Last Updated on June 2, 2026 by Michael Brockbank
Last week, I started getting myself back to the gym. Yet, I still gained weight and am now back up to 250 pounds. I haven’t been that heavy in a while, and am quite disappointed in myself. How did I let that happen?
Well, it has a lot to do with my mental state and not putting in the effort to make permanent changes.
It’s no secret that I’ve been stressed beyond belief. Essentially, my life has been turned upside down, and all of the things are falling out onto the floor. And being a stress eater, that is extremely hard on me in terms of weight loss and fitness.
Why Didn’t the Gym Help Me Lose Weight?
Going to the gym doesn’t guarantee you’ll lose weight or become fit. If you burn 700 calories at the gym but eat 1200 calories’ worth of high-carb foods and sugars, it’s not going to pan out well for weight loss goals.
Generally speaking, losing weight is a balance of burning more than you consume.
What you eat plays a prominent role in health and fitness. That’s why you see bodybuilders often tout eating large amounts of chicken, broccoli, and rice. Well, among other supplements, or perhaps a glass of raw eggs or two.
One of the quickest ways to lose weight, based on general statistics, is burning as much as you can physically while consuming a low-carb diet. That’s why fad diets like Keto, fasting, and Lean for Life work so well. They center on training your body to burn fat for energy.
Unfortunately, a lot of those diets are not sustainable for the long term, which is why a lot of folks gain the weight back and a dash extra.
Real, permanent weight loss and fitness require a life change. These changes include what you eat every day and keeping yourself active. Without these two elements combined, it’s far more difficult to reach permanent weight loss or fitness goals.
That is why going to the gym really didn’t affect losing weight. Sure, I burned a lot of calories on Friday and probably built a few muscle fibers, but I still ate half of a blueberry pie and half a pint of ice cream for dessert…among a lot of other fatty, sugar-rich foods.
Stress and depression often influence my eating, as I’m looking for any kind of dopamine hit, which usually comes in the form of sugar.
What I Am Going to Do Going Forward
Yeah, there is no way in hell I’m going to hit my weight loss and fitness goals by the time I reach 50 years old. I only have 50 days left at the time of this post.
Based on my average weight loss, I might hit 230, but that is a far cry from my goal of 210 pounds. Still, I’m not going to call it a wash and start over with some new challenge. I want to see if I can finish strong.
So, what are some ways I can move forward without gaining any more weight?
Deal with the Stress
First, I need to find a better way to deal with the stress and depression. I’ve lost a lot over the past couple of months, and I need to overcome those feelings if I want to proceed.
It’s difficult to get motivated when it feels like so much of what you do has been a failure in some fashion.
My therapist suggested I exercise more often and get back to a gym routine. And yes, regular exercise can vastly improve your mental state. But you need to find motivation to get those exercise routines started.
Your mental health is of utmost importance. Without your mind, there are no fitness goals. You have to be committed and in a good place to keep yourself moving forward. And that’s what I’ve been struggling with lately.
Keep Up with the Gym Visits
I do enjoy my time at the gym. Not only does it help with the dopamine release, but it gives me an hour where I can relax, as funny as it may sound. It’s like an hour-long mini vacation from the random things in life weighing me down.
I dialed back the weight quite a bit, as I remembered the last time I went to the gym after a hiatus of several months. While I do feel the burn this time around, it’s not even a fraction of what it was back then. I’ll just have to be patient and work myself back up to where I was several years ago.
I would like to find my digital measuring tape so I can keep track of muscle development. While I’m not trying to be a bodybuilder or some social media influencer, I am curious as to how well I develop with my workouts and diet.
In any case, I am going to work on rebuilding a habit of going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while working on cardio activities during the rest of the week.
Pay More Attention to Snacking
I don’t need to snack on high-sugar goodness. Instead of stress-eating half of a pie, I should probably grab something that isn’t as heavy in carbs, such as six ounces of carrots.
If I can’t curb the stress eating, then I should focus on snacking healthier. But isn’t part of stress eating getting the sugar and dopamine hit? In my case, yes. I just need to figure out a sweet snack that can provide a similar release without being so heavy in carbs.
I’m also working on recording EVERYTHING I eat in MyFitnessPal. Maybe seeing the numbers might trigger something in my head to change what I choose to eat. It’s worked in the past, but Under Armour screwed MyFitnessPal up so badly that it’s not as effective as it was before.
That’s part of why I am still looking for a replacement app. If I had the time, I’d just build my own.
What Can I Do in 50 Days?
In reality, 50 days isn’t a lot of time to get fit. It’s barely enough time to see visual changes in muscle mass. However, I want to make the most out of the last few weeks of this challenge and give myself a running start for something awesome for Halloween.
Success depends on the level of commitment to myself and whether I want to improve my health overall. And for the most part, that all comes down to dealing with current situations and pulling myself out of this terrible funk I’ve been in for the past few weeks.
Can I achieve some kind of victory before my 50th birthday? I guess we’ll have to see.
About Author
Come on, man. Git it!
Just been in a very bad headspace lately. Having a hard time getting things moving, but I’m still going to keep pushing forward…damnit. lol