The "Get back on track for good" group

 I'm sure I am not the only one in this situation. I had been maintaing for only a week or so before the holidays and have fallen off the wagon ever since, gaining 3.5 pounds back (i only lost ten, so that's almost half!) So who wants to join me in shedding the excess pounds and getting back down to our maintenance weights (or just back on track to weight loss in general, doesn't have to be maintenance)?! We'll have weekly weigh-ins, but also any time anyone has even the smallest success in regaining control, post it here!

Maintenance weight: 100 lb.

Current weight: 103.5

Goal weight: 100

*small success: they didn't have the low-calorie whole grain cereal at the dining hall this morning, but instead of saying "what the heck" and eating the high-calorie sugary cereal, I grabbed enough fruit to equal the amount of calories in the healthy cereal. :)

It is hard to have a plan you feel is best for you, but fail to follow it for months; you still eat healthily and do MOST things right, yet you are not doing the enough.

That is where I am at.

It is easier to keep going once you are already IN the routine; it is MUCH HARDER do START it, because doing all the right things, such as sticking to a routine and doing everything in it, seams LESS significant when you do it for the first time because you have only done it ONCE; it seams only AFTER you stick to the routine for a while, that your progress becomes noticeable and feels significant enough.

I did body pump today, and did is Wednesday or Thursday. I did Pilate’s a few days. I had a day off as I was feeling off. Had a few days where I ate too much fat. But, ultimately, I only eat 100% clean natural foods so:

The fact I have not been: stretching daily, doing a low rep/heavier weight strength session, and walking every day feels bad, but I have not been “ all or nothing”, as I have still lived in a way that is healthy; just not the ideal way I know I would make me feel fitter/better/and therefore happier.

Today, for instance, baked some sweet potato as I tend to use it instead of bread (roast it up in thick bread shaped slices and cover with flaxseed oil and spread with honey or avocado, just like pieces of bread)

I was bored and so I ate about 150 grams more then I planned or probably needed.

I am proud that I was able to eat a little extra WITHOUT allowing it to let me binge! I enjoyed the extra, and had no desire to need to eat to provide happy ness; I am learning that eating is enjoyable when you are hungry, but it is dangerous to depend on food for happy ness too much when you are not hungry.

Of course, having a little chocolate or treat if FINE purely for enjoyment rather then hunger, but that is why it is a treat, and not the main way you are supposed to eat.

SO, I am not being too hardcore, I am not being too hard on myself, but I have kept in okay shape which is better then a lot of people!

I have found middle ground between my ideal routine, and plain losing control; I am not where I want to be at fitness wise or food wise every day, but that does not stop be from trying and making an effort

After one bad decision, such as too much sweet potato like today, I just move on and make the next meal better.

i would say eating too many sweet potatoes is NOT a bad thing! and dont be to hard on yourself, im glad you're happy but dont worry too much, that is my new realization. my mom visited me yesterday/today and i feel really well. i was consistent, didnt use it as an excuse to over eat, and feel good. my next hurdle is next weekend, but i feel much more confident after doing better this weekend! hope you guys did well too :) 

So I'm making some good progress. Haven't binged in I can't remember how long, watching what I eat and exercising consistently. I'm fitting into my clothes better and feeling better about myself. And I'm going to keep going going going. Through Barcelona. Through my birthday. Through the summer, I want to be in shape and feel great.

But still! Today I had to stay late at work and so by the time I got home I was hungry and had already missed my step class - I was frustrated. My plans had gone awry and I wasn't comfortable with that. For dinner I craved a PB&J sandwich so that's what I ate - my calories for the day are 1300 which is really great (even though I didn't exercise!) - but the funny thing is that I've spent so long convincing myself that carbs at night are bad and that a PB&J sandwich is an indulgence that even though I'm well within a healthy amount of calories, I feel guilty and fat - how weird is that. It's like I know I haven't over eaten but because of what I ate and because I didn't exercise I feel gross.

On a more positive note I'm really really proud of myself for this weekend:

1. I exercised Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

2. I drank on Friday and Saturday night but I didn't eat gorge on pizza at 5 AM!

3. I forced myself to get sleep in even when I woke up relatively early because I knew my body needed it.

On Sunday my friend and I walked to rent a movie at blockbuster (at least a 45 minute walk each way) and on the way back we jogged part of it - it was spontaneous, I had decided that it would be my day off but then my body just wanted to jog, so we did, and it was incredible.

Hey guys!

I just gave some advice on another thread and though I would share it with you. It is about how after years of having a celebrity thin body and being unhappy, I have learnt (rather, am still learning!) to find a happy medium.

Gone are the days I would exercise in the perfect way I thought I should, only to come home and eat skinless chicken breast with no flavoring. What is the point in being skinny if you are not happy? I did not starve myself, but here is:

Personally, I am finding my life is much better since I have stopped trying to be “ perfect” with my eating.

