Why do people gain all their weight back?

Kabiti

It required me to fix a separate problem before I could solve this one. I tried to lose weight at least 10 times over 15 years. Most times it was a 10 lb fix that I held on to for about a year. Once it was 25 lbs, I added running (intensely) and gained it all back.

I had a body image issue that I'm fixing now, and the psychological change has catapulted me into 37 lbs loss over 11 weeks. The psyche fix will allow me to maintain and to record on MFP forever (not just for weight loss). I will gain and lose weight, but now I'll be healthy and happy with who I am.

Pidgeywendy

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.

With respect - once you've reached your goal and stayed there for at least a couple of years.....THEN come back with this question. Maybe your tone may have changed.

littlemissslim5

I think everyone has touched on the right answer. It's really just a pattern. People force themselves into unrealistic diets and then once they have reached a certain weight loss, give up everything and go back to what they know. The key to healthy weight loss is more of a lifestyle shift. As the old adage goes it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Congratulations on making this far! In order to keep up your progress you need to make working out and living healthy a habit. Try to associate it with other things you love. If you are married or have a significant other, go on walks (or jogs) with that person. The same works with friends and family. Just make it a thing you do regularly and soon it will be a part of your identity.

Also associate with all the negative feeling you had when you went on this diet. You clearly wanted something to change, and you've done so well. The more you get in touch with what you want to avoid, the more likely you are to continue to follow through.

Lastly, schedule time every week that you'll carve out to focus on your body, whether that be cooking some healthy meals in advance, or going to the gym, or doing one of a million other active things you can do to stay in shape. Just schedule it in, commit to it, and really own it.

Keep up the good work Wendy!

Jane Williams, Website Owner
littlemissslim.com

Siansonea

For me it's just that I stopped paying attention.

My all-time high adult weight was in 1993 or so, when I was about 170-something, I don't remember what. I had a desk job, and I drank sugary sodas all day. Once I switched to diet soda, the weight came off. I was in my 20s, and I managed to stay in the 130s-140s for most of the decade, just by "watching what I ate", though I never counted calories. In 1999 I got down to about 130 when I was going through a rough time with the guy I was with. Man trouble is like, the best diet ever. :bigsmile:

In my 30s, I got complacent with that same guy, and my weight crept back up to the low 160s. Then, more drama with him, and voila, weight loss! :flowerforyou: I got down to 118 pounds via sheer anxiety. It was awesome. Before long I kicked him to the curb, and over the course of the next ten years, my weight crept back up to 152.5 as of last August, with some hills and valleys in between.

Since I don't have man trouble these days, I finally decided to do a REAL diet, and started counting calories in September. As if by magic, I started losing weight. Who knew math could be so awesome? So yeah, I'm thinking that I'm just going to have to keep doing this indefinitely, adjusting my calorie limits to maintenance after I'm at my goal, of course. :drinker: I'm aiming for 135 at the moment, but I might go down to 130 if I think I need a little more oomph. I think I can do this from now on, it's really, really easy. Had I but known! :bigsmile:

MissBellatrix

For me it is the loss of motivation and the will to continue... I have been there not just once....

Nicolee_2014

We all aren't (unfortunately) perfect.

PtheronJr

It's amazing what something as simple as the mood you're in can do, depression kills most people's fitness, raises their weight, and makes it hard for them to actually change their habits. In my case I'm bipolar, so for awhile I was gaining because I was in a depressive phase, when I'm manic I'll work out 7 days a week and create a rock-solid diet and go hulk for a little while. Joining this site was an attempt to maintain my fitness standards no matter my mood.
The circumstances are endless, it doesn't matter why or how someone got fat, all that matters is that they do something to fix it. You don't ask someone at the gym "HEY WHY ARE YOU SUCH A FATTY?", you just respect them for having the willpower to get to the gym at all, which, when you're out of shape and sedentary, is actually pretty freaking hard.

fatfudgery

This is my first attempt

:laugh:

jenilla1

I guess I'm not qualified to give an opinion, since I've never lost a bunch of weight and then gained it back. I came here a few years ago to lose a few extra pounds that had crept up on me over the years. I was never overweight, but I could have been headed that way. I wanted to reign things in before that happened.

I've been on maintenance for years now. Not sure if I'm atypical or not, but I don't see any reason for me to put any weight back on, so I have no plans to do so. The only reason I had the dozen or so extra pounds I had was because I wasn't paying attention over time. Now that I'm paying attention and I know the basics of maintaining a healthy weight, it's been very easy to maintain. For me, it only requires self control and a few minutes out of my day to log. I know it's more complicated that that for some others, so I mean no judgment on others by sharing my own personal experience.

When others have spoken with me about their re-gained weight, it seems like a lot of it has to do with losing the weight too quickly using strict methods that just weren't sustainable. People get tired of the battle. Dieting is like a punishment and people tend to give up on things that make them miserable. I don't diet. Analyzing and tracking my nutrition is like a game to me. It's not a negative experience so I keep on doing it.

Probably whatever lifestyle gives you the most personal rewards is the one you're going to end up with. For some people, the benefits they get from overeating (comfort, familiarity, scapegoat, convenience) outweigh the costs (effort, time, dedication, delayed gratification, fear of failure) of maintaining a healthier lifestyle. I think it's just not worth it to some people.

dotTif

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.

why did you gain weight initially? There you go, now you have a least one reason.

susanrechter

I agree with LisaGNV: "When you go back to the old way of eating, you go back to the old way of looking."
Simple.