What are you doing during weight loss to prevent future relapse?
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I have gained weight again, but due to pregnancy. I kept up the exercise and logging throughout pregnancy though, so I was easily able to get back into exercise after my 6 week check and was still pretty fit. The only thing I still struggle a bit with (7 months post partum) is abs.
Once I reach my goal weight (again lol) I will always have exercise challenges for myself which will keep me going. Can I run in a better time? Can I lift heavier weights?
I've been eating the same way for so long that I can't imagine eating badly. Then again, I never really have. For me, exercise is the important thing, I need to keep pushing myself.0 -
I think that everyone should think about how/what caused their weight to creep back up after losing. For me, the main reasons:
1. I lost weight too quickly.
2. I stopped exercising because I started to get serious with my then-boyfriend-now-husband
3. I never owned a scale.
4. I wore stretchy jeans and open dresses, so I didn't see the weight creeping back on.
5. When I drank heavily, I also ate heavily.
How I will combat all of my downfalls:
1. I have been losing slowly and steadily. I'm set to lose .5 lbs/week and I eat back my exercise calories.
2. I have gotten back into swing dancing (which I love) and am making friends through swing, which will keep me at it. I also started taking classes to get better. We adopted two active dogs and take them to the park to play/on walks. We built a home gym in our basement.
3. Got a scale. Plan to weigh in at least once a month even once I'm on maintenance.
4. I'm not in my set wardrobe yet (still losing), but I want to wear fitted work trousers and pencil skirts.
5. I still drink to the point of getting drunk from time to time. I know my limit better and rarely drink to the point of getting ill. With that moderation comes more moderate eating. Now, if I want to drink calorie bombs, I order less food or split it with my husband.
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I've yoyo'd since junior high. Unfortunately, I know the statistics all too well.
This time I have a new mindset that will hopefully hold me through this.
First, I'm making exercise part of my life (as in part of my social life). My husband and I work out together. We run races for fun. We play tennis or go skiing with friends. We go for walks after dinner to chat. It's way more built into my lifestyle now and I'm actually enjoying it and having fun. I think that's the real key for me:exercise being something that I enjoy and not something that I dread.
Second, I'm planning on always having goal. My goals right now are my goal weight (obviously) and running a sub 35 min 5k. Then it will be a sub 30 min 5k. Then maybe a sprint triathlon. Basically, I'm going to continue to set fitness goals, so that I always have something to strive for and don't get complacent.
Third, my weight will most likely be a huge focus for the next 5-10 years. We're planning on starting a family soon and I will be tracking my weight during and post pregnancy. It kind of goes hand in hand with number 2 though. Obviously I'll gain some weight during pregnancy, but my plan is to keep it within the healthy range and then to lose it afterward. Obviously, there are some health conditions that can change that and I don't have a crystal ball, but regardless of how my weight gain goes during pregnancy, I'm practicing the skills to lose it now.
Finally, I'm a lot more forgiving of myself than I have ever been. I'm determined to not give up. I used to give up if I wasn't perfect. Now I'm focusing more on taking each day at a time. It doesn't matter if I wasn't perfect yesterday, what matters is what I do about today.0 -
Don't have time to read the whole thread now, but definitely bookmarked for later.
My problem is emotional eating. Every time I've been through something tough and stressful -- major move, new job, death in the family, getting married, having babies, etc. -- I've gained weight.
Not. Any. More. I'm much more aware of my eating and why I'm eating and whether I'm overeating because I'm stressed or just because something tastes good, etc. I need to stay aware and vigilant. Life is hard...sometimes it really, really sucks. Can't use that as an excuse to stuff my face.0 -
the reason for the "<insert overwhelming percentage here> of diets fail" statistic is that many people think they can go back to their old habits once they've reached their goals. there's no magic elastic waiting to snap you back once you stop moving forward, but anyone who thinks they can simply pick up their old life where they left off once the diet is done is missing the point completely. weight is a result of how much one eats and how much one moves. if you want to change your body permanently, you need to change the choices you make regarding it... permanently.
i gained 30 lbs over the last year through stress eating. i fell back into old habits and my body started falling back to my old body. that wasn't my diet "failing" or some magic elastic pulling me back against my will, that was my poor judgment, plain and simple.
my plan is to be more vigilant this time around, and make no room for excuses.0 -
Iwishyouwell wrote: »That's a lovely shade of naivete you're sporting there. Or is it arrogance? So hard to tell sometimes.
