Why do people gain all their weight back?
Replies
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This bears repeating.0 -
For me, it's seasonal depression. I can lose whatever I want in spring, summer & fall, but come winter, I will put some weight back on. Not everything, but some. At least I am working out and eating healthy, and since over the course of the year I lose more than I gain, that's ok with me.
Have you had your D level checked? That can have a real affect on your mood, especially in the winter time when you're not exposed to the sun as much. It's a simple blood test.0 -
maybe people get comfortable with what they can eat and slowly start to lose track again?0
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Most people talk a good talk about lifestyle and making a lifestyle change...but they ultimately don't make any substantial lifestyle change. For the most part, they fail to even understand what that means...even here, so many people talk about lifestyle and calorie counting being the "lifestyle" change....they're missing the boat. People fail to actually learn proper nutrition, moderation, and how to properly fuel their bodies...that is the "lifestyle."
Ultimately, people reach some arbitrary goal weight and that's the finish line...they're done, and they resume "business as usual" eating habits...they fail to realize that there really isn't a finish line. Fitness and nutrition are lifetime endeavors and most people simply do not grasp that concept.
Also, people often fail in their fitness when they reach their goal weight...they so closely associate exercise with needing to lose weight, they fail to see how necessary it is for maintaining weight and just for general health. I mean how many times do you see someone here on MFP say, "what's the point of exercise if you eat back your exercise calories?" See what I mean...complete and total fail. Not only are there numerous health benefits of exercise outside of weight control, but really, exercise is far more important in maintenance than it is for losing...losing weight is about 99.9% diet. Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
TLDR - People fail to make a lifetime commitment to nutrition and fitness.0 -
Must be the same as quit smoking.
I quit for a month, then decided to go immediately back to regular smoking, my thought was "I can always quit again, no problem.", I thought now i'm in control, I meant I proved a can do it if need to be, big mistake, two weeks later I attempted to quit again, but that only lasted 2 days. My will-power wasn't as high as the my original attempt.
Too afraid to make the same mistake with my diet, and of course i'm still a smoker, but I been on restrictions for 2 months and lost over 14kg.
I've never been a smoker, but that sounds like a good analogy. For some people overeating is an addition - thus the group Overeaters Anonymous.
I yo-yo dieted for years, lost anywhere from 20-40 pounds on most of those diets (using unsustainable methods), and always gained it back plus a few bonus pounds. I asked my doctor why the weight came back so fast (sometimes just a couple of months), and part of it is gene memory. Kind of like muscle memory, but for fat. For people who have been overweight for a long time, that's what your body is used to. It's doesn't resist that weight coming back on because it was already there.
There's a thread on here somewhere about a study showing how people who have lost weight need to eat less to maintain that weight than someone of comparable size who was always thin. Once I get to my goal weight I will need to eat 200-300 calories less a day to maintain that weight than someone my height & weight who was always my height and weight. That's not forever, but it was for a pretty long period of time (a year maybe). I wish I could remember what the thread was called so I could go find it. It was interesting reading. Losing weight more slowly, or actually taking maintenance breaks during your weight loss, can help offset that.
I understand that maintenance can be very challenging. You get there and think "oh wow I'm done!" and then slowly those old habits that made you overweight in the first place come back.0 -
Personally, I just got burned out. I was deep into training for marathons (counting calories, closely watching my diet and running a lot) I did that for about a year and a half. In my peak running condition I was around 145 pounds. Now, mind you I am 6-3 so this was I incredibly underweight at that point, but again I was training 1-2 hours 7 days a week. In December I injured my knee and took an extended period off from running. During this time, I subconsciously decided to take time off of everything - diet, calorie counting etc. I began to just eat and drink whatever I wanted and at that time, it felt really good not having to be so anal about things. This went on for about four months and in that time - thanks to drinking and eating poorly- I gained around 50 pounds. Once I reached that point, I simply could not take how I felt or how I looked anymore and decided to get back on track. I have since dropped about 20-25 pounds and I am very close to my current-weight goal. It is just "easier" not to care about things but there comes a point when you have to decide whether the life you're living is the one you want. I realized it wasn't and needed to make a change0
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Most people talk a good talk about lifestyle and making a lifestyle change...but they ultimately don't make any substantial lifestyle change. For the most part, they fail to even understand what that means...even here, so many people talk about lifestyle and calorie counting being the "lifestyle" change....they're missing the boat. People fail to actually learn proper nutrition, moderation, and how to properly fuel their bodies...that is the "lifestyle."
Ultimately, people reach some arbitrary goal weight and that's the finish line...they're done, and they resume "business as usual" eating habits...they fail to realize that there really isn't a finish line. Fitness and nutrition are lifetime endeavors and most people simply do not grasp that concept.
Also, people often fail in their fitness when they reach their goal weight...they so closely associate exercise with needing to lose weight, they fail to see how necessary it is for maintaining weight and just for general health. I mean how many times do you see someone here on MFP say, "what's the point of exercise if you eat back your exercise calories?" See what I mean...complete and total fail. Not only are there numerous health benefits of exercise outside of weight control, but really, exercise is far more important in maintenance than it is for losing...losing weight is about 99.9% diet. Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
TLDR - People fail to make a lifetime commitment to nutrition and fitness.
