What are some things that helped you get back on track?

Everyone says get back to the basics but what do you consider the basics?


I was doing so well for 3 months sticking to the 1200 calorie diet, water intake, and vitamins. I lost 12 pounds and now I am up 6 pounds and struggling to get back on track. I scheduled another support class and nutrition class with Kaiser to hopefully help me do better.

For me, if I feel like I'm beginning to stray, it starts with revisiting my mindset. To think about my priorities and why I want to stay at my current weight vs gaining (or before I lost the weight: continue to gain weight vs lose weight to get healthy). Once I get my priorities straight and remember why it's so vital to me to stay at a healthy weight, then I go back to eating healthy. One thing it took me a lifetime to learn was to get rid of the "All or nothing" thinking. That if I go off track for a meal, a day, a week, then it's all over. That is so false. Naturally thin people overeat sometimes too, but the next meal, they go back to eating normally. In the past, I would beat myself up endlessly which was sabotaging any success to stay on track. I hope this helps.

Like @Tomo I try to stay clear of an all or nothing mindset. When I feel my underwear get tighter (undies and bras don’t seem to lie to me) I evaluate how I’m doing.

I start with water. Am I drinking enough and throughout the day? Then I look at my vitamins, did I forget anything lately? Then I start logging my exercise, have I been cutting out leg weight lifting day again? Maybe it’s time to try a new activity like birding or paddle board? Then I look at stress and emotional needs. Do I need to talk to a friend, go to a book club, rejoin my yoga buddies, check in with a therapist? Then after all those check lists do I re-examine my food intake and usually start logging my intake again. Am I bored with my selections and need to change up my menu? Seasons switched and salad looks so good compared to cooked veggies, grilled meats smell so much better than meatballs right now. Fish seems so exotic and fulfilling now too. I made a cold salsa from mostly peppers and spices then threw in scallions and brewers yeast (for b vitamins) and it tasted more like gazpacho so I chopped up some cucumbers and POW! I dropped 8lbs after eating that all weekend last week with my regular chicken breast and hard boiled eggs. So finding new recipes (and maybe some fiber) is what gets me going with healthy food choices. I’m playing around with blanching broccoli in a cold served salad this week. That’s my reset.