Is long term weight loss possible?

Ducks47

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/obesity-research-confirms-long-term-weight-loss-almost-impossible-1.2663585

Hi all, so for background I lost 70 lbs as a teen. Maintained it for a couple years and then regained 20 lbs which I have since lost again. Now I’m trying to lose 25 more lbs to hit a normal weight. I just read this article and found it really upsetting. Anyone have anything encouraging? The article basically states its nearly impossible to have LONG TERM weight loss. I thought I’d achieved that with my 70 lbs weight loss and then I regained the 20 lbs which sort of proves their point, at least in my case. Not trying to bum anyone out.. my sister also lost a lot of weight a couple years but recently regained even more than she originally weighed which makes me nervous.

estherdragonbat

It's possible. The NWCR maintains a registry: http://www.nwcr.ws/

Maintenance can be hard for a few reasons.

• A lot of people lose weight by eating a particular way temporarily, just until they're down to the weight they want. Then they go right back to eating the way they did before weight-loss and the weight comes back.
• When you're losing, seeing the numbers drop on the scale gives you tangible reinforcement. When you're maintaining, the reinforcement/motivation isn't there to the same extent. And, of course, since your weight isn't static, it can be easy to miss gradual increases. (Example: let us say my ideal weight is 135, but I know that on any given day, I might be anywhere from 133 to 139. And I relax my eating a bit and barely notice that the scale tends to average at 136... then 137.2... the first time it breaks 140, I get a little nervous, but then I think, 'Hey. So I'm retaining more water than usual.' or 'I should probably pay more attention to what I'm eating'. Only I never quite do.)
• When maintenance is reached, some people slack off on their logging/weighing/measuring. The idea is, "I've been doing this for X amount of time. I now know what 100 grams of nuts/rice/tuna looks like. I don't need the scale anymore." Or "I'm used to eating 1700 calories. That satisfies me now." But sometimes we don't eyeball as accurately as we think. Portions sizes creep upwards. I may be satisfied on 1700 and feel overstuffed on 2500... but what about 1900? 200 extra calories? That's less than a regular-sized chocolate bar... (I'm not saying that weighing/measuring is something everyone needs to do for the rest of their lives. There are definitely plenty of people here who are maintaining without it. But I've never been able to eyeball with accuracy and I probably am one of those who'll be logging for the foreseeable future.)

That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more reasons for regaining. But that doesn't mean regaining is inevitable. Just that while it does happen, it doesn't have to.

SVZee

estherdragonbat wrote: »

It's possible. The NWCR maintains a registry: http://www.nwcr.ws/

Maintenance can be hard for a few reasons.

• A lot of people lose weight by eating a particular way temporarily, just until they're down to the weight they want. Then they go right back to eating the way they did before weight-loss and the weight comes back.
• When you're losing, seeing the numbers drop on the scale gives you tangible reinforcement. When you're maintaining, the reinforcement/motivation isn't there to the same extent. And, of course, since your weight isn't static, it can be easy to miss gradual increases. (Example: let us say my ideal weight is 135, but I know that on any given day, I might be anywhere from 133 to 139. And I relax my eating a bit and barely notice that the scale tends to average at 136... then 137.2... the first time it breaks 140, I get a little nervous, but then I think, 'Hey. So I'm retaining more water than usual.' or 'I should probably pay more attention to what I'm eating'. Only I never quite do.)
• When maintenance is reached, some people slack off on their logging/weighing/measuring. The idea is, "I've been doing this for X amount of time. I now know what 100 grams of nuts/rice/tuna looks like. I don't need the scale anymore." Or "I'm used to eating 1700 calories. That satisfies me now." But sometimes we don't eyeball as accurately as we think. Portions sizes creep upwards. I may be satisfied on 1700 and feel overstuffed on 2500... but what about 1900? 200 extra calories? That's less than a regular-sized chocolate bar... (I'm not saying that weighing/measuring is something everyone needs to do for the rest of their lives. There are definitely plenty of people here who are maintaining without it. But I've never been able to eyeball with accuracy and I probably am one of those who'll be logging for the foreseeable future.)

That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more reasons for regaining. But that doesn't mean regaining is inevitable. Just that while it does happen, it doesn't have to.

I'm a participant in the NWCR

Op, I'm over 5 years into maintaining a largish weight loss. During that time I've dipped below and over my maintenance range, but the thing that makes me different than the 85% out there that fails, is that I catch myself when I slip out of that range, give myself a smack on the back of the head, and then get back at it.

Maintenance is for 20, 30, 40+ years and there will be weight fluctuations during that time. The key is to be aware of the fluctuations and to make corrections as needed. And that's exactly what you're doing-you're on track to being part of the very few that are actually successful at this thing long term

deputy_randolph

I lost 65lbs as a teen (through dietary changes and increased activity). I'm nearly 40 and weigh 20lbs less than the day I graduated from highschool. My long-term weight loss includes having 2 children (I didn't reach my highest teen weight even while pregnant).

Honestly, the biggest change (as I've aged) that I've made is incorporating heavy lifting and decreasing the cardio. The dietary changes that I made early were easy and stuck (cutting out soda and liquid calories, eating more whole foods).