My weight has fallen on about 114 to 115lbs, I like eating a little extra simply to stay sane - I never starved myself, but I would over analyze all my food choices and feel bad if I did not make the absolute best decision.

The way I have learnt to live life and feel “normal” again, is through learning to strike a balance - your “ happy medium” theory, where I do enough to have a body that I like, yet I don’t do anything that I hate so much that it cancels my physical goal out.

I will not do exercise I hate, then come home and eat a piece of lean chicken breast with no salt and steamed greens because I do not enjoy either of these things; I strike a balance, where I enjoy clean un processed food all of the time, so I will may walk to the gym up a hill or two for natural exercise I enjoy, do a weights or Pilate’s class, then come home and eat chicken breast of fish with a little yummy seasoning .

So, instead of pushing myself to do exercise I hate, and eat a dinner that I do not enjoy, I will do exercise I can tolerate, and come home and eat a dinner then is healthy and I also can also enjoy to some extent. It is all a balancing act, and IT IS KEY to being able to live the best life possible.

I have learnt all this through years of trying to be happy and being held back by food and body image issues. It is an on going thing, but the more better I balance food/exercise/life, the happier I am.

THAT was the advice I gave on the other thread.

I hope ALL OF YOU learn to have a healthy body you feel good about, while you also enjoy life!

Alana - I also prefer eating lean protein/ no carbohydrates at night as I like to eat my carbohydrates when my body needs it the most.

BUT…. It is so good, and ESSENTIAL, to be able to just have a darn sandwich for dinner some times! Hah. I LOVE having a night a week where I allow myself to just go and eat something different, spontaneously, that I do not normally do.

WELL DONE with the PB sandwich - it is actually a good DIET STRATEGY as it will prevent you from needing to rebel against an overly rigid plan!

BLAH! i've been gone for so long! have NOT been doing well so today is the day. I'm SO sick of doing well and then letting myself down! i need to log on here everyday and i need other people to know what I eat because it's a lot more embarassing if other people know I ate 10 cookies than if it's just me. So i'm going to shoot for 1200 cals a day and I'm going to post everything i eat on here just so I know other people can see it. Feel no need to read it and comment on it unless you want to I just need it out there so I feel like a glutton if I have to tell you all I eat an entire cake or something lol.

whew! glad that vent is over! I want some iced tea.

how are you all?

I'm sorry to hear that Alyssa... you need to remind yourself of why you're doing this - the bigger picture.

I've been doing very well, eating reasonably, working out, going out with friends - all in moderation and balance. Today I weighed in at 124.6 (I had been at 125.6 for almost two weeks!).

I have two weeks to Barcelona and then summer and my birthday, it's all coming up so fast and I feel too good fitting into my clothes to even think about throwing it all away. This is just a great way to live my life - in moderation - I'm not looking at it as a diet. The weight loss is what comes with once again living reasonably, but I want to make this a life-long lifestyle, not a three month fad.

I'm proud of myself for getting down to 124.6 even though I've been sick on and off consistently for like the past 3-4 weeks... I doubt I'll get down to 120 by Barcelona but maybe by my birthday or at least in June I think I can get there. That's my goal weight - forget 116, it's so unrealistic!

I see the bigger picture, it's just that I need to get myself into a habit the first week or so then I can continue from there.

hey guys, im doing well too just had 2 midterms this week andd going home for mothers day this weekend my my brothers confirmation. ive been working out all week and my running feels so good. ive been learning that even more than losing pounds, seriously feeling good in your clothes and strong when you work out is such an accomplishment. i love it, and i wouldnt trade it for anything! my 1/2 marathon is may 30, and i officially signed up for my first marathon in october!! i have been eating 1200-1400 calories, and i am a little worried i wont lose weight as fast, but with all the calories ive been burning (approx. 3000/week) i think my body really does need more energy to lose weight and keep my metabolism running. 

so anyways, ive been eating well and if i feel like a healthy dessert at night (vitabrownie, or fusgsicle, or sugar free pudding) then i have it! all are under 100 cals and i dont think they ruin all my hard work.... what do you guys think?! have a good weekend and congrats everyone :) 

alright so here's what i had today.i have about 150 cals left, so i may just have more cereal lol. its so good!

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how's everyone doing? good mothers day i hope! i had a great weekend at home ate too much saturday and sunday but ran a half marathon on sunday and stayed active, so i think it evened out! hope everyone is doing well.... 

Alyssa,

I know how you feel. As soon as I see alittle bit of progress it goes down hill from there. I'm the same way about logging my food. If I'm telling someone about it, I'm able to stay on track but if I'm just doing it myself I don't stick with it for more than a couple of days.

I haven't been on track for at least a week. I'm trying to get to the gym everyday, but if I miss a day I can't seem to get back into the routine. I love working out because it gives me a great feeling it's just tough to make it to the gym sometimes. Hopefully I'll start back tomorrow. I also need to get back on track with what I eat. Today I completely binged and lost control completely. I stayed home all day and basically stuffed my face.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a frest start for me after weeks of half way trying (which isn't going to get my anywhere!)

