who has kept weight off for 2 years

clepant

Amen to that!

It is not a difficult process. Reduce calories, increase activity. People lose weight starving to death. They don't exercise. They have no food. Our problem is the lack of the 3D's. Desire, Discipline and Dedication.
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Sarah0866

I lost 35 and maintained for seven years...didn't gain any back until last year (12 lbs), and that was only due to health issues that contributed to hormonal imbalances. Maintenance is MORE than achievable

themommie

Congrats to all those who have kept it off. I have only been in maintenance, a few months but I dont plan on going back

TamaraKat

I've lost all my weight and kept it off too

LJCannon

Working on 3 years Maintaining in October. As everyone else has said, Tracking Food, Staying Active, and Understanding what a True Portion of Food looks like.

cstoney2013

In 2011 I lost over 60 pounds. I was close to my goal weight, by about 5 pounds. Now I have gained back about 20 pounds and I have to concentrate on losing again. 2011 was the first time I went on a diet in my life, so I think knowing that I can do it is motivation. I sure don't want to go back to the place I was at in 2010! Plus I threw out all my old clothes! :-)

so when you say kept the weight off, I guess I kept most of it off?

AndyBloot

It's an interesting topic
My experience is that to keep weight off required a change in lifestyle and attitude towards food and exercise

Food should taste good, but also be good for you
if it's not, then it is an occasional treat and in moderation only
it is also counterbalanced by a corresponding increase in exercise intensity or time
If i eat a pizza while drinking beer, it means an extra workout that week
If not, i know it will be reflected on the scales and no use complaining about it or wishing it wasn't so

And I made breakfast the most important meal of the day - too many people skip breakfast
i have a big bowl of 5 grain porridge with rice milk and all other sorts of super foods that boost immunity and aid health
(I have hep c so I pay particular attention to my health)
I eat my breakfast around 7am and it lasts me until around 1-2pm when i have a large lunch

to keep weight off i need to get some form of exercise after work every day, and on 2 -3 nights i will only have a small dinner
Sardines on toast or a smoothie of berries and protein powder maybe with a banana
I may go to bed a bit hungry sometimes, but means that I look forward to a big low GI breakfast the next morning
The old saying - breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper

To lose weight and keep it off, for me anyway, requires consistency, determination, will power, and bloody hard work

i also got to know my body and accept that sometimes it needs a break
When you've been flogging yourself in workouts and every muscle aches and you grunt when you get out of the chair
it's time for active recovery - a slow to brisk walk or a slow paced cycle or similar

I still try and remember that will power is good, but deprivation isn't
Donuts are great, but are 'dead food' - all calories for a short lived psychological benefit
Nuts and seeds are great and are good for you
i don't feel deprived saying no to a donut - I'll have some nuts and seeds instead

i don't want to sound puritanical - this is just my experience and what works for me
i have hep c from previous drug use and still struggle with life sometimes
I believe that food is just another type of addiction and can be dealt with in the same way
When i'm focused on my health and my weight, it diverts me from less healthy pursuits

ndj1979

i starting in 2006 and was about 220 ish ..seven years later I am at 173 and 13% body fat...

nelinelineli

I consider myself to have kept most of my weight off too. Lost 40 pounds 10 years ago, and kept them off for 5 years, had a bit of a relapse (of about 15 pounds) that I had gained in few short months and lost just as fast, and now, another 5 years later, I've gained about 8 pounds in few months that I'm shedding again. All this with no exercise, until now.

I do feel that I've got this under control, each relapse was smaller, shorter and "easier to fix". The eating habits I got from my first (healthy eating) diet never went away. I can eat fast food and drink sodas, but I never quite enjoy them anymore - that, I think, is what makes this manageable.

What I wish I had done from the start though was to exercise... I would've spent the last decade looking soooo much better with a bit of muscle definition on!

ctalimenti

I have kept mine off almost exactly two years, and am at the low end of my BMI at 18.5.

I know our experiences differ vastly, but if I were to base it solely upon my own, I would say this article is utter horse sh**.

The reason I was overweight was because my diet was terrible. I cleaned it up, reduced my portion sizes, increased my fruit and veggie intake, and guess what! This is freaking easy to maintain.

The only purpose articles like this serve is to be an excuse or a crutch for someone who doesn't want to put in the work.

Love this!

nelinelineli

I have kept mine off almost exactly two years, and am at the low end of my BMI at 18.5.

I know our experiences differ vastly, but if I were to base it solely upon my own, I would say this article is utter horse sh**.

The reason I was overweight was because my diet was terrible. I cleaned it up, reduced my portion sizes, increased my fruit and veggie intake, and guess what! This is freaking easy to maintain.

The only purpose articles like this serve is to be an excuse or a crutch for someone who doesn't want to put in the work.

Love this!

