For those of us who reached our goal weight, gained alot back, and now feel depressed.
This is perhaps one of the most frustrating things in the world for me. I am 5'2" and was at a healthy weight about a year ago, around 130. I was fitting into sizes 4-6 and feeling incredible. I've struggled with weight all my life, weighing 168 at my heaviest. I was SO happy to be not looked upon as the fat kid anymore and could finally wear a bikini and not feel self-conscious. But then my senior year of highschool came along and lots of changes occured..I was EXTREMELY busy all the time (I was involved in a lot of things) and so fatigued. I didn't want to work out cause I had no energy, and turned to chocolate as comfort food when I was stressed and after I broke up with my boyfriend. Now my senior year is over, I've kinda crashed somewhat, and I find myself feeling depressed and sluggish because I have gained a total of 16.5 pounds since my junior year. Yesterday I had a big sobfest because I felt like crap. I've found myself hating my body because I'm not as attractive as I used to be..I can't fit into my skinny jeans anymore because I have godzilla thighs. I worked out today for the first time in a long time and REALLY want to get back to where I was. I'm tired of feeling fat and useless and looking at all the cottage cheese I've gathered. I guess I'm just looking for people who perhaps share the same struggle as myself and want to get back on track.. maybe we can motivate each other. :-)
Reason: 7/16/08: released as a stickied post
I know exactly how you feel. I'm 21, 5'1 & now weigh 141. I weighed 165 and managed to go down to 130 where I felt more than good. I know how you feel because a lot of things change like the way your clothes fit, the way other ppl look at you, but most important is how you feel about yourself.
I've been there, feeling depressed because I managed to get where I wanted and then saw it slip away, but then I realize that every day is a new day to start over. Besides, you have lost more than 20 lbs! That's amazing. Just keep in mind they way you used to feel when you were at 130 and that should keep you motivated to keep going.
sjbrooker,
Don't beat yourself up about it. It will prolong the results you are looking for. It's medically proven that depressed ppl are heavier.
2nd, remember that losing it and keeping if off requires a lifestyle change. So once it's gone you have to be willing and ready to keep working at it. I'm having a hard time with this myself. I reached my goal weight a month ago. My problem is I can't stop drinking beer during the Summer with all the activities, festivities, ...etc. So I keep flucuating the same damn lb. So basically I'm dieting and working my ass off most days just so that I can drink beer on the weekends. It's a vicious cycle and It's purposelss. Lol.
Anyway, back to you, I think you should just set a goal date and tell yourself how bad you want this. Try to decrease your cals slowly and opt for better choices. For snacks buy SF choc pudding, SF jello, FF popcorn, fruit, veggies, nuts...etc. For meals lean meats, cheese, ....etc. You have to completely change your way of thinking.
Anyway, I know you can do it and working out today was a great place to start!
Best wishes!! :)
I was at goal in December. Thinnest I have been in 10+ years probably and maybe even more. And then since then I gained about 7 lbs back, doesn't seem like much and I am still thin and get comments on my weight loss but it is rough on the psyche. I am now trying to get my act back together to lose a few but most importantly to get my sense of control back, so I don't feel depressed, let's do it together ... I am here to support you!!
I know how you feel.
I've pretty much always been over-weight until the summer before eighth grade when I finally realised that I needed to do something about my weight. I was 5'3 and almost 190 pounds at only 12 years of age. I continued losing weight until I was 120 pounds. Unfortunately, that was short-lived and slowly, the pounds started adding up. By the start of my freshman year, I was 140 pounds.
Then, the pounds started adding on more quickly and I ended the year at 170 pounds. During my sophomore year, I continued to gain more until I reached 200-something pounds, higher than I was initially! Needless to say, I was beyond depressed.
May of 2007 was my turning point. I realised that in struggling with my weight, I had picked up some really unhealthy habits and needed to put an end to them. I was binging, purging, taking laxatives, starving myself, etcetera. I realised that I needed to do something about it. So, I began eating balanced, nutritious meals and making sure I wasn't starving myself.
