Got to that perfect weight, and then gained it all back and thensome?

That is my story.

I knew how to eat. How to work out. I was a success. 50 lbs down for me...

and then....15 lbs one summer turned into about 40 or so.....

I think it is harder (in some ways) to get fat after success than to always be fat. You feel like you let others, and mostly yourself down. You took success for granted. And you know what you are missing now. It is not easy to settle back into content-ville.

I have 2 questions:

1.) What contributed to your regaining the weight?

2.) Now that you are back on track, what will you do to make sure you stay there?

My answers:

1.) I felt so high off of it, I deluded myself into thinking that I could eat whatever as long as I worked out. A cycle of fasts whacked my metabolism. then, new rich foods and a restricted schedule affected my lifestyle one summer, and it was all down hill. I dated a guy who loved to take me out and then sit around afterwards...That's pretty much it in a nutshell. My quiz results says over eater, which I already knew  I finally broke down and decided to get some monitoring help on CC yesterday  :)

2.) Stay on CC and be honest with myself. Not take it for granted and not think 'I have arrived.' It is a new day every day. And always remember that it DOES matter what and how much I eat. Exercise is NOT 100% of the law, and injuries do happen. Also, plan ahead when things start to change in my life for when I can work out. And for me, group exercise is key: It doesn't feel like punishment and I thrive on competition. Solo workouts= a bigger me.

I want to hear how others feel.

Hi,

I hear so many others with the same story, lost the weight and gained it back, and some......

Here is my story and maybe you can see that there is hope.  I'm really going out on a limb here posting my testimony and hope my story is received well.  Let me know and feel free to contact me back.  HUGS, Karen

THE JOURNEY OUT

All I knew was that I was starting to feel depressed and miserable as I finally noticed I was "way" overweight.  Sound familiar?  Trust me, there is hope and it's all about God.  This is my journey out from depression into a healthier life of being emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically fit.

God started prompting me to step out of my self made confinement over a year ago.  He knew I was miserable as I cried out to Him on several occasions.  I had turned to all sorts of unhealthy behaviors and quick fixes to help myself feel better.  One of my sources was food.  I also knew I could not do life or fix myself alone.  I needed friends and safe people to surround me because that slow sinking slip into a pit of depression was pulling at me in every direction. 

Last summer I made a conscious decision to get off an anti-depressant that I had been taking for at least ten years. They were not working for me anymore and I asked God for healing and to show me the way.  I told my husband my plans on how I was going to wean myself off of them which caused him great concern.  He reluctantly stood by me and kept a close eye on my emotions.  I promised if I became ill that I would go back to a full dosage and resign that if God created this pill, then through God I was already healed.

Why? 

Have you ever been so dependent on something that without it your brain felt and sounded within like it was in a frying pan?  Can you imagine with me the sound of popping and sizzles when your brain is trying to function without a synthetic made chemical that's purpose is to help you feel good? 

Maybe you could better understand it another way.  Say you are a chocolate addict and without that daily chocolate fix your craving goes into overdrive and you start eating everything in sight to fill that void.  Well, with me, without that pill, my brain would snap and pop trying to get a sluggish gland to work to produce serotonin - to bring me to a feel good mood.

On occasion, I would forget my morning pill and by mid-afternoon the sizzle would start and I immediately knew why.  I'd run to my bathroom medicine cabinet and pop that pill as quickly as I could.  Within an hour the sizzle would fizz out. 

I felt trapped by that pill.  The what if's would cross my daily thoughts now and then.  What if I was separated from my meds due to an unexpected disaster?  What if I lost my pills?  How many days could I go without them before I tumbled into a pit of depression?  Over the years I have unintentionally forgotten my meds and know that after two days I would find myself in a state of uncontrollable crying spells which affected my life and the people around me.  I resented that pills control and started praying for God to help me get off them.

Over several months of taking one 150mg pill and breaking it into two, then three, four, to the point of one pill being spread out to over ten days, I slowly was weaned from my dependence.  The moment in the day when I fully realized this new freedom was also the day I made a decision to stop doing life alone.  Not only did I need God more, I needed friends.  Safe friends!

