How many times have you lost a lot of weight and then put it back on again?

refactored

I have lost over 15+ kgs only to regain it 4 times. The first 2 times I exercised excessively and dramatically cut back what I ate but I did not calorie count. The last 2 times I used calorie counting and intermittent fasting. Each time I weight cycled, I had a life changing event that triggered the regain.

How many times have you weight cycled? What strategy did you use to lose the weight? Why do you think you regained the weight?

yirara

I've never regained it all. But I move internationally a lot, and with every move there's a period where I regain, partially due to not having time to exercise (exercising helps against hunger for me), partially because I might not have an own kitchen due to temporary housing, partially due to just basically chaos. I'm on the spectrum and things just don't work well if the old structure is temporarily gone, or I have to find a new one with new types of food, etc. I know this and I accept it as part of my life.

refactored

yirara wrote: »

I've never regained it all.

What strategy do you use to keep the weight off? Do you calorie count? Do you weigh daily or use how your clothes fitt as a guide?

Lietchi

I've never lost a large amount and regained it. That's not to brag, I just spent nearly 20 years getting heavier and heavier with a few attempts at weight loss that never went anywhere significant.
Currently: I achieved a weight loss of 75lbs over a period of 3 years, and currently I've regained about 2lbs due to a very enjoyable but calorific holiday abroad.

I'm still calorie counting at this point, as I lose the regained lbs again. I might attempt to stop calorie counting at some point, as an experiment to see if my intuition is better developed now based on calorie counting.
A must is weighing every day and entering the data into my weight trending app. I try to measure myself occasionally, but I have a lot of tight-fitting clothes that will quickly let me know when things get out of hand. The reason I don't only rely on the scales is because I also have body composition goals - if I manage to gain muscle, I might weigh more for the same size or weight the same to lose inches.
Another important element for me is keeping good habits. Exercise is now part of my life. If for some reason exercise is not possible for a longer period, I know I need to be strict with myself and limit my food intake: smaller portions and/or less snacking, as I'm doing now to lose those few regained pounds.

spiriteagle99

I yoyoed the same 20-25 lbs. numerous times in my life, starting in high school. In my 50s, I dropped 35 lbs. then regained it a couple of times. I rarely paid a lot of attention to my weight, since I was active and fairly fit, so I was comfortable in my skin, except when I got to the point that my clothes no longer fit and I needed to buy new ones. (I hate shopping!)

I have the discipline to lose weight but not the discipline to maintain the habits that will keep it off. I love sweets, and gradually the occasional treat would become the daily treat or twice daily. As long as I'm active, I can do that, but not when something happens so I am not moving much. I have maintained my current 55 lb. loss for several years mostly by maintaining a consistent exercise level, though I've also gotten a lot better about not indulging in the donuts and cinnamon rolls I enjoy so much.

I also had the issue that I didn't want to know what was happening, so when my eating got worse, I weighed myself less and less often. Lesson learned: even if you don't like the result, don't stop weighing. It's easier to lose 5 lbs. than 30.

musicfan68

I lost about 50 lbs about 10 years ago and have kept it off. I don't even think about it now, I just naturally eat less. I think eating 1 meal a day helps, for me. I'm always aware of the general number of calories I eat but don't specifically count anymore, as I developed habits when losing weight that I have kept up with.

CLICit

I've regained 3 times, or cycled 3 time lost weight in high school (30lbs) 2010, gained until last year university (60 lbs) 2015, lost 50 lbs by 2018, regained 50 lbs + 40 lbs by 2020, then lost 85 lbs by 2022.

Bullying as a child led to my first gain as i didnt know how to cope. I lost that with being a varsity athlete in highschool and learning portion control, approximate colour counting. School stress in university definitely was the 2nd gain, then I lost it getting used to working life and working out regularly. I regained it when 2 people in my family died in 3 months and I had a melt down, then a break up and covid in top of it. Now I've lost it again on and off doing calorie counting, slowly increasing my movement and working on my coping mechanisms.

I regained with stress, stress leads to binges for me, I found that coping mechanism at age 8 and its been hard to permanently break.

yirara

refactored wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

I've never regained it all.

What strategy do you use to keep the weight off? Do you calorie count? Do you weigh daily or use how your clothes fitt as a guide?

Yeah, I weigh daily anyway and have been since I signed up here. I know normal weight fluctuations and don't panic. I weight my food and log it. At the moment I mainly log my main meals as I'm in the comfortable routine thing. I usually eat pretty much the same during daytime, and thus know how much I have left.

