Gained it all back

Hi. I've been on calorie count for a while. I started at 165, got all the way down to 148, and now I've gained it all back. I'm blaming it on stress. But I also just have no motivation anymore. I eat whatever the hell I want, sit around all day, and don't exercise. 

What can I do to get myself back in the swing of things? I haven't had dinner yet and have already eaten 1900 calories, but at least I counted them today... I stopped doing that a long time ago too.  I know all the things I have to do - exercise, the amount of calories and types of foods, I've done it all before. It's just a matter of motivating myself I guess.

Hey girl, I've done the exact same thing!

It's awful.

I was down to 112, and now back up to 122. I need those 10 lbs off again :(

This is so depressing.

I went from 142 to 180. I need to know the answer to that question as well. stress was a major factor.

And right now I'm giving in and making eggrolls for dinner... blah. 

I'm right with you too.  It's true that I work a ton and feel perpetually stressed, but today wasn't like that.  Work was low-stress and I was home by 5:30.  Plenty of time to exercise and cook dinner.  But no.  I've been watching junk tv and have eaten the weirdest combination of crap food.  

I decided that since I have no motivation for anything big, I'm only going to commit to very small goals.  I wrote on an index card what I'm going to eat tomorrow.  Not a meal plan for the week, not a big promise to get back on track, just a promise that I'll eat the things that I wrote down on that one card.  I'll cross each thing off as I go and then throw it away at the end of the day.  

It's just one day.  I can handle that.  Then maybe I'll try and plan for just one more day after that.  And then maybe another.  Fingers crossed.

 I think a lot of people have experienced major setbacks for one reason or another. I was doing great last year until my father died unexpectedly. The stress and grief of it all, plus being back home just kind sealed my fate and I fell completely off the wagon for almost a year. I quit logging in, I quite counting calories, quit going to the gym. ate huge portions. Unfortunately, it seems like once you start over indulging, it's hard to stop. I  fact, I read a study recently that says that even short periods of over eating can actually train your brain to expect more food- almost like an addiction response- so that eating less feels worse, makes you cranky, is hard to stick to etc.

I think the good news is that you know you can do it! You've done it once, you can do it again. Don't just give up because you've had a setback. I mean, your life isn't over. You can spend the rest of it living a healthy lifestyle or getting progressively more overweight. I'm choosing fit, and have climbed back on the wagon and I've lost 10 kg.

One thing that actually helped me was to read some hardcore diet studies and nutrition data from the US Department of Health website and other official sites (skip all the wannabe diet gurus and blogs out there from people who really don't KNOW anything). It really helped me to know that there's NO evidence that fat has a "memory" or that you permanently screw up your metabolism when you gain and lose weight. Sometimes I think that all the dire, negative info about "starvation mode" and weight set points, and metabolism, and muscle loss and so on gets totally taken out of context and blown out of proportion and it keeps people from doing what they need to do. I remember I put off dieting so long because I was terrified that I was going to mess up my metabolism because I kept reading these alarmist articles about "starvation mode" and other stuff. Nonsense. I gained the weight back because I overate and didn't count calories, not because my metabolism has gone "super slow" post diet. And sure enough, as soon as I started counting and exercising, the pounds have come off steadily.

So, it's perfectly possible and it's something you CAN do again. There's a certain power and peace in that! :)

Hey there..and yes, I too have done the same.  I joined last year, lost 14.5 lbs, and gained 12 back.  I joined a great forum here on CC just recently, you can see some of my journal posts to it on a weekly basis..."wagon jumpers...".  It made me start to understand me.  One thing I have come to realize is that exercise is my friend, because it truly makes me feel good.   I go to an Aqua turbo (running, jogging, cross country skiing, biking all in the deep end) class twice a week followed by a "me time" sit in the hot tub.  It lifts my spirits, gives me time away from the house, kids, and all.  Other thing I have come to realize is that the weight scale is my enemy, because too often have I stepped on it, even though I feel great, to find out that I have gained, or not lost anything.  That immediately triggered dissatisfaction, and lead me right to food.  I have not weighed myself for three weeks and I could not feel better...really, because I have set small goals...again through the forum, to log my food everyday, and exercise 2x per week for 45 minutes.  Small slow start, but consistently.

There is a waiting list to this forum I speak of, but turnaround is quick...take a peak, if not to do anything more but see,  read what we all seem to be going through.  You are not alone, and speaking to it out loud, is a step in the right direction.  Enjoy those eggrolls tonight...I truly mean that.

Take Care,
Lee-Anne

That was really supportive Jenniferger and lam7. How nice of you to share your stories. It made me feel much better.

i've lost (45 lbs) and gained (15 lbs) as well. my problem was that i over restricted w/ my diet, and this backfired on me in the end.

I just started this site a few days ago - today is day 5 - but I had begun trying to lower my calories on my own about 10 days before.  One thing about me is that I didn't weigh myself in the beginning, and have no plans to until I find that my current size 14 jeans are no longer wearable.  Then I'll KNOW that when I step on that scale, I'll have lost weight since the last time I checked. 

As far as motivation, I have been a yo-yo dieter for about 4 years with the same 10-20 lbs lost and gained back.  This time, I hit that elusive thing that I hear people talk about, that "a-ha" moment, where a person just says, I'm doing it and that's that.  Hunger, irritation, frustration, etc you just stuff them into a tiny back corner of your mind and don't let them rule you.  I'm not a new-ager, but mental compartmentalizing has been very helpful for me. 

Also, on days that I do some amount of cardio in the morning, I end up having an easier day.  When you are feeling low and blah the endorphins released by exercising actually make a huge difference in your mind set - well at least for me!  Even if it's 10 minutes on the treadmill, it sets me up for a day of sticking with it.  Since I began cutting calories over 2 weeks ago, I have not had a binge or overeating day.  I have stuck to no more than 1600 calories, but my range is 1200-1500. 

Hope any of this helps - I have struggled so long I know just how you feel.