Early in April I noticed Jenenne had made a post about Body and Soul Fitness and First Place 4 Health on Facebook.  TheN Kaire posted about the great workout she had.  At that moment God was leading me to find out more information.  I asked questions and Jenenne encouraged me to come to the next class.

I knew that I needed to get fit and I was at my all-time highest weight ever of over 200 pounds.  I remembered praying and wishing for a workout class at Cathedral that used Christian praise and worship music many many years ago.  Now one was available and what perfect timing.  I also knew the key for my continued success with freedom from depression was to get more active.  Activity stimulates that "feel good" hormone.  I knew I needed to get my body to start producing serotonin on its own now that the meds were completely out of my system.  God knew it too.  His plan for me was to be a success in this area.

It's mid June now and also six weeks after joining Body and Soul Fitness and the bible study through First Place 4 Health at Cathedral of Priase.  I was immediately drawn to read and study all of the material available on this Christian approach to weight loss and the online store where I bought a workout DVD.  I will probably be re-reading them over and over for the rest of my life.  The book titled "First Place 4 Health" by Carole Lewis opened my eyes that in order to obtain a healthy weight loss and keep it off is more than just a diet; it's a process spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.

I am already seeing and feeling the difference inside and out. 

Six weeks ago I was slipping away from the Lord and now I again spend time with him every morning.  He is with me throughout the day leading and guiding me to make the right choices.  The key for my emotional issues is to always put God first and first thing in the morning each and every day of my life.

The praise and worship music that our Body and Soul Class Leaders use ministers to my soul and I am gaining back my strength with the workouts even if I complain that I "just can't get the beat".   I even started bicycling again.

My kitchen was full of junk food and/or the refrigerator was empty and now I make a grocery list and shop for a weeks worth of quality foods. I enjoy cooking again and avoid all fast food restaurants.  I'm saving money which is an added plus.

It feels so good again to be able to bend over and touch my clean floor with the palms of my hands.  I may not be at the top of my game physically but this program asks for a one year commitment, which at this point is an easy "Yes".

Oh, and the depression - its history!  Plus losing 12 pounds isn't too shabby either!

More importantly, I have renewed my relationship with the Lord.  I didn't realize how much I have missed him.  Even though he was always around, I didn't spend time with him and we have lots of catching up to do.

I relate to that 100%. ( this wouldn't happen to be Cathedral of Praise in my Scaramento hometown would it?)

I am definately including God in my process. The first thing I did was pray. I know it was his leading that directed me here.

Thanks so much for sharing :)

No, it's here in Charleston SC.    Go to http://www.firstplace4health.com and try and find a group near you.   Good Luck and if you need to keep in touch, I'm here!

1.) What contributed to your regaining the weight?

A. Food. And thinking that i managed to lose weight once, i could do it again, so an extra <insert favourite food stuffs> now and again (and again...and again...and again) won't hurt.

2.) Now that you are back on track, what will you do to make sure you stay there?

A. NO idea. I have only just started to get back on track. We'll see how it goes.

I lost most of the weight I wanted and once I got to my initial target, which was to be in the normal weight range, I must admit I started to relax a little. I was elated that I was in the normal weight range, clothing fit me a lot better and my lifestyle and general health was good.

However I started to gain weight again, albeit slowly. It was due to eating more again and things like going on holiday - still eating healthy but indulging in a few desserts here and there. Although unlike the OP I didn't gain as much, only around 12lbs and now after a few months of shifting 2lbs and then going back up, I have decided to tackle it again through the usual, exercise and eating healthy.

This is has been a long learning process. I think that once I get to my new target I need to learn to maintain. When I gain a pound or two I need to tackle it straight away. At least thats the plan.

The thing is this is a lifestyle change and therefore once we reach the target we need to ensure that keeping us there is part of our lifestyle - there is no going back to the old ways because we will just end up where we started. Fortunately due to the length of time it has taken to shift the weight my habits have changed a lot and so the areas I need to now tackle are fewer and I have already had the practice in losing weight in a healthy manner.

It is important to have a healthy outlook in the mind and soul as well as body. Just don't give up, the end result is worth it.

This is kind of cathartic.  Thanks, cello for starting this!

