I accidentally discovered why I kept regaining the same 20 lbs over and over

I was looking through old photos this weekend and realized I've basically been on the same weight loss loop for almost 8 years. Every time I'd get motivated, I'd start doing all the things people say to do. Meal prep everything. Hit the gym 5 days a week. Cut out takeout. Stop eating snacks. Track every calorie. And every single time I'd lose somewhere between 15 and 25 lbs. Then life would happen. A work project would get stressful. I'd go on vacation. Family would visit. I'd get sick for a week.

And suddenly I'd stop doing the things that got me there. The realization I had was that I never actually built a version of weight loss that fit into my normal life. I built a temporary version of myself that could only exist when everything was going well. For the last few months I've been trying something different. My only rule is that whatever habit I start has to survive a bad week. Instead of cooking every meal, I keep easy meals around. Instead of 5 gym days, I aim for 3 and consider anything extra a bonus. Instead of trying to be perfect on weekends, I just try not to completely disappear. Ironically I'm losing weight slower than before, but it's also the longest I've gone without falling off track. Curious if anyone else had a moment where they realized the thing holding them back wasn't knowledge, it was the way they were approaching the whole process.