Fleas love me. When they are nearby, I always come down with a case of "flea-bite-us"... The red welts and itching are annoying during the day, but life keeps me somewhat distracted. The itching gets much worse at night. Sometimes a food craving is that way. Hard to get rid of and worse at night. With the fleas, the short-term answer is to use topical anti-itch creams, but getting rid of the source of the problem -- the actual fleas -- is much more of a challenge. One that requires a good bit of effort. When a food craving hits, there is no fast-acting, anti-hunger cream we can rub on. But, most of us employ various tactics to help us avoid eating on a whim. I've heard many: distracting yourself with a good book, putting a stop sign in your kitchen doorway between meal times, making a phone call, getting engaged in a hobby you enjoy... I could go on and on. These short-term tactics can help immensely, but getting rid of the source of the problem is much more challenging. Some coaching clients have agreed to become scientists rather than critics. What I mean by that is instead of fighting the cravings, giving in, and beating themselves up -- over and over again, they have undertaken an effort to get a better understanding of themselves and their situations. The number one tool they used is a "Food/Hunger/Mood/ Activity/Sleep Log." Some people hate to keep a log, but your beliefs about logs are worth challenging, especially considering the major benefits (Did you know studies show that keeping a food log practically doubles your weight loss?). Honestly, when I started to regain, I decided I was willing to do anything to keep the weight off, and I embraced my log as the number one tool to help me. Through logging I discovered an association between my low-grade depression and certain foods I was eating (donuts). I also learned I am hungrier during my PMS week (chocolate). I realized I was snacking at the same time every day (popcorn or cheese, or both), when I wasn't hungry. I made a connection between a stressful day at work and a midnight snack (toast with peanut butter). I even noticed that I consistently craved certain foods at certain times of day, probably due to a daily pattern of feelings I was attempting to manage with food. Once I had a better understanding of my feelings and behavior I began to experiment with small changes and I saw the pounds I had regained begin to slip away. I made the following changes, one at a time: *Go back to therapy with someone who understands eating and weight issues. *Fill out my food log. *Go to bed one hour earlier. *Get trigger foods out of sight -- or out of the house altogether. *Each morning, or the night before, plan and pack my food for the day. *Eat dense protein first at each meal. *Walk an extra 10 minutes per exercise session. *Measure the foods I tend to overdo (cheese, fats, carbs). *Try a new vegetable each week. *Nap once a week. *Sit still and breathe for 5 minutes every day. *Limit my exposure to negative people and to bad news in the world. *Stop using the telephone, TV, or internet one hour before bedtime and for one hour after awakening each morning. Seeing the scale go down gave me motivation to try some of the more difficult changes. Over time, I lost all the weight I regained. Fleas are much easier to get rid of when you catch the infestation in its early stages. At the first sign of fleas,I take action. It's that way with my weight and cravings, too. Now, at the first sign of weight gain, or of sliding into old unhealthy behavior, I take action. I get my log book out and observe, non-judgmentally, what's going on. Then, I experiment some more -- making the easiest changes first. I don't know why fleas love me so much. That is their secret. But the way for me to combat food cravings and regain is not a secret.

Thank you so much, SweetRide1. I appreciate the encouragement.

That's awesome Kimberley! I'll wave if I see you!

Struggling? Give yourself some grace.

You are human. Begin again and take out your program that you were given from your program.

Look at it and live it again. Throw all the processed stuff out, focus on protein first again and vegetables second.

Use myfitnesspal and make yourself accountable again. We often think that we aren't eating much when we actually are once we make ourselves accountable for every lick, bite and taste.

Go back to your support group meetings if you have one.

Don't hesitate to call your centre and see who you need to see --- dietician, social workers etc.

We are all different. If you have an eating disorder then look into therapy.

Most of the time though we need to go back to the habits that helped us lose the weight. We slack over time and go back to our old ways.

If you need a support group like weigh****chers or TOPS try that. Use your wls support group too! That's what it is for!

Look for programs from your nearby eating disorder place, mental health has programming too and health units.

Try new things. You never know what will motivate you. The important part is to KEEP TRYING.

Be honest. Talk about it. In support groups too. The honesty with yourself and others is important. You are not perfect and you don't have to be.

The more we share when we are struggling the more we can support one another. Find mentors.

Remember too that keeping off anymore can be just as important as losing.

I'm 12+ years out and there can be times that I struggle too. "Moderation" is very tricky for many of us and doesn't come innately. It's a struggle and sometimes it's day by day. I have talked about this at bariatric conferences and a video discussing this. This is hard long term.

Remember you are not alone. There is no shame in struggling. The reality is that the longer you are out, the more challenging it is. Remember -You are worth the struggle. Be kind to yourself.

Know that today is a new day worth of starting anew. You can do this!