From May until November or so, I continued to lose until I was about 140 which I maintained until February, when my binging habits seemed to kick in again. I gained back 20 pounds in two months and was again depressed. But I realised that I had the knowledge to lose it again.
Since February, I've managed to get to the mid-130s, lower than I've been in four years!
Don't give up :]
The good news is...you've lost it once before!
You'll be able to do it again because you've been seen and felt how you wanted to feel.
Maybe look up some positive afirmations that will help you fight the cravings...because little by little those 16lbs will become 14 and before you know it you'll be back on track!
I wish you the best of luck
Hey
I feel you , i am 5"5 and i am now 228lbs , i was never a skinny person but i used to weight 170lbs at my lowest (difference of 58lbs)wich looked decent on my medium bone structure , i always struggled with my weight i would loose weight and as soon as i feel better forget i need to maintain it and binge eat back up , all the junk you can think of chocolate chips , ice cream ,fries , pizza hot dogs , hamburgers ......my god and now i am at my highest i am at a points where i dont go out anymore , i dont like to get dressed to go out cause nothing fits , i dont fit in regular clothes store anymore i need plys size and it all looks terrible on me . i am at my lowest point right now , i dont care about what people think of me I AM NOT HAPPY. its been 3 days now that i am starting to push myself , i am eating healthy , for exmaple all bran flakes corn falakes in the morning with 1/2 cup skimmed milk, tuna for luch with green salad , no fat dresing , 0% yogurt , banana , apple , oranges....whole weight toast , its hard but i guess i will get used to it and that way i will loose weight the healthy way.
the exact same thing happend to me.. i was 160 at my highest..then i changed everything bc i was unhappy and got to 125 ish and loved it. and somwhow im back up to 145 again.. and im sooo uncomfortable and unhappy. i need to get it off i wanna look good and fit into my skinny jeans again
Yeah I was 5'6 and 130. I have a semi-large athletic frame, so that was pretty skinny for me. But I was only eating 1200 calories a day, which is low for a teenager I think. And I was burning off 600-1000 calories a day exercising. I was amenorrhoeic for a while because of that.
But I binged once and usually I can go back after a slip off, but after letting myself go that one time as a reward for studying for my AP's really hard, I couldn't go back. So I'm pretty sure I gained it all back.
But now I know I can lose weight since I've done it before. Whereas all my previous diets failed because I never thought I'd lose weight. Well goes to show, anyone can lose weight; it's just a matter of time.
My story is that I used CC, exercised a lot, ate right, and got fit and actually *liked* my body for the first time in years.
Then I started a job from hell in a city far away and it seemed the only thing that seemed to make me feel good was yummy food... just while i was eating it - then I felt like crap.
Still stuck in that job for two more years. Don't even recognize myself in the mirror. I'm ashamed of how I've back-slided. Can't seem to get back on track for more than a couple days in a row.
So now, since I can't seem to do well controlling what and when I eat, I have been trying to exercise nearly every day. Hopefully that will kick things off. Maybe I'll start eating better, maybe my metabolism will increase, and maybe, hopfully, I'll start to lose weight instead of gain. I spend a LOT of energy trying not to hate my icky new (old) body and focus on exercise and healthy choices. It's so hard but important in this battle.
I can hear where everyone is coming from, it is so hard to stay at the weight you feel most comfortable. I went and brought all these clothes in march when i got my refund and i waqsnt nice enough yet to where all of them but at that time i could fit them and then the other day i got to put on a thin jacket and couldnt zipp it up. This was my Que. I look foward to chatting with you all sometime
It isn't nice that it is so hard, but it is nice to know others are going through the same thing. I am at my heaviest ever, and just back on the wagon this week. I had lost the weight before by making healthy choices but once I reached goal, I thought to myself, hey I'm skinny, I can eat like those skinny people who say "Oh I can eat anything and not gain a pound". It wasn't conscious, but that's what I thought and it was wrong. I am sure there are a few people like that, but I am not one of them, so this time I am trying to make a healthy lifestyle change, not just a weight loss change. Good Luck everyone.
