From what I have seen when an individual chooses to change the direction of an aspect of their life it seems to take more than one try...

Whether it is quitting smoking, stopping an addiction etc...

So I am curious how many attempts or even years did it take you till you were able to consistently pursue healthy eating and/or regular exercise to maintain an "average"/healthy weight?

Personally, it has been several years of slowly transitioning from dysfunctional thoughts of eating and food to being able to treat my body well through healthy food and exercise. I am still trying (and failing) but every re-newed attempt I get closer to my goals.

I can't really say there is a particular number, though I'm sure many people will agree with me when I say there have been many. I've been struggling with my body for about 5 years, during the whole time making many feeble attempts to curing myself of my problem with my weight/general health. It was'nt until very recently that I came to realize the things I needed to know in order actually go about dealing with my issues. Namely, it's been confronting them, actually confessing that I've got an issue in the first place, and ridding myself of all the misperceptions and pitfalls so closely related to weight loss. A major one was the simplicity of my situation; I felt that I was almost playing a game with myself in that I made so many attempts to go about losing this weight, that it was essentially MY CHOICE as to whether I actually started going about losing it are not. It took me many years of pain and failed attempts to finally come to terms with myself, and now I feel that I'm really on track of losing my excess body weight, and to become a healthier person in general. Though I'll admit my efforts over the more recent months have been far more effective than any of my others, I feel excited that I'm actually on the road to recovery.

I've been sucked down by despair long enough, I'm done plateauing with my progress, and I'm sick of doing the very things I do that have put myself in my position. I'm ready to start living again, damnit! :p

 

-Matt L.

I have been weight challenged all my life.  In the past I have had three memorable attempts a losing weight.  Many many more attempts that didn't amount to much.  

Each time I decided to lose weight it was because I was tired of being big and I wanted to get smaller.  I tried may different diets to lose the weight but I never was successful in maintaining my weight. I always gain it back and more.

Last year at a routine physical I found out that I was diabetic.  Big shock! That very day I decided that I needed to smarten up and start looking after myself.  Now my quality of life depending on it.  

It is amasing how real you can get with yourself when you find out that your poor choices in the past have come back to haunt you. 

I am very pleased to say that i have make great progress on my goal to live a better life style.   On the 30th of this month will be my 1 year anaversiery of my diagnosis and the beginning of my journey.

In the one year I have

• learned allot about eating right
• learned how my choices effect my diabetes
• lost over 90 pounds
• maintained my goal weight for 7 months
• walked or run a total of 1800km
• completed a 5km, 10km and 1/2 marathon
• quit smoking
• stopped eating for pleasure or because I was bored
• improved my cholesterol
• improved my blood pressure

For the first time in my life I now use food to feed my body and not use it as a copping mechanism.  I now know that managing my weight is about what you put in your mouth and why!

CC has been a great help as I believe that logging my food has really helped me understand what I am consuming and keeping me honest with myself.

 

It took me 10 years.

I don't see those 10 years as a bunch of attempts; more like refining, refining, refining.

First 4 years was veganism and overeating. The next 3 years was bulimia and anorexia to try and curb the overeating. The next 2 years was recovering from the eating disorder and trying to give my body nutrition without being strict about it. The past year, I've been eating more and more organic and natural, until finally I arrived at this whole raw foods thing.

But all 10 of those years were necessary. I don't beleive I could be where I am had I not gone through all that.

I started my lifestyle change in January '07, at 155 and 5'6, I was down to 130 by the end of July. I went through stages of gaining 5-10 pounds and then losing it again, now I'm at around 135 and maintaining/losing and working on adding muscle mass and working out. It usually starts when I go back to school, and have to eat cafeteria food. Even when I try to be healthy the partying and bad quality of food make me gain some weight. But I've still followed my lifestyle change pretty well and now I'm aware of what I eat.

Eh, I never really cared about my weight until recently. Before, I wouldn't care less about what people thought of me, such as my weight, hygiene, or looks. So I've never really started, haha.

But...I guess you could say that "love changes people." >_>

I've started since the beginning of June...and lost about 20 pounds since. I'm really proud of myself so far. =]

Many!!

It all began when I was 20 years old. I 'm 40 now, and yes it took me all this time for it to really click.

In my twenties I never lost weight, despite weight watchers, slim fast, atkins...

It wasn't until I was 34 years old that I dropped 80 pounds because I had to go on a low fat diet for gallbladder problems. The weight really fell off quickly.

But once I went right back to how I was eating, and a pregnancy, the weight came back on + more. More than I had ever weighed in my life.