Alanah,

Congratulations on getting to 124.6!!! That's great!!

Hey guys. I had a couple of mini-binges these past few days - I'm super disappointed in myself but trying to get over it. I think I just got so frustrated - over the weekend I had a killer sore throat and so I didn't exercise. I think I was just sick and tired of being sick. And finals were coming up and I felt like things were at a standstill in my personal life - so I didn't really see a point. And now I'm less than a week away from Barcelona and I'm realizing - what am I doing? Am I throwing away everything I've worked hard for in this final week? How disappointed will I be in myself if I arrive in Barcelona and once again my pants don't fit?

No. No. No. I won't let it happen. Back to the gym. Back to eating well - I refuse! And then it's summer and the pool and my birthday. Alanah - don't eat your life away. For what? Feeling full and miserable and fat? Ugh. It's Wednesday. I mini-binged Friday night, Sunday morning, Monday night and Tuesday night. And I only worked out Tuesday.

I will NOT back track. I have 7 days left to work out and eat well and I'm NOT going to let myself go - I'm way too close to my trip - that's my reason!

Right on, falling off doesn't matter it is not getting back up dusting yourself off and getting right at it.  It's like in cheerleading....if your doing a routine and you mess up, you don't just throw your arms to your side and run off stage, you keep smiling get back in step and finish the routine. 

This morning I had fast food hot dogs and fry......(horrible) then I found this site and for lunch I had a banana, glass of OJ, and a 100 calorie yogurt.....small success and remember everything you do is helping, if you are sitting on the couch and not eating you are losing weight, if you are sleeping you are STILL losing weight.  A positive mental attitude can get you over the hill and twards the final goal!

Alanah, it sounds like you need a little "fun" exercise.  Go out dancing with the girls or a guy.  You can burn alot of calories this way (as long as you don't drink)  Wake up on a sunday morning when the sun is just coming up and take a walk with the Ipod.  This will jump start your day and the dancing will give you some fun and more ambition to reach your goal.  Exercise doesnt have to be lame.  It also seems to be that night time is the worst time for you.  Keep a book of Barcelona on your table next to the tv or where ever you are at night, you need visuals of your goals to keep you on trak.  You can make leeps and bounds in a week, make sure your not starving yourself the last week because this can cause a halt to your weight lost.  Keep on track, work muscles you don't usually work and get out of that routine and mix it up a little you will be amazed what happens :) your doing great

Okay I swear that just brought tears to my eyes. Wow, lol. Thank you for that - I needed to hear that from someone - sometimes when you're kind of on this journey alone it's hard to keep going. That's why this website helps so much, just this forum alone. It's great to hear words of encouragement and see that people are right there with you, even if around you people are either oblivious to your plight or not supportive or you don't feel comfortable talking to them about it.

Thank you.

you're welcome alanah

aw seriously it feels like we all havnt talked forever! alanah, you have done SO well, and guess what, saturday and sunday i ate 2000 calories at least both days! yes i was active, but i didnt even feel bad about it because i enjoyed life and well, your body adapts. as long as it only 2 days, not 20 you're fine! you are going to have so much fun in barcelona, DONT let weight weigh (no pun intended) you down! i LOVED barcelona, make sure you eat an authentic gyro, and definitely lay on the beach plenty, and you will walk SO much, that is just how europe is, so dont be afraid to enjoy. say ciao to my mom for me, she'll be in paris :) lucky people and im still in stupid school!!!!

aw thanks julie! yeah i'm thinking that in barcelona they'll eat probably fresher foods and smaller portions so i can rest easy, plus like you said i'll be walking lots! i'm done with school tomorrow and then i have about 2 weeks before coming back for summer school...

i've been back on track yesterday and today watching what i eat and working out. i'm going home tomorrow and that's always nerve-racking although i'll have barcelona on my mind and hopefully that'll help me be in control!

hopefully everyone else is on track straight to and through summer! it's getting super super hot here and i'm already used to stepping out of my house and just being sweaty immediately! eating well is easier when you have no choice but to wear shorts and tank tops!

when i overate (especially on tuesday) i felt just so miserable - bloated and full and fat of bad stuff. why would i want to feel like that when i can feel light and healthy and in shape? silly girl!

thanks for all your words of encouragement girls, it really really keeps me going! thanks for the tips julie - i can't wait. i'll be gone for a week but i'll be back :) i've missed this!

Original Post by alanah6688:

when i overate (especially on tuesday) i felt just so miserable - bloated and full and fat of bad stuff. why would i want to feel like that when i can feel light and healthy and in shape? silly girl!

This is almost exactly how I feel after a binge too! I think, "why on EARTH did I do this when it feels so much better to simply eat my usual portions!" I've got to the stage where if I do binge I don't even enjoy it. It gives me no peace of mind, no enjoyment, no relief. I just...do it. I can't explain it. :(

Tonight is my first night going to a party and not drinking...wish me luck! :s