On the road for a few months and already you not only know you'll be the one to never regain, but also you're so smart about the reasons other people do. It's because they "diet", and you're, a few months in, the one who made a "lifestyle" change, therefore you're immune.
Yes. I'm sure everyone who made a "lifestyle change" has experienced perfect weight maintenance. And only the big, bad "dieters" are the ones who regain. Sure.
Read it as you wish, but I wrote it both in answer to the OP's question and also because I am a 42 year old female who has gained weight back before whenever I'd lose it due to , yes, 'dieting'. Your damned right I have the answer. So does everyone else. It is a matter of choice and I am choosing not to fall back into the stupid habits that made me have to lose the weight in the first place. This isn't something that is out of my (or your) hands. It's hardly naivete nor arrogance. The word you are searching for is determined.
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It was a long process to get to where I am, and I'm still not where I would like to be yet. This is what works for me, most was a reaction or solution to a problem I had a few years ago.
I usually eat 5 or 6 times a day, I don't like to go more than 4 hours without something. It just makes me grumpy, tired or scattered when I do.
I only eat when I'm hungry, I eat slow, drink water and I stop when I'm sated not full. If I have eaten a reasonable portion of food but still feel hungry I drink a glass of water and wait another 15-20 minutes then I eat a 100-200 calorie snack.
I eat 80-90% whole foods (dried beans, grains, fresh or steamed vegetables, fruit, meat) I usually only season with herbs. Most of my recipes contain less than 4 ingredients, none of them contain pre-packaged foods as an ingredient. (That's a pet peeve of mine)
For the other 10-20% of 'junk' or prepackaged food like chips, chocolate, iced cream, etc. I will weigh it and break it down into single servings before I put it away. I do this with fruit, nuts, berries and the vegetables I eat raw too.
I usually drink about 10 glasses or so of water a day, when I need caffeine I drink hot or cold teas instead of soda and I no longer sweeten them. I enjoy the occasional coffee (but currently watch my caffeine intake and keep it under 200mg a day.)
Exercise is something I look forward to, when I miss a day I get all antsy so I usually at least take a walk. I couldn't stop if I wanted to at this point because it's my stress release.
I weigh myself twice at the gym, before and after a workout (to make sure I drink back enough water.) So if I did start to gain weight I would be aware of it pretty quickly.
I physically can't eat some of the foods that I used to, after I discovered which foods I reacted to and eliminated them my reactions got worse and worse so I never have to worry about going back to those.
Beyond that, I'm older now and I am just in a much better place emotionally that I ever have been. I've learned to deal with stress in a healthier way, I've learned to take care of myself and try to get a proper amount of sleep when I can. I am far from ideal, but I am much happier with who I am.0 -
Even though I have a long way to go, I already have a maintenance plan in place and have been practicing it all through my diet
1. I take maintenance breaks every now and then for a few days, weeks or even months, to take a break from dieting and experience first hand what my maintenance will be like and what challenges I may be facing.
2. I don't eat anything for the sake of shoveling food into my mouth. Everything I eat I like, want, and is worth every single calorie I spend on it. It was a surprising revelation to me that quite a few of the foods I used to eat were foods I didn't even like and could live indefinitely without (salt and vinegar chips, I'm looking at you!). Now when I'm presented with such food, I easily and simply say no.
3. I learned how to balance my higher intake days with lower days, which means I can eat whatever I want in whatever quantity I want any time I want, as long as I have an action plan to make up for it. This has actually led, contrary to my expectations, to a steep decrease in my binging events without feeling the slightest bit deprived.
4. I have stocked on enough interesting audiobooks to last me for a few years to come. Since audiobooks were the only thing that made me actually WANT to exercise, not just force myself into it.
5. I weigh myself every day, and I plan to continue doing so during maintenance. This way I would be aware of any regain signs and snip it in the bud.
6. I have a list of all the low calorie foods that tend to keep me full longer to utilize on the days when I'm expecting to have a high calorie evening on outings, parties.. etc.
7. I have taught myself to be mindful of what goes into my mouth. I try my best to decrease the events where I go "where did all the popcorn go? Did I really eat that chocolate bar or have I misplaced it somewhere?".0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »gradually slid out of my good habits, starting with exercise.
^^^This...
Daily exercise IMO, (both purposeful and NEAT) is the foundation of energy balance.
