I went on vacation with a great plan for eating and exercising and followed it – about 80%. I slacked off on my exercise and ate carbs like they were going out of style. Predictable result: I gained 5 pounds!

That was last Wednesday. I have been struggling but working at it and this morning I’m back to my pre-vacation weight of 178.

It’s not just the scale weight that has fallen away. I feel as if there’s a weight of fear gone as well. Yes, I may go off track and gain a few pounds, but I’m never going to be more than a week without weighing so I can see what’s happening and get back on track. A slide does NOT mean a return to 321 pounds. It just means I need to call in the big guns and get back on track.

Thank you to Turtlemom and all the regainers on the beforeandafterhelp.com board – it made it so much easier thinking I wasn’t doing this alone. I know that my 5lbs doesn’t seem like so much, but it was my first month in almost 3 years with not only no progress, but backsliding. I was scared.

Now I have hope that the knowledge I’ve gained and the habits I’ve formed really are going to be enough. Now I can remember that vacation and all the fun that I had with my family and my friends.

See ya’ll later!