Weight loss and yo-yo'ing

minthepin
minthepin Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

This is now my third attempt at officially trying to lose weight. Yes, I know, horrible!

My question is, have any of you yo-yo'ed before? 3 years ago I dropped 15 pounds but then gained it back. Last year I dropped 20 and then I gained 30 (where I am today). I heard it's significantly harder to lose weight the second/third/etc time around - is this a myth? I'm really scared I messed up my metabolism up permanently - plus, is it true that when you gain the weight back, fat cells get bigger AND multiply?

I did notice a difference in difficulty - usually I could still eat what I want except reduce the portion size and I'd lose weight, but now I think I actually have to watch what I eat because I'm not losing anything!

So yeah, let me know if any of you have been through something similar. Hope to hear from you guys, and add me on MFP! :)

Replies

  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    I don't think it's harder to lose because you've lost before, but lots of factors like hormone levels and changes in metabolism make it harder to lose as you get older.

    I've yo-yoed quite a bit in the past 5 years. I've done the 1200 calorie thing, the just cutting out all junk food and fatty foods thing, and the exact prescribed meal plans with weight loss supplements thing. I lost on all of them, but always gained back, so this time, I'm eating a lower deficit and making a lifestyle change rather than trying to get it off quickly. I have found this approach works really well for me, because I don't feel like I'm "on a diet". I can be totally happy eating exactly as I do now for the rest of my life, and I will. The only difference is that once I reach my goal weight, I'll eat a little more.

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