Here we go again!

I don't even know where to begin. It's been so long since I've sat and put my thoughts down, I don't even think I can put a sentence together anymore.
I would have to look back on my posts from last spring to actually see where my train went off the track.
Back in the winter months of 2010, I rediscovered my self-respect. I started caring about what I put in my body, and how it affected my health... mental and physical. It was a quick weight loss, now that I think about it. I remember I lost 12 lbs in the first week! My body was so happy to have more vegetables, and lots less pasta and starch, the weight just fell off. Over the following months, I dropped 1-2 pounds per week, and sometime around September of that year, I was weighing in around 175. That was approximately 80 lbs dropped.
I stabilized around 185, and wore a size 12 for a number of months. I remember going to a New Year's Eve party going into 2011, and being able to wear a size SMALL waist chain. AND, it slung down on my hips. I was actually thin.
But I had never in my life lost that much weight. I had always been chubby, and started fad diets that would take off 5-10 lbs at a time. That would always come back on, and I almost expected it to. I never had a serious weight loss until that summer of 2010.
So, I had no clue how to KEEP it off. Obviously, exercise, and continued calorie maintenance was required. But because I had never been in this position before, I had no idea how much even the smallest variance in foods could affect the scale.
By spring of 2011, I had put back on a few pounds. I told myself, if I get to where I can't fit into a 14, I've got to get serious again, and bring it down. But it was hard to focus.
When I started the "diet", I had a focus, and a goal. And it was a challenge, to myself, to do it right and get back to my high school weight. Well, mission accomplished. But the keeping it off was what I didn't plan for.
So now, here it is almost the spring of 2012. I started this whole thing on February 2, 2010... and almost two years later, I have lost the 80 I needed to, and managed to put back on quite a bit. Not all of it, but nearly half. Crazy, right?
I weighed myself this morning at 223. Back in February 2010, I was 256. I got down to my lowest of 173, and balanced out at 185. That's still a 40 lb gain since September of 2010.
So here we go again. I didn't know what women were talking about when they talked about "yo-yo" dieting. I seriously never thought it would sneak back on so fast.
But, the good new is, I have my focus back. This weight gain was a speed-bump... just a little something to slow me down. And I learned the hard way what it's going to take to keep it off.
Since August of 2011, I've been back in the gym 4-5 days a week. I do 30-40 minutes on the treadmill, and most days I make the rounds on all the weight machines, too. But now that the holidays are over, I can focus once again on my calorie intake.
When I started this healthy eating almost two years ago, I dropped it fast. I think I can do the same thing this time around. The difference now is that I have a new respect for the women that have kept it off for a long period of time. This time, the challenge won't be so much the loss of the weight, although it won't be easy. The challenge this time will be to find what will help me keep it off for good.
I have the eating part under control. I know my will power is tested everyday regarding that. But the lifestyle change, including basic daily activity, is going to have to be stepped up in order to maintain it easier, without feeling like I'm on a diet for the rest of my life. Maybe the hour at the gym 4 days a week isn't enough.
For the next few months, while I RE-lose what I had previously lost, I'm going to be searching for something I like to do that is good for me. I've been looking into hiking clubs, and Lord knows, Boise has plenty of hiking trails. Everything from flat land, to inclines that would make a mountain goat nervous! I have quite a bit of time in the mornings still, thanks to my job, and I'm thinking that something outdoors will keep my interest. I might even become one of those hiking-obsessed women, with matching socks and hats for every day of the week! :-)