40-something guy looking for a little encouragement

Hi everyone. I'm a 41 year-old guy with a complicated relationship with food that goes back childhood. When I was in elementary school, I was often called "fat" by certain classmates. Looking back (esp. at photos), I couldn't have been more than 10 lbs overweight, but I felt obese. I was always the tallest kid in my class, too, which made my weight higher than anyone's, practically by default.

On top of all this, I came from a home in which, my Mom—bless her—equated love with feeding her kids. Seconds were highly acceptable and usually encouraged, always followed with a "Good boy," which I still get even today from her! And my father always encouraged a "Clean Your Plate Club" at dinner.

So based on this, I have had this ongoing weight obsession along with a competing drive to overeat for decades.

I never was that heavy. In high school, I reached my current height of 6'1" at age 16 and probably weighed 185. But I felt fat. So I went on a very restrictive first diet and got down to 155 in less than a year.

Since then, my weight has yo-yoed up up up. My 20s were highlighted by several successful starvation diets (25-35 lbs in 6 weeks, getting me down to 165), which made me feel euphoric at the time. I responded to each diet by gaining back all of the weight with interest...probably about 6-8 times (I realize that this such a cliché).

In spring of 2001, I weighed 245 and went on a crash diet for my summer wedding. I lost 36 pounds in 9 weeks by skipping meals and feeling hungry a lot. The diet went right out the window on the honeymoon, and between July and October, I had gained 30 lbs back, continuing to add weight over the years.

Eventually, I reached an all-time high of 265 by early 2006. I decided to do it the right way and lose weight slowly, through diet and exercise. I used this website to count calories for the first time ever, I revamped my diet, started running, and lost 50 lbs over the course of 7 months. I weighed 215, felt great, looked great, and everyone told me so. And it lasted for about a year...then the weight began to creep back on. I stopped looking at the scale, fearful of what the number would be. I stopped counting calories. Stopped going to the gym. The same old story!

So.....here it is April 2009. I started going back to the gym a month ago, and started counting calories again I've lost 5 lbs in the past couple of weeks, and am at 235. I am determined to get back to 210-215 by this July 1. But I want it to stay off this time.

I need some short-term motivational help to get to my July goal, but also any advice on keeping the motivation long-term after the weight is gone. It's easy to stay focused when you're seeing results (i.e., weight going down), but harder when you reach your goal! Thanks for any help people can offer!

Hey

Thanks for sharing your story!  You've done so well to lose all that weight once before...it must be really nice to know that you CAN do it!

How's the journey up til now?  Are you liking CC on your second go round?  I've been on here for just over 3 months and lost just over 50 lbs, I really like it. 

I don't have any advice for you on maintaining (yet), since I've still got a ways to go but I do want to say congrats on getting back to it before you lost track entirely....and way to go on your first 5 lbs lost! You'll have to share your tips on maintaining with me once you get there.....I should be arriving to maintainance town December of this year at a svelte 140 lbs.  Anyhow, good luck!