Depression this time was a main factor in my weight issues. I see my extra weight as emotional pain I have physically manifested. Once I started dealing with issues I began exercising. When I started to exercise I started caring about what I was eating. It pretty much got the ball rolling this time.

The weight is coming off slowly though.

 

Put it this way.. if I lost a pound for how many times I've stopped and started, I'd be below my goal.  :)

The good thing is that the experience of each diet - what worked and what didn't - has helped get me to the point where I am now.   I know what I have to do, I am armed with a lot of good ideas and things that were good, and now its just a matter of sticking to it.

Things I've tried in the past --  The Zone Diet, Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, low fat diets, low calorie diets, etc.

This time around I am more focused on just changing habits for good.  With exercise and a calorie deficit I am sure the weight will come off over time.

I have tried time and time again with dozens of different diet fads for over eight years. I have battled anorexia, bulimia, and am still battling with my weight. I am only 19 years old.

Until recently I had given up and doomed myself to a life of hating how I looked and being overweight. My boyfriend of eight months took it upon himself not to give up on me and to help me get in shape. He has been behind me every step of the way, doing everything I do just to help motivate me. Of course he is in the Air Force and is already extremely fit physically but that motivates me even more. He used to be my size and now he looks fabulous. So that is my motivation and I am hoping that this is the my big lifestyle change.

Wish me luck!

Like many others here, i have struggled with weight issues and diets since I was very young, as long as I can remember really. There is a lot of pain and misery in my past surrounding weight. I tried so many times to lose, and just ended up gaining more and more, I drank my worries away, I disrespected myself and my body. I am 37 now...at the beginning of this year I woke up one morning and just knew. It was time. I created a system that works for me, to keep track of everything and learn portion control and actual nutritional values and teach myself all the things that I needed to establish a healthy, maintainable eating plan. I love to cook and have had a lot of fun, actually, with creating healthier recipes and learning that I don't have to deny myself, just make better choices. And this community has been a major source of support.

I think what brought me to the pivotal moment, though, was that all the other peices of my life were coming together and it just seemed time to work on my physical health too. I don't think I would have come to that point without the incredible support of my boyfriend, who has encouraged me and made me feel capable and strong and able to do anything....since I met him I have made all sorts of major changes...new job (career!), new home, new car, the list goes on. I am going to marry him

I started dieting when I was 12...everyone was skinner than me and I ate like mad.  My mom would tell me if I didn't stop eating the way I was i'd turn into el porko... that made me feel like crap so I started excerising.  Then I had my best friends..they ate wht they wanted and I followed, we'd eat 4 waffles for breakfast with sugar.  It was nasty, I got serious about weight loss when I hit 175 and my doctor kinda gave me a look.  The "your fat for your age" look.  Since then (Nov. 2007) I lost 23 pounds but I am going back up now so I am trying to lose again

I started South Beach for the first time in the fall of 2004.....and again later...and again later...and probably twice more...gaining 30 pounds in the process....

I then started counting calories...once..twice..maybe three times....none of these attempts lasting longer than two months...

 

This time though (its been since Feb) I dont know what I've been doing differently, but I havent felt the urge to fall off the wagon

It took me until just last year to finally get it right....for the most part, and I'm 41. Fruits and vegetables are finally a regular part of my diet and I managed to cut out most of the junk, just a treat here and there. Fortunately for me, I just lost my taste for most of it and developed a craving for fruits. Then again, I went through some serious medical issues last year so maybe my body did some sort of readjustment itself. I don't know.

If anyone is interested, I'm journalizing my own battles with the bulge in my blog. The address is in my profile.

Feel free to visit.

 

One try.  I decided and that was it.

One minute.  That's how long it took me to begin a healthy lifestyle.  Tweaking, learning, and improving continues to this day.  But I never had a problem of falling back into bad habits, etc.  (I was never an emotional eater and don't really like desserts, ice cream, candy like other folks seem  to.)

Well ... I've been dieting, losing, gaining, dieting, etc. since I was 21 (I'm 37 now), and this time is the FIRST time I've ever truly felt like, and believed in myself enough that, I'll make it stick.

I joined WW when I was 29 and lost about 35 lbs, kept it off for about a year, then went back into my old bad-health habits and gained it all slowly back.

Then, when I was 34, I joined WW again and my wonderful WW Leader got me into trail running and helped me train for a 10k run/obstacle course (World Famous Mud Run at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in San Diego) and I lost most of the weight again and was in phenomenal shape!

