Ok so the other day I posted how I thought I was overworking myself by not eating enough and working out waaaay too much...It finally caught up with me like I knew it would. I had a big dinner at the Outback Saturday night, and it was in celebration of me finally reaching 200 lbs. I should know better than to reward myself with food

So yesterday, I felt it was ok to go to Schlotzsky's and have a sandwich there...I just so happened to pick one of the most fattening ones (I didn't realize until I came home and looked up the nutritional info). Now, today I went to Hooters with a friend and had a Sandwich, curly fries, AND 5 wings. Grrr!! I need to get back on track. I just don't want to deprive myself like I have been before.

I'm not asking for any advice I guess, I just wanted to put this out there, and I guess I'm just wondering if anyone out there has had anything similar happen?

I'm kind of there right now, too. It's almost like I realize I'm losing, so I think I can rest or something, and then I gain. I've lost 47, but gained 7 back the past two weeks.

For me, getting on track means staying AWAY from restaurant food, period. Once every couple of weeks seems to be OK, but restaurants can not be our main source of nutrition (like they have been this past two weeks!). I have to get to the grocery store, buy my vegetables, and cook.

Hang in!

Hey - don't be so hard on yourself! We all fall off the wagon now and then. Looks like we've both lost about the same amount of weight. I've gone off track several times but I've just given myself a good kick in the butt and got back on the wagon.

Maybe you can plan your splurges a bit. For instance, the only fast food I have now is the 6" Subway Club sandwich. It's 320 calories and I enjoy every bite without guilt. The key is in planning what we eat. It's so easy to go for whatever looks good if we don't know in advance what we'll be ordering.

I try to avoid eating out as much as possible and when I do I usually take half the entree home for the next day and that way I get two meals for the price of one!

We all have our slip ups, you are not alone! You just need to realize that the past is just that - the past. Instead of feeling guilty about what you were doing, focus on what you will be doing. In my own experience, I find that when I let myself get hungry is when I start thinking about the really bad(but good at the same time ) food. It happens to the best of us, just give yourself a lil kick in the booty and get back on track.

My favorite thing is BK double cheeseburgers. I don't deprive myself, but I save it for when I really want it, not just a substitute for when I don't feel like cooking. It's usually once a month. And if I over indulge, I make it a rule to exercise for to bring balance. So some days I may exercise twice. But that's just what works for me, but believe me you are not alone!!!

Thank you for the support and supportive words!!

Also, I dont mean to make this sound like Im making excuses for myself, but "that time" is soon to come...so it could be a minor factor in my "greasy food" cravings. I need to learn how to control those.

If you're having "greasy food cravings" are you getting enough fat in your day to day diet? I'm talking GOOD FAT here, so advocados, nuts, seeds NOT triple cheeseburger hydrogenated trans-fat yukkiness. Just a thought...

I am struggling with this right now, I've been overreating for the past week or two and it's getting out of hand. I'm gonna try to get back on track starting TODAY. I'm going on to this summer language course for a while, and I will be living away from home, so it's the perfect time for me to start a new routine. Good luck for both of us

You said that you don't want to deprive yourself like before -- perhaps you have been a little too restrictive and the way you're eating now is a boomerang effect?

I know I have to restrict myself, but I also don't completely deprive myself. I do eat out sometimes -- usually quite healthy, but not always. For me, not being completely restrictive "on plan" and making active choices about when and how to splurge seems to have helped keep me on plan...

Good luck!

You need to take some steps to set yourself up for success.

1. Rewarding yourself for weight loss can NOT be about food. For me, rewarding myself with food was one of the bad habits that I had to break to be successful. I set up a series of rewards for 10 lb intervals that had nothing to do with food: new sandals, massage, fancy haircut/color at a nice salon, new clothes, etc.

2. Look up nutritional content of food before you get to a restaurant. Almost always, I know what I'm going to have before I even get there, I don't look at the menu so I am not tempted. If there aren't any super healthy choices, I ask for a to go box as soon as the food arrives and pack up half immediately. Restaurants are in the business of doing whatever it takes to make food taste good so you come back, crazy things that I would never do at home (marinating stuff in butter or whatever).

3. Okay - this last bit only worked for me and I admit to being very hard core when it came to diet. I didn't really eat for weight loss, I ate for health reasons. I tried to only eat foods with high nutritional value and avoid foods with minimal nutritional value. I put a bunch of foods on a "no" list (french fries included) and it just made everything easier for me. I just don't eat french fries anymore (I used to have a killer biggie fry McDonalds addiction - 2-3 times a week). Having a very clear rule that I don't eat packaged baked goods, fast food, sugary soda was very helpful to me and I have stuck with it since July 2004. I lost a ton of weight, I feel fabulous and I don't miss those foods at all.

Good luck at getting back on track. We all fall off the wagon, me included, but hop right back on there. Eating out is disastrous for me too. Even with healthy choices, most restaurants put too much salt in everything and it causes me to swell and gain. Congrat's on the large weight loss success that you have achieved.

yeah, restaurants for me can be a real deal breaker. it's hard for me not to feel like eating out is a treat; sometimes I can pick some healthier choices -- usually not. I'm try to keep the eating out to one or two times a week until I get better at it.

I have been struggling with the same thing. And I know I just have to take it one day at a time. Even though lately all my "one days" have been turned into an all out binge. I'm gonna try to just eat at home that will probably help me.