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grandmothercharlie

npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/02/476498729/biggest-loser-lessons-why-the-body-makes-it-hard-to-keep-pounds-off

Here is the link to the very detailed Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1

Above is a link to a NPR story. You can read it or listen to it. What it says for me at 5'1" is that I will never be able to not "diet." Through all my weight loss I maintained a 1200 calorie a day diet with averaging about 1 1/2 hours of exercise a day. That did not include the amount of walking I do for my job. It does explain why after losing 97 pounds, that last 10 was so hard. It also explains why it has been so easy for me to gain weight the minute I wasn't working out and why I got so many cravings.

At 5'1", 130 pounds, a day without exercise will only allow a "normal" person 1286 calories to maintain. If you take off 500 calories from that due to slower metabolism from weight loss, sedentary maintenance allowance would only be 786 calories a day to maintain. This is disheartening, especially now when working out has become so difficult.

Pam have you changed your eating and exercise habits much between dieting and maintenance? I didn't think you had.

MapDancer

I read the links and have been thinking about this since you posted. It does seem to throw a discouraging wedge into the hope of reaching and maintaining a goal. I never watched the show. It does seem that maintaining it afterward on their own would be difficult without all the attention and coaches that were part of the process to get the weight off. Also most seemed to have lost extreme amounts - though the woman in the article lost about 30% and I lost 27%. Hmm... did it matter that I put it on later in life? whether it comes off slowly or quickly? That's why I was glad to join the National Weight Loss Registry survey.

What really comes to mind is how important it is not to put it on in the first place, especially in children.
"This most recent data shows that the incidence of obesity in children and adolescents has tripled over the past 25 years." from this link: my.clevelandclinic.org/childrens-hospital/health-info/ages-stages/childhood/hic-Obesity-in-Children That is going to be a huge (pun groan..) problem in the future.

Because food, body image, self-worth, being politically correct etc. are so entwined it is very difficult to talk bluntly about the problem...with humans.

Monday I had my 3 yo male golden retriever at the vet - ACL tear in his left leg. We looked at him and said 'he's looking a bit chunky too'. Did he care that we called him fat? Nope. I cut his food 20%. Did he care? Nope- just give him his orbee ball. But he can't run around for 4-6 weeks either. Now that bothers him!

I've been at my goal of 130-134 for a year now, 132.4 this morning. Since I stopped logging last June I don't have a measure of my daily calories, but definitely more than 1200. I cook most of our food. Cooking Light is the only subscription I get. I 'm more aware of portion sizes, and check myself before avoiding mindless munching out of boredom. But I always have a bedtime snack.

I continue to aim for 60min of activity a day - my typical choice of treadmill / folkdancing / housecleaning. Perhaps research will find that reading subtitles burns more calories??

grandmothercharlie

I never saw the show either, but it isn't just those people. Most who lose a large amount gain it back.

Exercise is such a key for me. I never had a problem with weight until the heart failure and RA hit about the same time. Heart problems slows your metabolism. On top of that I wasn't allowed to exercise because the HF was so bad. 60 minutes of exercise was easy and I usually went beyond that, but right now, I can't seem to tolerate one hour. I have slowed my walk down to 3 mph from 4-4 1/2. I can only manage 20 minutes right now. I can usually manage the bike for 30 minutes, but not at a resistance level I did before. Sometimes I get too tired to do either.

Unfortunately, I think like the calorie needs decreasing after a big loss and long time dieting, that your body gets used to the exercise, too.

I forget, how much did you lose? 45 lbs. That is significant, but I think this applies to people who have a great deal to lose -- it mentions 100 pounds+. I had lost 97 pounds, but still had 11 to go. So, where I find it disheartening, is that when my health is like it is now (and let's face it the older I get, the more likely I will find times I can't workout), I won't be able to eat like I eat now. 1200 calories will put weight on me. But 700 calories would be impossible and unhealthy.

MapDancer

I meant to get back to this thread earlier. I certainly agree that there is a big difference with larger pounds lost. And without exercise I wouldn't be where I am today. I worry too if I can't exercise that it will all come back. But there must be something missing with the math because 700 calories is unsustainable and unhealthy.

"Unfortunately, I think like the calorie needs decreasing after a big loss and long time dieting, that your body gets used to the exercise, too." That is true from what I've read, at least in some sense... take dancing for example. A dance I know well becomes easier to do, it's all in my muscle memory. But learning the steps to a new dance means many small muscle changes - right, no left, back to right, two steps behind, nope one step behind - all that burns more calories. And that is why a dance workshop is much more of a workout than a dance party.

A new friend came over for kimchi making last week. She is married, 31 yo, 5'4" and at her highest was 280. She recently lost 40lb. but uses "Fen" (part of the phen/fen?) prescription. She already has weight related health issues. WW wouldn't accept her without a Dr note since she wanted an initial goal of 180lbs since it was still an unhealthy weight. Her Dr gave her a hard time, no support. So she found another Dr recently. All that is bad enough, but what I found discouraging was that they eat out 3x a day. She can't cook. Well, now she has kimchi, but still... Oh, and her husband doesn't eat fruits and veggies.

There are plenty of healthy eating resources online and even cooking classes. I'm thinking of group tours to the grocery store! But it comes down to motivation.

grandmothercharlie

I agree that 700 calories would be unhealthy, but I think that is basically what the article says. Our bodies will do whatever to try to gain the weight back. So, for me, if the metabolism slows, then the calorie intake would naturally decrease. It has nothing to do with math, just metabolism.

I'm sure if anyone can help your friend, you can. You have been so successful. Remind your friend that even a 10% loss is a good loss. She has beaten that.