Staying on track... I need help!

How do you ladies stay on the wagon?? I'm so bad about this!! I lost about 30 lbs back in 2010, then went on vacation and gained it all back. I started back up in July of 2011 and lost about 30 lbs again, then got pregnant and gained like 20 lbs back. I lost that baby and was told I couldn't TTC again for at least 6 months, so I got back on and lost the 20 lbs back and then another 30 lbs, for a total of a 60 lb weight loss since the summer of 2011. It's not Oct 2012 and I've been "off the wagon" for about 3-4 months now. I've been binging all the time and mostly eating complete crap aside from maybe a couple weeks here and there where I tried to get back on.

Now I'm up about 20 lbs (probably 25 lbs, but I'm too scared to check). I know at least 20 lbs, but not more than 25 lbs. I think I'm about 180lbs and I had gotten down to 160lbs at my VERY lowest.

I want to get back at it, but now DH and I are thinking about TTC, so I have the thoughts like, "Well what's the point?" in my mind and I NEED TO GET RID OF THAT! I want another baby, but I don't want to blow up and I know I will if I can't stop thinking like that.

It's okay to exercise while TTC right? Like Zumba? Eliptical? What about the 30 Day Shred? And it's okay to try to LOSE weight until I find out if I'm pregnant right? Then once I get pregnant (IF I do) I shouldn't try to lose, but just try to maintain right?

Can I hear from some ladies who have struggled with the same thing? Any help? What do you ladies do or think or tell yourself to stay on track?

I just feel so discouraged because my DH has lost about 120 lbs since '09 and has managed to keep it off for over a year. He has a pretty physically demanding job, but he doesn't even workout anymore and still hasn't gained anything back, and honestly he doesn't really stick to that strict of a diet. He doesn't go crazy, but he doesn't really "diet" either and still hasn't gained anything back, where as I just blow up again and now I'm discouraged because I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to keep it off....  

Any words of encouragement?

I honestly don't know what is different for me now than before that has kept me on track. I post on here and FB a lot so I think the need to be accountable helps too.

Maybe you should get a weight-loss buddy to help you stay on track and motivate each other?

I've never TTC while losing weight, but i don't *think* it would be unhealthy. Look at it like this: if you are 180 and gain 30 from pregnancy, you will have to lose 50 lbs to get to 160. And if you are 170, gain 30 from pregnancy you will only have to lose 40. etc, etc.... that is what i try to think about. I'm not TTC right now, but i want to eventually, and the smaller i am.... the less i will have to lose after giving birth again.

When I'm trying to lose weight I don't by any junk food. I buy tons of fruits and veggies and yogurt for snacks. If I want something sweet I make cookie dough and make it as healthy as possible. Roll it into balls and freeze then so that way I can make a few at a time so I don't go over board. Also, I buy these pitas call joesph's flax oat brand and use them in place of regular bread, tortillas, and pizza crust. It's got 60 calories and only like 3 g of carbs. I also chose recipes with lots of veggies (I often put in more then what is called for) since I don't really like veggies unless they are cooked in something.

Quoting Devil's Advocate:" I honestly don't know what is different for me now than before that has kept me on track. I post on here and FB a lot so I think the need to be accountable helps too."

Yeah I think that's what I need to do. That's how I was staying on track before because I always posted stuff to FB and was apart of a lot of weight loss groups etc. but I've become less active obviously because I feel guilty and am eating like smurf... sigh.

I need to just do it. I just don't want to risk anything if I get pregnant, but I know you're allowed to do exercises that you've already been doing since your body is already used to it, so it only makes sense that I get my body used to certain workouts so I can continue them if I get pregnant.

I purposely lost as much weight as I could before starting to TTC again just in case I did gain extra weight back, at least I wouldn't be 200+ pounds like I was my first pregnancy. My doctor actually told me it's easier to get pregnant when you live a healthy lifestyle, which makes sense because I got pregnant after only a couple of months of TTC! I've gained about 25 pounds this time around and I'm okay with it! I try not to get too discouraged since I'm supposed to be gaining some weight (although I do have my "sad, I'm so fat" pregnant days) I know I can lose the weight again so I try to not let it both me so much.

And it's perfectly safe to exercise throughout your pregnancy, just don't push yourself too hard. Like before I got pregnant again I was doing a lot of weight lifting and I had to slow down a lot with that (now I just do light exercises with the 8 pound weights).. and I can't use all the machines like I used to but that's mainly because my belly gets in the way! There's a nutritionist/exercise expert guy at my gym that I met with when I first found out I was pregnant. He told me I could do anything that my body was used to doing and to just "know my limits". So I still walk but on the track instead of the treadmill bc he told me pregnant women tend to have bad balance so a treadmill can be dangerous. And I use the elliptical the last 15 minutes of my workout. Other than that I use the light weights for arm exercises. Even though it's not much, staying active has definitely helped me through this pregnancy. I'm just now getting uncomfortable and I'm 32 weeks.