I love this too, and although I think there's merit to the research (yes, there ARE physiological differences between people who lost weight and the ones who didn't have any to lose to begin with), it doesn't in any way change the bottom line - figure out what your body needs and adjust your intake accordingly.

Agate69

ME, will be 3 years exactly the same Oct 27.

magerum

Not only kept it off, but have completed a 20 pound bulk and following cut afterwards. Going to start another bulk in two weeks.

DonM46

I'll have 2 years in November ... so, 21 months.
Just continued logging.
It doesn't hurt my feelings as much when I go over.
I still try to stay under, though.
Not doing anything special except watching the portions.

Joebob8

I have kept off 70 pounds for 7 years now. I am 5'3, 123 lbs. I was a fat kid and an obese teenager. I did it through exercise and a complete overhaul of my eating habits. It took me one year to lose the weight. I am 29 and weigh 19 pounds less than I did in the 6th grade! Anything is possible.

alexveksler

3 years this coming May. I found my diet, I found my fitness, I love the energy I have at 51 and I plan on keeping my 90 LB off.

chrisdavey

lost 25kg in 9 months and purposely gained back 15kg over the following 4 years.

Just because you are a lower number on the scale doesn't mean you are going to be more healthy, stronger, fitter or aesthetically satisfied.

operationtoes

one and a half year and still slowly losing we will see.

MrMaxOut

It's a lifestyle change not a diet. Diets are band-aids and are not meant to be done for life. Hopefully I say this correctly you need decent healthy diet *lifestyle* to maintain what you do. It's been two years since I first started back up after a decade layoff and I'm still going still getting closer to my goal of 190lbs I started at 238 now I'm at 198 just 8 to go. Slow and steady the tortoise always beat the hare.

greedygirl118

12 years or so for me, with some fluctuations. I make sure I get plenty of exercise, and monitor my weight to prevent the "creep" you get from normal life - holidays, Christmas etc. I recently decided to lose 10 "vanity pounds" and did that with 5:2 fasting, which I loved. So easy. Maintaining now by fasting just one day a week and eating pretty much what I want the rest of the time - cakes, crisps, wine but also lots of veggies etc. Everything in moderation. I have never been a binger though.

LT12344

how do u keep off hunger pangs?

melham

I went from 126 in 2010 to 103 in 2011. Gained up to 115 last year and put the brakes on it. Held between 113 and 115 until May of this year when I decided to get back to my "fighting weight", and have since gone down to 100-102.

Not trying to be mean or dismissive, and I've read the articles about the heavens and earth conspiring against us all and forcing us against our will to gain all the weight back, but let's be honest. After you lose weight, you know when you start putting it back on, and you know when that gain surpasses the "normal fluctuation" range. And then you have a choice: put a stop to it or let it happen. You lost before, you know you can do it, and chances are you know why you're gaining it back. You cut back 10 minutes on your workout at first, then 15, then maybe start skipping days entirely. You give yourself that little extra treat, and since you feel kinda bad about it, you stop logging so it's not in your face. Then, since you're not logging, why not go out to eat a little more. Dessert? Why, of course! I mean, I just lost XX number of pounds, why not! That's what I did, and in no time I was headed right back to 2010. It was having to pull out the second larger size of clothes out of the back of my closet that woke me up, and that was the point of choice: give up or give myself the kick in the butt I needed to do something. I kicked.

Always be ready to kick. :bigsmile:

chrisdavey

how do u keep off hunger pangs?

eat

55in13

Only in maintenance from recent loss about a month, but I am back at the weight I was at or near for most of my adult life. I wonder if there are any stats that take into account people like me. This is unfamiliar territory for the lifelong obese and I can understand how the failure rate would be high. When I was fat, I felt like that guy wasn't really me. I have heard some big people make the same comment about being smaller.

UpEarly

Almost two years for me! I started losing in April 2011 and hit my initial goal of 152 around the end of December 2011. I then went on to lose another 17 pounds and have hovered around 135 ever since.

It's a constant practice in maintenance. It will never be easy or effortless for me. And that's OK.

NovemberJune

I reached my goal weight almost a year ago. I'm not at all worried that I'll gain the weight back

capperboy

simple hardwork

NovemberJune

how do u keep off hunger pangs?

Some days I'm hungrier than others. Some days I eat like 1600 calories and feel full all day (rare), most days I eat around 1800-2000, some days I need to eat 2400. I eat when I'm hungry.

stevenleagle

Joined Mfp June 2011 and its now August 2013... Lost most of my weight in first 6 months and have been .. More or less .. Maintaining. (:

Thing is: I've still got more to lose!!!

sevsmom

Been maintaining within a 4 lb window (give or take) for 18 months. Hoping to avoid being a negative statistic by enjoying the new life I've fashioned for myself. :-)