Boohissa, you and I think the exact same way haha. Whenever I gain back weight it's almost always because I got too comfortable in my skinny jeans and thought "hey! I can eat like all the hot women on the T.G.I. Friday's commercials who devour cheeseburgers and still look like a million bucks! That'll be me too!" But when I can't zip up my skinny jeans anymore, reality sets in..and it sucks. I was SO jealous of the girls in my highschool who would eat a bag of chips or some cookies for a snack while I'd have to settle for a log of low-fat string cheese or an apple. It just wasn't fair. But it's so awesome to come onto this website and find that I'm not alone and that some people actually have to work for their fantastic bodies...very few are just "blessed" with one from birth. Jenny Craig was my "go-to" diet everytime I slipped up...I'd just drive to the center and nab some food and wave goodbye to the 7 pounds I'd gained. Now jenny craig isn't affordable for me, but it's actually a good thing for me. I needed to change my own eating habits, not somebody else. I've been eating a lot healthier in the past few days, and I actually have a lot more energy because of it. I've been eating ALOT of protein and cutting back on carbs, which I've never done before. I used to always focus on just the calories and fat and nothing else and then I'd wonder why it was so hard to lose weight. It actually feels good to know that when I step on the scale and am two numbers smaller than the day before, it was because of MY eating choices and MY exercise choices, not someone else's. It feels SO good to have sisters who share my same problems. This site is such a blessing. :-)
Oh my gosh! I am in the same position! I recently had a "break down" so to speak and just finally realized I NEED to get back on track. This time last year I weighed 120lbs had a personal trainer and was very into kickboxing and boxing. I am now at 150lbs., not to mention broke, I used to have SO much confidence when I lost all that weight because as a kid I had nicknames like porky, heifer and gordita (fat/big in Spanish) so to finally be 114 at my thinnest was like a dream come true. Well yesterday was my first day back at the gym and I am finally keeping a food journal again. I think we could definitely be a support system for one another! Anyhow keep me posted on your progress or if you ever feel like you need some help or motivation I will be here!!! GOOD LUCK:)
Thanks
Bobbi310
Scary! I am new to the site and this is my story as well! I used a system very close to Jenny Craig and lost down to my ideal weight ( and a little more) I was 105 at my lowest weight. I had been 155. I am 5'2 with a small frame so I was extremely happy with the results. Over time I have managed to gain some of the weight back by thinking I can eat whatever I want because I am thin. I haven't gained all of it but I am at 126 now. I am back on the wagon, but this time I don't want to buy the food because then I become dependent on it.
Need motivation!! I am now tracking my food intake, but I have to go to Reno next week for a confernce. Any ideas on how to be at a resort and on a diet??
Yes, it takes discipline, but take note... in ancient societies, physical activities were well appreciated and part of daily routine, today we all face many challenges and temptations for our bodies:
- sedentary jobs, TV, cafe-bars, (and we're meant to move, both mentally and physically - that's why we have legs&arms, y'all ;)
- food is ALL-accessible (and we only have ONE mouth...so it was probably not planned that we eat all the time ;)
- food is processed (and we are built to process mostly natural ingredients, not additives, all those "E-s"...)
- with all this, we tend to be unhappy, because it seems we have it all. ALthough we are sure, safe, our lives are not threatened - I tend to guess that people need more than food and entertainment in order to keep them happy.
So my message would be to focus on other needs, interests and secret wishes you may have - what makes you depressed? Because you being overweight may just be the consequence of something deeper...
I get very discouraged but I think to myself, even if I never lose another pound, I am healthier than ever (even when I was skinny) and I feel the best I ever have, even if the clothes I have to buy are bigger than my liking. I wish someone had a miracle answer for me to help but I have been a member here since March of last year and I haven't been able to lose. ???? Weird, huh?
Hey there carolinagirl72! The one thing I hate is going on vacation while still trying to maintain a healthy diet..but I guess it's better to go on vacation while on a diet than to go on vacation knowing you've put on a bunch of weight and you haven't been eating right. Anyway... I've learned a couple of things from being on vacation and dieting at the same time, so I'll give you a couple of ideas.
