I leaped off the bandwagon and it's getting faaaaar away!!!!

Helloooooooo everyone.

So.  In the past, I lost weight and became healthier.  And I was happy.  However, for the past month, I haven't been able to find the motivation to stay healthy.  I used to be so motivated and so on-track with losing weight the sensible way, and now it seems like I'm just constantly on the track to...ice cream...and other related foods.  It's not even that I need to lose 30 lbs to be happy with myself...I just want to be healthy. And I'd be okay with losing 10 lbs :p

I know that I am the only one in control of my actions, but I'm just at such a loss...where did my motivation GO?!?!?!?  I WANT IT BACK!

Maybe it's because now I'm surrounded by college students, who are perpetually being as unhealthy as possible...but I was surrounded by them before, too.  Maybe I need a buddy?  I dunno.  I'd appreciate any advice!  Or people who want to constantly hover over me and tell me not to eat stupidly...

You shouldn't really need motivation to stay healthy any more than you need motivation to brush your teeth in the morning.  You should do it because it's normal and natural, not some massive effort. 

I'd suggest thinking of one small thing you could change and tackling that rather than going for grand gestures of any description.  Small changes made consistently quickly add up to something positive.

I think the best change you could make is to simply start counting your calories, carefully, to get a handle on how much you are actually eating. If you don't feel ready to start cutting back, perhaps the simple act of counting calories will show the rational side of your brain what's what. I heard of a study that says people who count calories without looking to cut back on intake, tend to cut back on their intake simply by being aware of what they are eating.

I give my self "feast days" where I tell myself I am can eat what I want, when I want it. But I count. Sometimes I'll consume 3500-4000 calories on those days, but if I wasn't counting I bet I would easily consume 5000-6000, as I did when I gained all the way up to 251.

Good luck!

i did the same thing, i lost 30 lbs then fell off the wagon. i stoped counting calories. now i am back to lose 30 lbs again. i find that counting calories helps keep me on track.  getting back on the wagon isn't that hard.  just stick with it. you can do it!

I recently rolled off the wagon myself - and being back in college wasn't helping. This past week I finally made myself stop making excuses for overeating. Like, "I'll eat healthy tomorrow", or "I totally walked it all off today" (which wasn't true). I realized that the only person who is going to let me eat well is myself, and that I was the only one getting in my way.

So last week I got into my "no excuses" attitude, have dropped a couple pounds, and am sticking to this attitude - even though it's pretty hard when on campus. My motivation is the fact that I'm graduating this year. Maybe find a future event that you want to show up for and set a goal for then. Something realistic, of course.

I've set mini-goal weights for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, to get me through the first semester.

Also, if you even need to just rant or need help or something, you can always PM me :) I'll add you - it's always great to have some kind of buddy.

Sigh.  Thanks everyone.  Cydonia, I know EXACTLY what you mean.  But I think I've found my no-excuses attitude again.  I think I was making everything too complicated.  I'll add you too!  Support only helps.

Your name reminds me of the Muse song "Knights of Cydonia." I have no idea if that's where it came from, but there ya go.