The odds of long-term weight loss success
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NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.10 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I always wonder about this too, I don't let more than 3 -5lbs go on before I'd be all over it and get it sorted.6 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Personally, I go through bouts of depression where I can't bring myself to care about the scale going up, but the approach I've taken in the last decade is, when I feel good, I pursue a deficit. When I don't, I do my best to minimize the damage. With this strategy, I've been able to keep the overall trend downward or stable (some minimal regain) for years. But I know a couple of times when I was younger (20s, early 30s), I lost significant amounts of weight only to regain + some. The main difference now is the sense of urgency. Back then, I didn't have issues with my health markers or mobility, and now I know I can't afford to not be diligent.10 -
The methodology calls a 1-year period "long term". That's not my idea of long term. Anyway, even as I've regained 25 lb from my low weight last year I'm still 30% below my weight of 2 years ago.7
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always keep in mind when you want to lose/ maintain lost body weight, you should look at it like a lifestyle change, not a diet. try not to cut everything out of your diet at once. decrease slowly (ie. mayo to hummus. or 5 sodas to 3 sodas. butter to a little bit of oil etc). and of course reward yourself for your progress (new shoes, or xbox game or something lol)4
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I started my weight loss journey knowing that I was making a lifestyle change and not just trying to lose weight. Its true some people don't realize that if they want to lose weight and keep it off they are going to have to make new life long habits of a healthy and fit life to maintain weight and keep it off. I tell anyone just starting their weight loss journey to make little changes here and there so they can make changes and develop new habits and routines that they can live with. Just like when I started I told my RD okay I eat out every other weekend with my BF and that isn't changing and I enjoy a margarita a few times a month and that ain't changing either. She helped me learn how to work these occasional pleasures into my healthy and fit lifestyle so that I was able to lose weight and now I have been successfully maintaining.5
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Because it's not that easy to 'nip the regain in the bud'. For me at least, it's ALL about mindset. My mindset doesn't care if I have 15 lbs to lose or 50... if I really want to lose, I'll lose. If I'm in the 'I don't care mindset', I just don't care. And when you're maintaining, it just takes a couple days of 'I don't care' a month to make you gain some weight back.
That being said, I suppose I've only gained back 15 lbs in 4 years, and not the 80 I lost, because I still try to make better choices most of the time, and I can't imagine going back to my old sedentary lifestyle at this point, but the food part is HARD to stick to.4 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Because it's not that easy to 'nip the regain in the bud'. For me at least, it's ALL about mindset. My mindset doesn't care if I have 15 lbs to lose or 50... if I really want to lose, I'll lose. If I'm in the 'I don't care mindset', I just don't care. And when you're maintaining, it just takes a couple days of 'I don't care' a month to make you gain some weight back.
That being said, I suppose I've only gained back 15 lbs in 4 years, and not the 80 I lost, because I still try to make better choices most of the time, and I can't imagine going back to my old sedentary lifestyle at this point, but the food part is HARD to stick to.
I guess it's having the "I don't care" mindset for such an extended period of time that I don't understand. I can see that for a while, but I can't understand not caring for as long as it takes to gain over 100 lbs. I'm not knocking or judging anyone to whom this has happened, it's just not a mindset I can relate to or understand.2 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Because it's not that easy to 'nip the regain in the bud'. For me at least, it's ALL about mindset. My mindset doesn't care if I have 15 lbs to lose or 50... if I really want to lose, I'll lose. If I'm in the 'I don't care mindset', I just don't care. And when you're maintaining, it just takes a couple days of 'I don't care' a month to make you gain some weight back.
That being said, I suppose I've only gained back 15 lbs in 4 years, and not the 80 I lost, because I still try to make better choices most of the time, and I can't imagine going back to my old sedentary lifestyle at this point, but the food part is HARD to stick to.
I guess it's having the "I don't care" mindset for such an extended period of time that I don't understand. I can see that for a while, but I can't understand not caring for as long as it takes to gain over 100 lbs. I'm not knocking or judging anyone to whom this has happened, it's just not a mindset I can relate to or understand.
It is painfully easy to do when you live in ignorance of what your weight is. Particularly for me... Even looking in the mirror I never really thought I looked a hundred pounds overweight. When I told people I was a hundred pounds overweight most of them were shocked and could not believe that I was that heavy because of the way I carried it. I just slowly bought larger and larger clothes because I had other things to worry about... Things to do with the kids... Things to do with the house with the pets... It just happens. Complacency Makes it so easy. And the more complacent you are the more complacent you become and the easier it is to not pay attention to things.