- Most of us have learned the take out box trick when going out to eat at a nice restaurant where we ask for the box at the beginning of the meal, box up half, and then eat the rest. However, this trick is harder to do on vacation because oftentimes there is not a refrigerator or microwave in the hotel room, so the food gets wasted. The portions of food at a resort tend to be a lot bigger, so if the whole thing is eaten then one tends to feel quite bloated and guilty afterwards. A lot of times there are items on the appetizer menu that could pass for a meal, like shishkebabs, cocktail shrimp, soup, etc. They're less expensive and a bit smaller than the entrees, so ordering just an appetizer as a meal might work. Another thing to do is to order a salad with a light dressing and request that chicken or salmon be put in the salad (most of the time the waiters at a large resort WILL accomodate you) and walla..that's a meal.
- If you're eating with a friend, then split an entree. However, a lot of people on a diet tend to think that splitting ANY entree with a friend is ok, just as long as it gets split. Not necessarily the case. For example, a regular dinner entree of chicken parmesan at macaroni grill is 1490 calories and 68 grams of fat, and split in half, it equals 745 calories and 34 grams of fat, which is still alot. So if you're going to split something, opt for something along the lines of salmon and veggies or chicken and rice pilaf instead of fettucine or breast of duck.
- Usually, picking a good breakfast at a resort will set the tone for the day and make you want to maintain healthy eating habits for the rest of the day. On almost every resort breakfast menu there is a fruit, yogurt, and muffin platter, which is probably the best choice. I'd still reccomend just eating half of the muffin or muffins they give you and most of the yogurt and fruit (which is usually cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, grapes, and the like).
Still enjoy yourself, though. Have the occasional drink (bacardi and diet coke is pretty good, as is a diet bacardi orange and vanilla breezer) and allow yourself to have a couple bites of that decadent dessert. Realistically, you probably won't lose much weight on the trip, but rather, you'll maintain what you have lost, which is better than gaining some back. Have fun!
P.S. I've lost 3.5 pounds so far on my new high protein diet!! Yay!!
Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one!
After summer started, I started having less control over the food that I ate. Back at school it was so much easier to make healthy choices, simply because the kitchen wasn't right next to me, and once I was out of the dining commons I could focus on other things. But when I came back to live with my parents who don't eat very healthy, especially my brother I've been tempted with all sorts of food. Seriously, bags of chips, cookies, ice cream, brownies..sugary cereals. Everything I'd been avoiding for so long. So I ate them.
Annnnd am 17 lbs heavier for it. I used to be 113 at my lowest 5'3..and now I'm up to 130. I'm trying to gain muscle right now and use that to keep my metabolism up and change. I think facing the temptations at home was a good thing though as well..because now I know more about myself, my body, and how I react in certain situations with food.
Like, I realized when I don't have an organized schedule I end up having an unorganized eating schedule and eating more than I would. :P Oh summer..
I'm not nearly as young as you but I do understand how you are feeling. I've never really dieted so to speak, I've just cut back on a few heavy calorie foods and drinks. It lasted for awhile but my problem is the love of flavor! Just a couple of months ago I was weighing more than 160 pounds. I lost 20 pounds in a very short time time and 15 inches. I was in a size 14/16 and now in an 8! A friend told me about a new product and I just had to try it. Yes I lost it fast and they say the faster you lose it the faster it will come back. Not so on this program.
It's called Liv sXinney. It's only sold through independent distributors and is also brand new. It's an all natural product so there are no side effects and the neat thing is, I eat all the foods I love. I may have lost more weight eating better but I proved the theory that you can still eat the foods you love and lose weight by eating smaller portions and not starving yourself.
Eat smaller portions every three hours. The first two hours your body is using the food you ate for energy. The third hour the energy is coming from stored body fat!!! I love the third hour...I instantly become much happier and I move more because I know this is the power hour. It's so much fun and stress free.
I've learned a great deal in the last two months. I want to lose another 15 pounds and hope to do so before August is over.
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