Fact or fiction: doomed to be fat forever?

mlinci

I just had the following analogy pop into my head.

Think of the following analogy - think of losing weight like climbing a mountain.

Are you attempting to climb this mountain by walking at a slow to moderate pace up a winding path? Then you have decent chances of succeeding climbing that mountain.

Are you actually walking in the opposite direction? You won't climb the mountain. The top of the mountain just gets further and further away.

Are you trying to sprint up the mounting all the way to the top? You are likely to run out of steam before you reach the top, and you may give up part way.

Are you so disappointed after five minutes of walking up the mountain that you are still not at the top that you give up and walk down? You won't climb the mountain.

Are you trying to actually not walk up the winding path at all, but just jump straight on the top of the mountain using a pair of wings you purchased on the Internet? Or you heard that the easiest way to climb the mountain was to hop on one leg so you go for that? Sorry, you won't climb the mountain.

And so on and I on- I could think of a lot more analogies...but it comes down to: I can't comment on anyone's chances of climbing the mountain unless they tell me what they are doing in order to get there.

Ming1951

I was doomed to be fat forever ... untill I decided not to be.
I like this statement because it says it all. While I believe the research that says we can go back to our "heaviest" weight as our body became accustomed to that, its easy to do. Thats because we go on a "diet" we lose the weight say Yay for me then slowly go back and eat the way we did before. Of course then the weight comes back. For someone like me I will have to diet or change my way of eating forever. I will have to log everyday and weigh to keep the weight off. After many times I know that now.

Morgaen73

Ming1951 wrote: »

I was doomed to be fat forever ... untill I decided not to be.
I like this statement because it says it all. While I believe the research that says we can go back to our "heaviest" weight as our body became accustomed to that, its easy to do. Thats because we go on a "diet" we lose the weight say Yay for me then slowly go back and eat the way we did before. Of course then the weight comes back. For someone like me I will have to diet or change my way of eating forever. I will have to log everyday and weigh to keep the weight off. After many times I know that now.

It's pretty much the same for me. I've maintained my weight for the last year but I've seen that as soon as I dont log or dont have full control over what I eat, I pick up weght.

Pretty much a change of lifestyle for me.

victoria_1024

It wouldn't surprise me if there's some truth to that. I spent close to 30 years of my life overweight and many years obese and just resigned myself to being fat. But I lost 90 lbs and I have been maintaining the loss since last April.

This takes effort for me though. It's not impossible, but I have to be very mindful about what I eat and how often I'm eating it. I constantly have a desire to overeat so I would be over weight again in a heart beat if I followed through. I've had to replace a lot of old bad habits with healthier ones and it doesn't come natural to me. But that's ok, it doesn't have to be natural. I still have confidence that I can maintain this lifestyle long term because I'm motivated and my habits are becoming more and more normal. Sometimes I'll feel stressed out and instead of wanting to eat, I'll want to go work out. Baby steps.

Ming1951

I have come to the conclusion there are types of eaters...those who eat and say omg I need to lose 10-20 lbs and those of us who eat and don't even notice until..something happens or we get some sort of wake up call, then there are those of us who just continue. Obesity is a major problem today. I will be obese unless I log and know how many calories to allow myself each day. That is a fact that I will live with unless I want to put the weight back on.. I don't know why some can eat and not have to think about it but the majority of us do and we are taking our bodies and health back.

sijomial

Fiction.
If a minority are successful and a majority are unsuccessful then it just means it's not easy - doesn't mean you are doomed.

laur357

Fiction - the success stories here should be enough to prove that you can lose weight and keep it off, either with a lot of effort or a minimal amount of effort - depending on the person. I've very slowly lost 65-70 pounds over a few years and have not gained any back. I have bursts where I work to lose 5-10 more pounds, and will do so until I hit 110 lost in total.

I watch the scale - if I'm ever up 4-5 pounds, I correct it immediately. I know how to do it now, so there's no excuse for me not to.

I know I'm going to track in some way for many, many years - I don't find it tedious, it's just a habit at this point. I am aware of my own issues (excessive overeating, preference for very high-fat foods, occasional binging), and tracking helps me keep them in check and counteract them when necessary.

I often look at what I did yesterday and see if that is the person I want to be long-term:
Does fat Laura eat 1500 calories, meet her fiber goal, and lift weights after work? No - I'm on the right track!
Does fat Laura eat most of a pizza and mozzarella sticks, binge watch 5 hours of Netflix, and fail to walk the dog more than a block. Very possibly yes - I should adjust my actions today and tomorrow so this doesn't become a habit.

jennifer_417

I think there are 2 primary contributing factors that cause people to gain the weight back.
1. They don't have an exit strategy. Once they lose the weight, they simply go back to their old ways.
2. They don't lose the weight in a way that helps them develop lifelong habits, instead they subscribe to some extreme, temporary plan that has them giving up the foods they love, instead of learning how incorporate a variety of enjoyable foods into their everyday eating habits.

_Justinian_

Fact.

The science and research doesn't lie. Most of the people posting in these forums are not going to reach their weight loss goals (I may even be one of them!). And the majority of those that do reach their goals probably won't maintain it for very long. A relative few actually succeed. This is my second attempt at weight loss. I've focused entirely on the psychological aspects of it as well as my attitude towards food and health in general. Hopefully, I got it right this time. This "journey" no longer feels like an effort to me and just comes naturally, so maybe I'll be okay.