once fat, always fat
Replies
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@synacious " I'm 30 now and I weigh 118 pounds; my body looks the best it ever has in my life. Do I deprive myself? No. Yesterday I had half of a pumpkin spice donut, half of an apple cinnamon donut, half of a jelly donut, and a hamburger with BBQ sauce and french fries. I enjoyed every bite, but I know I can't eat like that every single day unless I'm willing to get the physical activity it takes to burn that off or maintain my weight. I still ended up losing two pounds this week when my goal is only half a pound per week. I didn't mean to, but I move around so much now that it just happened."
I weighed 115 until age 38, and then I slowly slowly gained. Up to to that point I ate whatever I wanted and the weight just melted off of me. I was always active too. So "age" is not necessarily starting at 30. Now, I can't even look at those things you mention in your comment. If I overeat one day, or eat something that has a tiny bit of more sodium or sugar, I gain 1-2 lbs that takes me 4-5 days to work off. I lift weights and do cardio 7 days a week. Have to do almost scientific efforts to lose the weight.
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
That's because you're gaining water weight... donuts or hamburgers won't make you gain weight as long as they fit your calories. Just saying.
I experienced first hand that the balance also counts. I cannot explain how, but the same caloric intake of "bad" food stays on more. Not to mention the increased cholesterol intake that just shortens one's life.
My point was really that we'd better watch out how and what we eat because at the end, you'll pay the piper.
Nope. As long as you're in a caloric deficit , weight comes off. No matter what. If you didn't lose weight, you weren't in a deficit. You need to weigh all solid food on a food scale to accurately verify caloric intake. All things in moderation, including cholesterol, and you're fine.
and as far as the piper goes, no one gets out alive, that's just how it goes. Enjoy the journey.
I don't intend to hijack this thread, but if you look at my diary, you can see how detailed I am logging everything. I am weighing even the .2 oz garlic I put in food. In spite of this, I lost maybe 1 lb in 2 weeks. So in spite of all the heavy training and proper eating, I have difficulty losing at my age.
Also, eating 200 calories of carbs is NOT the same as eating 200 calories of fat. Carbs burn up, fat stays. And fat is only burnt after you used up all the carbs in your body. So it does count what type of food you eat within the same caloric intake.
That is not correct. If you are in a deficit, your body cannot store anything. It must use everything. And also burn extra from stores in the body. That is how the caloric deficit works. There cannot be any storage of fat in a deficit.0 -
I've been fat. I will always want to eat the amount of food I did while maintaining or gaining when I was larger...but I can't. I have to re-learn how to eat for my smaller self. It kind of sucks because I love food so much, but I have the knowledge and power, as well as fitness goals, to maintain my weight. Or so I strongly believe.0
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It's so incredibly difficult for people who are obese to maintain at a healthy weight because of how our brains are wired. It's a consistence, conscious effort and fight on a daily basis. It's certainly so much more difficult for someone to maintain who was once obese vs. to maintain for someone who has never been overweight.0
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There are so many variables from person to person most any 'absolute' statement about diet/weight loss/gain will not be true from time to time. We are all different.0
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@hugheseva, one thing I will say - looking at your diary. You have some entries where you are meausuring things like peanut butter. Can't do that, you have to weigh it. You also eat back most of your exercise calories. You may be overestimating the calories burned. Eat back less of those calories. Those adjustments might help you.0
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@synacious " I'm 30 now and I weigh 118 pounds; my body looks the best it ever has in my life. Do I deprive myself? No. Yesterday I had half of a pumpkin spice donut, half of an apple cinnamon donut, half of a jelly donut, and a hamburger with BBQ sauce and french fries. I enjoyed every bite, but I know I can't eat like that every single day unless I'm willing to get the physical activity it takes to burn that off or maintain my weight. I still ended up losing two pounds this week when my goal is only half a pound per week. I didn't mean to, but I move around so much now that it just happened."
I weighed 115 until age 38, and then I slowly slowly gained. Up to to that point I ate whatever I wanted and the weight just melted off of me. I was always active too. So "age" is not necessarily starting at 30. Now, I can't even look at those things you mention in your comment. If I overeat one day, or eat something that has a tiny bit of more sodium or sugar, I gain 1-2 lbs that takes me 4-5 days to work off. I lift weights and do cardio 7 days a week. Have to do almost scientific efforts to lose the weight.
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
That's because you're gaining water weight... donuts or hamburgers won't make you gain weight as long as they fit your calories. Just saying.
