"If you're fat and lose weight, you're probably gonna get fat again"
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Right, the weight loss is easier IMO then the maintenance. Many people leave here and return, with "Try this again" trial and error, eventual success. . . . .Extract from the article.
Now, I'm sure there will be lots of people chime in to say "I was X amount, and now I'm Y amount and have been for so many years." That's fine. What the article is starting is that through studies they found that is exceptionally rare. That the GREAT MAJORITY of people who were obese, then lost weight, became obese or at least "got fat" again later.
As much as I hate to say it, I do agree with the above statement. I have seen way too many people in my time lose a lot of weight, only to gain it back years later.
However, it does not have to be like that if, during the losing weight period, the person learnt new habits AND continued those once they hit maintenance.
And to Mystgrl, with your attitude you will be one of the statistics to lose weight and to keep it off. Good for you!!
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Agreed... I think the successful people are the ones that understand that the maintenance phase takes as much vigilance as the weight-loss phase. Maybe more.0
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amusedmonkey wrote: »The "addiction " approach is ill-conceived. With addiction you cut out the addictive substance entirely. You can't cut out food.
QFT I think this got lost in a lot of the other good comments. Treating eating as an addiction has a strong possibility of creating unhealthy patterns (eating disorders among them). Since it isn't possible to simply cut all food out your life (and you can cut out all opiates, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. because while arguably fun, these are not required as sustenance).
While trying to lose weight, I can see approaching the problem in a similar manner to treating addiction (and I've read success stories on MFP's forums where this approach was taken), but I suspect that wouldn't work for all, or even most, people (though it may work for a significant minority, I don't know). I simply don't buy into the "food addiction" thing.0 -
The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.0
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stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
I would also argue that it is what you know and what you are aware of which suppliments self effort to determine you succeed or not. I agree though that this knowlage is out there and people can find it if they want to :-)
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stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
Total agreement. That stats just show how people let themselves go again. I plan to never have health not be a priority again.
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stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
If the stats are correct, 8/10 people in this thread who say, "I won't regain" will regain the weight.
It's so easy to say, "Nope, not me!" but the people who regained thought that, too.
I wish there were some guaranteed-success plan, lol. Some way to know why you might fail in the future, so you could prevent it.
I guess we all just have to make our plans and do our best. Nothing else to do.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
If the stats are correct, 8/10 people in this thread who say, "I won't regain" will regain the weight.
It's so easy to say, "Nope, not me!" but the people who regained thought that, too.
I wish there were some guaranteed-success plan, lol. Some way to know why you might fail in the future, so you could prevent it.
I guess we all just have to make our plans and do our best. Nothing else to do.
I have a guarantee success plan when I finish losing fat which is never get too big that I cannot see my abs. Also stats are stats from the past which don't correlate to the future for matter that we control.0 -
That's what happened to me in the past. I know it's my own fault. I never planned for maintenance but allowed myself to slowly slip back into old habits.0
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stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
If the stats are correct, 8/10 people in this thread who say, "I won't regain" will regain the weight.
It's so easy to say, "Nope, not me!" but the people who regained thought that, too.
I wish there were some guaranteed-success plan, lol. Some way to know why you might fail in the future, so you could prevent it.
I guess we all just have to make our plans and do our best. Nothing else to do.
That conclusion would only work if there was a representation of the general public on this forum. I'd say though, the fact that we're here to begin with and understand how weight loss works already raises our chances of success immensely compared to for example a coworker who's been complaining about her weight for the last 2 years.0 -
Whether it is 1 in 1000 or even 1 in 100 the odds are not great for obese or formerly obese people. From all the obese people I know, I get the impression that they are deluding themselves with regards to the amount of effort and focus that is needed to lose weight and keep it off. Most people just don't get it.
The National Weight Control Registry has stats on people who've lost weight and kept it off. There is one stat that states:
"90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day."
For the average obese person, without the proper guidance, achieving this level of behavioral change alone is next to impossible. Without the proper coaching I don't believe it can be done.
On the bright side, with the proper guidance, coaching and willingness to change, I know for a fact that an obese person can lose weight and keep it off.
My wife was obese and had lose over twenty pounds and kept it off for years. She did have times when she reverted back to old habits but with coaching she was able to get back on track each time. I'm not suggesting that I'm responsible for her keeping the weight off, rather I see myself as countering all the negative influences that the average person is bombarded with.
For every person committed to losing weight there are 100 people out there pulling them in the opposite direction. The obese person trying to lose weight usually has to interact daily with people who have no clue what a proper diet and fitness routine is.
Even our jobs conspire against us. Anyone with a desk job is facing huge health risks but society has not caught up with the idea that sitting all day is lethal. I'm a programmer so I've had to come up with ways to get up every hour and move.