AnnPT77

refactored wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

I've never regained it all.

What strategy do you use to keep the weight off? Do you calorie count? Do you weigh daily or use how your clothes fitt as a guide?

OP, you might like this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1422943/long-time-maintainers-how-do-you-do-it/p1

I didn't vote: I have no idea what you mean by "a lot of weight", and my memories aren't precise. I was overweight to obese most of my adult life, not trying to lose weight.

I'm 67 now. I lost some weight when I went to college (no way I could be as inactive, and eat as often, as I had in high school). I probably lost 20-some pounds, maybe 30-some, but I don't remember. I kept most of that off until I graduated and got a desk job, then weight started creeping up. By probably age 30ish, I was overweight. Later - late 30s, maybe? - I lost 20 or so pounds again, then slowly regained that.

Other than that, I think I've mostly kept getting fatter overall other than minor ups and downs that happened by themselves, more or less, as life circumstances changed. That was until 2015-16, when I lost 50+ pounds, and I've stayed in a healthy weight range ever since, up and down maybe 10 pounds-ish range. Currently about 53 pounds under starting weight, which is a few pounds (5?) above my preferred range, but I'm not stressed about it.

I'm pretty sure I answered the "how" in that thread I linked above.

ahoy_m8

I yoyo-ed in HS < 10 lb on a pretty constant basis. First year in college I lost ~40 lb.

After college, I maintained more or less gracefully in a 10 lb range. Early days, less graceful with unsustainable over-restrict episodes. Of course, with over-restriction comes binges so I was a hot mess but did actually somehow maintain the range.

This is serious, though: I did myself permanent harm in my 20's while maintaining this way. I lost weight with excessive, low protein deficits with NO strength training = LBM loss. Then I binged and gained fat. Then I lost that excessive way losing more LBM. Rinse. Repeat. I maintained but gradually increased BF%. It was the unintentional opposite of a bulk-cut. I have no doubt I lost bone mass in my 20's, which ironically were my best chance years at gaining bone mass through strength training. Lost opportunity.

Over time (and I mean decades), I have moderated. Less over-restriction, smaller binges. Maintenance range went from frustrating 10 lb to barely noticeable 5 lb. Online calorie counting tools were a game changer for me. Before that, it was counting on paper with a calorie book that lists "sm, med, lg" for apples and everything else. I have no doubt I ate 2lb baked potatoes that I recorded as "sm." I also was heavily influenced by the no-fat fad. I had no problem with 2 lb potatoes or candy corns at Halloween, but I ate almost no meat to avoid fat. It was ridiculous. I shudder at what my macros were. Also not good for muscle sparing.

Now I count calories online because it is *by far* the easiest way I have found to maintain. I also (finally) started lifting in my late 40's and had visible abs by my 50th birthday. Best bday present a girl can give herself. ETA: Now 57 and with weight lifting over the past decade have gradually mitigated the damage I did in my reckless 20's.

threewins

My stats:
period of weight change: 34 years (25-59)
Total weight gained in that period: about 270 kg
Total weight lost in that period: about 246 kg
Maximum gain above goal weight: 32 kg
Number of times at goal weight: 5
Longest time at goal weight: 18 months
Shortest time at goal weight: 1 day

cwolfman13

I didn't vote because I don't know what you mean by "a lot of weight". I was never overweight until I was in my 30s and even then I didn't really concern myself with it. I eventually put on enough fat that I started having related health issues, though I was only barely class I obese. My Dr. recommended I just start eating healthier and exercising regularly.

I lost 35-40 Lbs in 2012 through early 2013 and except for seasonal fluctuations kept that off until 2020 and COVID. I put on 20ish Lbs in 2020 and 2021 and maintained that through this year and am currently in the process of losing that weight. I put on that 20 mostly due to shutdowns and everything being closed and working and living at home for 18 months.

