How to lose weight sustainably? I keep failing.

jlgmfp

Hi, I’m 23 years old. There’s been about 4 times in the past where I’ve tried to lose weight. I become very committed. I manage to lose 14-20 lbs each time. I did this by restricting (to 1200, sometimes less - bad, I know). I know this was unhealthy. It just became my whole focus, and then when I reached my goal weight and started upping my food intake the urge to binge would be really hard to control. And each time I’ve ended up just gradually overeating until I gained all the weight back, no matter how committed I’d been or how much I tried to tell myself that wouldn’t happen again

Now, I want to lose about 10 pounds (a healthier goal than I’ve set before). I don’t want to fall back into this same pattern of over-restricting and becoming obsessed and unhappy and eventually regaining it back. I want to do it healthily. I want to become fitter and focus a lot more on just being fit and healthy. I want to be able to sustain the progress that I make.

I assume that the way I’d go about that would just be to have a much more modest deficit. Like aim to lose half a pound a week. But at the back of my mind there’s still thoughts that I should just cut more quickly and so make progress quicker.

I guess I’m just hoping to hear from other people, to see if any of you have experienced a similar thing, and if you’ve managed to find a way to make it more sustainable and how you managed it. Thanks.

try2again

The appropriate calorie deficit for you will be based on your current weight, height, and activity level. You say you want to lose 10 lbs, but is that all you have to lose? But like you say, even if your current weight supports a certain level of deficit, it doesn't mean you have to do it that way. Comfort is key to sustainability, and it sounds like in the past you have probably pushed things too hard.

Remember... the weight loss phase is just a tiny fraction of the life-long project of weight management. No reason to rush it.

Edited to add graphic:

try2again

Also, you may want to consider if your goal weight is sustainable for maintenance. Some need to adjust their goal if they know the lifestyle required to maintain it (calorie & activity level) is not practical for them long-term.

jennifer_417

Focus on weight loss as a health process that you want to maintain for the rest of your life, rather than a short-term process upon which you zero in. Think of the big picture, and the long-term habits that you need to form to maintain your health/weight.

zeejane03

Losing the extra weight means nothing, if you can't maintain it. Set your target for .5lb a week and then as others have said-start thinking of the long term. What small, realistic and sustainable changes can you make that you'll be able to do long term? That might mean switching from regular soda to diet soda, reducing or changing the extras you add to your coffee, upping your vegetable and fruit servings each day, switching to more whole grain options (which have a higher fiber content and will help you feel full for longer) etc etc.

Also, one thing to keep in mind-you'll have a maintenance range and not a set number. Many chose a 3lb-5lb window. This takes into considerations the normal fluctuations your body has. Just something to keep in mind as you get closer to your goal weight

emmamcgarity

Another approach might be to set your calorie goal to maintenance for a few weeks to track your food and learn how to maintain your weight. Then after a while slowly start decreasing calories for a slow weight loss to reach your goal. Then slowly increase again to maintain.