Chessire's Journal, 05 September 2018

I feel your pain. Still a big fear for me & probably always will be. 

I have maintained a 90+ pound weight loss for over 20 years. At least for me the most useful tools have been behavioral. First and foremost I weigh myself, at midweek and on the weekend. No exceptions. I don't let that number determine how I will feel that day or week; it is just data. But it is very valuable data that tells me if I am going in the right direction. The second is I move every day for at least an hour, again no exceptions. I may walk, ride my bike, do strength training, whatever. It doesn't matter. I just make sure I do it. Third is I write down EVERYTHING I eat. Not some of what I eat. And I weigh and measure when possible. That is easy at home. In a restaurant I use my palm to calculate the right amount of protein (for me roughly 3 oz), my fist is roughly a half cup of vegetables, my thumb to the first joint is roughly a serving of fat, my thumb entirely is roughly the right amount of nuts for a snack. There are lots of ways to do that, lots of tricks. But tracking is absolutely key. Before there were apps to track, I carried a little notebook with me and wrote it all down and kept myself to the calorie range I know maintains my weight. Over the years, especially at mid-life, what I eat has changed because my nutritional needs change as I get older, and so I tweak my diet as I go. But the basics--weighing myself, moving every day and tracking everything I eat--they don't change. Doing that, I have been able to maintain weight loss for many years.  

Cheshire & Ttina - I too am scared to gain. I’m still trying to lose too. I’m also scared of plateauing. Thanks for the tips TtinaBee. Good ideas. 👍🏼 

If you committed to your new lifestyle then you have nothing to fear! Stay frosty! 

My return to obesity is grains. Taste of grains is ok, but it cannot be used as food for me. Also, lack of salt in home cooking can cause dreams of more processed foods that often is well salted. 

if I start eating like I did before, I will gain weight , I am eating whatever I want, but I have to count my calories. Everything with moderation , the 80/20 rule, some days is 50/50, 40/60, 10/90, 95/5 , etc. The number at the end of the week is what matters for me. I do calories cycle too, I eat more a couple of days a week and less others  

I hope you will be kind to yourself. I hope you will not put too much pressure on yourself. I gained, what felt to me, like a massive amount of weight over the past three days. I feel I must learn to still be happy, and tap into my gratitude that I know what I need to do to lose the weight, and that I have lost so much weight so far. Mostly, I must accept that I simply do not have control of my body. I can only work hard to 'influence' it. 

I have the same fears. I sometimes wake up and wonder if, when I open my eyes, all my weight will be back. I've determined that I will continue to stay on FS or something similar for the rest of my life. I will continue to log my food and talk about my daily struggles forever. Complacency has always been my strongest enemy. I get lax in my meal prep, then I get lenient with the tracking my food, then I just start eating for convenience and boom... there I am again. But I am determined that this is the LAST time. You can do this, we can do this! 

i understand that fear...just ease that fear by assuring and reminding yourself that our bodies are a reflection of what we constantly do every day and make sure you're consistently doing what it takes to stay the way you want 

Don't let a small gain throw you. Pay attention to the big picture, the downward trending graph. As long as you keep it like that, you'll be good to go!  

You got this!! To be fair, I believe we all live with that fear. Take in the FS support. We can pull together and get trough this. Sharing IS caring. Your fears are our fears but together they dissipate through the power of combined strength. One hour at a time One morning, this morning, afternoon and evening. One day at a time. You are greater than the sum of your fears. 

You are the author of your story, don't tell one of regaining - tell one of staying committed to your new lifestyle and being powerful and positive! (This is what I'm working on myself, so I get it!) 

I have faith in you... you've got this!!