As far as staying on track, it definitely helps to have some kind of exercising/weight loss buddy but a lot of my motivation was myself. Any time I felt like giving up I'd look at my super fat pictures to remind myself how miserable I was then and how far I've come!

You have lost the weight before, you can definitely do it again! Just fix your mistakes. You're aware that you're binging so that's good, at least you're not in denial about it like I was when I had JoJo. I swear I had NO clue I was close to 300 pounds. I used to tell myself the size 3x shirts I was buying were just cut really small lol. You're beautiful though. Good luck with everything!

Quoting Thunderchunk:" I purposely lost as much weight as I could before starting to TTC again just in case I did gain extra ... [snip!] ... tell myself the size 3x shirts I was buying were just cut really small lol. You're beautiful though. Good luck with everything!"

That last part, I'm like that too. Like I'm really good about ignoring my weight or how I look. Like before I started to lose weight last summer I honestly had NO CLUE I looked like that. I saw some pics that DH took of me at my kids tball game and I was in utter shock. I just sat there and cried staring at them. I had no idea that's what I really looked like.

I have a pretty face, so subconsciously I only look at my face when I'm getting dressed and stuff and I ignore my body. I'm like in denial about it. When I know I'm gaining weight I avoid wearing clothes that I suspect might not fit me and I avoid full length mirrors. Then like today I walked into the bathroom at Buffalo Wild Wings and they had a full length mirror right as you walked out and I saw myself and freaked out. It's clear I've gained about 20 lbs and I just ignore it.  

That's all REALLY great advice though. Thank you for sharing. And thanks for not bringing up any smurf about my relationship like most people on BG would. I was worried when I started posting about possibly TTC that everyone would start preaching to me about my relationship and stuff. Things are going MUCH better between us BTW, especially since I started depression and anxiety meds about 6-8 weeks ago. I've noticed a lot of changes and I feel so much better and honestly, I think a lot of our problems were steaming from me....so I'm glad I'm feeling kind of normal again.

Quoting Mrs. Post-tato Head™:" That last part, I'm like that too. Like I'm really good about ignoring my weight or how I look. Like ... [snip!] ... much better and honestly, I think a lot of our problems were steaming from me....so I'm glad I'm feeling kind of normal again."

I hate how some BG girls act like they know your relationship better than you do or something. Everyone has their good and bad times, I know how it is!! I'm glad to hear y'all are doing better and the meds are helping you.

Quoting Thunderchunk:" I hate how some BG girls act like they know your relationship better than you do or something. Everyone ... [snip!] ... Everyone has their good and bad times, I know how it is!! I'm glad to hear y'all are doing better and the meds are helping you."

Exactly. I mean, if you think about it, women on this site are much more likely to be posting and venting about he bad times vs the good, so of course you're going to hear more bad than good, and honestly, I have noticed dramatic changes since starting my medications and luckily I'm on Zoloft which is considered to be the safest during pregnancy and my doctor already told me it's okay to stay on it.


But yeah, you're way more likely to hear the bad stuff on this site and the majority of the time it's one sided since you only hear it from the women's perspective.

Are you still using myfitnesspal? I know we were friends on there and ive been slacking also which is why i quit logging on there  i i know when i was using it though it seemed to keep me in check. Congrats on ttc by the way! Hubby and i are thinking about trying next year but i want to lose the 10 lbs i gained when i stopped breastfeeding first.

I'm sorry I don't know anything about TTC but I can still offer advice on staying on track.

I'm currently trying to lose a considerable amount of weight. Last week I really fell off track and two things have helped me.

1. Something I read on myfitnesspal forums which is my main problem, when I mess up or eat something bad or eat too much, instead of trying to be healthy the rest of the day, in my mind I just think "Smurf it, I messed up anyway. I'll eat what I want today, or I won't exercise today and I'll just start over tomorrow" but that is not the right way to think, because tomorrow could end up being months later with all the weight you lost back on! It's a never ending cycle. So I'm trying not to think that way anymore.

2. What helped me get on track the most this week is this - I plan my WHOLE day from breakfast,lunch,dinner and snacks. So I know what I'm eating and I know what I have left if I want anything else the rest of he day. What was hurting me most is I was eating WAY too many calories with Breakfast and lunch and by the time I added dinner I was over.

I also look at healthy recipes, tips, other friends food diaries, fit models, pinterest. I look at clothes I want to wear and can't right now. I think about how great I feel when I'm doing right and eating healthy and exercising. I think of how sad and disappointed I was all last week, and the fact that was a whole week away from my goal weight. Just find what really motivates you, it is so much easier for me since I have.

Quoting Freespirit:" Are you still using myfitnesspal? I know we were friends on there and ive been slacking also which is ... [snip!] ... way! Hubby and i are thinking about trying next year but i want to lose the 10 lbs i gained when i stopped breastfeeding first."

No I haven't been logging anything at all. I don't think I've even been on there in a month   I need to get back to that.