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In March, I will have been on MFP for 3 years.
I have lost 160+ pounds (I keep losing and regaining 3-5 pounds since I have been on maintenance). I have been on maintenance for 1 year now. I WILL NEVER GO BACK to where I was. My plan is simple, but never easy, just to keep on logging everything I eat and drink and to move more, and monitor my weight. I owe a huge debt to MFP, and all of the encouraging, helpful people here.0 -
I made this not only about my body, but my mind as well. I keep focusing on how I am changing as a person inside and out - and I take time to say "good bye" to the old me...especially when I crush it in the gym.
I always keep in mind "can i do this forever"...and if the answer is no...then I dont do it. Keep things new and interesting, like you said. To try new exercises and new lifts, new foods, new meal plans. Even after I reach my goal of 100lbs lost...I still have a pile of goals to accomplish afterwards. This includes watching BF%...as well as having an annual fitness/mental challenge for myself (biking long distance, swiming open water, etc)
I have also looked into certification and am now doing a nutrition cert. I may never become a personal trainer...and that is okay if I dont. The information is priceless and I find having that education really makes it hard to turn back to old habits. I have also taken this journey slow. It has been over 2 years now, and that is just 2 years under my belt I have of being able to say I have kept the weight off. If I plateau...I always say to myself "I am now practicing for maintenance".
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I've already "maintained' without even trying. I don't even have a "goal weight". I am living the lifestyle I want to live. I exercise and eat better because I like how it makes me feel. I set activity based goals that keep me pushing harder. My whole weight loss journey has been based on living a life I can and want to continue living for the rest of my life and being happy. 2.5 years and 40 pounds later....stronger, fitter, and happier than ever.0
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Hi everyone, new to the board but not knew to dieting and binging. It was really hard to finally after a lifetime of dieting to loose the 50 lbs. I did it. Unfortunately I did not loose the cravings with the 50lbs. I will not put that weight back on. So know I fight the battle 50lbs lighter. Those cravings are brutal once you give in they get worse and worse until you hit rock bottom as I have after gradually gained 1-8 pounds back mostly water. I have stopped the ride by joining MFP. I have come to the conclusion that I am addicted to Sugar, Salt and Fat and if I can stay away from those three things I can have an amazing life, healthy, energy, sleep good, mood is good and I look younger. When you think of it their is really nothing that I can't have to eat. My goal now is to loose 15lbs. I am the same height as Marilyn Monroe and she was 154lbs.
Have a great day.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I plan to keep doing what has been working so far (13 years): eating nutrient dense foods, limiting overly processed crap. Tweak as necessary. Stay active.
This is more my plan. It assumes the ability to stay active, but that's where tweaking comes back in.
Very happy to hear that it is working for you for that long!
I'm figuring that when I switch from losing to maintaining, it will be so hard to lose that it'll just even out. I don't know.
I may be overthinking it, lol.
Nope, that makes sense. I didn't switch. The loss just stopped and I stayed at this weight. You gotta figure eventually you hit stasis if you're eating and moving consistently.
My problem is that in order to lose more weight I have to net under 1400, and at that point I'm just HUNGRY. I usually end up eating closer to 1700 and just maintain. I don't always have time to burn the extra calories. At 5'3" and 180lbs, this can't be my "set point," it just can't!
I'm giving myself a break through the new year and giving myself permission to net 1700 without guilt. But after the holidays I'm going back down to 1400, determined to get these last 40-50 lbs off for good! Any advice is appreciated! (Maybe I should start a new post?) 0 -
FortWildernessLoopy wrote: »Iwishyouwell wrote: »That's a lovely shade of naivete you're sporting there. Or is it arrogance? So hard to tell sometimes.
On the road for a few months and already you not only know you'll be the one to never regain, but also you're so smart about the reasons other people do. It's because they "diet", and you're, a few months in, the one who made a "lifestyle" change, therefore you're immune.
Yes. I'm sure everyone who made a "lifestyle change" has experienced perfect weight maintenance. And only the big, bad "dieters" are the ones who regain. Sure.
Read it as you wish, but I wrote it both in answer to the OP's question and also because I am a 42 year old female who has gained weight back before whenever I'd lose it due to , yes, 'dieting'. Your damned right I have the answer. So does everyone else. It is a matter of choice and I am choosing not to fall back into the stupid habits that made me have to lose the weight in the first place. This isn't something that is out of my (or your) hands. It's hardly naivete nor arrogance. The word you are searching for is determined.
