How to Get Back on Track After Falling off the Wagon

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Weight loss can be a tricky thing. For a lot of people, they’re pros at losing the weight. The real difficulty? Keeping it off.

I know, because I’ve been there.

Close to 300 lbs, I knew that I needed to get serious about my health. So in July of 2010, I jumped in head-first to my weight loss journey. I lost 123 lbs in just over a year…and I looked good.

Kathy Haan 123 Lb weightloss transformation

I kept it off for years: I ate right, worked out for about 3 hours per day, and I felt really good about myself.

Then, came another baby. I put on about 50 lbs, which is quite a bit less than my other two pregnancies (85 lbs and then 59 lbs). I stayed fit throughout most of that pregnancy, but noticed that I started to slip a bit on eating healthy. I craved things like Mt. Dew, which is bizarre because normally I don’t even care for pop.

However, I ended up nursing my little guy for three years. I am ravenous when I’m nursing, and that caused me to put on even more weight. In a short few years, I found myself not quite at my highest weight, but pretty close.

All of that previous hard work losing 123 lbs? Darn near gained it all back.

While I’m on my journey again, I’m happy to say that I’ve got a much healthier relationship with food and exercise. I’ve lost 42 lbs since June 25th, and allow myself to indulge at set intervals (such as vacations and holidays).

I’ve put together some tips on how you can get back on track after falling off the wagon.

Don’t beat yourself up. Addiction is real, and it’s even harder when you’re addicted to something that your body literally needs to survive on this planet. You don’t want to go on a 4-year food binge because you slipped up at Christmas. Capisce?
Find an accountability partner. If you don’t have anyone, create an Instagram account dedicated solely to your weight loss journey. I did that this time around and it has really been the monumental thing to keep me on track. I liked being able to update my progress with my followers, who don’t know me in real life. I bare all – my weight, before/after pictures, food pictures, etc.
Find substitutes for the foods you love. I am keen to follow the Keto diet because it makes my body feel better (I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, among others). Gnom-gnom, my fave keto blogger, has all kinds of cookbooks that have swaps that are almost too-good-to-believe.
Get accountable. Join a free 21-day challenge.
I’m a snacker. If I have unhealthy food around, I’ll eat it. I make sure to buy healthy snacks and even take them with me when I know I’ll be tempted to eat something I probably shouldn’t. A bite won’t hurt, but I’m not great at self control 😉 I’m a huge fan of Optimum Nutrition’s on-the-go products. I get mine from Walmart, and am officially #obsessed with Dark Chocolate Truffle flavored Protein Almonds. Even better? They’re keto! My husband loves the Protein Cake Bites, and my kiddos love the Protein Crisps.