Perspective

pinuplove

Having been here since 2011, I've got a fair bit of weight history in MFP. I lost ~65 pounds in 2012-early 2013 to reach a low of 136. Over the next 5 years, through some ups and downs, I managed to re-gain 50 pounds.

Gah! How horrible! What kind of glutton was I to gain 50 pounds?? Then I broke it down by the numbers.
50 pounds in 5 years = 10 pounds per year = 35,000 extra calories / 365 days = 95.89 calories over maintenance per day. Let's say 100 just because I like round numbers.

Put another way, that's:
A (small) roll with dinner
An extra spoonful of the main course
A banana with breakfast
(Not even) one can of soda a day

Or:
One restaurant meal out per week, with appetizer and maybe a drink
A bottle of wine over the course of a week
A decadent dessert (and then some) (Example )

Or:
Parking as close as possible, always taking the elevator, and watching a TV show instead of taking a walk.

Do any of these little things look familiar? They certainly do to me. Now I've managed to convince myself of 2 things:
1. I'm not a horrible huge failure for succumbing to weight creep. I was just a little over-indulgent and a bit lazy over a long period of time.
2. Small things matter. This is just as applicable to weight loss as it is to weight gain. That's why forming small, good habits during weight loss is more effective at keeping the weight off than a crash diet followed by a return to your old behaviors.

I'm 12 pounds from my previous low of 136 and taking it nice and easy. I'm not doing anything I'm not willing to continue into maintenance. And it feels good Be kind to yourself, but also be consistent. Your patience will be rewarded.

William54321

Best message ever for others struggling

L1zardQueen

Your post needs to be stickied.

workinonit1956

Great post! Thank you.

cmriverside

Yep. Great post.

This is why I keep logging food and stepping on the body-weight scale a couple times per week. Catch it when it's a couple pounds. No more putting my head in the sand and ignoring the tightening waistband.

For that matter, making sure I have actual waistbands in my clothing.

Elastic is not my friend.

quiksylver296

You're awesome, @pinuplove.

100 calories a day is so miniscule. So easy to do. I love the breakdown.

rsclause

Amazing when you break it down to the point of that little bit of excess over the long haul can add up. Of course that can also apply to that little bit of deficit over a prolonged time. Thanks for sharing.

HollyMGT

I think I need to print your breakdown and post it on my fridge! It puts things in perspective when you realize it's the small things that add up like that.

nutmegoreo

TheFlyOnTheWall

I think it's actually depressing that a single roll with dinner every day can have such an effect on one's weight over the years - a single lonely roll...like, c'mon! Who do I complain to? LOL

pinuplove

Aw thanks everyone! I'm glad some of you found it useful I've been on these forums long enough to know there's nothing new under the sun, and rarely start new threads for that very reason, but I really wanted to share this.

Oh, and I realize you could just as easily gain weight from overeating 100 calories of broccoli every day. It's just that most of us don't do that, which is why I focused on what I did. Before someone else says it

nutmegoreo

TheFlyOnTheWall wrote: »

I think it's actually depressing that a single roll with dinner every day can have such an effect on one's weight over the years - a single lonely roll...like, c'mon! Who do I complain to? LOL

The person putting the roll in your mouth without compensating for it in another way.

fitoverfortymom

I'll also add that she's done this by regularly eating peanut butter, which is truly an achievement.

donjtomasco

Awesome! Way to go! I think this way as well in breaking down data, but you made it happen, what an inspirational post!

pinuplove

fitoverfortymom wrote: »

I'll also add that she's done this by regularly eating peanut butter, which is truly an achievement.

What is life without peanut butter?

AnnPT77

Wonderful post. Some tough-minded arithmetic really puts "weight creep with aging" and similar quibbles into a context. Well done!

mbaker566

great perspective. i'm a big fan of the extra bread roll and celebrate that awesome close parking spot

Silhouette199

Extremely eye opening!! I've gained approximately 33 lbs. and this posts really hits home!

hesn92

Exactly! It’s amazing how eating something as little as just an extra cookie or something like that a day can lead to so much weight gain over time. It’s really no wonder how people wind up overweight. Maintaining a healthy weight takes a conscious effort for most people.

RunsWithBees

I’ve run my numbers this way before and it’s kind of depressing knowing I’m just a cookie away from returning to my highest weight (if I were to have an extra 100 calories or so every day) So I must remain vigilant! For me, keeping up my activity is key as well as weighing myself once a week to catch any creep-up early enough to stop it in its tracks.

nowine4me

Excellent post!

ladyhusker39

And if you think about it in the reverse, just by cutting out something small like that roll with dinner, the sweetener in coffee, one soda a day or a million other things, one can also LOSE 50 pounds over 5 years. I find that idea greatly comforting.

pinuplove

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

And if you think about it in the reverse, just by cutting out something small like that roll with dinner, the sweetener in coffee, one soda a day or a million other things, one can also LOSE 50 pounds over 5 years. I find that idea greatly comforting.

Yep! I didn't post this to make anyone despair about how easy it is to gain weight, lol. More in the way of self-forgiveness and the realization that small things (for the positive as well as negative) really do add up over time.

RelCanonical

That's why a lot of people say maintenance is harder than losing the weight. It's easy to just have that little extra bit, and it adds up.

....I didn't have that issue, for better or for worse. I gained my weight back very quickly due to over-restriction (developed a nice little binge eating problem that I now cope with, but it hasn't been nearly as bad as it used to be).

DomesticKat

Thank you for this!

mph323

I really like this! I like it especially applied to the acceptance of inevitable weight gain as we age. Just expending 100 fewer calories a day by gradually becoming less active while eating the same number of calories will result in the 10 lb yearly gain. Being mindful of our NEAT and/or adding just 100 calories of intentional exercise to our day can prevent the weight creep - you really hit the nail on the head

pinuplove

@mph323 Exactly! It doesn't take much to tip the scales one way or the other (literally).

peggym4640

THIS. THANK YOU.

pinuplove

I needed a reminder of this after the scale hangover from a big weekend, so gratuitously bumping my own thread

LivingtheLeanDream

Great post OP

JohnBarth

This post is awesome. It reminded me once of a time my wife and I were out for lunch at a deli and being mindful of our choices. The sandwich I ordered was huge, so I ditched one slice of bread, probably 150 calories. And the chips that came with it were boring, another 150 calories. I didn't miss either. We discussed that if we avoided 300 calories at lunch, five days a week, 50 weeks in a year, we'd consume 30k fewer calories, or about 8.5 pounds. Breaking things down to 100 calorie increments as you have is truly an eye-opener to demonstrate how small changes can make a big impact over time!