Your determination is admirable. Everybody here is determined. Keep in mind that, like you, most of us have been in this rodeo for awhile. Some of us have regained after long maintenance periods (such as myself). We all know it's within our control.
So your determination isn't the parts I, and apparently a couple others, took issue with. It's being 8 months into your latest endevour, which you have not walked out long enough to even remotely call a set "lifestyle change" yet, but your insistence that you're doing it the right way, and everyone who regained is doing it the wrong way.
Here's the thing, the thing that many, many find out; you can have all the answers, determination and knowledge in the world...and still rebound. You can make a "lifestyle change", totally own your role in your own weight gain, throw away all your dieting books, reach goal, and maintain for years and years...and still regain.
Because this is a life long journey and sometimes, as determined as we are, we falter. Actually most people falter eventually. Which is what this thread even exists.
If it were as easy, or as pat, as your posts suggest, the failure rates wouldn't be astronomical.
A little humility, and a healthy dose of reality, go a long way.0 -
I am hopeful I can keep this going as I have made gradual changes that can remain permanent habits. I have added exercise to my routine which I suspect is critical.0
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FortWildernessLoopy wrote: »I am the same height as Marilyn Monroe and she was 154lbs.
Have a great day.
Marilyn Monroe was not a 154 pounds. She fluctuated, like many people, but at her smallest she was 115 pounds. The woman was curvy as hell, but she was usually very small.
http://starcasm.net/archives/169858-1 -
I find it very interesting how we use the word "habit" -- good habits and bad habits, and how a lot of people who lose weight then regain it say they developed good habits then slid back into bad habits.
But if a habit is a routine behavior that we generally do unconsciously -- brush my teeth every morning, for instance -- and if general wisdom is to be believed, the period of time needed to adjust to a new habit is 21 days, then why do we slip back into old habits?
Seems to me that if we want to sustain a lower-weight lifestyle, our understanding of habits really needs better investigation.
Some research suggests that habits take 66 or 254 days to form, but I wonder, for something like our eating habits, how many days it really takes for the new habit to stick, and more importantly, for the old habit to dissolve.0 -
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That's a very good and interesting point Deirdre.
One of my best friends was raised as a vegetarian since birth. He literally never had a single taste of meat growing up. That's about as solid a "habit" as you can form. However sometime in his mid 20's he ended up tasting meat and, now in his early 30s, he eats it pretty regularly, to his mother's horror.
I don't think the normal, typical understanding of habit formation seems to apply to food. That food choices tend to involve dozens, if not hundreds, of potential choices every day, if you live in a food culture marked by plenty and variety, makes me wonder if the "habit" is something that must be actively reinforced on pretty regular basis.
Very few people have been able to form weight loss and weight maintenance habits, set them, and just mindlessly forget about them the way you might tooth brushing or regular bathing. Because even among the minority who are considered maintenance success, plenty of even those people have regained years after their initial loss.
And even the way maintenance success is defined in studies is typically those who managed to keep off a pretty small percentage of their weight loss. So technically, according to that criteria, a person could lose 100 pounds, regain most of it, and still be classified as a "success" as long as they kept off a relatively small percentage of the weight for a couple years.0 -
Find new goals to achieve. Or reset current goals for bigger ones. Be adaptive.0
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0somuchbetter0 wrote: »My problem is that in order to lose more weight I have to net under 1400, and at that point I'm just HUNGRY. I usually end up eating closer to 1700 and just maintain. I don't always have time to burn the extra calories. At 5'3" and 180lbs, this can't be my "set point," it just can't! I'm giving myself a break through the new year and giving myself permission to net 1700 without guilt. But after the holidays I'm going back down to 1400, determined to get these last 40-50 lbs off for good! Any advice is appreciated! (Maybe I should start a new post?)
Being 5'3 is kind of a pain sometimes, in that based on the numbers (and my experience too) it's not that strange for netting 1700 to be around maintenance level. I'm currently eating around 1700 (I decided to try this for December) because I think it's my maintenance without exercise, and then I lose depending on how much exercise I do (I net less than 1700, although I don't think of it that way since it's similar to my goal set based on overall TDEE). (I'm lighter than you, but I don't think it makes that huge a difference, as the main issue is lean body mass, which I think varies less based on height unless people are really outliers or much heavier than you are.)