We've been going at this the wrong way. Most tend to think of it as an individual issue when in reality it is a social disease. For example, no responsible person would offer a drink to a recovering alcoholic but most think nothing of offering unhealthy food to an obese person. In fact, some people will go out of there way to justify overeating. "Have another piece of cake. You only live once."
Case in point, I was at the hospital last night with my father who was having surgery. I won't give the horrific details except to say that his weight almost killed him. A number of my family members where there as well. One family member showed up and brought candy canes and started to hand them out to everyone. I know his heart was in the right place but I pulled him aside and told him to stop. Everyone there to visit my father, except for my wife and myself, had type 2 diabetes including the one handing out the candy canes.
The hospital had a donut shop in it. If it had other healthy options nearby I wouldn't have a problem with it. I love the occasional donut but it would have been great to grab a salad while waiting.0 -
Bottom line is, that people that regain the weight, resumed eating more calories than they burn.
Maintaining healthy eating habits is key to long term success.
No one that loses the weight, wants to go back and start all over. At least I don't.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
If the stats are correct, 8/10 people in this thread who say, "I won't regain" will regain the weight.
It's so easy to say, "Nope, not me!" but the people who regained thought that, too.
I wish there were some guaranteed-success plan, lol. Some way to know why you might fail in the future, so you could prevent it.
I guess we all just have to make our plans and do our best. Nothing else to do.
That conclusion would only work if there was a representation of the general public on this forum. I'd say though, the fact that we're here to begin with and understand how weight loss works already raises our chances of success immensely compared to for example a coworker who's been complaining about her weight for the last 2 years.
+1
I'm going to be logging for a loooooooong time to come. I'm going to be working out. I'm going to be eating right. I'm going to be active. Susan in the next cube is sipping on Advocare and wondering why wishing isn't making it happen.
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I am one of those people that was obese (just barely by BMI standards), and I got down to 185 (or slightly overweight), and then went back up to 220 over 5 years.
What worked for me the first time was tracking calories with another website and biking on my trainer. Fast forward to today, and I'm down 20lb tracking with MFP. What I learned, was I need to track constantly, and it isn't that big of a deal. A few minutes a day and I have everything tracked. I need to weigh at least weekly once I hit maintenance or I just stop caring.
My plan and goals are slightly different this time though. This time I have access to a weight bench (last time I was living in an apartment), and I'm already squatting over 1x my weight with my sets. My goal this time is to hit 175lb, and then be able to squat 2x my weight (1 rep max is fine by me). This is a longer term goal that will require tracking my food intake past once I lose the weight. I'll even have to bulk and cut, so I can't just quit logging. I'm hoping that I can keep to my plan and keep the weight off for years, but I know that I won't be able to do that if I am not just as committed to keeping it off as losing it in the first place. I know from experience. It isn't magic, luck, or anything else, except determination.0 -
I hope so. I do what I think is best. What else can I do? What else can anyone do?stevencloser wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »The way those articles keep talking is as if it was up to pure chance if you're in the lucky 1% instead the rest, when in actuality it is your own work that makes you succeed or not, and the only thing sobering about the statistics is that so many people promptly fall back to their old habits instead of keeping on improving themselves.
If the stats are correct, 8/10 people in this thread who say, "I won't regain" will regain the weight.
It's so easy to say, "Nope, not me!" but the people who regained thought that, too.
I wish there were some guaranteed-success plan, lol. Some way to know why you might fail in the future, so you could prevent it.
I guess we all just have to make our plans and do our best. Nothing else to do.
That conclusion would only work if there was a representation of the general public on this forum. I'd say though, the fact that we're here to begin with and understand how weight loss works already raises our chances of success immensely compared to for example a coworker who's been complaining about her weight for the last 2 years.
But I know the odds are against me. It does give me pause, lol.0 -
The stats are sobering. Anyone who doesn't take heed is either cocky or stupid, IMO.
I pray that it's not me.
I think I'm setting myself up for success. But reading articles about failure rates and having watched people IRL lose a lot and then gain back (surgery or no surgery), I have to take a good, hard look at it and do some thinking. Am I being arrogant when I think I will be the exception? Are my plans good, long-term plans and not just things I like now, but could change later if I stop liking them?
I think I have good plans. I think I'll maintain it. Sometimes when I read others' plans, I think, "You're a fool," and kind of slap myself on the back. Am I right or not? Is their plan the better one?
I don't know that I will be the miracle one who keeps it off. I think so. I have unique, sensible plans. But I just don't know.
The odds are against all of us. Most of us will gain it back.
It's a lot to think about. And kinda scary.
^Pretty much this.0 -
My thoughts are that I'm none of those people. I'll succeed, period. It's just that simple.0
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All I can say to this is....challenge accepted
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