It took photographs of me... Seeing actual photographs of me... To wake me up. Because the photographs of me looked way huger than the me I saw in the mirror. But then again I don't have a full body length mirror. Fact the only mirror I ever use is the one over my bathroom sink. Well my daughters have full length mirrors in their bedrooms but I never go in their rooms...6 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Because it's not that easy to 'nip the regain in the bud'. For me at least, it's ALL about mindset. My mindset doesn't care if I have 15 lbs to lose or 50... if I really want to lose, I'll lose. If I'm in the 'I don't care mindset', I just don't care. And when you're maintaining, it just takes a couple days of 'I don't care' a month to make you gain some weight back.
That being said, I suppose I've only gained back 15 lbs in 4 years, and not the 80 I lost, because I still try to make better choices most of the time, and I can't imagine going back to my old sedentary lifestyle at this point, but the food part is HARD to stick to.
I guess it's having the "I don't care" mindset for such an extended period of time that I don't understand. I can see that for a while, but I can't understand not caring for as long as it takes to gain over 100 lbs. I'm not knocking or judging anyone to whom this has happened, it's just not a mindset I can relate to or understand.
It is painfully easy to do when you live in ignorance of what your weight is. Particularly for me... Even looking in the mirror I never really thought I looked a hundred pounds overweight. When I told people I was a hundred pounds overweight most of them were shocked and could not believe that I was that heavy because of the way I carried it. I just slowly bought larger and larger clothes because I had other things to worry about... Things to do with the kids... Things to do with the house with the pets... It just happens. Complacency Makes it so easy. And the more complacent you are the more complacent you become and the easier it is to not pay attention to things.
It took photographs of me... Seeing actual photographs of me... To wake me up. Because the photographs of me looked way huger than the me I saw in the mirror. But then again I don't have a full body length mirror. Fact the only mirror I ever use is the one over my bathroom sink. Well my daughters have full length mirrors in their bedrooms but I never go in their rooms...
But we're talking about regain. After having lost the weight how could you still be ignorant of it coming back?1 -
I am talking about regaining too. From my own personal experience... Especially if you are subject to depression or depressive Tendencies... It's very easy. The first time I was mortified by my weight I only weight 204 lb. I needed to lose about 60 lb to be at a healthy weight. I lost 40 of it and for whatever reason gave up had no idea had no idea when I finally came to grips that I was at 245 lb 45 pounds heavier than when I was mortified before. It just never ever occurred to me that I had gained that much. I thought the larger sizes I bought where because companies are always changing up sizes. There are many ways to keep your head in the sand when you are depressed and an unhappy person7
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Percentages are a depressing excuse. The personal level is either a yes or no answer to the question, "Am I happy with my weight?", and you really can't lie to yourself. I find all I can do is ignore the question by avoiding scales when I choose to avoid the uncomfortable truth.
With the knowledge and tools available to me on mfp, along with my past experience, I know I can lose weight. I know I don't like the eating choices I have to make to lose weight, but I know I can eat without concern for the consequences or be a healthy weight but not both. I can blame circumstances, but that's my simple choice and it is yes or no each day and not a percentage. I can envy others whose genetics don't force this choice on them, but that doesn't change anything.
When I've been on an mfp kick of daily accurate logging of food and weight, I've chosen yes. Other times I've chosen no. I am not a success or a failure. I am a person with limited choices and unavoidable consequences of those choices.3 -
I am talking about regaining too. From my own personal experience... Especially if you are subject to depression or depressive Tendencies... It's very easy. The first time I was mortified by my weight I only weight 204 lb. I needed to lose about 60 lb to be at a healthy weight. I lost 40 of it and for whatever reason gave up had no idea had no idea when I finally came to grips that I was at 245 lb 45 pounds heavier than when I was mortified before. It just never ever occurred to me that I had gained that much. I thought the larger sizes I bought where because companies are always changing up sizes. There are many ways to keep your head in the sand when you are depressed and an unhappy person
In all that time you never stepped on a scale?4 -
This is my opinion and from what others have said I think it is true. Most people are "dieting" because they want to lose weight for a specific reason--getting married, class reunion, etc. Once they have lost the 5, 10, 15 pounds they feel they are "finished" and go back to the same way of eating that got them overweight in the first place. Those that lose weight and maintain it are not "dieting" but rather making conscious lifestyle changes that cause them to lose weight and once they have lost it are able to maintain the lose by continuing those lifestyle changes. I have lost between 35 and 40 lbs over the last several years, very slowly and have been able to keep within a few pounds. It is still a continual battle as I have more I want to lose to really be a much healthier person. And I don't look at it as a "diet," for me that implied a temporary change, not something permanent.