Dilvish

some other fact includes the study was done in the US where obesity is a huge problem.

Food and profit are the reasons why people can't maintain weight loss. The majority of people are simply driven to eat out more and consume quick meals because of lifestyle or lack thereof.

The reason most, but not all, fail at maintaining the weight loss is because they are not making lifestyle changes. This is the biggest reason why weight loss companies like WW or SF or JC are making huge profits...they encourage dietary changes and rarely promote exercise or lifestyle changes. Why? Because if they did, their profit margins would shrink. They only want the weight loss to be short term because they want people to return when their weight has come back.

Look at it this way, if you really want to keep the weight off, you will. This study also tests willpower, which unfortunately in today's world a lot of people simply lack.

I leave you with this...they told Professor Stephen Hawking he had only 2 years to live when he was diagnosed with ALS. He lived another 40 years because his mind refused to give up. Willpower.......

SVZee

Dilvish wrote: »

some other fact includes the study was done in the US where obesity is a huge problem.

Food and profit are the reasons why people can't maintain weight loss. The majority of people are simply driven to eat out more and consume quick meals because of lifestyle or lack thereof.

The reason most, but not all, fail at maintaining the weight loss is because they are not making lifestyle changes. This is the biggest reason why weight loss companies like WW or SF or JC are making huge profits...they encourage dietary changes and rarely promote exercise or lifestyle changes. Why? Because if they did, their profit margins would shrink. They only want the weight loss to be short term because they want people to return when their weight has come back.

Look at it this way, if you really want to keep the weight off, you will. This study also tests willpower, which unfortunately in today's world a lot of people simply lack.

I leave you with this...they told Professor Stephen Hawking he had only 2 years to live when he was diagnosed with ALS. He lived another 40 years because his mind refused to give up. Willpower.......

I have to disagree with you-eating out is pretty easy to do while in maintenance (or even the weight loss phase), most restaurants have calories clearly marked on the menu now/their website. I actually find it easier to know calorie amounts eating out, than eating at home (where I'm making recipes and feeding multiple people in my family).

Why people regain the weight is a very complex issue, and as someone who's been maintaining now for a few years I have some thoughts on this, but this isn't the place for that discussion.

cariwaldick

I've lost a chunk of weight before--and gained it back. This time it feels different. This time my mind is in it as much as my body. This time I know I'll never be able to relax my guard and eat like a normal person. This is my new normal. I had a good run of eating whatever I wanted. I've gorged on goodies, binged at buffets, devoured desserts, and consumed comfort food until I was twice the size I should be. I've avoided exercise and exertion, and had a good time indulging all those bad habits. Now it's time to pay.

I'm pretty sure if I don't keep this weight off, it will kill me. Here's an article I found about the subject.
https://www.today.com/health/does-your-body-fight-stay-fat-maybe-research-suggests-1C9382286

WickedPineapple

"Only about five per cent of people who try to lose weight ultimately succeed, according to the research." 5% is hardly impossible.

I'm also a participant of the NWCR. I've maintained a "healthy weight" (BMI) for >4 years now after being overweight as a child/teen and overweight/obese as an adult. I agree with everything @SVZee said.

Just this last year I put on a few lbs putting me over my maintenance weight range (but still in a healthy weight range). I noticed, modified my behavior a bit, and lost those few lbs. The main part is just paying attention. If you go into this with a temporary mindset, the loss will be temporary. That's why people on here stress reasonable, permanent modifications to your lifestyle. But not only that, being knowledgeable and flexible enough to modify your habits on the fly because something happened (injury, illness, etc.).

88olds

On 12/24/94 I stepped on the scale and the number was 285 lbs. I had planned a New year’s resolution. I had HBP, a CPAP, debilitating back pain and what seemed like a permanent cough. I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it another week. We had 2 little kids. I started Christmas Day 1994. My goal was 204.

That effort wasn’t a total success as I got stuck at about 215. I stayed stuck there for about 10 years. The good news was I didn’t regain the 70 lbs I had lost. I hated regaining. Any uptick of about 2 lbs would get me working to get rid of those lbs. And I had reaped big benefits losing that 70 lbs. HBP-gone. CPAP-gone. Back pain, cough, sore feet, fat slob attitude all gone. In fact, I had found my way to the gym, built my body to where people would notice. I was the best dressed guy in my office. But 204 lbs. That nagging voice in my head. I had never made my goal. I was 55 years old.

Then my neighbor, a few years older, a bit overweight but very active, sat down on the couch and died. Gone. Now a good BMI and fitness are no guarantees that anyone will see tomorrow. But that nagging voice, I had never closed the deal on my weight loss. I didn’t want to check out with that unfinished. And what if? Gee, maybe if he had just lost those last 10 lbs... 11 lbs really.

I joined Weight Watchers. Meetings (yes, the only guy) tracking, the full ride. WW worked beyond my wildest expectations.
(WW then was just copywriter calorie counting.)

First thing I noticed about WW was the revolving door nature of the place. I vowed not to get in it. The returning “Lifetime” member who had gained back everything plus some was a regular feature at the meetings. It was working for me but I had just turned 56, I wasn’t at all confident I could do it again.