QFT
I'm someone who lost 60 pounds and, over the course of 3 years, gained that plus 10 back. My "diet" was just to get me to my goal weight. I wanted to be "normal" but normal isn't eating 3500 calories per day while being almost completely sedentary. I wish I hadn't gained the weight back but at least now I know this has to be something I am always working on. It's either that or lose 75 pounds every 5 years and that sounds miserable.0 -
Well,
I gained it all back because life and stress. Because my family problems, because I couldnt get below 200lbs after 2 months at 206. Because when I went on birth control I gained 15lbs for no real reason. I have many reasons but just as many to lose it again and more.0 -
lack of discipline. That's it.0
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And there I thought it shouldn't be about discipline, but habit. If you need discipline, you haven't changed your lifestyle. If you need to keep telling yourself that "no, you can't have that", no wonder people keep gaining weight back, the frustration alone would get tiresome.lack of discipline. That's it.
I am at the "wow I don't need that" stage, except for chocolate....0 -
I don't know. I think even people who have changed their lifestyle still need discipline. Sometimes you have to give yourself that kick in the butt to get going, even when it is a habit. There are people who have been fit all their lives who often comment that they still need to push themselves to go for their morning runs, weight train, say no to that second piece of cake....
And there I thought it shouldn't be about discipline, but habit. If you need discipline, you haven't changed your lifestyle. If you need to keep telling yourself that "no, you can't have that", no wonder people keep gaining weight back, the frustration alone would get tiresome.lack of discipline. That's it.
I am at the "wow I don't need that" stage, except for chocolate....0 -
I've gained back some, but not all, of my weight. It's partially because of a medication I was on that started the gain, partially because my goal might not have been optimal for my body, and partially - mostly - because being that lean isn't a priority.
I mean, I look at my photos from a year ago, and I'm only about 10 pounds heavier now, but I think, "Damn, I looked TINY!" But even though I didn't feel deprived, I did feel like I was being obsessive. I'd rather be a little bigger and not have to log every calorie than be a size smaller and track and measure everything. It's not as though I'm any less healthy. I can still run about the same (maybe a little slower), and lift as much. I think I looked great a little smaller, but it didn't make my life any better.
I'm currently at the weight my body has been comfortable at for most of the last ~15 years, but since I exercise regularly and have more lean mass, I'm smaller at that weight than I was previously.0 -
I can only speak for myself...check out my blog post...0
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This past winter, I managed to severely sprain my right ankle tripping over a dumbbell, and my activity level dropped. Instead of logging my calories, I got depressed and ate a lot for comfort and out of boredom with no exercise, so I packed on 12 pounds that I don't need.0
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lack of discipline. That's it.
This is sort of an oversimplification. In theory, it might just be a matter of discipline. And for many people it really is that simple (myself included). But life throws some curveballs and priorities shift. Deaths in the family, illnesses, injuries, financial hardships can all make someone give up on themselves and dismissing it all as just a lack of discipline seems a little harsh.0 -
People just do it in an extreme way... also your body kind of tries to restore equilibrium and after about 3 months or so of 'healthy lifestyle' it really battles you.
Since starting on here in 2011 I've become a massive yoyo dieter.
June 2011 : 58kg
December 2011: 43kg
June 2012: 64kg
December 2012: 50kg
June 2013: 55kg
It's not that I have given up each time either, every single day I start with the best intentions0 -
Why is it here that many people have gained all their weight back?
This is my first attempt, my goal is getting in slight, I've already worked so hard, why will I want to ruin what i've worked so hard for?
Do some people think dieting is a temporary commitment? It's a lifetime commitment, just keep on doing what you have already done to keep off the weight, you already worked so hard to lose, and you should be fine.
Because they go on restrictive diets and cut their favorite foods out of their diet. Eventually their willpower fails and they fall directly into old eating patterns. They're "dieting" so they stop eating normally with friends and family.
In other words: they never learned to enjoy all the foods they actually like (and their friends and family eat and therefore have around often) responsibly within the confines of a proper caloric intake.
This.
It was never truly a lifestyle so it was not sustainable. (been there)0 -
For me personally - I don't think I had a solid foundation. I've gotten lazy about logging food and haven't been exercising. I haven't had will power when hubby says "I'm going to Baskin Robbins, want something?" at 9 pm.0
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I believe it's because they lose the weight and feel they are safe to go back how they use to live and just kinda give up.
I was asked last night by my MIL "Why are you still counting your calories, working out, and eating clean?" I told her "I will always count my calories because counting my calories keeps me aware, I gain weight fast and I do not wish to go backwards. I workout because it keeps my metabolism running, I eat clean because I've learned that proper nutrition is to fuel your body and food is meant to fuel not pleasure, I allow myself 1 cheat meal a week so I'm not deprived, I eat more now then I ever did and I feel great, I rather feel great and full of energy then sluggish and blah." She gave me a very snotty look and told me I was going to end up sick looking because I'm so obsessive with this.