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NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Three people marked this woo. Who thinks eating more is harder than eating less?
Maybe they're still thinking of it in the "woohoo!" sense?
Although I will say that, on the very first "maintenance break" I took on my journey, I found it very stressful to eat more. While I was in a deficit I had a buffer that would absorb any logging errors or deliberate overeating, but once I was at maintenance calories that buffer was gone. It really scared me for a few days, until I realised I'd have to overeat for many days in a row to start gaining again.
I would think that a lot of the failure to maintain that gets talked about in these studies and articles is due to the initial approach - a lot of people think of "a diet" as a short term, temporary thing, after which they go back to "eating normally". I had to learn that I can't ever do that again, and I guess everyone else has to come to the same realisation before they can be successful at long-term maintenance.
I guess I had the opposite reaction as you. Which just goes to show that everybody is different. For me, going from losing weight to maintaining it, I felt like I had accomplished something that we're often told isn't really possible, and it wasn't really that hard. (I don't want to say it was easy, but it was doable, and it was just math, there was no magic ACV or anything.). It made me feel like our bodies are now maleable than we think, that we're in control. So for me the transition didn't involve nervousness, it was more like "I've got this."3 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Yes, but many approach weight loss as a short-term project and once the weight is gone, or they've achieved a significant amount of loss, they slowly (or quickly) ease back into the bad habits that got them there in the first place.
I totally understand doing this as I've done it myself. The thing that has always puzzled me though is why it takes so long for some people to nip the regain in the bud. I see posts of regain of 50, 100 or 100+ lbs. "I regained it all and then some" is pretty common. That could not happen quickly or without notice.
Because it's not that easy to 'nip the regain in the bud'. For me at least, it's ALL about mindset. My mindset doesn't care if I have 15 lbs to lose or 50... if I really want to lose, I'll lose. If I'm in the 'I don't care mindset', I just don't care. And when you're maintaining, it just takes a couple days of 'I don't care' a month to make you gain some weight back.
That being said, I suppose I've only gained back 15 lbs in 4 years, and not the 80 I lost, because I still try to make better choices most of the time, and I can't imagine going back to my old sedentary lifestyle at this point, but the food part is HARD to stick to.
I guess it's having the "I don't care" mindset for such an extended period of time that I don't understand. I can see that for a while, but I can't understand not caring for as long as it takes to gain over 100 lbs. I'm not knocking or judging anyone to whom this has happened, it's just not a mindset I can relate to or understand.
It is painfully easy to do when you live in ignorance of what your weight is. Particularly for me... Even looking in the mirror I never really thought I looked a hundred pounds overweight. When I told people I was a hundred pounds overweight most of them were shocked and could not believe that I was that heavy because of the way I carried it. I just slowly bought larger and larger clothes because I had other things to worry about... Things to do with the kids... Things to do with the house with the pets... It just happens. Complacency Makes it so easy. And the more complacent you are the more complacent you become and the easier it is to not pay attention to things.
It took photographs of me... Seeing actual photographs of me... To wake me up. Because the photographs of me looked way huger than the me I saw in the mirror. But then again I don't have a full body length mirror. Fact the only mirror I ever use is the one over my bathroom sink. Well my daughters have full length mirrors in their bedrooms but I never go in their rooms...
But we're talking about regain. After having lost the weight how could you still be ignorant of it coming back?
It happened to me when I was in my 20s, and honestly... I wasn't ignorant. I just didn't care. I had gone through a stupid elimination type diet to lose the weight at the time (with a dietitian none the less, which is why I hate them now) and was convinced that I'd have to starve and deprive myself to lose weight... so I just gave up.
I mean, the way you lose weight REALLY matters. The changes I made this time were less crazy so that's probably why I've only gained 15 lbs back. In this case, it's not ignorance, it's more 'keep trying and failing' (plus now I have a social life, which makes it even harder). I'm aware the weight is coming back and I've been trying for a year to stop it, but life happens and I'm just hungrier than I was when I lost in the first place. I'm honestly not sure it would have been that easy to lose the weight in the first place if I was so hungry when I did!