I haven't counted calories since I went to maintenance in 2013. I maintained easily just with good nutrition and regular exercise. My maintenance calories are around 3,000 so it's just not particularly hard unless I'm eating out all of the time or just eating like crap all of the time. My focus is on good overall nutrition and regular exercise, and that's about it.

nossmf

I read once long ago that when you intend to lose/gain weight, don't make a temporary change to diet and exercise with the idea that you'll change again once you reach your target. Instead, eat/exercise as if you already are at target and maintaining. Your body will slowly change to match the new standard, and there's no need to change anything ever again. Sure, it takes longer than doing a crash diet, but the long-term sustainability without rebounding is far greater. With that thinking in place, I dropped 25 pounds and kept it off for over a decade with only a single pound fluctuation. Start of this year I decided I wanted a new "normal" even lower, and have steadily dropped another 10 pounds, very slowly.

sugarfreesquirrel

Literally hundreds of times, but I've only lost a big amount of weight and regained it 2-3 times. I'm talking about 20kgs.

Bunneezmama

My initial weight loss was 11 years ago and was 50+ lbs. Since then I’ve gone through periods of maintenance, weight creep and corrections. I dislike tracking so I experiment with different food plans, where I don’t need to necessarily track. In the 11 years I’ve experimented with everything from from plant based to carnivore. It’s when I stop following a structured eating plan that I see weight creep IE go back to a SAD way of eating.

I’m currently around 20lbs higher than where I want to be at but my BMI is still in the healthy range. It’s time for a phase of correction so I’m back here for the community support and then I’ve been looking at Dr. Naiman’s higher protein plan and think I’ll be experimenting with that next.

In the 11 years I’ve never gained more than 20ish pounds back of my initial weight loss.

missysippy930

I have, twice. It’s really common. Some statistics say as many as 90% gain back all the weight, some gain back even more weight, within 5 years. For myself, it’s going back to bad eating habits. It’s that simple, but not easy to do. Being diligent, and not allowing more than 5 pounds of weight gain has worked for me this time. It’ll be 10 years this coming spring.

I_AM_ISRAEL

I did this waaaay too often for years!
I had the “forever small” dysmorphia going on.
Id “ bulk up” then “go on a cut”. Did I ever compete a cycle of either? No
I would bulk for a couple of months and think, oh I’m too fat now, need to lose the fat.
Start my cut, 2 months later, oh I’m skinny fat now, need to bulk. Followed by periods of not working out or watching what I ate at all.
Until finally what did I do? Hire a coach.
Figured, now that I’m paying the guy, I better do exactly what he says or else I’ll be wasting my money.
Been the best investment I’ve ever done!
I’ve been able to lose body fat while gaining some muscle, at the same time!
Moral of the story? Always calories in vs calories out with intensity during every single workout regardless of how your body feels.
And hire a coach for the accountability, my coach is specifically a body builder.
Good luck!

HoneyBadger302

Not sure if it counts as "a lot" of weight, but I've struggled with the same ~20-25 pounds for years.

If I use my weight prior to gaining as a baseline, my heaviest was ~36-40 pounds (I didn't weigh at the peak) over my "happy weight" where I felt good and wasn't too terribly hard to maintain with a decent level of activity. Desk jobs sent me down a path of over eating and under exercising.

When I hit that high, I started to lose a little bit before I weighed myself. From there I dropped a good ~10-12 pounds off that high, but from there, it has been a struggle.

I voted "twice" because twice I have gotten my weight down from that new level - not down to my goal, but where the end was in sight...unfortunately it piled back on way faster than it came off both times. At it again here now that life is *hopefully* able to start settling into a routine and I have some good reasons to really want to trim down that last bit.

Technically I fall into a "normal" BMI, but anyone who sees me in a swimsuit or close fitting clothes would immediately know that my weight is not good for my frame or build - I put fat on right in the middle (classic apple) with long legs and arms that add to my height but do not carry much of my excess fat - and gut fat is supposedly the worst to have, so I see it as fairly important to trim that down. Not only that, it is very unattractive when I would otherwise maybe be okay with my appearance.

Where my weight will land in the end is still up in the air as I have done a lot of focused weight lifting on and off over the past several years, so I am fairly certain I have a bit more muscle mass than I used to (while I was strong, I didn't focus on lifting weights). I will definitely need to reassess when I get down 15 pounds from where I'm at - that may be the end of it depending on how I look/feel at that time.

Untilproud11

I have lost 40lbs 4 years ago
Have been yoyoing with 15 lbs since
I would love to have that motivation again but for some reason it just isnt there anymore
Reading all this gave me hope though
Love this thread …Bump !

AussieKT96

Yea I’ve drastically lost weight and gained at least 2-3 times. Each time it was because I was restrict and over exercise so was not feasible and about 10-12 months later, I’d just give up and put on the weight again.

This time two years ago I was about 53kgs and now I’m 70kgs due to binging and be inactive