Why can't I just lose two stones and keep weigh off without my brain going PING when I lose a few pounds?

[hambler]

I am 5'4" and weigh a chunky 11 stone 8. I am closer to 50 than 40.

This is significant because I was 11. 8 and I got down to 9 stones with weightwatchers 7 years ago and felt great.
In other words I am right back to where I started.

Over the past 7 years I have gone between 10 and 11 stones following various diets/ healthy eating plans.

Here's the pattern

I get fat. I get disgusted with myself.

I cut out eating fattening unhealthy stuff and start producing delicious healthy meals.
I spend a lot of time chopping vegetables.
I lose about 10 pounds and fit my old clothes and start to feel good.

THEN SOMETHING INSIDE MY BRAIN GOES PING AND I START TO EAT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS.

What is that all about?
can others relate?
How do you avoid the PING?

I do this too . I am 5ft1, forty, and weigh 10 stone 2. I got down to 9st a couple of years ago but had an accident and couldn't exercise for about a year. I put all the weight back on bar half a stone. It wasn't just because of the exercise though ,I was eating more junk food too. Whenever I try to lose weight, I lose a few pounds, think this is easy and lose the motivation to stick to my healthy eating plan .
I don't know how to avoid it but am happy to try and give you moral support. I would really like to lose a stone.

kingprawn, today I am very motivated - I always am when fat!
NONE of my clothes fit

Just don't buy any junk food - if dh or the kids here want it they can bl**dy well walk to the shops and get it themselves.

If its not in the house you can't eat it!

lol at the time spent chopping vegetables!

(btw have just made chocolate eclairs for tea, so don't pratice what I preach!)

Ruby, bless you for underestimating the seriousness of my problem

If only it were that simple !

Sigh. I wish I knew. I'm really good at losing weight - I can lose 2 - 3 stones quite easily and the minute (the second actually) someone tells me I look great, or I start getting into smaller clothes, PING - my brain goes the same way and I put it all back on again...

I'm having an operation in March and have been told it would be good if I lost some weight - PING - I need to do it so I won't...

I really wish there was a good answer to this one!

Ruby, sadly not so.
I'm not one for following the deprivation diets that exclude food groups ( with the exception of my recent attempt at Harcombe)

I do eat the things I like , in smaller quantities when I am motivated to lose weight , and I feel perfectly satisfied and focused for a few weeks and then I literally wake up one morning and my brain has pinged!

It's more of an explosion than a ping.I have discussed the phenomenon with many people who have an ongoing weight problem and many describe a similar thing.

I have hear it called a brain switch. When your brain switch is on, you can, with some determination, planning , and vegetable chopping, stay focused and lose weight. Then without warning the brain switch flicks to OFF and it is as if the control just goes out the window

Stop thinking in terms of 'losing weight'.

Think in terms of being kind to your body.

Kind to your body in the way that you will only feed it good healthy food in sensible quantities (with the odd indulgence). Kind in the way you exercise.

If you stop thinking 'diet' adn losing a stone and start thinking 'forever', you are not dieting.

You are eating like a healthy person, and weight loss may stem from this but it shouldn't be the main focus.