It's not obsessive, I've seen plenty of people in my 2 year's here, leave and in a year's time, come back because they gained their weight back. That's not going to be me.0 -
You can read my intro post for the details for me. But in short, I got cocky and thought I could wing it. That almost worked for a year and then it went really poorly after that. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1107326-hacker-s-diet-fan
Osric
I really appreciate reading about your experience and seeing the charts because it hit home with me. I've had been heavy my whole life (I am a 49 year old male) and have been up and down on diets 20 pounds at a time. For some reason, this time, for the first time, I finally succeeded at taking all the weight off. I wish I could "bottle" what it was that has led to success this time but it's difficult to figure out what was different that helped me to keep going. However, since I hit my goal in June, I have the fear that I will gain the weight back. My struggle now is not with continuing to watch what I eat and exercise, it is with allowing myself to eat more without feeling like "I've fallen off the wagon". I'm having trouble managing the transition to maintenance which has been harder than I thought and has resulted in me losing beyond my goal. I am looking to stabilize and maintain my weight where it is. It is all a learning experience. Your post has illustrated that my fear of gaining the weight back is a legitimate one, success can be fleeting, and that I should never let over indulgence spill over to the next meal. Thanks and the best of luck to you.0 -
I've gained back some, but not all, of my weight. It's partially because of a medication I was on that started the gain, partially because my goal might not have been optimal for my body, and partially - mostly - because being that lean isn't a priority.
I mean, I look at my photos from a year ago, and I'm only about 10 pounds heavier now, but I think, "Damn, I looked TINY!" But even though I didn't feel deprived, I did feel like I was being obsessive. I'd rather be a little bigger and not have to log every calorie than be a size smaller and track and measure everything. It's not as though I'm any less healthy. I can still run about the same (maybe a little slower), and lift as much. I think I looked great a little smaller, but it didn't make my life any better.
I'm currently at the weight my body has been comfortable at for most of the last ~15 years, but since I exercise regularly and have more lean mass, I'm smaller at that weight than I was previously.
Lorina, some sincere questions about why you gained 10 lbs back since a year ago. Did you eat above your 2300 maintenance level, or did you cut back on activity? Is that 10 lb gain due to added muscle and you are the same waist measurement now as you were last year at 10 lbs lighter, or has your waist/hip measurements gone up?
I still have 25 more lbs to go til maintenance, but I am learning all I can from others who are there now.0 -
For me, this is like my 3rd serious attempt in the last 5 years, and both times I failed it was because of a loss of motivation from stringing a few bad days together leading to a backslide into overeating and overindulging in alcohol and a lack of a support system of friends. Most of my friends, it seems, would rather me go out drinking and partying with them than they would want me to take care of myself.0
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Pregnancy!0
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The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. On some level, I've always known that, and so whenever I've crept back up the scale, I haven't gone all the way back to my previous high water mark. My heaviest adult weight was in 1993, then another spike 10 pounds below that in 2001, and then a more recent spike 10-15 pounds below that this year. You just lose focus, and lose discipline, but the important thing is to turn the situation around before it gets out of hand, and eventually you'll settle into a much less dramatic pendulum swing. I'm aiming for a swing of only 5 pounds, and now that I'm actually tracking what I eat, I think I'll make it. :drinker:0
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Pizza and beer do not stop being awesome.0
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For me, not dealing with the emotional crap that keeps pushing me to be comforted by FOOD!
Not this time! I'm finding Euphoria :drinker:0 -
Because eating whatever you want whenever you want is easy. Tracking, planning, and logging takes effort. I went 1550 over my maintenance number yesterday just by going out for breakfast and dinner with family. I'm not at all concerned because I don't eat like that 90% of the time, but it can be easy to fall back into bad habits if one is not careful.0
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Just one of many reasons people regain..
I didn't gain all of mine back, but almost 25lbs of 40 lost. It was due to illness and taking meds that made me feel like I was starving 24/7 and I wasn't capable of walking 15 feet without being in agonizing pain.
I feel like a failure and I'm embarrassed to run into people who saw me 'fit' and then see that I'm fat again. It's very depressing and I don't want to tell the long, boring story to people of why I gained it back.
I am back on track now since I'm off the meds and am physically capable of exercising. Yay!
So, I guess, just don't assume that all people just give up, get lazy or binge until they are fat again. This was a valuable lesson to me, as I thought all people who re-gained were just being lazy, or something.0 -
Simple really. You eat less to lose for months and months. Then your at your goal weight and you just start eating " normally " again. Thinking that you'll be fine.
Most of us are or were uneducated. We followed diets, food plans, done a severe amount of exercise when losing. So when we stop all that, we think we can handle it from then on.
Before MFP I had no idea how much I was taking in, and how much I was burning off. I was following ready made plans that didnt inform me of what to do once they had ended. Now I have the tool right here that will help me long after I'm finished losing. Its perfect.0 -
I think people fail long term when they give up everything that they like eating while losing weight so they don't learn how to eat them moderately, then they get to their goal and go back to eating how they actually like to and gain weight again.
at least, I know that's what would happen to me. that's why I don't cut out anything, it might have increased the amount of time it's taken me to lose weight, but it's better than losing it quickly and then gaining it all back.0
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