I find that I'm not really much hungrier based on exercise, so that's the key for me. If not, the question is whether you can find a way to eat so that you aren't hungry at a lower level, since I know time can be an issue. (I was happy on 1400 for quite a while, but admit I prefer eating this way now.)
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1.) Make goals that are not centered around weight loss, like increasing lifting numbers, decreasing run times, etc.
2.) Continue logging my food. I plan on doing this forever.0 -
DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Seems to me that if we want to sustain a lower-weight lifestyle, our understanding of habits really needs better investigation.
Some research suggests that habits take 66 or 254 days to form, but I wonder, for something like our eating habits, how many days it really takes for the new habit to stick, and more importantly, for the old habit to dissolve.
This is interesting. I don't think any of the claims about length of time to form a habit are much more than broscience or it's non-fitness-related equivalent (my old trainer insisted that if you go to the gym regularly for 21 days, you have a new habit!), but I do think breaking old habits and making new ones are important.
For me, however, you can't form a habit that's not doing stuff. It has to be positive, something you do. That's why "eat less of the same stuff" never worked for me, it had to be rephrased positively and relate to something I perceived myself as doing, something I could initially be excited about and have form into a way of life (or habit). That could well be, in fact, eating less of the same stuff, phrased as eating mindfully and watching portion size, or it could be a focus on eating healthily (however that is defined for you), but an overall positive focus.
Similarly, a focus on "being active in the evening" (although more specifics are usually helpful to me) vs. something like "not watching TV." If a "habit" is based around not doing something, that something is always the focus, in the center of the mind at the relevant time, and so the unconscious "this is what I do" of a habit can't really take its place.
Or at least that's what seems to make sense to me.
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As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.0
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Forget about the weight. Focus on your lifestyle. Don't have a "diet mode" and a non diet one. Certain changes have to be for life. If you are doing it right your weight won't change.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »As someone who has been down this road more than once, I don't think there is any trick. You simply have to want it. When you stop wanting it, you'll regain.
^^^ This.
I have realized that this will be a lifelong task. No end date. Which do I want? Candy and junk and all that comes with it (e.g., fat, pain, unhealthy, embarassed, lazy, unhappy)? Or being fit and all that comes with it (e.g, being strong, energetic, pain-free, healthly, confident, happy)? It's a choice and I choose the latter. So I'm holding myself accountable, always. I will never allow myself to go so far off course again. These have been the most miserable 2 years of my life. The key for me was realizing that there are so many other things in life that I can do with my time besides eating crap. And eating crap has prevented me from enjoying those things because it made me fat.0 -
Iwishyouwell's cynicism aside, life is all about making choices. One can't control a lot of what happens outside one's skin, but one can choose how to respond. FortWilderness is making choices today, and states determination to be mindful for the days to come. That, in my opinion, is the key. Determination does not equal outcome, but if it is backed up with action, intention is likely to be fulfilled.0
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Iwishyouwell's cynicism aside, life is all about making choices. One can't control a lot of what happens outside one's skin, but one can choose how to respond. FortWilderness is making choices today, and states determination to be mindful for the days to come. That, in my opinion, is the key. Determination does not equal outcome, but if it is backed up with action, intention is likely to be fulfilled.
I've lost over 110 pounds (and counting), likely more than the majority people around MFP. And I've experienced maintenance a lot longer than most with a previous effort. I've been where FortWilderness, and many others are; high on early success, determined that getting fat again wasn't possible, a bit judgemental about others who rebound, the whole nine yards.
The statistics speak for themselves. It's not cynical to acknowledge that the chances for rebound are astronomical and it works against all of us. Most people who lost and eventually regained were "determined". Slapping a "determination" label on maintenance doesn't magically excuse you from potentially being one of the 8 or 9 in 10 people who fail at weight loss maintenance. The choices you're so determined about today don't necessarily speak for the actions you'll take tomorrow.
Being real about the odds, and aware of the huge potential to rebound, is helpful in the long run. It helps keep you vigilant, humbled and aware. There is nothing cynical about that.0 -
IMO, what is so hard is that you are determined until you aren't, so there needs to be a way to make it work even when you go through less determined periods. When I know I've figured this out I'll be dead, so it will probably be too late to write a book.
That said, I think feeling confident is helpful to people, so I don't see the harm. Believing you can and will do something is part of what makes it possible to do it, although there's more necessary also.0
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