I also saw that I wasn’t very satisfied with 204 lbs. WW said my goal should be 184 lbs. I never thought I could make that. But I did. And better.

I made my 184 lbs goal in the fall of 2006. Then the coveted WW Lifetime. But unlike nearly everyone else at WW, I didn’t declare victory. I kept tracking. (5 years) I kept going to the meetings. I kept weighing in at least 1X per month.

I weathered a couple of storms. I eventually tried to go without tracking. I was 6 lbs below my 184 goal. WW has the 2 lbs cushion where you attend meets for free so long as you are not more than 2 lbs over GW. The scale started up. I started tracking again. I got back to comfortably below GW. Stopped tracking- up went the scale. Started again

Let’s wrap this up. I got to a point where I could maintain without tracking. But if I start ticking up, I’ll go back to it in a flash. It has worked every time I’ve done it. I don’t go to my WW meeting anymore because we moved to Florida. I dont do the local meeting because I got out of the WW system in Hurricane Irma. I finally feel like I won’t regain the weight unless I lose my mind. Possible. I weighed 169 lbs last WI, 3 days ago.

BTW, my food scale is always on my counter and gets used every day. Although I don’t track, at any point in the day I can likely tell you what I’ve eaten and about how many calories it was. It’s just a habit.

Maybe this all sounds nuts, but I was determined not to go back. I hate regaining. I consider 170 lbs my new red line. That little pic is me on a paddle board in 2016. I’m down about 10 lbs from that, it’s better for my feet. I tried to give you a fair account. It’s all doable.

JeromeBarry1

I just signed up for the NWCR. My highest weight was January 1, 2000 somewhere way over 300 lb wearing trousers with a 56 inch waist. When I started using myfitnesspal in January of 2016 my weight was 272.4 lb.
I've had a trend upward in the past year, but at no time has my weight gone higher than 220. My record has a 9-week period of not weighing. When I resumed daily weighing this past September 15, I was at 214.8. This happens to be exactly my weight today, so that's interesting. Still, I'm close to 19 years maintaining a 30 lb loss from whatever that number was in Y2K. No, I'm not a unicorn. I'm not a legend. I just learned a little bit about nutrition self-honesty.

kimny72

Keep in mind, an article titled "Permanent weight loss is possible if you are willing to look at maintenance as a lifelong process and goal" with a dietitian explaining how to learn to eat for the rest of your life rather than jumping on a quick fix, isn't nearly as sexy and wouldn't get their advertisers nearly as many clicks. And it's easier to sell stuff to people who think without your product there is no hope.

Don't read "articles", hang out in the success forum, and as mentioned above check out NWCR.

amgreenwell

I think maintenance is a tricky game to master. Lots of people can lose weight but keeping it off and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be harder work than most people are willing to take on. I think you can certainly lose, and keep the weight off your entire life. You'll have to keep working and never stop b/c stopping means you will eat more, move less and gain lbs. Even as a senior citizen walking and maintaining some sort of exercise program, no matter how small makes a huge difference in people's bodies.
You can do it. Don't buy into everything you read. Yes, science can tell us what is impossible, but why can't we tell science what IS possible with our own bodies?

Dilvish

It would also be interesting to find out who funded the study. A lot of times big companies fund these studies in order to project future sales etc.
Think about it. what if a big food company like Kraft foods, Pepsi Co., or Tyson foods paid for this study to find out if people will eventually learn to eat health and exercise or if they will be eating crap all their lives. If they study shows favor to the crap side...the food company invests in manufacturing more crap and their profits increase....

cariwaldick

The reason some of these articles are important, is it lets us know what we're up against. Without that heads-up on the likelihood of failure, I might be tempted to slack off when I reach my goal. People are fond of talking about the real world, enjoying life, treating yourself, and imagining a time when the diet and exercise will be behind them. That is a set-up for failure. I keep saying, this is my new normal. My calories may shift, but my vigilance never can.

It's possible to make a life-long change. The odds may be stacked against me, but so what? Don't tell me I can't do something, because I'll prove you wrong!

hesn92

Personally I think that many people view weight loss as a temporary goal. So they follow some diet or restrictive way of eating and exercising until they reach that goal, then they go back to their normal. Whereas if you want to lose weight and keep it off for life, you have to make lifestyle changes that you can and want to maintain for.. life. So think small sustainable changes that you can make, and make those changes fit into your lifestyle and personal preferences.

lorrpb

The article is poorly worded. Long term loss is not biologically impossible, but many (most) people find it mentally impossible because it is so hard to change habits. I've maintained for 2 years and many people on here have maintained much longer. That's why we talk about lifestyle change. You really do have to make permanent changes because society, and I suppose our natural tendencies, make it easier to gain than to lose or maintain.

cwolfman13

I've maintained my loss for going on 6 years this spring. The statistics are pretty dismal, but that's largely because people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change, but rarely make such changes long term. Most people lose weight and then they go back to doing the things they did before...poor diet...they stop exercising regularly, etc. I have embraced healthy living to include eating well most of the time and regular exercise so maintenance has been pretty easy for me.