So I am 15 months out & lately I have been feeling like a failure. I have gone from 260 (Jan 2011) to 142 (now)... but the last month & a half I have been doing terrible. Before I was running 3-4 times a week & really sticking to the high protein, low-carb diet. After an unpleasant break up with my boyfriend, the running stopped & I have been eating crap (M&Ms, doughnuts, etc) I feel gross, bloated & fat. I've even been avoiding this site because I feel guilty about it. I am about 20 pounds from my goal & I consider it a miracle that I haven't gained 10 pounds with all the junk I've consumed. I've decided I need to do the Atkins induction for a couple weeks to get myself back on track. It really makes me realize that like any addiction, I will have to fight not to revert to old habits & fall off the wagon, so to speak. I know that I can do this. I just need to dig in & find that inner strength.

I wonder if a part of this is because you are so close to your goal? Self sabotage is something most of us have done in the past.

Remind yourself how hard you have worked and how much you deserve your goal. You are not a failure.

Self sabotGe is a mechanism I think we have used in the past due to fear of reaching the goal and then regaining, so we subconsciously start to sabotage so we don't reach goal and therefore don't then have a greater feeling of failure if we don't maintain.

It is the difference between saying "the diet didn't work" and "the diet worked but I couldn't maintain it " . So this time, remember this isn't a "diet " this is a tool for life. You can do it. You can maintain it.

Go for it!

I wonder if a part of this is because you are so close to your goal? Self sabotage is something most of us have done in the past.

Remind yourself how hard you have worked and how much you deserve your goal. You are not a failure.

Self sabotGe is a mechanism I think we have used in the past due to fear of reaching the goal and then regaining, so we subconsciously start to sabotage so we don't reach goal and therefore don't then have a greater feeling of failure if we don't maintain.

It is the difference between saying "the diet didn't work" and "the diet worked but I couldn't maintain it " . So this time, remember this isn't a "diet " this is a tool for life. You can do it. You can maintain it.

Go for it!

I have found that often break ups sometimes are "blessings in disguise". You have started a new chapter in your life. Embrace it.

Sorry to hear of your heart break. Do things that you enjoy to take care of yourself (i.e. hot bath vs candy). And dont go at this alone. It is completely normal to have a slip but you have a support system to help you get back on track. Thank you for reaching out. It helps all of us who have been there and will be there again.

Congrats for having the courage to step forward and "own" your behavior.

You definitely aren't a failure. You're coping with stress and bad feelings the way you used to do. And you're learning a hard lesson about 1) what makes us overweight in the first place (our brains, not our stomachs) and 2) how easy it is to eat around the sleeve if you're determined.

The good news is while your behavior isn't healthy on any level, you did avoid putting on a significant amount of weight. Thank goodness for the sleeve, right? And you're also aware of what you need to do, instead of hiding in denial until you gain ten pounds. This is good.

The first step is to stop every time you go to eat something. Start evaluating why you eat and when. This can help you curb emotional eating, a habit you must break to remain successful long term.

Get that junk out of your house if possible. Go back to basics and you can do this. Atkins induction is a great way, and any diet BlackBerryJuice is following will be great, too. Having a "buddy" to do it with might help you stick with it, too.

Keep your chin up during the last twenty pounds, too. It took me six whole months to shed the last twenty pounds. They go slowly. Hopefully not as slowly for you as they did for me! But hang in there.

You are definitely not a failure. You've simply reverted to ingrained habits as a way to cope with a stressful situation. A lot of us stumble along our journey but as long as you learn something from this it's not a wasted experience.

Best,

~Cheri

Girl stop downing yourself! You have done Amazing and quite frankly I'm a bit jealous,LOL (I wish I was 141lbs) Plus your Gorgeous and theres a million guys out there just waiting to meet you! Give yourself some Me-Time and pamper yourself not with junk food but maybe a spa sometimes a pedicure and a massage does wonders for the soul, you deserve it!

You Are Woman and Hear You Roar!

Best Wishes!

Congrats for having the courage to step forward and "own" your behavior.

You definitely aren't a failure. You're coping with stress and bad feelings the way you used to do. And you're learning a hard lesson about 1) what makes us overweight in the first place (our brains' date=' not our stomachs) and 2) how easy it is to eat around the sleeve if you're determined.

The good news is while your behavior isn't healthy on any level, you did avoid putting on a significant amount of weight. Thank goodness for the sleeve, right? And you're also aware of what you need to do, instead of hiding in denial until you gain ten pounds. This is good.

The first step is to stop every time you go to eat something. Start evaluating why you eat and when. This can help you curb emotional eating, a habit you must break to remain successful long term.

Get that junk out of your house if possible. Go back to basics and you can do this. Atkins induction is a great way, and any diet BlackBerryJuice is following will be great, too. Having a "buddy" to do it with might help you stick with it, too.

Keep your chin up during the last twenty pounds, too. It took me six whole months to shed the last twenty pounds. They go slowly. Hopefully not as slowly for you as they did for me! But hang in there.

You are definitely not a failure. You've simply reverted to ingrained habits as a way to cope with a stressful situation. A lot of us stumble along our journey but as long as you learn something from this it's not a wasted experience.

Best,

~Cheri[/quote']

Wow, well said. Amazing achievements of your own.

~Krista. Your intuition must have told you that you'd get the support that you needed here in the sleeve family. You have had your own cheering squad in the great words before me! Glad that you reached out for it. You appear to have done a fantastic job up to this point. Maybe it's just time that your motivators change? Focus on your own best possession, yourself and your health. You have displayed that you obviously have the strength to see your journey through to your goal. Best wishes to you!!!

First let me congratulate you on all your weight loss thus far. You are definitely NOT a failure. You ARE an inspiration to so many. From time to time we have a little set back but when we sit back and think things through, we press forward even when it seems so hard to do. You've come too far to give up now. You CAN do this. Please don't give up. Be encouraged and you are NOT I repeat NOT a failure.