I experienced first hand that the balance also counts. I cannot explain how, but the same caloric intake of "bad" food stays on more. Not to mention the increased cholesterol intake that just shortens one's life.
My point was really that we'd better watch out how and what we eat because at the end, you'll pay the piper.
Nope. As long as you're in a caloric deficit , weight comes off. No matter what. If you didn't lose weight, you weren't in a deficit. You need to weigh all solid food on a food scale to accurately verify caloric intake. All things in moderation, including cholesterol, and you're fine.
and as far as the piper goes, no one gets out alive, that's just how it goes. Enjoy the journey.
I don't intend to hijack this thread, but if you look at my diary, you can see how detailed I am logging everything. I am weighing even the .2 oz garlic I put in food. In spite of this, I lost maybe 1 lb in 2 weeks. So in spite of all the heavy training and proper eating, I have difficulty losing at my age.
Also, eating 200 calories of carbs is NOT the same as eating 200 calories of fat. Carbs burn up, fat stays. And fat is only burnt after you used up all the carbs in your body. So it does count what type of food you eat within the same caloric intake.
This is a good rate of loss, also. Be confident in this and stick with it.0 -
For me what happened is that I got into a groove. I stayed at 124 without a thought, I even stopped counting for the last two years of maintenance. That's because I learned all there was to know about being that person at that time, in that particular CI/CO balance, with that amount of activity, eating more or less the same 10-20 meals. I didn't weigh food, I used measuring cups, and it was fine, because I could count on my burns. It worked really well for ages.
When the CO side changed (because of injuries), I kept eating the way I did before. The regain wasn't too bad - I went up to 142ish with no exercise. I've lost some of that (am now at 137, have been hovering between 135 and that for some months) with much less exercise intensity and frequency than before. Now, after even more injuries and with no exercise really at all, I have to learn a new approach, even though I know CICO and I know what I like. Now, I am going to probably have to weigh my food with a scale and maybe make different food choices in order to not feel terrible on a lower intake.
Because, yes, you have the knowledge (eat less move more), but the experiential knowledge and habits may need to change depending on new constraints.0 -
@synacious " I'm 30 now and I weigh 118 pounds; my body looks the best it ever has in my life. Do I deprive myself? No. Yesterday I had half of a pumpkin spice donut, half of an apple cinnamon donut, half of a jelly donut, and a hamburger with BBQ sauce and french fries. I enjoyed every bite, but I know I can't eat like that every single day unless I'm willing to get the physical activity it takes to burn that off or maintain my weight. I still ended up losing two pounds this week when my goal is only half a pound per week. I didn't mean to, but I move around so much now that it just happened."
I weighed 115 until age 38, and then I slowly slowly gained. Up to to that point I ate whatever I wanted and the weight just melted off of me. I was always active too. So "age" is not necessarily starting at 30. Now, I can't even look at those things you mention in your comment. If I overeat one day, or eat something that has a tiny bit of more sodium or sugar, I gain 1-2 lbs that takes me 4-5 days to work off. I lift weights and do cardio 7 days a week. Have to do almost scientific efforts to lose the weight.
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
That's because you're gaining water weight... donuts or hamburgers won't make you gain weight as long as they fit your calories. Just saying.
I experienced first hand that the balance also counts. I cannot explain how, but the same caloric intake of "bad" food stays on more. Not to mention the increased cholesterol intake that just shortens one's life.
My point was really that we'd better watch out how and what we eat because at the end, you'll pay the piper.
Ok you really have no idea what you're talking about. I suggest you spend some time reading more about how weight loss works.
Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol.-1 -
No one can. Because it simply doesn't work that way.@synacious " I'm 30 now and I weigh 118 pounds; my body looks the best it ever has in my life. Do I deprive myself? No. Yesterday I had half of a pumpkin spice donut, half of an apple cinnamon donut, half of a jelly donut, and a hamburger with BBQ sauce and french fries. I enjoyed every bite, but I know I can't eat like that every single day unless I'm willing to get the physical activity it takes to burn that off or maintain my weight. I still ended up losing two pounds this week when my goal is only half a pound per week. I didn't mean to, but I move around so much now that it just happened."
I weighed 115 until age 38, and then I slowly slowly gained. Up to to that point I ate whatever I wanted and the weight just melted off of me. I was always active too. So "age" is not necessarily starting at 30. Now, I can't even look at those things you mention in your comment. If I overeat one day, or eat something that has a tiny bit of more sodium or sugar, I gain 1-2 lbs that takes me 4-5 days to work off. I lift weights and do cardio 7 days a week. Have to do almost scientific efforts to lose the weight.