I yo-yo between 152-170lbs - no more, no less.  So, I've gained back all the weight I lost but no extra lbs.  I guess I should count myself lucky on that front!  I've always been curvy, even in high school, but I was never overweight until I reached adulthood.

Got married when I was 20 and immediately went on The Pill.  There would be no B-A-B-Y without getting my B.S. first! (in Music, got it in '99!)  Gained about 20 lbs between that lovely college lifestyle and being on The Pill.  At 24, hubby and I decided it would be a good time to start a family.  I weighed 170 at that point.  Had a lot of fun trying to make a baby ;) and got down to 152lbs.  Oh, that sounded wrong....it wasn't just the baby-making that made me skinny.  I did work out a lot.  :)

What made me regain the weight?  I finally fell pregnant after two years of trying to conceive but miscarried at 8 weeks.  That was hard on both of us.  I completely checked out of life for about 6 months.  I did my daily activities, went to work and whatnot but honestly, I can't account for any of my actions during that grieving process.  At that point I was just going through the motions.  I suspect that's when the weight started coming back on.

Hubby and I move frequently because of his job and each new town meant starting up a new music studio, which means a lot of work and a lot of sitting on my butt teaching flute lessons!  My weight finally stabilized at 160-165.  Started the Couch-to-5k program and graduated on my 30th birthday and weighed 152lbs. 

I think my inabililty to break that 152lb mark has to do with "the last time this happened, I got pregnant and we all know how that turned out..."

It also didn't help that the next work-related move took us across two hemispheres and halfway around the globe.  I now live in the middle of the Australian outback where fresh fruits & veggies are hard to come by.  Plus, I put on 5lbs the last week we were in the States because hubby and I both binged on Dr Pepper and Tex-Mex.  We knew that there wasn't going to be any DP in our new home, or tortillas!   Boo!!

I turned 32 a few weeks ago and am back up to 169 pounds.  Never did hit 170 but came too darn close for my taste! If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm an emotional eater.

What will make me stay on track?  I ponied up $$$ for an elliptical trainer because the weather here is NOT conducive to outdoor activities 9 months out of the year.  I've been working out and keeping a food journal for a week now and am looking to the CC forums for support since I'm soooooo isolated out here. 

So, that's my story in a nutshell because I am such a nut.  (ha-ha)  Hubby is very supportive.  BTW, we were told by our doc that we'd need IVF to have a baby.  That was the line that would not be crossed so we have learned to enjoy being a family of two.  Besides, we have nieces & nephews that are in desperate need of being spoiled rotten!  :)  I'm still scared about getting skinny and then falling pregnant because if it happened once, it can happen again.

Good luck everyone!

-Jennifer

edited to fix some minor spelling goofs.

Wow..so glad to have stumbled upon this post. I was doing great lost 20 pounds working out with a trainer came to cc everyday logged all my meals and my exercise diligently..I was in 7Th heaven..felt so good about myself in SO many ways! Then it started I was getting tired of weighing my food and counting every little calorie and little by little I let myself slip..I was always a thin person until I had my kids..I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce..so for me to have to watch and count and make this my lifestyle was very hard..I may even resent it a little. I often question thyroid or some other medical underlying issue..I guess maybe just to have something to blame..but all in all it is me. I over eat..I enjoy food and wine too for that matter..I don't want to feel like everything in my life is a chore especially my food and exercise. Well I now have gained back all my 20 pounds lost no additional thank goodness and I am back on track for the most part..slow start but a start none the less. I lost 3 pounds this week which I am sure is mostly water weight. I did go out to dinner with my husband last night and went a little overboard but I'm hoping the rest of my week acted as damage control. I sit here this morning knowing that I will continue back on my journey because I just dislike feeling like a failure. I dislike the way I feel when I go out and my clothes are not fitting correctly and I am self conscious. Those feelings are my motivator. I just need something to keep me going ..that extra push here and there because lets face it..losing weight is a job. It is nice to have people around that help you along and give you support. Thanks to cello for posting this and thanks to everyone at cc for all the support. I cant wait to hear more stories and more tips to get the weight off and keep it off for good!!