Hoping writing about it will help!!!!

I'm 50 and I'm fat!!  That's it.  That's the jist of the whole thing.  Several years ago I weighed a little over 300lbs, I don't know how much over 'cause I wouldn't step on the scale.  I dropped 160ish lbs.  I worked like a S.O.B. to get  that weight off and you'd think that I'd have enough common sense to keep it off.  Well...for the most part I did.  I've managed to keep off 100 of those lbs, but 60 creeped back and left and came back and left... I'm sure you know what I mean.  I was down to 145lbs and I had this thing down.  Yeah right!!!  What I had 'down' was an excuse to sabatoge all I had done.  I told myself a burger here, fries there, chips, cookies here and there weren't going to hurt.  Who am I kidding.  60lbs up later and I'm having to give my head a shake and say ' wake up'.  So, today is when it begins.  I'm no longer the over 300lb woman who lost 169lbs....I'm a 202lb woman who needs to lose at least 50lbs.  No longer do I 'know it all' about weight loss and workouts.  My new mantra...50 by 51...50 by 51.  I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity of a gym and work and a trainer who kicks ass.  Today I'm feeling good and ready to do this...50 by 51!!  Lets see what happens tomorrow

Hi, I think you are being far too harsh on yourself. What an amazing achievement to have lost all that weight! And you are likely in much better shape than you were when you were 300lbs. You lost a *third* of your bodyweight. I am in awe of your willpower.

Please do not be disheartened by the slideback. Even if you stop here now, not gain or lose, you will still have done incredibly well. You are active, and that is a massive bonus for your health.

Good luck!

YOU'VE WROTE IT, YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO IT, NOW GO FOR IT AND KICK BUTT!!!

GOOD LUCK

Good luck! Maintenance can be harder than losing weight, that's what Im doing now (repairing damaged maintenance lol) and I wish you every success!

I am so happy for you that you "stopped the madness" before you had gained any more, shailiz!  I know what it's like to allow the satisfaction of major weight loss turn into complacency - I lost 88 pounds in 2006 and gained 55 in 2007.  Currently I have lost that 55 plus more and hit my target weight on Easter.  What that 55 pound "slip" taught me was that I needed to do more than grit my teeth and lose weight - I needed to address my "fat head" that allowed me to return to unhealthy eating habits after all that hard work.

This time I have confidence that I have learned something about how I can lie to myself with sabotaging thoughts, which leads to the denial necessary to grow out of my prized slender clothes.  I do not want to return to that physically and emotionally uncomfortable state, and to do so requires that I maintain much of the same behaviors that I used to lose weight to begin with.

I have also heard that it is harder on your heart to gain and lose over and over than it is to just stay fat.  Sheesh - I do NOT want to continue to batter my body more than I already have!

Maintenance HAS to be easier than weight loss, that's what I tell myself.  Losing two pounds IS easier than losing 50 - so if nothing else, I'm going to continue to weigh myself every week and if I start to gain, I will "nip it in the butt."  My plan is to continue to eat the same healthy menu that promoted weight loss - just a bit more calories of it.

Good luck! You can totally do it! Congrats on your success so far