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I am talking about regaining too. From my own personal experience... Especially if you are subject to depression or depressive Tendencies... It's very easy. The first time I was mortified by my weight I only weight 204 lb. I needed to lose about 60 lb to be at a healthy weight. I lost 40 of it and for whatever reason gave up had no idea had no idea when I finally came to grips that I was at 245 lb 45 pounds heavier than when I was mortified before. It just never ever occurred to me that I had gained that much. I thought the larger sizes I bought where because companies are always changing up sizes. There are many ways to keep your head in the sand when you are depressed and an unhappy person
In all that time you never stepped on a scale?
No I did not. When I finally did, I was beyond shocked. I knew I was heavier than my 204 weight, but I was thinking I was around 220. Not 245.
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NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I don't think maintaining is very difficult. If you made it through the weight loss, now you get to eat more.
Three people marked this woo. Who thinks eating more is harder than eating less?
Maybe they're still thinking of it in the "woohoo!" sense?
Although I will say that, on the very first "maintenance break" I took on my journey, I found it very stressful to eat more. While I was in a deficit I had a buffer that would absorb any logging errors or deliberate overeating, but once I was at maintenance calories that buffer was gone. It really scared me for a few days, until I realised I'd have to overeat for many days in a row to start gaining again.
I would think that a lot of the failure to maintain that gets talked about in these studies and articles is due to the initial approach - a lot of people think of "a diet" as a short term, temporary thing, after which they go back to "eating normally". I had to learn that I can't ever do that again, and I guess everyone else has to come to the same realisation before they can be successful at long-term maintenance.
I guess I had the opposite reaction as you. Which just goes to show that everybody is different. For me, going from losing weight to maintaining it, I felt like I had accomplished something that we're often told isn't really possible, and it wasn't really that hard. (I don't want to say it was easy, but it was doable, and it was just math, there was no magic ACV or anything.). It made me feel like our bodies are now maleable than we think, that we're in control. So for me the transition didn't involve nervousness, it was more like "I've got this."
I have had a very similar experience losing so far, to the extent that even after a year and 40 pounds down I still sometimes think that something's going to go wrong because isn't this supposed to be a lot harder? But I do get why people regain - my mom was a yo-yo dieter my entire childhood, and she *HATED* dieting. She always did these crazy extreme diets or workout routines just long enough to lose enough weight to get my dad off her back - because of course she was doing it for him, not for herself - and then would gradually regain the weight until the next blow-up. I'm sure in the back of her mind she knew what was happening, but since she hated having to diet, it was in her best interest to ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening for as long as possible. Obviously my parents' marriage was a very specific kind of garbage (thankfully it ended a couple decades ago) but I think the overall mindset is pretty common.1 -
Interesting discussion here and would probably be a good one to bookmark for maintenance! As a yo yo dieter since I was 16 I can definitely say that the weight gains are all about "I DONT GIVE A *kitten*" and ignoring. I have stretchy pants that will go up 2 sizes including my riding breeches before I can't wear them. So I probably have gained and lost the same 20 pounds 20 times over 43 years. And the older I got the bigger the fluctuation up and the more the gain was fat. So that at 120 now I was a LOT fatter than when I started 120 at 16. I have learned that I am really really good at dieting. I have a of practice and my heaviest was about 130 or a little more where I basically tell myself either *kitten* or just give up for good. And every single weight loss (usually a couple of months) ended in a binge. This is the first time I have been in maintenance ever. And I think it is because I have been hanging out here on this board and reading everyone's updates and information. That's what I decided this time anyway. I would focus on maintenance for at least a year as my GOAL and then go from there.2
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It's really hard to change lifelong habits. 2013 through the start of 2014, I lost 45 lbs only to gain it all back (and even some more) since then. You really do have to commit to moderation and healthy eating for life. For me, I think I didn't do enough to incorporate it into my social life and relationship life. My daily walking habits also happened to change a lot in the past few years, which didn't combine well.
I do find it helpful to have had the experience this time around and feel it has made the jumpstart back into MFP/nutritious eating easier for me. I have a much better understanding of what is nutritious than I did prior to 2013. This time, I'm incorporating in my social and relationship life. Although I'm making changes in those arenas too, I feel I need to be more mindful of the fact that all of it needs to balance indefinitely this time.
That being said, I have hope that I will be in the 15% in the long run!
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