disappointed in myself
 

I started bicycling to lose weight. When I started, I weighed over 300 pounds and I got down as low as 223. I just weighed myself today and I weigh 246 pounds. I am disappointed in myself that I actually gain back 23 pounds.

It's easy to do. Don't get so disappointed that you get frozen into inaction though. Now that you see what's going on, what are your plans to do something about it?

I sympathize. I was 350 and lost a lot of weight got down to 217 and for the last year and a half have been bouncing between 217 and 237. Currently Im at 225 and have 9 days of good eating. My concern is the upcoming holidays. I get depressed when the days get short and usually turn to food.

I'll say a prayer that both of us find the right path. Good luck.

Charlie

Don't be too hard on yourself. We take a stumble, we rise up again.
Some of your weight gain is probably muscle, by the way. :)

That's the depressing thing about being a clyde of course... if we were naturally skinny people we wouldn't have these issues. I was clear down to 213 and now I'm hovering around 230. *sigh*

Don't give up - you already know what to do. :)

I'm on my third trip from 270+ to 230...

The first time, school and work (6a-11p + 1hr commute each way), interrupted my progress and I gained it back.
The second time, divorce and riding in a semi for 6 months did wonders for my weight gain.

I'm hoping that I can hold it this time, but my reasons for losing are different. Most everyone who has lost weight has put it back on at some point. Now is the time to start correcting whatever is causing it.

After doing some research, I am going to join a bicycle club. I e-mailed different groups and one of them have members that are in it for the same reasons I want to join. So if peer pressure can encourage a person to do negative things (eat more, drink more, est.), than I can at least try to use peer pressure to help me to do good things (ride my bicycle more often, eat at more healthier at restaurants, est.).

People with weight issues will continually go up and down... there is no cure and it takes an extremely discipline person to lose weight and keep it off... that said; get over it. You gained weight. Slap yourself upside your head and then do something about it. Just know (lesson learned) you can't slack off - EVER! Do whatever you need to get back on focus but just know, the ultimate result rests with you and what you do... good luck... keep trying...

best quote of the day:thumb:

So that just makes today DAY ONE of a new start.

Last year right about this time I hit 220, stopped tracking, weighed myself in Feb and was 234. I got back on the horse and am now 208. Don't give up.

It is a comfort knowing others struggle with the yo-yo. I've lost the same 20 lbs for about 20 years now, on 3 year cycles. I don't think there are easy answers, other than "dont go too fast". We are all so different so I try not to fixate on those few individuals who can take it off and keep it off. I think most of us are in the same yo-yo boat. I will take my motivation where I get it. Like recently, racing bikes and getting passed on hills, by other old dudes, is a huge motivation. I don't like getting beat, thus, I need to eat like an athlete. It's been working so far but there are only four more weeks of races. Have to find new motivation after that, maybe the winter running series. My reward is feeling fitter and faster in the races. And defining "victory" not necessarily as winning the race, but maybe as not getting past till the last lap, etc. Any shred of motivation to keep my brain from making me hungry. Coffee helps. Spicey food helps satiate my hunger. Protein powder in smoothies. Eggs in the morning. Small strategies hopefully add up. You have to find your own, what works for you.

ps--I agree 100% with Pamestique . . . constant vigilance. I am semi-aware of the psychological states that result in relapses . . . like holiday food. Like Nutella . . . anywhere. If I see Nutella, it is gone. It is like catnip to a cat, or human flesh to a zombie. I just lose all sense of reality. I must have it. It is all I can think about till I eat it. and scrape every last smear off the sides, like a dog licking an empty jar of peanut butter, my tongue is not long enough, I am reduced to a sub-human, craving, hungry, single-purposed life-form. :) oh yes, awareness, if I were more aware of the situations that result in relapse, maybe I could prevent, minimize them, I guess.

pps--I work around real-life addiction researchers, like PhDs whose life-mission is to figure out the causes of addiction and test interventions. today . . . geospatial approaches. they are really into technology . . . like mobile apps that use GPS to track your location, that also have the coordinates of say, eating establishments. so one intervention would be when the app senses you are entering a restaurant, it sends you a text saying "DONT EAT THAT BIG MAC!" . . . "GET THE SALAD" or something to that effect. of course, you would have to consent up front to the GPS tracking you.

This. To the OP, keep on riding, you will be healthier and happier for it.

Look at it this way. You sustained a 54+ pound weight loss. AND you are stopping your weight gain after only gaining back 23 pounds. It is easy to slide. Some of the 23 may be muscle, and you clearly have some tools that work if you've kept off 54 pounds. Be firm with yourself but keep it gentle. I know for myself if I'm to fatalistic it leads to giving up, not riding, and eating to much of the wrong food.

no profound introspection here...

keep the pants that fit, or are a little too snug for your comfort level, and give away all your loose ones then buy a pair a size to small

sometimes a dumb little human trick can work wonders..

I'm happy to say that I started my weight loss program with a 44 waist, and now can just about wiggle into a 34

I've bounced around a fair bit. Now I'm at the lowest I've been in a while, but I'm afraid to take my foot off the gas pedal when it comes to losing because having a goal to work towards works for me. Maintaining isn't a target I can focus on easily and makes it hard for me to keep up with things (also applies to physical therapy for a recurring back injury: I stop as soon as I feel better). Hopefully, I won't hit the target number I haven't told anyone about until well after this year's holidays and then I can have a good 6+ months to work on getting into proper maintenance habits before next year.

I'll pretty much echo what others have said... we got to where we are to start with because of our habits... to change our habits must change... about 5 years ago I'd lost about 45lbs (and still had about 60-70 to loose ideally)... about 20 of that in the course of under 2 months by being very strict about diet and busting my behind in the gym... then I moved, lost my weight machine and compromised my diet badly... it took about 4 years before I gained it all back.

this last may I simply started eating a little better and drinking a lot more water... toss in about 10hrs of riding a month and i'm down about 25lbs now... with the cold weather I'm going to join a gym, In the past I've found weight loss really likes it when I build up some muscle (wife likes it also ;-)

in short... I think it's pretty common for us big folks... its easy to slip back up... if you stop exercising you have to cut out food and I think that tends to be the big issue for most of us... we like to eat... at thanksgiving I've got to walk away from the table before I feel full... so easy to just keep picking at the food even if i'm full :-/

no helpful information here, just one piece of advice: YOU CAN DO IT!

Thanks for posting, I'm having a regaining adventure myself. I've had a rough couple of months and just haven't been keeping up my end. While mine only slid a little bit in the wrong direction, anything in that direction is a problem. I vowed today was the beginning of a new resolve. Thank you for keeping it on my mind.

Weight is a side-effect of lifestyle. Attacking weight is treating a symptom instead of the cause.

hey you, yeah you. YOU CAN DO IT! too.