in daily weigh in challenges, worked out and tracked my calories. I lost 15 lbs in a month and a half. Fast forward to yesterday. I had not weighed myself in about 3-4 months. I knew I had gained some weight, but I didn't think I was 201 lbs, which I am!!! Gaining 17 lbs over the course of 1 and a half years may not seem too bad, but I feel the extra weight. The last few times I've checked my blood pressure, it's been high. My cholesterol is high. I turned 30 this year. I'm starting to hate trying on clothes and shopping, things I used to love. I don't have a fully formed plan yet. I have a gym membership that I pay every month, but haven't been to the gym consistently in 6 months.

I'm ready for a change... I have a calorie tracking app and a gym membership. That is where I will start. What has worked for everyone else??? Tips on boosting motivation, fun exercises, and better eating habits welcome and appreciated!!!

Hi Stacey. I know setting specific goals and rewarding myself for reaching them has worked well for me. If I don't write it down so to speak I just keep thinking I will start next Monday and pretty soon it's years later! You don't have to give yourself expensive gifts but something special that you can look at and remember how far you've come and what your goal is. Good luck!

Stacey, what is working for me is basically never give up and be moderate. Sounds obvious, but i changed my whole perspective. I would lose a lot of weight and then something would come up and i'd fall of the wagon and give up. I've done it many, many times. After eating something sugary i would eat whatever i wanted for the rest of the day, because i had already done one thing wrong. I had a mindset of perfection and felt my dieting needed to be perfect. Nowadays when i do eat something thats not planned or when i binge eat i just return to eating right. Also, this time i'm not counting calories because i've found I tend to get obessive and will only think of food the whole day. I usually eat moderate and that's all. Hope you can find your way back and learn from what has not work for you in the past. Each person does it the way it works for them. Just don't give up!

Thanks Usmcvet..... I think small rewards for meeting goals will help me. It will give me something to look forward to, especially since I love to shop. I have been starting next Monday for quite some time now.

Thanks for the tips Marina..... I have the same bad habit of eating one bad snack/meal and letting it mess up the whole day, even convincing myself that I might as well not work out since i already messed up the day. I'm not gonna let one slip up throw me off anymore.

Me too Stacey but I finally pulled the trigger and started up again three days ago. I had a great week but very tiring and painful week at Boy Scout Camp with my son. After walking 5-6 or more miles a day I felt like crying, my knees hurt so much and I was taking the max of 800MG Ibuprofen daily.

My suggestion is to make sure you have food ready for yourself (even if it's cooked ahead of time).

I like to make a lot of things and freeze them in single servings so I don't need to cook during the week, but little things like making breakfast ahead of time and the ability to just pull a cup of chili or soup from my freezer for lunch makes my life really easy.

I have a lot of different meals in my freezer so even though I make 6 servings of something, I don't get bored because I'm varying what I eat everyday.

That is good advice.

Munchy,your advice is super great.I also try to have single portions of homemade food frozen in plastic bags in the freezer.These portions have been counted for calories and do not usually excede 350 calories.
I also have lots of romaine lettuce to munch on or use as wraps for meat or fish.
I also have canned fish ready for use and boiled eggs in the fridge.
With all this food available I am able to stay on plan even when I come home from a long tiring day at workI am able to rustle up a nutritious and low calorie meal quickly.
I notice you have kept your weight in check very well and I admire you very much.

Thanks Munchy and apo9..... I will definitely try to keep some meals handy, because if nothing is around I'm headed to a local fast food place. I work 12 hour night shifts too, so it helps if I bring a meal and some healthy snacks so that when everyone else orders pizza I'm not tempted!

I freeze a lot of food because it saves me time and money - I grocery shop every two weeks and the fresh produce stays good for months because it's cooked in dishes.

Basically every time I grocery shop, I make a batch of zucchini/turkey meatballs, a batch of squash/chicken nuggets, and 2-3 one pot meals (curry, dal/beans, soup, stew, chili). I typically make marinara sauce, cauliflower/cheese sauce, and some kind of gluten free burrito every month. I also cook veggie/meat burgers, mini pot pies, mini veggie/meatloaves, casseroles, and more.

Burritos, nuggets, meatballs, and any of the "mini" single serving foods can be flash frozen by putting them on a metal cookie sheet to freeze, then transferring to a plastic bag once frozen. That way you can take out what you need and they don't freeze stuck together.

Marinara sauce I freeze in mason jars, but the cauliflower/cheese sauce or other sauces spoon I into ice cube trays and once those are frozen I pop them out and put them into a freezer bag. That way if my child is saying, "I want macaroni and cheese," it takes me no time to boil a single serving of pasta and warm a few cubes of sauce to mix with it.

I started freezer cooking about six years ago because making baby food several times a day is just insane, but also because it gives me ability to feed our household healthy foods at all times. The very first thing I did was make a one pot meal (I believe it was habichuelas guisadas - Puerto Rican style kidney beans in sauce), divided it into four servings and froze it. When I wanted to eat it, I warmed one serving and added rice which you can also freeze for a homemade, tasty meal in about 5 minutes.

You're so sweet! I haven't gotten to goal, but I maintain pretty well

Since you are paying for a gym membership, use it to the MAX! Find out what FREE workout classes they have that suit your times. Accountability is big for me, so maybe look into hiring a personal trainer that the gym and sign-up for as many sessions as you can afford. Does the gym have a nutritionist on staff? If so, schedule a consultation appointment to see if that will help turn you around. You did lose weight before, so you can do it again!

You've got it all ready to go, you just need to pull the trigger! Get to the gym, and keep on track with the food. You've had a lot of suggestions on that part, but I just want to add that you can't give yourself the option to not go or to give in to eating poorly. But... if you do slip up... log the food and then move on. Each day is a new start and you can begin with the clean slate.

Just keep in mind that Motivation only gets you to start, Dedication is what takes you to your goal!

Munchy that's is awesome stuff. Thanks for the info and the link.