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
That's because you're gaining water weight... donuts or hamburgers won't make you gain weight as long as they fit your calories. Just saying.
I experienced first hand that the balance also counts. I cannot explain how, but the same caloric intake of "bad" food stays on more. Not to mention the increased cholesterol intake that just shortens one's life.
My point was really that we'd better watch out how and what we eat because at the end, you'll pay the piper.
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I saw a study a few days ago where they showed that the effects of dieting on the various hormones that affect our appetite (leptin, ghrelin, PYY, GLP-1 etc), continued for years after weight loss. Our bodies are begging us to regain the weight. Scary stuff. But for me, not nearly as scary as the habit of relying on food to "get me through". What's going to happen the next time I am met with a challenge that I feel inadequately prepared for? Where am I going to turn for that "added boost" I feel that I need? I haven't completely figured this out yet. It's very tempting to STILL turn to food, but limit it to ONE DAY and one day only. The real willpower would be in not allowing that one day to turn into two months.0
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I believe the statement " losing fat " can be misleading. We will always have the same number of fat cells in our bodies unless you have them sucked out or frozen. Knowing that I have all these cells just waiting to fill back up makes me much more conscious of how easily it would be to regain.
This is lifelong for me.
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GaleHawkins wrote: »There are so many variables from person to person most any 'absolute' statement about diet/weight loss/gain will not be true from time to time. We are all different.
I can agree with this. People have to find their own groove and go with it. For all we know taking a magic placebo pill would put some people in the mindset that it's going to work, and they would alter their habits because of it. Others find motivations elsewhere. What rule works for one might not for another, and there are very few absolutes.
Personally I think the thing of people gaining back weight is largely a psychological thing. You don't get overweight without bad habits, and the farther they are planted in your mind as "normal" the more likely you are to return to them. It's easy to change behavior short term, but long term it's much harder.0 -
*Looks in mirror and looks at her diary*
Nope, definitely eat and definitely haven't gotten "fat" again after losing 100 lbs 7 years ago.0 -
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Most people will regain because they look at dieting as a temporary change. It's something they do for a while and then they can go back to "normal".
I will most likely maintain on a similar amount of calories that I was eating in my "before" because I'm **a lot** more active now. I went from couch potato (<2000 steps on a typical day) to active (12000 steps on a normal day). I also didn't eat a ridiculous amount of food every day. I ate a little too much all the time and then would stuff myself silly every once in a while.
When all the math works out, I'll probably be eating pretty similar day to day calories as I did "before". I've eliminated the binge eating portions (I just feel terrible now when I try so I can't even binge like I used to). But, I say that knowing that I need to stay active and keep on top of my weight. If I don't, I could slide very easily back into old habits and regain.
I have no desire to become a couch potato again. I like my active lifestyle. But I know that I could be one injury or high risk pregnancy away from having to cut my calories down to maintain*. Maintenance is about vigilance. It's when people get complacent that they regain.
*I say this as a future state. I'm not currently maintaining, I still have 25 or so pounds to go.0 -
@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.0 -
No people who were once fat must not always be fat or unhealthy.
Yes, most who lose weight will regain it.0 -
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
This is not accurate, unless you eat more calories than you burn.
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@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.
Bread typically wouldn't have any/much cholesterol. But it may have plenty of fast digesting carbohydrates which have been shown to affect blood cholesterol levels.
But you very well could be an anomaly. While dietary cholesterol typically has little impact on blood cholesterol (saying no impact is not correct), for some people it has a significant impact.0 -
This is my second serious weight loss go around and this time, I think, is for keeps. I have been maintaining for six months now. My goal was 125 but my body seems to think that 118 is pretty good and I have not really deviated from that in the past 6 months. I weigh each Friday morning at the gym in front of my trainer and anyone else who is around. I think part of my success, besides really enjoying size 4 jeans, is the fact that I do this in front of everyone. I am being held accountable and am often used as an example by my trainer for others.