Then, I quit running, started eating poorly again, etc. and put on the weight again, plus some, and ended up at my heaviest weight ever. Ugh. That takes us up to NOW ...

Now, for the first time ever I feel confident that I'll make it stick. I'm 37 and petrified of being sickly when I'm old, or of dying of a coronary by the time I'm 45, so it's not just dissatisfaction with my body & looks motivating me, it's a genuine interest in my overall health. This time, it's for good!

Original Post by nazs:

One try. I decided and that was it.

One minute. That's how long it took me to begin a healthy lifestyle. Tweaking, learning, and improving continues to this day. But I never had a problem of falling back into bad habits, etc. (I was never an emotional eater and don't really like desserts, ice cream, candy like other folks seem to.)

Wow, you're very fortunate that you don't slip back into bad health habits ... then again, I think most of that happened for me because I AM an emotional eater. Luckily, I've worked on a lot of what caused that and am over it. Another reason this feels like it'll stick this time.

Original Post by drh1966:

If anyone is interested, I'm journalizing my own battles with the bulge in my blog.

www.weightlossbattles.blogspot.com

Feel free to visit.

 

 drh1966, your enema story had me giggling uncontrollably at my desk. Good thing it's lunch hour so no one around to wonder what I am doing over here!

omg ive been doing this for years i will not give up it is a struggle!! ive been trying to be fit and healhty since i was 15 now im 24 ...i went to weight watchers when i was 15 because i thought i was so fat at 143 now im 24 and 158  id kill to be 143 again lol.im 5'7 so i think 143 is pretty norm? .so im trying  hard i was at 170 for a short while but i wasnt having that so i just started to eat less and move more .....now ive been stuck at this 158 just  short term goal trying to be 150  then hopefully 140 by end of summer ....but i really need to be serious!!! its very important to everyones health .....i feel so much more confident too when i weight less and right now im like blah! :(   ....this time i think i got it through my head like helllo!! its a lifestyle change !! gooood luck to everyone  think positive!!!!!!

i think iv been on a permanent 'diet' since i was about 14, although most of that time i wasnt really sure of what i was doing or how to lose weight. i made a real conscious effort when i was 16 and stated eating salads at lunch in school, hoever i did find out a few years later that my mum was cooking me the most calorific thing she could for me for dnner to make sure i ate enough lol, bless her! my first proper attempt at losing weight was january 1st 2006, when i stuck t the plan for 9 months and lost 4 stone. then i met boy! i was a vegetarian for about 2 years before i met him, not through choice but through lack of effort to cook meat and i preffered quorn anyway! suddenly the calories shot up and i put on a stone, which im trying to work off now!! so im redoing the diet with meat included lol

I think it is an ongoing thing in life...we all tend to slip from time to time, a special evening out meal, a special occasion like a BBQ in summer (with that nice cold beer waiting in the wings ), and we have to take ourselves back to the original goal of healthy eating habits. We call it "diet" but it is really a healthy living style that we have trouble maintaining.  We are influenced by our activities, people around us on these occasions when we slip.  Do we ever get "there" that is questionable because it is a challenge every day. It is maintaining a balance of mind, body and spirit(whatever you choose as your spirit). Balance and moderation is the key at least for me in life. The key is to keep trying never stop....keep going forward. 

I was a seriously overweight kid. Lost most of that weight around 17 years old. It happened quickly for several reasons; first one is that i stopped to morbidly eat, second is that i discovered that sport could be kind of fun.

Now 30yo, I've taken back part of that weight in the last years. And decided to change that, with the knowledge that I already did that once so there was no reason and no excuse to fail.

I followed a strict diet at first: chicken here, chicken there, milk with protein powder, fruits and vegetables, greenies.... and counting calories for everything.

6 small meals a day, and following the "couch to 5k" plan. But a fruit and vegetable diet can become rather expensive quick (for me at least) and I didn't follow that for too long. Just enough time to be certain to give my body enough good nutrients to go from "couch potato" to "my lower back on the trail nearly everyday" without breaking down in the process. I just quickstarted my metabolism.

Lately I ate a lot of home made hamburgers and have been partying, with calorie low drinks such as Irish coffee :p

But as I went from no sports at all to running 20miles a week, it simply makes all the difference.

I do not plan to eat less of whatever I damn please (save things that really have no nutrient value such as ice cream,) but i know when my weight goes up that I just need to sweat that off on some track somewhere. Or to spend one day drinking alcohol, partying, dancing and not eating. It works well, too. Honestly.