How do you put yourself back in to MOTIVATION gear. When you put on so much weight that you lost initially?

I began my weightloss journey over 2 yrs ago. I started out at 215, I managed to get down to 160 I kept it off for over a yr. The last 6 months I have put on 35lbs of what I had lost. It is depressing I know exactly what I am doing wrong but I am still in this RUT. I can't seem to shake it. I'm always telling myself daily just get back on track and you will lose what you gained.

 Easier said than done thats for sure! I will start out strong but by the end of the day I feel myself slipping back into that old familar friend that I used to call my comfort FOOD! I quit working out altogether. I used to enjoy going biking and dancing and to the gym. It just all seems so monotonous to me now! How do you actually get yourself back on track? What are some of your secrects if you have some please share with me. I'm totally at my wits end!!!!!

I think your problem are those 'start out strong' and 'get back on track' parts.  Makes it all sound a bit of a grind, if I'm honest.  If you said to me... GI-Jane, you're going to join me for lunch tomorrow with healthy eating and we're going to start out strong.... you wouldn't see me for dust!!!!    It's obviously not something you enjoy doing enough to keep doing.  If starting out strong means your day is miserable then you'll eat nice (calorific) things in the evening.  You say you enjoyed dancing/biking etc, but if you really had done then you'd be only too happy to take them up again.

I always think... start small and have a concrete plan.  'Getting back on track' and waiting around for 'motivation' is really vague pie-in-the-sky stuff and probably won't happen.   'I will go for a 1/2 hour bike ride this evening' is a small but definite commitment that probably will happen.  'I will book myself into a dance-class and go on Wednesday'  The more of these you get into your week, the better you'll feel

Food-wise, again, I think it's best to have a structure.  Don't cut calories initially but, instead, improve your diet.  Map your day out so that you're getting 5-a-day vegetables, 3 servings of wholegrains, regular meals, more water to drink.....  but make the meals flavoursome, filling and exciting.   When your diet improves you will find you naturally eat a little less .... plus you'll feel more energetic.

Finally... keep your food log.  Aim for your total burn calories to start with rather than any lower.  People who track what they eat in black and white eat less than people who don't.

Good luck

Makes sense what you are saying to me...... I do think of it as being a chore. I am going to try and start out small baby steps and work my way towards more and more each week. Thanks for replying it really did help me

Over the years of yo yo-ing weight and eating habits, I have learned than as soon as I quit tracking my eating by writing it down,  I'm eating too much. That's the first good habit to go. Then I quit the others, one by one.

So this time, I intend to continue writing it down, even when I'm having a bad day. Even when I'm having a bad week. So I'll have to face it right away, so I can self correct sooner rather than later.

As far as your gaining back most of the weight, just think of this:

If you don't change direction now, you could be back to your original weight by February. But if you do change direction right now, you could be down 20 pounds in that same period of time. That's a spread of 40 pounds. Now, where would you rather be in February?

Good luck!

that exact same thing happened to me, i know how you feel! i stopped, and then started the old routine that helped me out initally and i realized that i wasn't as into as i was when i first started. 

what helped me, was that i started counting calories again.  it was hard the first week, but after that i felt much better.  then, i went back to the gym -- i went all into it because the easing into things doesn't work for me.  whenever i ease into things i get stuck not challenging myself. 

also, what also helped me was to get a whole bunch of new songs on my mp3 player, the new music helped.

i also took feljones view.. if i don't start shaping up now i'm going to keep going down that road and it'll taken even longer to get to where i want to be.

Just gotta put the past behind you and move ahead, dont dwell on it.

Try to switch up your routine. Tons of cardio things you can do.  Bike ride, ellitpical, walking, stationary bike, etc.

For me, I just try to think to the future.  Like this summer just ended and I am already on the elliptical 1hr a night just imaging next summer at the beach looking all ripped n toned.

What also helps is looking at old pictures of myself when I was heavier. I know some people dont like this cause it brings them down, but it motivates me!