I came into the weight loss game with ulcerative colitis, proctitis and low level inflammation throughout my body as a result of auto-immune issues. Oh, and let's throw perimenopause into the mix too. Also, I broke my left kneecap in several places a few years back so the tendons and muscles are not attached in the normal spot due to the breaks. That means, I cannot do hard impact exercises like jump rope, running and sprints. I have to work around issues. And let's face it, EVERYONE has particular issues that could hold them back. This time around, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
The biggest lifestyle change was recognizing my weaknesses. I KNOW if I do not log my food and exercise, I will backslide rapidly. I know some people who lie on their own food logs! All that does is undermine yourself. I keep it real, logging even the one crouton I pop in my mouth while making salad. I quit soda AGAIN and this time, it is for good. I research the restaurant I will be eating at with friends or family so I know exactly what to get without any guesswork. I carry my stainless steel thermos everywhere I go so I stay hydrated (a major problem in the past was that I would eat when I was actually just not hydrated enough).
What's that saying? You're not planning to fail; you are failing to plan. You need to have that game plan for those blips on the radar. If I have ice cream or my favorite bag of chips, I know immediately that the following day, I will be eating more salad, cutting grains and/or adding some extra cardio to my workout to compensate.
There is NO way that I will be going back to the way I was. I will do whatever I have to do to maintain this new normal that I am enjoying so much.0 -
@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.
Losing weight overall affects blood cholesterol a great deal.0 -
The heavier you were and the longer you were obese/overweight, the more difficult it will be to stay normal weight, - just because habits form and solidify with time, and the greater the loss, the bigger the difference in calorie needs. The difficulty is 99% mental/psychological/social/environmental, maybe 1% physical/medical. And it's difficult, but not impossible.
My experience of losing and regaining around 45 pounds - recently lost again, and maintained for a year - was that I hadn't prepared for real life situations. When I couldn't continue doing classes at the gym, I couldn't figure out an alternative, and I didn't really care, because I was fed up. I didn't know how and when to say no thanks to food and snacks. The food I believed I was supposed to eat most of the time, was boring and quite tasteless. I felt sorry for myself and "had to" have that candy and chips. Soon, it became an everyday "need". I hadn't really learnt much, or maybe just "forgot" - this time around I had to learn about proper portions, get in some meal time structure, picking up hunger and satiety cues, and of course, learn to cook properly and shop accordingly.0 -
The statistics don't support people maintaining a weight loss, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. The solution is not complicated and not easy either. It happens when you change the way you think and act in a significant way.0
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I don't think "once you're fat, you'll always be fat," but the fact is most people who lose weight will regain it, some will regain even more than they lost. Those who have truly made a lifestyle change and remain vigilant, using the knowledge they've gained on this journey, will maintain. I'm hitting 2 years maintaining. I am still learning a lot about myself and my body. Is it easy? No. I can't eat whatever I want. But I can go overboard every once in a while without any significant weight gain. I'm also very active. I grew up thin and gained weight while pregnant and life just got in the way. When I decided to lose the weight, I educated myself (and I'm still learning...learning never ends) and have maintained it while staying active, eating healthy, and still enjoying the foods I love. I'm really enjoying my active life and won't be going back to being overweight ever.0
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Knowledge is power! My weight loss journey started in my teens. From age 11, I was 11 stone and increased by one stone each year until I was 13. I had no clue about nutrition. I somehow managed to get down to a healthier weight by trying to cut out more fattening foods and exercising. In my late teens and early 20's, I seemed to yo yo by 3 stone. As others have said, this was most probably down to emotional factors. I found it really hard to relate to my body when it was thinner. I still do to some extent. I guess the fat becomes a metaphorical protective layer. In my late 20s I realised that I needed to change how I thought about food. I started to eat with more awareness about hunger and more nourishing foods and lost weight very slowly, without dieting as such. This time, I was able to continue eating like this but worries about losing too much weight would lead to consuming more rubbish. When I start down this path, I quickly lose control. I continued on a yo yo pattern but with 10 lbs instead of 3 stone.
As I am now approaching the years of menopause, I find myself wondering how I can make the process easier. Lots of my research has highlighted nutrition. There has been lots of contradictory information but I have decided to try and really restrict processed food. I have just lost that pesky 10lbs and am embarking on my maintenance plan. I think that remaining mindful of diet and exercise will be key. I will continue with the same kind of diet but just gradually increase the amount of food and monitor until I find a level that suits. I am hoping that logging my meals will become habit and keep me aware of what I am eating. I will never say never (experience teaches me that that is foolhardy) As much as we can be determined, at times it is hard to get past a life time of conditioning and experience. I have to be on my guard. I was at a 21st meal in the local chinese all you can eat buffet at the weekend. So hard to find anything unprocessed but with a bit of effort, I found a reasonably healthy meal and even indulged a little in some sweet stuff. I probably enjoyed it more that if I had just mindlessly filled my plate. I think for me, informing myself about the effects of sugar and highly processed foods, on my hormones and body, has really helped me avoid such foods.0 -
Not true. For me anyways. I will NEVER go back to the way I used to be & I don't have to starve to do that. It's pretty simple actually. & if being fat means youll always be fat.. Then being skinny means you'll always be skinny & that's NOT true. ALOT of the skinny people I went to hs with (almost 5 years ago) blew up like balloons.0
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@synacious " I'm 30 now and I weigh 118 pounds; my body looks the best it ever has in my life. Do I deprive myself? No. Yesterday I had half of a pumpkin spice donut, half of an apple cinnamon donut, half of a jelly donut, and a hamburger with BBQ sauce and french fries. I enjoyed every bite, but I know I can't eat like that every single day unless I'm willing to get the physical activity it takes to burn that off or maintain my weight. I still ended up losing two pounds this week when my goal is only half a pound per week. I didn't mean to, but I move around so much now that it just happened."
I weighed 115 until age 38, and then I slowly slowly gained. Up to to that point I ate whatever I wanted and the weight just melted off of me. I was always active too. So "age" is not necessarily starting at 30. Now, I can't even look at those things you mention in your comment. If I overeat one day, or eat something that has a tiny bit of more sodium or sugar, I gain 1-2 lbs that takes me 4-5 days to work off. I lift weights and do cardio 7 days a week. Have to do almost scientific efforts to lose the weight.
So as a conclusion, if one continues eating the stuff you mentioned, around a certain "age" one will gain back the weight without a doubt.
That's because you're gaining water weight... donuts or hamburgers won't make you gain weight as long as they fit your calories. Just saying.
I experienced first hand that the balance also counts. I cannot explain how, but the same caloric intake of "bad" food stays on more. Not to mention the increased cholesterol intake that just shortens one's life.
My point was really that we'd better watch out how and what we eat because at the end, you'll pay the piper.
Nope. As long as you're in a caloric deficit , weight comes off. No matter what. If you didn't lose weight, you weren't in a deficit. You need to weigh all solid food on a food scale to accurately verify caloric intake. All things in moderation, including cholesterol, and you're fine.
and as far as the piper goes, no one gets out alive, that's just how it goes. Enjoy the journey.
I don't intend to hijack this thread, but if you look at my diary, you can see how detailed I am logging everything. I am weighing even the .2 oz garlic I put in food. In spite of this, I lost maybe 1 lb in 2 weeks. So in spite of all the heavy training and proper eating, I have difficulty losing at my age.
Also, eating 200 calories of carbs is NOT the same as eating 200 calories of fat. Carbs burn up, fat stays. And fat is only burnt after you used up all the carbs in your body. So it does count what type of food you eat within the same caloric intake.
Please stop spreading misinformation. This is truly one of the reasons people regain weight. Too much misinformation out there.0 -
@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.
Losing weight overall affects blood cholesterol a great deal.
Me personally, I lost weight this year and cholesterol went up, so it does happen to some people.0 -
@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.
Losing weight overall affects blood cholesterol a great deal.
Me personally, I lost weight this year and cholesterol went up, so it does happen to some people.
Dietary cholesterol can have some effect on blood serum cholesterol. Statin use is going up widely because even with weight loss and exercise, there are genetic factors involved in cholesterol that haven't been completely explained by science yet. (For example - Native Americans have terrible problems with blood cholesterol levels, even when they are a healthy weight and change diet.)0 -
@FrancI27
"Also dietary cholesterol has typically no impact on blood cholesterol"
Yes, there are new studies that that's the case. Again, back to my own experience. 25 lbs weight, cheese, other dairy products, bread and cold cuts ago, my blood cholesterol was 236. I stopped eating these things. After 5 months, my blood cholesterol was 160. I must be an anomaly.
Losing weight overall affects blood cholesterol a great deal.
Me personally, I lost weight this year and cholesterol went up, so it does happen to some people.
This happened big time after being on very Low Carb High Fat for nearly a year. I do not have the labs for 2013, 2014 and 2015 in front of me. LDL was like 200 in 2013 and 323 in 2015. But HDL had climbed to 55 from 38. Triglycerides were down to 115 but forget the ### for 2013.
The doctor was freaking out and wanted me to start on statins. After doing some reading I learned that was normal for a few people. If HDL and triglycerides have moved into a good range from a bad range then the LDL number when further tested will typically show the large size particles vs the small dense ones. I just told the doctor since my other numbers were going in the right direction we would take about LDL numbers next year.
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